Lots of goodness happening around the city this weekend in what promises to be a long, steep climb to Wednesday’s hell-bent Halloween freakout.

If you’re looking to start your Halloweekend off in a mellow mood, tonight Hazelwood hosts electro-folkie Graig Markel’s new downtempo project, the Animals at Night. Located on Ballard Ave, Hazelwood is a comfy, uber-cool cocktail lounge that serves wickedly delicious drinks, the perfect setting for Markel’s fuzzed-out digitized soundscapes. Dreamy, expansive, and more than a little psychedelic, the Animals at Night’s timewarped sound flashes back to mid-’90s g-stoned downtempo, Kruder & Dorfmeister-style. Word is Markel and cohorts mix in sampled snippets of ’60s soul and R&B, too.

Markel is currently working on an album in the Animals at Night-mode, set for an early-‘08 release. Check out the website for streamed songs.