How can I explain Captured! By Robots to you? Are they a band? Sorta. Are they performance art? Kinda. Are they comedy? A little. Do they involve robots? Why, yes they do!

The backstory of Catured! By Robots says that JBOT (former bassist for the Blue Meanies), a lonely scientist, couldn’t get along with other humans. He decided to build a robot band to play with instead.

However, his creations revolted against him. They took control of our human hero with an implanted “Biocerebral Chip” and torture him physically and verbally during the shows that they force him to play. The robots, GRTBOT and DRMBOT, plan to one day overthrow and enslave the humans of the earth. Seriously, they have a guidebook for their fellow robots on the website that is fairly disturbing. The lineup also includes the AUTOMATOM on drums, The Ape Which Has No Name on tambourine (he loves you), and the Headless Hornsmen. Meanwhile, our poor JBOT is strung up, his intestines on display, made to flail and thrash wildly during songs, due more to robot-inflicted pain than hitting the switches and levers to control the robot musicians, I am sure. He seriously brings the one-man-band concept into the future.

If you want to witness Captured! By Robots, you can do so this Saturday at The Jinx. Show starts at 11 pm and tickets usually sell out, so get yours now. $10 in advance (available at the bar), $12 the night of the show. Go now, puny human!

Oh, and don’t try joining their fanclub. They don’t need fans, they need HUMAN SLAVES.

[Photos courtesy of www.capturedbyrobots.com]

Anyone that knows me is aware of my deep, abiding love for Halloween. I count down to it like some kids count down to Christmas morning. My house has been decorated since October 1, my ringtone has been set to Souixie and the Banshees all month, I’ve stabbed myself with pins getting my new and improved pirate costume ready. There’s just something about it that sets my little black heart all aflutter. And it’s TOMORROW!

Growing up in the Midwest, Halloween and all other related fall activities were a very big deal, celebrating the nip of cold in the air, the leaves on the trees, and all the candy you can stuff in your face. I was afraid that moving somewhere where the seasons came in Hot and Slightly Less Hot would spoil my fun, but there are tons of ways to celebrate in this very spooky city. So when you get tired of chasing ghosts through the squares, check some of these out.

As I mentioned briefly last week, the 2nd annual Turtlefolk Halloween Extravaganza is at the LiveWire Music Festival. TurtleFolk is a Southern rock/psychedelic jam band that have opened for the Black Crowes and the Spin Doctors. Come dressed in your best costume for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate.

For some real Halloween craziness, The Jinx is hosting their fifth annual tribute band event tonight, featuring six cover bands from the punk and rock world. Get there early, as the first band kicks off at 9p.m. in order to fit ‘em all in. Halloween night features the fifth annual Blood-Wrestling Ladies’ Competition. (I really hope that’s fake blood.) [Ed. note: It is fake, but no less awesome!]

With an optimistic outlook that changed her life, this Savannah sensation is the epitome of presence beyond the stage.

It’s nearing 5:00 on a Tuesday afternoon. Sitting on a shaded park bench in Lafayette Square, Kim Polote is surrounded by memories that bubble out of her as beautifully as her voice. “My mother would wait for me after school in this square; this is where I played with my friends, grew up in Savannah, and where I waited for my own children when they attended school here,” says Polote. “It all happened right here and I will never forget those memories.

Even today, more than 20 years later, this former choir teacher still has students, now grown adults, lovingly say, “Hi, Miss Polote!” when they see her. In fact, in the midst of this conversation, a student from years past drives by and shouts that same excited hello from her car window, and Polote waves back as if seeing a long-lost friend.

“People connect through music; it makes us all the same and in that moment, we forget our differences. I love that my students still remember me. It means I made a difference and that’s what I hope my music will always do,” comments Polote.