Get Into Boo Dudes

Scaring up some genuine Halloween spirit during this infernal pandemic is a unique challenge. But with a little help from Boo Dudes, Nashville’s spoooOOOkiest tunesmiths, you can make it if you try. The core duo of bass mummy Jesse Boo and guitar wolf Ghastly Mike Hackenslash materialized on the scene like an ominous fog in 2014 with their debut album Ride the Frightening. It’s a genre-hopping collection of unnaturally fun songs offering a deadly serious look at the challenges of living in our world when you’re undead. Each October since, Music City’s kayfabe kings of Halloween have crept from their crypts with a spooktacular new release. In 2018, a new chapter opened in the Dudes’ saga: Not only did they lose a legal battle with skate-punk heels Graveyard Guys, but label head “Bloody Buddy” Pearlman also forced the Dudes to start the fourth wave of ska in a bid to impress Pearlman’s estranged teenage son Aiden. This year, Bloody Buddy and Aiden signed self-styled “Soundclown rapper” Terry the Horror Clown. Terry’s debut mixtape The Clownward Spiral is like a piece of candy corn: The tip is Lil Pump, the middle bit is Insane Clown Posse and the fat part is Nine Inch Nails. Also like candy corn, it’s hard to stop indulging even if you think you should. That’s great, but will the Dudes’ long-shelved prog opus Spookydelica 2045: Echoes of the Resistance ever see the light of day? Follow Boo Dudes (@boodudes) and Bloody Buddy (@bloodybuddypearlman) on Instagram to keep up with the story, check out the whole Boo Dudes catalog on Bandcamp and watch for the Dudes during the Belcourt’s virtual 12 Hours of Terror celebration on Oct. 24. STEPHEN TRAGESER