Spinning Platters’ Best Of 2014: Individual Staff Lists

One of the many great records that Spinning Platters Writers enjoyed in 2014
One of the many great records that Spinning Platters Writers enjoyed in 2014

2014 was a good year for music — you just had to lose yourself in something unsafe. – Staff Writer Jonathan Pirro.

A lot of people seemed mighty nonplussed by 2014’s recorded music output. Sure, there was a lot of somewhat generic, unimpressive stuff. However, if you did some real hunting, you’ll find that there was some incredibly impressive stuff out there. Here are Spinning Platter’s Staff’s individual lists of favorite records of 2014, starting with my own list:

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/31/14-8/6/14

Opening for Michael McDonald at Mountain Winery
Opening for Michael McDonald at Mountain Winery

This is the week leading up to Outside Lands. Which means, of course, that you should be training. Listening to music at loud volumes, walking 7 miles a day, subsisting on beer and trail mix, etc. Of course you should go see a band a day until it’s time to spend three days in a park with, well, BANDS! So go see a few: Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/31/14-8/6/14”

Show Review: Nickel Creek, The Secret Sisters at The Fox Theater – Oakland, 5/19/14

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All photos by Jonathan Pirro

To paraphrase Laura Rogers, lead vocalist for The Secret Sisters: “When Nickel Creek come on, you are going to smile, and stay smiling the whole time they are on stage.” It’s been nearly seven years since the great Southern California trio have last toured as a unit. Despite all three members making many trips to the Bay Area throughout the hiatus, it’s remained a very lonesome and sad seven years. During this period, we had to weather a folk revival with a slew of lesser bands become bigger than Nickel Creek ever were. Simply put, the world needs Nickel Creek.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/15/14-5/21/14

Appearing at Neck Of The Woods on Friday
Appearing at Neck Of The Woods on Friday

Thursday, May 15th Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/15/14-5/21/14”

Spinning Platters Picks Six (x2) – 12 Most Important American Pop Songs of The Last Decade

TigerBeat-JustinBieber P1As the decade comes to an end, it means it’s time for lists. Lots of lists. All making a vague attempt at condensing the most pivotal parts of our popular culture, and spitting them out in a haphazard form. This is a list of what I, personally, consider to be the most important pure pop musical moments of our decade. You will be upset by things on this list. You may think I am a complete idiot for missing “____” by The _____’s. Just remember, this is a list of POP songs. I will not mis-estimate the importance of Radiohead, AR Rahman, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and other acts that will appear on every other best of the decade list. This is just a pop list. I don’t have room for the Fleet Foxes, I’m sorry.

Please Read, then begin arguing about my picks in the comments area (In no particular order):

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