Playboy Spaceman played in front of a large screen and behind an altar during the annual Skull Party held Friday night at the Rockwell Ballroom. (Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

Playboy Spaceman played in front of a large screen and behind an altar during the annual Skull Party held Friday night at the Rockwell Ballroom. (Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

Playboy Spaceman play annual party at the Rockwell Ballroom

Dancing, costumes and a light-up altar

A Dia de los Muertos-inspired altar, twitchy dance-rock, VHS rips and a whole lot of dancing came together Friday night at the Rockwell Ballroom.

The annual Skull Party featuring Playboy Spaceman brought a crowd in from the snow and kept the Rockwell rocking and included a couple of visual flourishes.

Since the event coincided with the Day of the Dead holiday, there was an altar decorated with bright lights and flowers. To start the event old taped TV shows, commercials, movies and music videos were played in tandem with music. Once the band took the stage, the sound faded out for Playboy Spaceman’s sound, but the images continued to play on a screen behind the band.

Here are photos from the annual late-autumn bash.


• Contact arts and culture reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com.


Bridget Kuhar of Playboy Spaceman, sings while framed by wires during the annual Skull Party Friday night at the Rockwell Ballroom. (Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

Bridget Kuhar of Playboy Spaceman, sings while framed by wires during the annual Skull Party Friday night at the Rockwell Ballroom. (Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

A lit-up altar sat in front of the stage during the Skull Party. George C. Kuhar, lead vocalist and guitar player for Playboy Spaceman, encouraged attendees to leave something in memory of a loved one on the altar, or write down the name of someone deceased on a clipboard at the altar. Kuhar added a letter written to his late father during the show. Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

A lit-up altar sat in front of the stage during the Skull Party. George C. Kuhar, lead vocalist and guitar player for Playboy Spaceman, encouraged attendees to leave something in memory of a loved one on the altar, or write down the name of someone deceased on a clipboard at the altar. Kuhar added a letter written to his late father during the show. Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

George C. Kuhar takes a break from propulsive guitar boogie to read from a letter written to his late father during the annual Skull Party held Friday evening at the Rockwell Ballroom. Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

George C. Kuhar takes a break from propulsive guitar boogie to read from a letter written to his late father during the annual Skull Party held Friday evening at the Rockwell Ballroom. Ben Hohenstatt | Capital City Weekly)

More in News

The Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore docks in Juneau in October, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Ships in Port for the Week of May 28

Here’s what to expect this week.

The Yées Ḵu.Oo Dancers perform at the end of the Celebration of Life Walk on Sunday at Bill Overstreet Park. The walk, hosted locally by Cancer Connection for more than two decades, occurs on National Cancer Survivors Day. This year’s local celebration featured the first bagpiper, Alaska Native dance group and Native land acknowledgement. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Bagpipes and dancers bring new life to annual cancer survivors walk

“Everyone is touched by cancer,” organizer says at Sunday event.

Chris Meade, a board member of Trail Mix and Juneau resident since 1991, uses a vibrating plate compactor to compress gravel leading to a viewing platform along the Kingfisher Pond Loop Trail on Saturday. (Mark Sabatini / Juneau Empire)
Trail Mix celebrates wild 30th birthday

Birds and the bears add ardor to outdoor trail improvement and cookout gathering.

The City and Borough of Juneau Harbormaster Enforcement vessel drives past the Dusky Rock which sits at Aurora Harbor. The vessel was towed there from Sandy beach Friday evening after three people died within a three-day period aboard the vessel while anchored offshore. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Three people found dead on boat anchored off Sandy Beach

Drug use a possible factor in deaths of one man and two women during three-day span

The Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding area is seen under an overcast sky on May 12. A federal order published Friday bans mineral extraction activities such as mining in an expanded area of land surrounding the glacier for the next 20 years. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Feds expand ban on mineral extraction near Mendenhall Glacier

20-year prohibition on mining, oil drilling applies to newly exposed land as ice continues retreat

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Police calls for Thursday, June 1, 2023

This report contains information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Bulk food in Food Bank of Alaska’s Anchorage warehouse on April 21. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
State roughly halves the number of Alaskans waiting on food aid, but more than 8,000 remain

By Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon Mary Wood has been waiting for food… Continue reading

A white butterfly rests upon a fern Saturday at Prince of Wales Island. (Courtesy Photo / Marti Crutcher)
Wild Shots

Reader-submitted photos of Mother Nature in Southeast Alaska.

Photos by Lee House / Sitka Conservation Society
Aliyah Merculief focuses on her run while snowboarding at Snow Camp.
Resilient Peoples & Place: Bringing up a new generation of Indigenous snow shredders

“Yak’éi i yaada xwalgeiní” (“it is good to see your face”) reads… Continue reading

Most Read