Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-04-23 – 2016-04-27

"Anarchy burger! / Hold the government!" - The Vandals
This Saturday in Oakland, plenty of this.

We’re in the final weekend of Coachella 2016, and the consequent Fauxchella 2016 shows are coming our way. What’s Fauxchella? It’s when you can see a band that’s also scheduled at Coachella but without actually having to go to Coachella.

This week in The Bay Area we have old stars, old studio guys, old smoky guys, montage anchorpoints, as much anarchy as you’d like, and a band that just went ahead and named themselves California.

And previews. Preview time. Let’s preview. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-04-23 — 2016-04-27”

Sketchfest Interview: George Chen of Cinecave

Photo by Ricardo Esway
Photo by Ricardo Esway

George Chen is one of the founders of Cinecave, one of San Francisco’s best kept secrets. It’s a comedy club in the basement of Lost Weekend Video. It’s also one of the best rooms for comedy in this town. Cinecave is teaming up with Sketchfest for several shows during the festival, as well as shows every Friday and Saturday night! Chen is also one of the funniest comics in his own right, and you can catch him throughout the festival. His schedule is here.

Spinning Platters had the pleasure of speaking to George ahead of Sketchfest. Just click on the word “more.” Continue reading “Sketchfest Interview: George Chen of Cinecave”

Spinning Platters Interview: Aparna Nancherla & Eliza Skinner

Good comedy is hard to find. I mean, it’s easy to find , but with thousands of voices permeating the ether, it’s hard to see the stars within the galaxies. How does anybody, especially comedy nerds, expect to stay up to date when there’s so many choices and unanswered questions: Do I want to have a good time? Do I want to be challenged? Who will champion the comedy I want to hear, excuse me, need to hear? Well, Aparna Nancherla and Eliza Skinner, of course.

One is acerbically imaginative, the other keenly effervescent, both are delightfully different with incredible style and substance. The duo worked on the gone-too-soon “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” (aka the “OMG, Kamau has a show! OMG, they canceled it! Whyyyyyyyy!?” Show), together they’ve toured with the regal Janine Brito, and both are performing THIS SATURDAY—two shows—at our favorite indie comedy haunt, Lost Weekend Video (aka the Cynic Cave). It’s a highly-recommended happening of extremely special circumstance!

In this exclusive interview we discuss Disney, earthquake preparedness, and their biggest fear for the weekend. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Aparna Nancherla & Eliza Skinner”

Spinning Platters Interview: OJ Patterson on OJ Patterson

OJ Patterson by Sadie Padial

SF Sketchfest will soon breach our atmosphere: bending sky, burning oxygen and causing birds to scramble for safety. In one week it will land in the San Francisco Bay. A torrential wave will surge through the Financial District, down Mission St, and swallow Twin Peaks in salt water. At least, that’s how it’s going to feel when the biggest celebration of comedy’s many forms comes to town.

There’s always commensal collateral to the lights and glitz, big crowds and big parties. The air feels different, the gravity heavier, especially for a few locals rocking the coveted “Artist” lanyard. Some are turning their hard work, talent, or streetwise into a high profile credit. Some are the new flavor, showcased as the emergent outliers. Some are “over it”, half distracted by growth, having fun before moving on. Some are returning with the Bay in their heart and another city on their mailing address. Some are debuting, honored and humbled, finally on the inside looking… around. Like me. After years of reporting, volunteering, (pining), I’m performing for my first SF Sketchfest @ Lost Weekend Video on 1/31. Spinning Platters’ top brass (a/k/a Dakin) requested an interview… from me, about me. Double the work, way less validation but I shall oblige on weirdness alone. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: OJ Patterson on OJ Patterson”

Review: Jonathan Richman with “There’s Something About Mary” at Lost Weekend Video, 8/19/2010

Quite life-like.

Jonathan Richman in print and Jonathan Richman in real life.

Words by Mielle Sullivan. Photography and videos by Christopher Rogers.

I’ve been to a lot of Jonathan Richman shows. I see him almost every time I get the chance. I see him yearly at The Great American Music Hall; I’ve seen him at several residencies at The Make-Out Room; and just last month, I saw him at the Swedish American Hall.

So, I was delighted to hear that he was going to be appearing, a few blocks from where I live in The Mission.

Continue reading “Review: Jonathan Richman with “There’s Something About Mary” at Lost Weekend Video, 8/19/2010″