something that you buried

So I did a little research on Halloween (cause I’m pathetic like that) and this is what I came up with.

Straight of out of Merria-Webster….
HALLOWEEN , Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day , observed with traditional games and customs. The word comes from medieval England’s All Hallows’ eve (Old Eng. hallow = “saint”). However, many of these customs predate Christianity, going back to Celtic practices associated with Nov. 1 – the beginning of winter and the Celtic new year. Witches and other evil spirits were believed to roam the earth on this evening, playing tricks on human beings to mark the season of diminishing sunlight. Bonfires were lit, offerings were made of dainty foods and sweets, and people would disguise themselves as one of the roaming spirits, to avoid demonic persecution. Survivals of these early practices can be found in countries of Celtic influence today, such as the United States where children go from door to door in costumes demanding “trick or treat.”

I did some other poking around online to see what else I could find. And the survey says….No one really knows anything! They all disagree on one thing or another. Apple-bobbing has to do with communing with past dead relatives, or with finding the name of your spouse, or none of the above. Jack-o-lanterns could be just funny lights, or they protect houses from demons and evil spirits, or none of the above. The list goes on and on about the different orgins of different things. But there are a few common threads. Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve is always the day before All Saints’ Day, which is November 1st. All Saints’ Day is a Catholic tradition of remembering loved ones who have died in the past and praying to the saints.

There is a lot of talk of Samhain in association with Halloween. Samhain was the ancient druid New Year, bringing in the winter. It marks the beginning of long nights and cold weather. Different customs are associated with Samhain depending on where you read. Some say there were animal sacrifices or even human sacrifices, while others talk of a ritual fire and blessing marriages, animals and children.

The celtic druids were a peaceful people from almost all the accounts I’ve read. Although somewhere the “Ladies from Hell” arose to fight against any invaders, so I don’t know how ‘peaceful’ they really were. But we’ll go with this. The druids were peaceful. So how did we go from a peaceful celtic society to witches, vampires and werewolves. Sure Hollywood built everything up, but they had to start somewhere.

Another common thread was some reference to All Hallow’s Eve and those who are dead coming back to earth, either to peacfully visit loved ones or to wreck havoc. Some stories say the druid priests would come to each house asking for gifts to appease the spirits. If the household refused, the spirits would come and play tricks on them. There are other stories of the spirits themselves coming to ask for treats. The saying “trick or treat” didn’t really come in until relatively recently, but you can see the fine connection.

Music has also fed into the stories of All Hallow’s Eve.
Night on Bald Mountain, an orchestral piece written by Modeste Petrovich Musorgsky, exhibits Musorgsky’s attempt to write a peice that brings to mind the story taken from Mengden’s drama, “The Witch”. In this tale’s origin, witches are assembled on a mountain, chatting and playing pranks, while waiting on Satan’s arrival. When he arrives, in the form of a he-goat, they surround his throne and offer him their praise. Once Satan had been completely satisfied by their glorifications, he would choose the best witches to serve his fancies.
This night is often depicted as All Hallow’s Eve, although there is no evidence of this to be true.

The following is from Britannica.com – the entry for Beltane.

BELTANE
Holiday observed on October 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day.

Its pagan origins can be traced to the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in ancient England and Ireland to mark the beginning of the Celtic new year. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on Samhain eve, and witches, goblins, black cats, and ghosts were said to roam abroad. The night was also thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. The pagan observances influenced the Christian festival of All Hallows’ Eve, celebrated on the same date. The holiday was gradually secularized and was introduced into the U.S. by the late 19th century. Still associated with evil spirits and the supernatural, it is celebrated by children in costume who gather candy by ringing doorbells and calling out “trick or treat,” ‘trick’ referring to the pranks and vandalism that are also part of the Halloween tradition.

So the basis of Halloween is deep within druid history. But druids kept an oral tradition so there is no written proof of what really went on those nights around the Beltane fires. The written history we have of that time was written by the Romans, and since winners write the history books, their input must be taken with a grain of salt. The Catholic church considered druids and pagans to be the handiwork of the devil, therefore some consider Halloween a demonic holidy and refuse to take part or allow their children to take part.

