Psychobilly surf rock acts Nekromantix and Messer Chups play The Siren on Dec. 3 

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Halloween is behind us, but you can indulge your interest in the campy macabre when Danish-American psychobilly band Nekromantix and instrumental surf-rock combo Messer Chups play The Siren on Sunday, Dec. 3 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at tixr.com). If you're a fan of The Munsters or The Addams Family, or horror hostess Elvira, these two bands conjure tongue-in-cheek monster nostalgia.

Nekromantix deliver punk, psychobilly, and rockabilly with frontman Nekroman playing a coffin-shaped stand-up bass, which was constructed using an actual child-size coffin. They've been an international sensation since forming in 1989, releasing nine albums including Dead Girls Don't Cry, Life is a Grave & I Dig It!, and Curse of the Coffin.

Messer Chups hails from Saint Petersburg, Russia, and features guitarist Oleg "Guitaracula" Fomchenkov, bassist Svetlana "Zombierella" Nagaeva, and drummer Evgeny "Rocking Eugene" Lomakin. They're touring in support of their newest, Adventures of Zombierella and Guitaracula, their 19th if I count correctly, and that's since forming in 1999. Prolific.

Also at The Siren, don't forget that (((folkYEAH!))) presents singer-songwriter Ty Segall solo acoustic on Thursday, Nov. 30 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $30 to $35 at eventbrite.com).

Classic rock and blues fans will want to check out cover band Shop Rock on Saturday, Dec. 2 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older; free).

Fremont Theater

The Fremont starts its week with the comedy stylings of Jim Breuer on Thursday, Nov. 30 (8 p.m.; all ages; $32.50 to $72.50 at prekindle.com). The SNL alum was a regular on the Howard Stern Show and hosts Fridays with Jim Breuer on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Indulge your emotional side when The Emo Night Tour returns on Friday, Dec. 1 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $18 prekindle.com), for a DJ set of all your favorite emo bands confessing their tender feelings.

Anaheim-based rock band Buckcherry plays on Sunday, Dec. 3 (8 p.m.; all ages; $28 at seetickets.us). They've recently released their 10th studio album, Vol 10. Over their long history, they've scored hits such as "Crazy Bitch," "Sorry," "Lit Up," "For the Movies," "Dead Again," and "Check Your Head."

British rock act The Struts play on Monday, Dec. 4 (8 p.m.; all ages; $28 at prekindle.com). Formed in 2012, they got a buzz going after the release of their first single, "I Just Know," but they really blew up the following year with "Could Have Been Me," a huge hit in the U.S. and Canada. More hits followed, including "Kiss This," "Put Your Money on Me," and "Body Talks" featuring Ke$ha. Known for their onstage swagger, the band has opened for The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, and Guns N' Roses.

Los Yesterdays play next Thursday, Dec. 7 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25.50 at prekindle.com). These cats are cool as hell, with a soulful Latino vibe. Their video for their song "Nobody's Clown" features marionettes and is exceptional. Very sweet indeed.

SLO Brew Rock

After an extensive nationwide tour, San Luis Obispo-based Próxima Parada returns to town on Saturday, Dec. 2 (doors 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20 at ticketweb.com), to play SLO Brew Rock. Formed at Cal Poly, their name means "next stop" in Spanish and Portuguese. As college students taking the bus to school, at every stop they'd hear, "Now approaching, próxima parada ... ."

"After 10 years of next stops, their songs have become more and more focused on personal growth and groove, where each player adds just what's needed and makes up a piece of a whole," according to their bio. "Some songs are sunny and lighthearted indie soul, others have a late Mac Miller mellow vibe, all the while speaking to who they are working to be."

Moorea Masa & the Mood opens the show.

Do you like the Grateful Dead? How about Steely Dan? If that's a double yes, fasten your seatbelts because Steely Dead plays next Thursday, Dec. 7 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20 at ticketweb.com). The Denver band's "repertoire is a carefully crafted fusion of Grateful Dead and Steely Dan songs," their bio explains.

