The Crayfish -- Halloween Eve at TJ Elliot's

It is always amazing to me to hang with my good friends Terry Glaze, Tommy Rodante, Bob Porambo, and Councilman Jimmy Marcos on nights when they, collectively known as The Crayfish, play their unique mix of mostly 70s cover stuff. But the best night of the year is always the night of the Halloween Party at Jimmy's restaurant -- TJ Elliot's.

It hasn't always been that way -- it is hard to believe that it was only 3 years ago when the Rabbi showed up dressed as a biker, complete with full body tattoo t-shirt (you CANNOT make this stuff up), and easily walked away with the prize for best costume -- defeating only 2 other competitiors. It seems like he was the catalyst of this phenomenon, every bit as much as Chris Moneymaker is credited with the explosion in Texas Hold 'Em poker.

The band seems to get even more stoked for nights like this. I have always suspected that, as much as Terry and the boys like entertaining and being on the stage, they, like the rest of us, genuinely enjoy the antics of that small, but persistent number of the patrons, dressed in silly costumes, behaving in ways that they would probably regret the next day if they were unfortunate to be able to remember them!

And it seemed like this year, close to 90% of the crowd was in costumes of some kind -- certainly there were over 30 participants in the contest this year! And, although the Rabbi was on crutches, he dutifully came as Brett Favre (clever!) and judged the contest with Jimmy, as he has every year since winning it!

If you have not allowed yourself the guilty pleasure of seeing the Crayfish -- at TJ Elliot's, or their monthly gig at the Irish Channel in Crofton, or in any of their other venues -- you owe it to yourself to do so. As the evening goes on, the banter can get a little raunchy, and there are the occasional bawdlerized lyrics (of a non-PG variety), but the music is outstanding for 4 guys who my daughter refers to (rather rudely, but affectionately, as befits this foursome) as "Old Guys playing rock n roll!"

And mark your calendars now for NEXT Halloween -- the spectacle has grown so large that a group of 5 arriving for dinner at 8 didn't get seated until 9, and was barely finishing as the band began -- to a standing-room only crowd!