Kristian Bush’s Halloween to Include Songwriters, Zombies and ‘Doctor Who’

Sugarland's Kristian Bush prides himself on two main things: his parenting and his songwriting. This Halloween, the father of two has had to make a few compromises in order to nurture both of those passions.

"I do like to get dressed up and I love to go trick or treating," he tells The Boot, "but this year, I won't be able to go since I'm playing the CMA Songwriters Series in Nashville."

While he'll be performing alongside Brantley Gilbert, Brett James and Bob DiPiero, things will be a bit more spooky in Atlanta for his daughter, Camille, and son, Tucker.

"My daughter has decided that she's going to be a zombie ballerina, because Atlanta is the zombie capital of the world," he explains. "'The Walking Dead' films in Atlanta, so all the makeup artists and actors and actresses are there. The Halloween parade was last weekend and it was full of zombies. It has now taken over the seven-year-old culture, so now we've got zombie ballerinas. [laughs]"

Kristian's eldest is favoring tricks over treats this year. "Tucker is giving out candy," Dad reports. "There's a scarecrow in his best friend's front yard that is really there, and they're going to dress up exactly like the scarecrow and then try to scare people when they walk by."

Despite the fact that this proud papa was present for all of the pre-holiday activities, he already knows he's going to have to make up missing the actual day. "It's going to take some candy and a full face painting, I'll probably have to end up being a zombie dad something," Kristian admits with a laugh. "If I was picking the costume, I'm partial to something sci-fi; I'd be in some 'Doctor Who' something."

The long-running TV show, which begins its 50th year in 2013, is one of the singer-songwriter's favorite shows, because obviously a hillbilly rockstar and time-traveling madman have so much in common.

"I've tried to start my kids on 'Doctor Who,' but they're just not there yet. Someone had given me these TARDIS stick-em notes, so I gave them to Tucker, and he finally put them all over his locker. I'm like, 'You're the coolest fifth grader, ever!'"

"Doctor Who," which is known for its imaginative (and often terrifying) monsters and aliens, could prove to be a bit much for youngsters. Although, the British program's original baddies, the Daleks, with their lack of speed and plunger-esque controls, make the perfect first impression for little ones.

"We have to watch it together; I'm a dad with boundaries," Kristian admits. "Tucker can handle the horror, Camille can't. You have to pick one that's got the silly robots in it. The way we started was we would just play around the house, and I would come after them. It's kind of like zombies, but you have to go slow because Daleks can't move. I'd chase them onto the couch and we went from there."

Speaking of kiddos, Kristian and Sugarland partner Jennifer Nettles are taking a break for the time being, due to the upcoming birth of the lead singer's first child.

"Jennifer and I are not finished making records. We know that," Kristian explains. "We're excited and this a great time to take a little bit of a breather because she's got to figure out being a mom. We've been on the road for a very long time, so there's no reason we shouldn't take a little time off. You've got to give people space to be a parent. I'm a parent and I know what kind of adjustment that has been for me. I love her more than anything in the world, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure her life adjusts so she can become the best possible mom she can be."

Read more of our exclusive interview with Kristian here, and come back to The Boot next week for Part 3 of our chat with the affable musician.

Sugarland will present on the CMA Awards tomorrow night (Nov. 1). Watch the ceremony on ABC beginning at 8:00 PM ET.

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