SLO Brew Rock's Entertainment Director Ryan Orr said he's "so excited for this show! The band is super tight, and how can it not be a blast with those two catalogues of music!"

Cal Poly Arts

Keyboardist Matthew Whitaker plays Cal Poly's Spanos Theatre this Wednesday, Dec. 6 (7:30 p.m.; $44 at calpolyarts.org). Still in his early 20s, he grew up surrounded by music. At just 3 years old, his grandfather gave him his first instrument, a small Yamaha keyboard. At 9, he taught himself how to play the classic Hammond B-3 organ, and four years later at 13, "he became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond in its 80-plus-year history," his bio explained, and "he was also named a Yamaha Artist at 15, becoming the youngest musician to join the stellar group of jazz pianists."

He's currently studying piano and drums at The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School in NYC, which is the only community music school for the blind and visually impaired in the U.S. Can you say prodigy?

Cal Poly concerts

'Tis the season, and as Cal Poly's fall quarter ends, so comes a flood of concerts. First up, Cal Poly Choirs presents their seventh Holiday Kaleidoscope on Friday, Dec. 1, in the Performing Arts Center (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $15 to $20 for the public and $10 for students at (805) 756-4849). Performers include Cantabile, the Chamber Choir, PolyPhonics, the University Singers, the Cal Poly Wind Ensemble, and the Cuesta College Chamber Singers, as well as the Cabrillo Madrigal Singers from Lompoc and Cal Poly a cappella groups Take it SLO and That's the Key. That's a whole lot of performers for one night and a whole lot of classic holiday music.

The Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble is up next with their fall concert on Saturday, Dec. 2, in the Performing Arts Center (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $15 to $20 for the public and $10 for students at (805) 756-4849). The concert features the world premiere of "Tahiyya" ("Salutation"), a new work by ensemble director Ken Habib.

"It's an instrumental composition of Arab art music that explores extended melodic and metric territory in relatively concise fashion," Habib said. "It features an interplay between contrasting tetrachords and different metric modes along with a melodic improvisation at the center of the piece. In the end, a complement of diverse musical materials may be heard in a thoughtful balance."

The concert also features original choreography by dance director Jenna Mitchell and a dance troupe.

Finally, on Sunday, Dec. 3, the Cal Poly Symphony presents its fall concert with special guests the Harmony Magnet Academy Symphony Orchestra in the Performing Arts Center (3 p.m.; all ages; $15 to $20 for the public and $10 for students at (805) 756-4849). Harmony Magnet Academy, located in Strathmore, was recently named one of the top 5 percent of high schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, and the top high school in Tulare County. The two symphonies will perform separately and together to play John Corigliano's "Voyage for String Orchestra."

More music ...

Singer-songwriter Ynana Rose calls her sound "siren folk and porch stompin' Americana," and she's going to play an album release concert for her third album, Under the Cathedral Sky, this Sunday, Dec. 3, in the Cambria Center for the Arts Theater (2 to 4 p.m.; all ages; $20 to $25 at eventive.org).

"This album is about facing fear and creating beauty from it," she explained in press materials. "These are songs written at the crossroads of midlife: songs of assessment, of crisis, of unraveling ... and also dancing, whiskey, dating."

She'll be backed by a full band, and singer-songwriter Steve Key will open the show with a four-song set.

Bob & Wendy with percussionist Paul Griffith play The Bunker (810 Orcutt Road, SLO) this Sunday, Dec. 3 (3 p.m.; free, but secure your seat by texting or calling Bob at (805) 235-5456). Wendy's an incredible songwriter with an emotive voice and serious guitar chops, and Bob's cello adds a richness to these songs.

The SLO Wind Orchestra with featured vocal soloist Inga Swearingen presents Deck the Halls with Harmony this Sunday, Dec. 3, in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center (3 p.m.; all ages; $20 to $30 at tickettailor.com). Expect holiday favorites and a good old-fashioned sing-along. Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].