Matt Jordan: Local musicians pay tribute to idols at Come As You Aren’t Halloween show

James Friley of Idiot Glee as Fleetwood Mac in 2010. (Photo by Matt Jordan)

By Matt Jordan
KyForward correspondent
 

Halloween is a time to dress up as someone or something extraordinary and remove yourself from your ordinary life for one night. For musicians, the Halloween season is an opportunity to do the same on stage. Many local bands take this chance to dress up as famous groups and perform entire tribute sets to their idols.
 

The bi-yearly Come As You Aren’t show on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at Cosmic Charlies is perhaps the best example of of using Halloween (and April Fool’s, as Cosmic also does) as a chance for a bit of cover set indulgence. Cosmic Charlie’s promoter Mark Evans says of the event, “The whole week is a celebration of what inspires us as musicians and fans and Come As You Aren’t is the apex of that celebration”
 

In the past two years CAYA has had sets from area groups like the Matt Duncan Band doing a Steely Dan tribute and Chico Fellini doing a David Bowie set, but this year they’ve enlisted a local supergroup of sorts to cover artists that have inspired all of them. James Friley of Idiot Glee organized a Hall and Oates tribute with members of Big Fresh, ATTEMPT and the Matt Duncan Band. The headlining event is a T Rex cover set organized by Echo Wilcox of Ancient Warfare featuring members of Tall Boys, Oh My Me and Chico Fellini.
 

Evans said in the past he’s had to recruit bands to do covers, but now they’ve started approaching him. “I used to seek performers but now it sort of happens naturally,” he said. “It’s a fun event that most people enjoy being a part of.”
 

This year’s Halloween edition of Come As You Aren’t takes place on Wednesday Oct. 31 at 10 p.m.. The event is an 18+ show with a $10 cover.