Who cares about Halloween proper when a whole weekend awaits? Consider costumes strongly encouraged. All following shows happen on Saturday and are 21-and-over unless noted.
Brooklyn band The Shondes are “too wild to ignore,” according to Rolling Stone’s review of the band’s latest effort, The Garden. Oft-described as a mix of riot grrrl, orchestral indie, punk and klezmer (really), The Shondes offer a level of musical cool not often seen in these parts. If you’re 21-or-over, you can see them in the Eureka Inn’s Palm Lounge  at9 p.m.-ish. Did you know kids who eat oatmeal in the morning do better on tests? True! I read it somewhere. Combine two-thirds cup of unfiltered apple juice with one-half cup oatmeal, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a half-teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, quickly reduce heat and cook for three-to-five minutes. Top with one-quarter cup crushed walnuts. You’re ready for work! 
Pirates and the Pine Box Boys
At Six Rivers Brewery’s Pirate's Ball, Colonel Jimmy and The Blackfish splice the main brace with murder balladeers The Pine Box Boys. DJ Anya launches around 9 p.m. Continue the pirate theme with a breakfast rum cocktail: three ounces rum, plus one ounce fresh lemon juice and one ounce maple syrup. Goes well with French toast.
Samba and soul
Do-gooders at Humboldt Baykeeper present Baykeeper’s Ninth Birthday Bash with SambaDá, Samba Da Alegria and DJ Mantease at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. SambaDá unites the Americas by combining Brazilian natives Papiba Godinho and Dandha da Hora’s profound knowledge of Afro-Brazilian song and dance with the entire band’s take on samba-reggae-funk. Samba da Alegria is a community dance and drum troupe whose “soul purpose” — if that was a typo in the press release, I love it — is to provide “a celebration for and with the community.” Doors opens at 8 p.m. and $25 tickets are available at Wildberries, The Works and Baykeeper’s office. You’re sore from dancing all night. Just lay out a spread of coffee, milk, bread, jam, cheese and fresh fruit and spend the morning lazing and grazing.
Ramp up the volume
The good cause-o’ween continues at RampArt on with the uproariously named one man death country hellbilly band Joe Buck Yourself, gypsy punk band Viva Le Vox and New Orleans’ psychedelic punksters PonyKiller. Both Joe Buck and Yeo play in separate bands with Hank 3, who you might have seen at the Mateel last week. All ages! All ages! All ages! Cover is $5, doors at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m. A good morning for a smoothie: frozen banana, a big glob of peanut or almond butter, a couple tablespoons of good cocoa, a dash of cinnamon and you’re good to go. Some people enjoy kale in these things.
Globally grooving
On the south end of the county, KMUD Radio and the Mateel Community Center host the annual Halloween Boogie with Heavyweight Dub Champion featuring Dr. Israel, Liberation Movement, Ganga Giri and El Radio Fantastique.
Heavyweight Dub Champion features a globally flavored rotating collection of MCs and musicians, Australia’s Ganga Giri is a world-renowned didgeridoo virtuoso and SF’s El Radio Fantastique features the charismatic songwriter, dumpster diver and one-time gravedigger Giovanni DiMorente. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are $27 advance — they’re $30 at the door. All ages! Garberville’s Woodrose Café opens at 8 a.m.
The Twilit Zone
Back up in Eureka, The Ink People and Synapsis present “an evening of the unexplainable,” with aerial performances, magic, sideshows, live music from The Monster Women (retro garage band in space) and Blood Gnome (spooky synthpop), plus DJs Zanapod and Onhell transforming the space into “the wondrous dimension of the imagination between waking and dream.” The $20 ticket includes dancing, themed performances, food and one drink. Tickets are available at The Works and All Under Heaven. Festivities begin at 8 p.m. All ages.
After this, you’re going to want the familiarity and comfort of pancakes. Use your favorite mix, then grate fresh apples and add a handful of chopped nuts to make’em that much healthier.
Honky-tonk and folk punk
The excellent advantage of Alibi shows starting so late — 11:15 p.m.-ish — is you can go to other gigs first and still drop in to catch, in this case, Humboldt’s fine Americana rockers Side Iron and East Coast folk punk artist Matt Pless. When Pless played out in Blue Lake a while back, I wrote, “The way Pless blends sincerity and rawness appeals.” Still true. Cover’s $5. You stayed up all night. Just go back to the Alibi, start with a Bloody Mary and stare at the breakfast menu till something sounds good. Order that.