Halloween in South Pasadena | Meet The Rolling Bones | South Pasadena

Written by Alicia Painter

A grand piano on the roof of a house, and a drum kit too, and a few heavenly superstars wielding horns, guitars and microphones?

It sounds like a surreal scene from a movie, but this rock ‘n’ roll fantasy is now delighting passers-by in West South Pasadena.

Skeletons representing several long-dead musicians now hold cool court on the roof of a house on Orange Grove Avenue, between Monterey Road and El Centro Street. It’s a seasonal sight that draws neighbors and visitors to the home of Sam Laxman and Audrey Lowe every October: several cars slow down to admire the detailed Halloween display, while pedestrians stop to chat with the couple, asking how this big show came to be. .

The family has decorated their house for Halloween for 16 years with all kinds of spooky scares and figures, but the death of Eddie Van Halen in October 2020 prompted Sam to create a heavenly group of some of his favorite musicians, artists who left our world too soon.

After making lots of foam headstones, as well as some life-sized cloaked “boo-siks”, Sam built much of the sanctuary by hand. The family has given love to Ray Charles, Kurt Cobain, David Bowie and Prince, and Taylor Hawkins sits behind the drums. The legendary Foo Fighters drummer, who is sorely missed, also has a lyrical tribute on a gravestone in the courtyard below the “stage” area on the roof of the house.

Sam collected tools, clothing and props through Buy Nothing South Pasadena (Northwest), the local branch of the thriving online “gift economy” chain. Several members of Buy Nothing regularly tag him when Halloween-themed items are posted and ask if he might be interested in a new addition to his favorite October display.

In short, the exhibit has a real community spirit, something that Sam and Audrey love about this large-scale, annual project.

This community spirit and sense of spooky fun continues beyond the home. In recent years, this short stretch of Orange Grove Avenue has seen an increase in Halloween displays, with colorful lights, the Headless Horseman, The Nightmare Before Christmas characters and a hedge-covered sea monster ghoulishly adorning the facades. ladies near “The Rolling Bones”.