HELLTONES AND MACKS AND SPOON BENDERS, OH MY!

Who? The Helltones, The Macks, and Spoon Benders; What? Oakland Secret Halloween Bash; When? Thursday, October 21st at Oakland Secret – community arts space for live music and vendors, but also home to my good friend Mylo and their cat Smudge. 

One side of the house was blocked off for tarot card reading by Vice Farley and handmade jewelry by Luca Giles, whereas the other side of the house was completely decked out for Halloween. With vintage masks lining one wall, opposite the makeshift local art gallery, and a spooky message written in fake blood, Mylo transcended the space into something right out of a Tim Burton movie. Not only that but they hung a corpse in a body bag from the window and fully converted the bathroom into a crime scene. Following this was the stage itself, hand painted for the occasion with just enough room for all three bands to make themselves known.

The Helltones opened for Oakland Secret with a timbre, unlike anything I had previously been exposed to. Their sound (and costumes) were hugely unique, not to mention the way vocalists Kyle Deboef and Victoria Seppe interacted with the crowd. I got the chance to meet with Deboef after the show, and he was more than open to letting me know their sound has been developing since 2016. Five years and one pandemic later, the band has damn near perfected the line between psychedelic blues and classic punk.

Lead singer Darwin Siegaldoud won the crowd over through call-and-response during “Wolfman,” my new favorite Halloween tune. Beginning with Transylvania-like organs and the howl of a wolf, he and the gang dove straight into a guitar riff I have yet to get out of my head now three weeks later. It was reminiscent of the B-52s’ “Rock Lobster,” but with a kaleidoscopic twist and definitely had me and the crowd eager for more. 

With regard to the rest of Lazarus, their nine-track album and masterpiece, I feel like Siegaldoud and the Helltones were meant to play during the spooky season. Their sound reminds me of that of the Black Pumas, given the bluesy, groovy nature of Lazarus in particular. Similar to the Pumas, more than one cover version was played during their set in accordance with the record’s format. Seppe actually took the role of the leading lady at one point, for the sake of covering “I Put a Spell on You.” Her stand-alone voice was enchanting, to say the least, and paved the way for a sultry change of pace.

I was also a really big fan of the band’s “Love Potion #9” cover, which is saying something because up to this show, the White Stripes version had always been my go-to. That having been said, the Helltones are now tied for first place in my book just because of the harmonies between Deboef and Seppe more than anything else. Further, after speaking with the pair, I cannot help but vouch for their local hip-swaying pulse. 

Before the next set began, however, I made a point to explore the backyard, which surpassed the inner workings of the house by tenfold. At the top of the stairs was a vendor selling creepy-crawly snacks galore, below which the techno DJ was stationed. Mylo also set up a projector for some old-timey black and white horror movies, together with a full-blown mock graveyard to really tie the whole thing together. Pretty much everyone I talked to or danced with gushed about the decorations and overall mood of the place: Oakland Secret’s Halloween Bash was off to a masterfully spine-chilling start. 

The Macks certainly shifted the night’s tone in the best possible way. Before anything else, I chatted with lead singer Sam Fulwiler and keyboardist Jake Perris, both of whom graduated from UO – my home away from Cal – and jumped headfirst into the Eugene music scene very soon after. Oakland Secret was the third-to-last stop in their tour with Spoon Benders, who they have come to know, love, and respect by way of their bass player dating lead vocalist for the Spoons Katy Black. 

With regard to the tour itself, Perris and Fulwiler had nothing but positive things to say. I asked for the good, bad, and the dirty, to which they responded with only the good and the dirty. Perris let me know their van has taken a beating, but separate from that, they really don’t want the tour to end. Fulwiler in particular was dreading their inevitable return to Eugene, Oregon, due in large part to the fact that he and the boys were quite literally stuck in the hills of Eugene together for the entirety of the pandemic. 

To that very same end, it was really interesting to learn about the making of the album they went on to perform that night, given the stay-at-home nature of its birth. Conceived in the throes of COVID-19, “Yup” was recorded in Denver but ultimately goes all the way back to the Macks writing together 5 hours a day, every day for a year. In hindsight, they feel COVID was pretty good to them, and they definitely made the most out of it but also can’t wait to bring the next record into fruition.

Juxtaposed with the calm, cool, and collected nature of our chat, the Macks’ set itself caught me entirely off guard. I had no prior knowledge of their sound, but based on our conversation, I was not expecting their absolute banger of a stage presence. Fulwiler took on an entirely different persona, becoming a master of theatrics the minute he grabbed onto the mic. His facial expressions and energy were unmatched, except maybe with respect to that of bassist Aidan Harrison. They fed off each other, Fulwiler and Harrison, to the point where even Darwin of the Helltones was moshing for joy. 

At this point in the night, Spoon Benders were on deck and ready to close the show with a wayward combination of psychedelic rock and classic garage punk. For their photographer Harper King, it’s always such a pleasure to watch their friends rock on stage, especially this far into the tour. 

They met Katy (frontwoman) through working at a coffee shop in Portland, OR during the pandemic, after having already given up on shooting for bands. It was Katy who actually convinced Harper to get back into the photo biz just for the sake of local shows, until persuading them to join them in Boise at the end of September. That was Harper’s first time leaving town with the band and they have since fallen in love with the Spoons, and now Macks, just because “they’re all really good people.” For Harper, the two bands are hugely respectful, and that’s really important to them, plus a big part of the reason why they ultimately requested time off work to partake in the tour.

“They’re my friends,’ Harper says, ‘but I’m obsessed with them,” and after watching them perform in Oakland last week, I don’t see how you couldn’t be. Track one off their debut album alone was the highlight of my night, for sure, and Harper recommends “Layla” if you’re looking for a solid runner-up. They described Oakland Secret as one of the coolest venues of the tour, and that’s coming from someone who shot for the band down in LA. Not only that but Oakland was their last stop in California, so Harper and the Spoons were really grateful for such a great turnout and killer setup by Mylo.

As for the Macks, Fulwiler certainly went out with a bang, given that another car rammed into the van as he was loading something into the side door. He was rushed to the hospital by the Spoons, while the Macks stayed behind to sort things out with insurance. According to Harper, Katy took Fulwiler in while the rest of the group hung out and watched TV in the parking lot. It wasn’t until five in the morning that he came out battered and bruised with no major damage.

This left Fulwiler with two more shows to play in Oregon, leg brace and all if he and the Macks were to complete the end of the tour. Despite the option to cancel, Sam wanted to finish: “he was so badass and put on the same exact show,” Harper raved, and if that’s not punk, I don’t know what is.

Keeping this in mind, I highly encourage the readers of B-Side to give the Macks some extra love but also look out for the Spoon Benders’ next record. I for one will also be keeping tabs on the Helltones for upcoming shows in the area, together with Oakland Secret. Be sure to follow the venue, bands, and vendors on Instagram to stay in the loop, and cheers to such a genre-bending finale to the month of October.

Article by Nico Chodor

Photos by Lex Andersen