Hollandween

Brian is on vacation. I think I forgot to mention that last week.

Last Saturday, Oct. 24, I went to one of my favorite annual events in Reno—the Holland Project's Halloween Show. Local musicians dress up as well known national and international acts from today and yesteryear and perform tribute sets.

This event actually predates the Holland Project itself. I remember seeing a great Joy Division tribute set fronted by Ryan Stark—the uber-tall former Bibo barista now running his own coffee shop, Black Spring, in Oakland. This was 2005, maybe 2006. At that point, the cover show was at a house party—a punk rock house near the university called “House on the Hill.”

I think the next year it was at another house near there. I remember sets by “The Wu-Tang Clan” and “The Clash.” Then, it was at Studio on Fourth for a year or two. From those days, I remember a great “Pavement” set, and local rocker Mark Norris put on an amazing show with his best Stooges-era Iggy Pop impersonation.

Since Holland took it over, it's been consistently great. It missed the first few bands this year, but caught really fun sets by “The Smiths,” fronted by a female Morrissey played by Christine Felch, and '90s dance pop group “Deee-Lite” fronted by local dance maniac Jamie Hemingway. Young local singer-songwriter Gina Rose Waller outdid Lana Del Ray with her own songbook, and a group of prolific local dudes burned the house down as the Jesus and Mary Chain.

Afterward, the grownups in the crowd headed over to 40 Mile Saloon for the afterparty, which featured another fun set—this one by a T. Rex tribute band. Anyway, it's a great event, and there was a strong turnout even though there was a lot going on around town that night, including the Zombie Crawl, complete with “Thriller” dance beneath the arch, and a steampunk event at the art museum.

I love it when Reno nightlife is so happening that we have to make tough decisions about what events to attend and what to miss.