Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Cherry Glazerr has been a Spinning Platters favorite for a while… For years, a photo I took of them from SXSW was our Facebook image. (Does anyone use Facebook anymore?) Anyways… We are stoked that they are back with their first record in four years! I Don’t Want You Anymore is the name, and it’s in stores and streaming on September 29th. Preorder/presave here! And enjoy the scorcher of a first single, “Soft Like A Flower”
As an alt-j fan celebrating The Dream release and larger venue openings in the bay area the joke was on me when it came to the night of the show and what happened vs what I expected from this sold-out venue and bill.
The Bill Grahm Civic Auditorium might as well be the venue that “Band Aid” Penny Lane spins around to Cat Steven’s (Yusuf Islam’s) “The Wind” in Almost Famous. An iconic movie scene where a super fan relishes the empty room after an incendiary performance of their fav band. If this venue could talk. Continue reading “Show Review: alt-j, Portugal. The Man, Cherry Glazerr at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 4.1.22”
On Monday, I woke up to the painful news that many people in the garage and punk scenes had been accused of taking advantage of underage fans. It left me feeling heartbroken and angry. This is a scene that I always took great care of and pride in. It felt safe, and it seemed, on the surface, to be very open and accommodating and respectful. I wrote a piece that is a little disjointed and without a clear focus. But it was also a very pure sense of how I was feeling, and I’d like to share it with you.
Before I continue, I’d like to clear the air a bit… Spinning Platters, though priding itself on elevating female voices and always being on the side of believing women, has made a few mistakes. I was reminded by a fellow writer that we did, indeed, sponsor a few screenings of the R Kelly film Trapped In The Closet. I even presented R Kelly trivia at one of these events. If I could take that back, I would. We also once had a member of our staff that was accused of many of the same things being written about Burger Records and many folks within that scene. When this came to light, we immediately fired this writer, but we did it silently, without any statement. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but after the deafening silence of the men when women come forward, I realized that our silence only protects the perpetrator. It does nothing for the victims, and, really, does nothing to help move society forward. I am grateful that Total Trash, the folks that put on Burger Boogaloo, made a statement, and that they have cut ties with Burger Records and will be renaming the event. I am also grateful that Nobunny has actually admitted to wrong doing, something that few others are willing to do. We need more men to step up. We need more men to call out their fellow men for bad behavior. We need men to admit to the ways they’ve abused people they hold power over, and take responsibility for their actions. After the jump is the piece I wrote… Continue reading “Op-Ed: The Damage Of Rock n Roll’s Obsession With Underage Girls”
It’s been a tough couple of weeks as a nation. Mass shootings in Gilroy, Dayton, and El Paso were not particularly well timed with Outside Lands. In the days leading up to the festival, many people were debating whether or not it was safe to go. Maybe we were next? I had a long talk with my partner about going this year, which included a plan for alerting each other to our safety, and talking about all of the steps that I’ve observed in my years attending this festival that have made me feel safe. In fact, I think I feel safer in Golden Gate Park during Outside Lands than pretty much anywhere else on Earth.
I’m also a firm believer in “not letting terrorists win.” We can’t let these folks scare us off from living. And, seriously, if you don’t have communing with friends and strangers to appreciate live music, is life really worth living? I’m going to keep going to shows and supporting life music because, well, I really think my life depends on it. Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews”
The bottom half of the 2019 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival poster is rich with amazing acts. This might be the strongest “undercard” assortment Outside Lands has ever had, with a little something for pretty much everyone. One could probably wander aimlessly during the early part of the day and not be disappointed. However, since you are reading this, I suspect you are like me and tend to plan out every moment of your day when you head out to a music festival. So here’s the early stuff I’d jump on!
Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019: Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Poster”
PSSST! Outside Lands has released their line up a little bit early… Like, um, 9am PST on Tuesday, March 26th early. And it’s pretty exciting! As usual, we are going to deep dive into the best acts from the bottom half of the calendar closer to the event. But, first, the headliners: both Paul Simon and Childish Gambino are postponing their retirements to visit us in Golden Gate Park. And, if you missed last year’s farewell shows at Oracle Arena from either of them, both were practically religious experiences. (I cried twice at that Childish Gambino show) Those two are pretty universally loved acts. The third headliner is twenty øne piløts, and, well, the moment I read that, I could see the Reddit page explode! That being said, just because a band sells a lot of records and crossed over to Top 40 radio, doesn’t devalue them. This duo first played early on the day in the 2013 Outside Lands Fest, and has taken their dissonant, tribal brand of dark pop rock, and continued to experiment with it while crossing over to the mainstream.
Other highlights include gospel legend Mavis Staples, R&B avant gardist Santigold, the most aggressive hip hop performer I’ve ever seen, Denzel Curry, 2018 Grammy winners Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals and Kacey Muscgraves, LA rock n roll heroes Cherry Glazerr, and SO MANY MORE! GA, VIP, and the brand new “Golden Gate Pass” with special elevated viewing area, a clear bag for your things, and much, much more. Tickets can be purchased starting Thursday, March 28th here!
Full line up below: Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019 Line Up HAS BEEN UNLEASHED”
By The Spinning Platters Staff
2017 may go down as one of the worst years in recorded history. In fact, I’m almost 100% certain of that. However, the best art is created out of strife, and 2017 yielded an especially passionate crop of records. So, without further adieu, here is Spinning Platters’ Top 10 records of 2017, as selected and voted on by our entire team:
For those who aren’t in the know, SXSW is a conference in Austin, TX. It’s a place where folks in the technology, film, comedy, and music worlds come together and share ideas. The music portion is the primary reason why I come down, because it gives you an opportunity to see a large amount of music, often crossing dozens of genres, all in intimate venues all across town. This year, I feel like I “took it easy” and managed to see 32 different bands during the week (I saw Lizzo and Bleached both perform twice. You’d want to, too, if given the chance).
Without further ado, here are my thoughts on all 32 bands that I saw, in venues ranging from a donut shop to a lakeside amphitheater.