I’ve decided that getting dressed up in silly costumes for one night and collecting candy “ain’t that blasted devil worship,” but I can understand how some Orthodox Christians are hesitant to encourage it.

And now I’m rambling, so I’m gonna stop.

It’s Boo Time
Boo Time
It’s Boo Time

When every wanker’s wound up tight,
frigid, fractious, and forthright,
the plebes plugged up with plebiscite,
Trim the trad, go troglodyte

It’s Boo Time
Boo Time
It’s Boo Time

When obligations grow obtuse,
New neckties nab you like a noose,
The clown, the cleric, the recluse
All crank the sluice on their caboose.

Something that you buried,
way down the estuary,
Sharp and incendiary,
locked in a box of lead I said.

Mr. Metro Moon, meek, mundane,
set sail on seas of cellophane
Mapped the mists of mauve membrane
Old friends all sang ‘auf wiedersehn’.
It might be howling on all fours,
Or strolling naked out of doors,
Perhaps an herbal remedy,
Reminds the mind what holds the key.

Something that you buried,
way down the estuary,
Sharp and incendiary,
locked in a box of lead I said.

It’s not forbidden to be what you are.
Dip into that great big cookie jar.
where it’s always Boo Time

It’s Boo Time
Boo Time
It’s Boo Time
Boo Time
It’s Boo Time
Boo Time

Boo Time ~ Moxy Fruvousht as a metal band.”

“Ok. You lost me when you said genre, but I trust you. When can we start the advertising? Because if people don’t know to come, it won’t matter what bands are playing.”

“I’m making the decision Monday. It will either be three weeks or a month. I’m writing up the press release right now. All I have to do is fill in the dates.”

Brian nodded. “Sounds like you are on top of it.”

“Brian,” Sara said slowly. “We’ve already had this discussion. What do you want?”

“Just wondering when you’re leaving.”

Exasperated, Sara stood up and pulled a messenger bag from her ledge. She placed a yellow legal pad, pens and a blue folder inside. Walking to her side table, she grabbed green folder filled with papers and put it in her bag.

“What’s with the legal pad? Going to court?”

Sara shot him a look. “I take notes on the group’s strong points and weaknesses. Then I know what I’m saying when they come to talk with me. Do you need anything else from me?” she asked as she grabbed her purse and jacket.

Brian stood up. “No, that’s about it.”

Sara opened the door and stepped into the hall. “Then I’m leaving.” She turned and walked down the hall.

Brian stood leaning against her doorjam for a moment, then retreated to his office. He picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. “Loren? It’s Brian Hacker. How would you like to have lunch with me today?”

***********************************************************************

“That was really great,” Sara said without looking up as the band members of the Perfect Chance walked up to the table. They were in a closed club room just outside Langhorne. The band had just finished their demo set for Sara.

She finished writing on her note pad and looked up at them. “Great job, everyone. I’m really impressed. Take a seat and let’s talk.”

They sat down and Sara flipped her pad back to the begining. The band’s leader, Shane, gulped as he saw the number of pages she had scratched notes on.

“Would you like the good news or the bad news first?”

Shane looked around at the other guys and answered, “Bad news first.”

Sara smiled gently as his apprehensiveness. “Your balance needs work. I don’t know if it was just the feeds or what, but I could barely hear the vocals at some points. I like a strong driving bass, but without the vocals and lead guitar, its just a strong driving bass. I think you need to get some voice lessons, Jake.” Sara looked at the singer. “It will help with your projection and the longevity of your voice, both in a concert and in life. Without some guidance you’ll ruin it within a year. Plan out your set before you get on stage. If you need set lists so everyone knows what you are playing, that’s fine. A lot of bands have set lists. It doesn’t mean you have to play the same order each night, but it will make the flow from one song to the other a bit smoother. You don’t have to put your heads together after every song. It breaks the flow of your act and will lose the crowd’s interest. I would also like to see some interaction with the crowd when you do perform. I do know doing a performance like this for one person is different than for a crowd of fans, but its something to think about.” She pulled a CD from underneath her pad. “I’ve listened to the demo you sent as well. You have a lot of great stuff here, and I know you just played one new song on stage. What I’d like to see you do is make a tighter set. Pick songs that flow nicely from one to the other and ones that will make people want to hear you again.

