By Caroline Roosevelt
Contributing Writer

Halloween is right around the corner, and while everyone’s planning their costumes for the holiday, the musical line up for the Kennett Flash’s Third Annual Halloween Jam on Oct. 17-18 have selected their musical costumes – in the form of the bands they will be covering at the festival. 

The concept, brought to life by Melissa Forsythe, owner of Rainbow Records and Gingerfox Productions, will bring together a smattering of Newark-based punk and post punk bands to perform as legendary bands and musicians. She is following her template for her already popular event, Hot Jam.

While a tribute band is the exact opposite of a unique idea, bands who usually stick to their own original material playing the classics really scratches that itch and answers the question, “I wonder if this band would sound like if we covered Fleetwood Mac but performed in our own style?”

“In Newark, they have a lot of really, really talented bands - punk and metal and indie rock bands - but they don’t have a lot of locations anymore to play, besides the Deer Park Tavern or in somebody’s basement,” said Michael Hahn, director of The Kennett Flash. “I told Melissa that I 

would love to be able to do something like Hot Jam at the Flash.” 

Last years’ Hot Jam was hosted by Center for Creative Arts in Yorklyn, Del. at the end of September, and most years, a theme is selected and followed. While there was no theme for the show, there were three distinctive stages. The lineup for Halloween Jam at the Kennett Flash will have something for lovers of all various kinds of musical genres, as 15 local bands have signed on to perform the works of artists as diverse as D.R.I., Front Bottoms, Yo La Tengo, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Queens of the Stone Age, Blink-182, Joyce Manor, Everytime I Die, Botch, Misfits, Genesis, Fall Out Boy, Radiohead and Black Sabbath.

Hahn said the lineup of talent at this coming weekend’s festival is as diverse as it is strong.

“For example, What Are The Odds are a fantastic new band that just kind of came on the scene in the last two years,” he said. “They won our new Summer Sounds contest last summer. They’ve won all sorts of contests around the tri-state area. They’re performing Black Sabbath to end the night on Saturday.”

Hahn also mentioned another very up-and-coming band - World of Chaos. 

“They’re these young kids, and the lead singer is the youngest out of all of them, about 13 or 14,” he said. “They’re a thrash metal band, and he’s got a great punk voice.”

The Third Annual Halloween Jam will take place as a benefit for The Kennett Flash on Oct. 17 and 18, with Friday’s show starting at 6:45 p.m. and Saturday’s show beginning at 4:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are $10 per show - $15 for both shows – and are available in advance or at the door. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Costumes will be encouraged (there will be a contest!) and expect a visit from the Rainbow Records’ bus filled with choice vinyl records for purchase. To see a list of the participating bands, visit www.kennettflash.org.