MATT DRISCOLL: NIGHT OF THE LIVING TRIBUTE BANDS '08 >>>

Every year around this time in Olympia you can count on a couple of things. Students at The Evergreen State College are blowing off seminars to smoke weed in the woods, and since it’s nearly Halloween it must be time for the Olympia Film Society’s “Night of the Living Tribute Bands.”

If you’re not from Olympia, or â€" by chance â€" have never heard of Night of the Living Tribute Bands, let me explain.

For seven years in a row now, musicians and closet performance artists have gathered at the Capitol Theater on or near Halloween to pay homage to some of the greatest bands of all time and take on the musical personas they’ve always dreamed of. The idea is simple: musicians so inclined gather their friends and choose a band to pay tribute to, pick their character, practice the licks and the moves, and on the big night strut their stuff for the delight of a packed house of costumed revelers. It’s nowhere near reality, but that’s what makes it so much damn fun.

This year's Night of the Living Tribute Bands will happen tonight, Halloween, at the Capitol Theater. To read the full story in this week's issue of the Weekly Volcano, click here.

Photo courtesy of Meg Cunningham/BlackSheep Photography