Photos taken at Variety Playhouse and Star Bar by Jason Reed. Read Paste:Local Atlanta's account of the Halloween night extravaganza here.
 

[Above: Jared Swilley of the Black Lips plays in Halloween-appropriate band The Spooks.]

Right Away, Great Captain!, the solo project of Manchester Orchestra frontman and Favorite Gentlemen Recordings co-owner Andy Hull, will celebrate the release of its second LP, entitled The Eventually Home, Thursday, Nov. 13 at Vinyl. Paste:Local has two free pairs of tickets to give away for the event, which will also feature Charleston, S.C.'s All Get Out (also signed to Favorite Gentlemen), the Record Kid and Damion Suomi (who is signed to Atlanta label P is for Panda).

Welcome to Informer:Atlanta! Each Tuesday, we bring you the very best in the coming week's music, film and culture events in and around Atlanta. Think we missed something? Wanna tip us off to something cool over the horizon? Let us know! All events are recommended, but italics indicate an editor's pick. (L) indicates local artists.

Hip-hop and presidential politics: two great tastes that taste great together. Sure, we already know that most rappers are firmly in the tank for Obama, but in the weird pop-cultural bouillon that has been the election season it was only a matter of time before they flipped the keys, as the canny Nasir Jones put it. The students of Atlanta's Ron Clark Academy have done just that with a little song-and-dance number about the 2008 election that's already spreading like wildfire across the grassy plains of the interwebs.

Shakir Stewart, the head of hip-hop label Def Jam, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last Saturday. He was 34 years old.

Atlanta-based metal quartet Mastodon has revealed that the title of its anticipated fourth album will be Crack the Skye. Reprise will release the seven-track, 50-minute record in early 2009. The song sequence is built around a four-movement centerpiece, entitled "The Czar," which delves into the album's overall theme of Czarist Russia.

Paste:Local Atlanta has two pairs of free tickets to give away for The Everybodyfields show this Friday, Nov. 7 at Vinyl. It's a show not to miss: The former Paste Band of the Week is some of the Best of What's Next along with opener Katie Herzig, who will be joined by Atlanta/New Orleans/New York songstress Lindsay Rae Spurlock for the all-ages event.

Be one of the the first two people to email atlanta@pastemagazine.com and win!

It's been a big year for It's Elephant's. The band released its first full-length, Little Trouble In Chinatown, in April (for free) and recording has already commenced on a follow-up. Somehow, between various local shows-- including performances at Atlantis, Corndogorama, Grant Park Summer Shade Festival and a session with HaveYouHeard.net-- the band had time to create a very special Halloween gift for their fans, which involved a trip to a Civil War cemetary that's reportedly oozing with paranormal activity.

Paste recently talked with the band-- vocalist Brent Jay, vocalist/percussionist Garrett Range, vocalist/keyboardist Matt Compton and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist David Fountain-- about touring, the benefits of free music and where the guys came up with that baffling name.

Noise rules on local-via-Alabama band's debut