Los Skarnales

Talk about a dynamite mix: Día de los Muertos, Los Skarnales, art crosses and MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts). That's the formula for Under the Volcano's annual Day of the Dead benefit. While local artists hand over decorated crosses for a silent auction to benefit MECA, Houston's favorite musical vatos rudos — presumably recovered from headlining Fitzgerald's Halloween blowout less than 48 hours previous — will stimulate the bidding with their furious mashed-up swirl of jump blues, ska, reggae and rockabilly pachuco boogie. Local favorites since 1994 and one of the most unique bands on the scene, Los Skarnales has undergone more personnel changes than the Astros' pitching rotation, but Felipe Galvan and his compadres continue to turn the knobs to 11, wail on those snaky horns and fill dance floors with a manic sea of ska-whipped bodies. Along the way they pay homage to booze, mota, fighting and girls. If you've never seen these guys in a small room before, there may never be a better opportunity than this community-oriented charity event.