The King of Horror Comes to Queens
Good thing they added a second show!
Our musical horror tour takes us from midtown Manhattan, where we delighted in the bloody mayhem of The Evil Dead at Town Hall, to our home borough of Queens; more specifically to the Knockdown Center in Maspeth. On October 9th and 10th, the Knockdown hosted a musician and filmmaker whose imprint on horror and science fiction cinema of the 1970s and 1980 cannot be overstated. Yes, John Carpenter, writer, director, and producer of movies beloved by generations of genre fans (including yours truly) came to our backyard—and we weren’t going this miss this!
As some of you probably know, Carpenter wrote and performed the scores to many of his movies. These mesmerizing, synth-centric scores have a gravity of their own and are artistically indispensable components of his films. And while he hasn’t directed in quite a few years, he continues to compose and perform music (both film-related and not) with family and friends. That said, he hasn’t performed live in about seven years and this latest mini tour is very limited (two shows at the Knockdown and a handful in Los Angeles later this month). Needless to say, we considered ourselves quite lucky to get tickets for the October 9th show!
Carpenter was not alone onstage. He was joined by his son Cody Carpenter (a composer in his own right) playing lead on synthesizer, and Daniel Davies, a Los Angeles-based guitarist, singer, and composer. Davies is also Carpenter’s godson. For the last 10 or so years this trio has collaborated on a series of Lost Themes albums. These highly atmospheric instrumental albums are for the most part not associated with specific films. However, one does get certain genre cinema vibes when listening to them. The Carpenters (not those Carpenters) and Davies were supported by three additional musicians playing rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and drums.
The venue
The Knockdown was a very appropriate venue for this type of show: iron gates, rusted corrugated walls, and monster-sized performance space with an industrial aesthetic that feels as if it could be plucked from one of Carpenter’s films. I had no previous knowledge of the space or its history, so I looked it up. I wanted to share this excerpt from their website because I thought it pretty interesting:
“Knockdown Center is New York’s largest independent music venue. This 50,000 square-foot building has seen continuous use for more than 100 years: first as the Gleason-Tiebout glass factory, then as Manhattan Door factory. It is named for the “Knock-Down” door frame that was invented here in 1956 by Samuel Sklar and remains an industry standard to this day. The factory has since remained in the Sklar family and is again a site for innovation. Having undergone a renovation that is equal parts preservationist and state of the art, Knockdown Center now produces and hosts concerts, performances, nightlife and exhibitions that respond to its unique architecture and dimensions.”
Who knew?!
Back to the main event—which was incredible, by the way
The band performed some main themes and additional tracks from several iconic scores, plus a handful of live debuts from the Lost Themes albums. The positively killer lineup of scores included Escape from New York (1981), Halloween (1978), Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), The Thing (1982), In The Mouth Of Madness (1994), The Fog (1980), Assault of Precinct 13 (1976), and They Live (1988). Each was accompanied by clips from its respective film, which played on a big screen just behind the band. It was all beautiful music to this monster kids’s ears, featuring all the trademarks of Carpenter’s compositions: precise and pulsing synthesizer and lean and minimalist arrangements that could be gritty, grungy, jolting, and even ethereal.
The show triggered a wave of nostalgia for me, as I’m sure it did for many others who grew up with these genre films. But it’s much more than nostalgia, as these scores hold up extremely well, having not lost their potency over the decades. Carpenter’s music remains instantly evocative, and even if you are not familiar with the films the scores can still elicit a sense of fear, awe, dread, humor, mystery, and even fun.
Going into the concert I was wondering if the addition of a full rock band, replete with lead, rhythm, and bass guitars, might overwhelm or distract from the original score. But I was quickly dispelled of that notion as the integration of the guitar and percussion into these original scores was an absolute joy. A good example would be the theme music for Assault on Precinct 13, one of my favorite Carpenter films and scores. Davies and company layered in guitar riffs that enhanced the experience of listening to what was already a badass score!
Of course the night featured quite a few additional highlights such as Carpenter’s most recognizable and celebrated theme for Halloween (yeah, you know it), the eerie, atmosphere-drenched theme from The Fog, a very playful, mood-lightening track (“Pork Chop Express”) from Big Trouble in Little China, and a part rocking, part lilting piece from They Live. Lastly, it was a pleasure watching Carpenter, now 77, just having fun and reveling in the moment.
After exiting the stage, the band was summoned by the audience for a three-song encore—and what an encore it was. The final track was introduced by Carpenter, who wished us all a safe trip home and warned us to be careful because “Christine is out there.” For the uninitiated, Christine is Carpenter’s 1983 film based on a Stephen King novel, a tale of the supernatural featuring possession and an extremely jealous 1958 red Plymouth Fury. The beautiful, hypnotic, and rocking hell on wheels track was a fitting way to end the show. I forgot how good the score is for this film.
Fortunately, a video of the full show is now available on Youtube. Check it out below!
Extra notes-
We would be remiss if we did not mention Alan Howarth, a prolific music composer, producer, and sound designer. Howarth collaborated with Carpenter to compose several memorable scores, including those for Assault on Precinct 13, Escape from New York, Christine, and They Live.
Sadly, there was nothing from Carpenter’s first movie Dark Star (1974), a student film turned feature that he developed with fellow USC film student Dan O’Bannon. That is a whole other story that you can read about in a post we did last year as part of our Cinematic Semicentennial Series.
Howarth and Carpenter also composed the score for the underrated Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), a weird, unsettling, and underrated film with a cult status that has grown in recent years. The film was not directed by Carpenter but Tommy Lee Wallace. Wallace was a friend, fellow filmmaker, and collaborator of Carpenter’s going back as far as the Dark Star days.
Howarth & Carpenter working on the score for Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
In a nice touch, the band all donned sunglasses once they got to the score for They Live – if you know, you know.
Legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone composed the music for The Thing in collaboration with Carpenter, who embraced the more minimalists parts of Morricone’s score.
John & Cody Carpenter, along with John Davies, also composed the music for the most recent trilogy of Halloween films (2018-2022).
Cody Carpenter, John Carpenter, Daniel Davies
Carpenter was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this past spring. The ceremony was attended by friends and various members of the casts and crews of his films. These included actors Keith David, Adrienne Barbeau, and Kurt Russell. Check out the ceremony here. You can also visit the official John Carpenter website to learn more about his music and collaborators.
Carpenter and friends will be performing a few more shows at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles on October 24th, 25th, and 31st, and one last show on November 1st. Follow this link for tickets.