She paused, letting her words sink in. “Now the good news. I’d like to offer you a spot on our Local Thursdays night. Concert is 4 weeks from this Thursday. Want to hear more?”

Shane looked around the table again. The rest of the band nodded. “Yeah, that would be great!”

Sara smiled. “Local Thursdays have no real headlining band, so you won’t be that band that plays before the greats come on. It gives you a chance to get your name and sound out there and possibly get offers for other concerts, maybe even a record deal. There will be probably 6, maybe 7 other bands there. You’ll have a 20 minute time slot and you will be expected to sell tickets. You don’t get paid for the gig. Each band is required to sell at least 50 tickets. If you don’t, you will have to pay us 50% for the left-over tickets. If you sell over 100 tickets, you will get paid for the 101st ticket and every ticket after that. Cash and left-over tickets must be given to us the day before the concert. No checks or credit cards. If someone wants to pay with a check, you have to cash it. Got it?”

The guys nodded and she continues. “One of the requirements of Local Thursdays is that you are not signed. If you are signed between now and the concert, you will be allowed to play the concert but your label will not be allowed to sell its merchandise. If the label refuses to agree to those terms, you can not play the concert. If you are not signed, you may sell your merchandise if you have any. We will provide the tables should you need them. Any questions so far?”

The drummer nodded and hesitantly raised his hand. Sara grinned. “Yes?”

“What equipment will we have to bring?”

“The band manager, Scott, will contact you with what we have and what you’ll need. You’ll be allowed one extra person to help with your set-up. No friends on stage and after you are done, you are off the stage.”

Jake spoke up. “Can we see the club before we perform on it?”

“And when do we get the tickets?” Shane added.

Sara looked around the group. “Is this your first performance?” The boys nodded. “Ok, let’s cover some basic stuff first. The tickets will be available this Friday. You are expected to pick them up yourself at the club. Or you can give me a stamped self-addressed envelope and I’ll mail them to you when they come in. Up to you. You are not allowed to sell them for more than the printed price, which is seven bucks. That’s called scalping and its illegal. Don’t do it. You are expected at the club between 3 o’clock and 5 o’clock the day of the concert. We need to do sound checks and get everyone situated for the show. You can see the stage and the club then. The doors will open at 7:30 and the show is at 8 o’clock. The order will be decided probably that day, so I can’t tell you when excatly you’ll be going on. We have sound techs who will help you hook everything up and what not. Listen to them and take their advice. They are smart guys. You’ll get free water until the last band takes the stage. You buy your own sodas. If you back out of the concert, there will be hell to pay. You will get no money even if you sell over 100 tickets, and your name as a band will be blackened in the area. The club managers talk with each other and suggest good bands and warn about bad bands. I’ll give you to this Friday to back out, no hard feelings. I know you need to check schedules and talk without me listening. Any questions now?”

Shane nodded as the other band members shook their heads. “How often can we perform? I mean, could we count on playing every Thursday until we get signed?”

Sara shook her head. “No. I have a long list of bands who want to play and as of right now, Local Thursdays will probably only be once a month. You are at the top of the list for the first concert. Your band then goes on the bottom and will work its way back up, based on performance and crowd desires. Should you get signed after Local Thursday, your manager can contact the club to play another night of the week. And if you are signed, your chances of coming back to play get better.”

Jack spoke up. “Oh, I thought of one. I have a younger sister who will probably want to come. Can she get into the club?”

“How much younger?”

“She’s eleven.”

Sara shook her head. “Not on her own. Parental unit or someone over 21 will have to accompany her, basically take responsibility for her. The age requirement is 16 by yourself, otherwise bring an adult. That’s only on Local Thursdays though. Other nights and shows are either 18 or 21 usually.”

Shane looked at the guys before speaking. “Is there a contract or something we need to sign?”

“Sort of. I’ll give you a copy of the requirements and arrangements for the show. One designated person in the band needs to sign it and give it back to us before we give you the tickets. I suggest you take it home, talk it over and get back to me.”

Shane looked around then band who was all nodding. “We’d love to do it.”