Yeah, yeah. The leaves are turning, the air is crisp, football season’s underway, etcetera. But, to many on the Seacoast, the most exciting thing about fall is the approach of Halloween, and with it, the 16th annual Portsmouth Halloween Parade.

The parade committee will spend the month of October gearing up for the march with a number of fundraising events, starting with the annual (I Got A) Rock Show at the Coat of Arms in Portsmouth on Monday, Oct. 4. It’s a fantastic excuse to try on your Halloween costume and make sure it doesn’t fly off while head-banging.

The bill is loaded with musicians who know precisely how to harness the anarchic spirit of Halloween and channel it through the amplifiers. There’s Geoff Useless, who combines the punk mischief of his band The Guts with a twangy retro rock sound. And then there’s Nate Laban, whose many years on the scene have included stints with noisy skate punk bands and solo folk performance.

This year’s show also features the latest project from long-time local rocker Tim McCoy, whose new band The Donkey Show, influenced equally by The Ramones, The Who and The Stones, also includes local legends Tim Theriault, Jon McCormack, Billy Butler and Dan McGary.

And, finally, there’s the Monster Makers and the “Gay Bride of Frankenstein” cast, which will bring to life songs from the home-grown musical by Billy Butler and Dan Leeman. This act will prepare audiences not only for Halloween, but for “Gay Bride’s” upcoming run at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre from Oct. 15 to 31.

Coat manager and parade committee member Mark Adams will emcee the event, which will include the unveiling of the 2010 parade T-shirt. In addition, last year’s grand marshal Steve Fowle, editor of the New Hampshire Gazette, will remove his sash and hand off the frightful burden to the incoming grand marshal.

The Wire reached out to Rock Show organizer Denise Wheeler via email to collect a few of her thoughts about this year’s raucous concert.

What is it about rock ’n’ roll that so aptly taps into the spirit of Halloween?

I love this question! Rock ’n’ roll taps into the spirit of Halloween because musicians, and artists in general, I think, tend to thrive on the underworld creativity that characterizes All Hallows Eve. The kinds of people who love the parade enjoy the pageantry, the wonder and energy it conjures. Musicians do that, too—through their performance they create an atmosphere. The Portsmouth Halloween Parade, The Rock Show bands and Halloween: It’s a threesome on par with Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters. Each stirs up a little bit of their own magic—a cabaret of creativity.

How do these particular bands personify that spirit?

The rugged individualism, colorful nature and boisterous spirit of the bands we have on the lineup is the result of a year of research and careful consideration of chemistry. It is a formula that brings about an artistic form of controlled chaos, not unlike the organic nature of the parade itself. The combustion that typically comes about is a beautiful entity.

You must be excited about having the “Gay Bride” cast on hand this year.

I’m excited to see all the bands this year and am grateful that they are donating their talent and time. But the “Gay Bride” cast has a dramatic bent that is particularly symbiotic with The PHP Rock Show. The “Gay Bride” cast and the Portsmouth Halloween Rock Show are like bees and flowers, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, trick or treaters and candy. We are two entities in a mutually beneficial relationship.

The show begins at 8 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Coat of Arms, 174 Fleet St., Portsmouth, 603-431-0407. The parade itself may adopt a totally new route this year, beginning at Peirce Island and looping through downtown to end at Prescott Park. All manners of freaks and beasties will gather at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31, and begin marching at 7 p.m. Another rock show will follow the parade at the Coat of Arms at 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.spookyportsmouth.com.