It’s never too early for Halloween, especially when we get our chills and thrills Louisiana Cajun-zydeco style with a masquerade ball and sweaty hot dance music from a spook-tacular double bill: the Mark St. Mary Delta Blues & Zydeco Band and the BluesBox Bayou Band. Come in costume or come as yourself, but don’t miss this night to die for! Going bat-ty over what to wear? Check out dance teacher Diana Castillo’s Halloween Boo-tique, where for a small donation ($5 or less) you can pick something orange, spooky, or toad-ly cool.

The hardworking Mark St. Mary Delta Blues & Zydeco Band has been a favorite of Cajun-zydeco festival crowds for years and was voted best zydeco band of 2007 by the Bay Area Blues Society. St. Mary began playing accordion when he was 15, inspired originally by “King of Zydeco” Clifton Chenier. Singing in English and Creole French, St. Mary plays accordion and leads his quintet through his original songs including “St. Mary Special,” and “Moi Seado (My Syrup),” interspersed with dance floor favorites from Chenier’s “I’m Coming Home” and the classic Harry Choates version of “Jolie Blon” to Rockin’ Sidney’s “Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot.” The band features some of the finest Cajun and zydeco players of Northern California, playing waltzes, two-steps, line dances, and flat-foot zydeco.

The BluesBox Bayou Band adds swamp beat boogie and blues to Louisiana dance grooves to create its own Americana/Cajun/Zydeco sound, mixing originals with dance and party favorites such as “Iko Iko” and “Big Mamou.” Based in Sonora, the BBBB has built its chops and fan base over more than a decade of performing, including gigs at fundraisers and festivals from the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee to the Gilroy Garlic Festival and the Isleton Crawdad Festival. Singer and accordionist Pete (PD) Grimaldi formed the band in 1996 after a stint as a promoter of shows in hometown Modesto by acts from Queen Ida and Buckwheat Zydeco to Tom Rigney. That exposure to music from Louisiana and beyond inspired Grimaldi to pick up the squeezebox himself and put his own spin on “roots music.” The current BBBB also features Pete’s brother Frank Grimaldi on lead guitar, bassist and singer Julie Johnson, drummer Peter DeMattos, and Jim Hildreth (Lil’ Jimmy) on scrubboard and percussion.