Author: Becka Robbins

Outside Lands 2021 Diary

A special thanks to Paige Parsons for providing us with so many lovely photos this year. You should follow her on Instagram, as her feed will bring you many bursts of joy. 

Outside Lands was the first concert I remember going on sale in the dark days of SIP. It sold out in two minutes, and my husband and I looked into our souls and wallets and sprung for VIP. And then, I wound up getting a press pass. Anyway! I was very very excited to go, and it’s been a long time since I reviewed anything.  Continue reading “Outside Lands 2021 Diary”

A Reflection on PJ Harvey’s Dry

Twenty eight years ago PJ Harvey released her debut album. Dry is a vital part of the collective howl of early 90s feminist punk, a subgenre defined by women with loud  guitars who demanded a seat at the musical table. Bands like Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Hole, Babes in Toyland, Sleater-Kinney and L7 pushed against the erasure of women in punk and changed the landscape of popular music forever.  Continue reading “A Reflection on PJ Harvey’s Dry“

Show Review: Link Link Circus at The Chapel

Link Link Circus self describes as the world’s smallest circus. I cannot vet that, but it may well be the smartest and most charming. There’s a delicious layer of meta and irony in that while circuses — which feature animals trained on the basis of their behavioral tendencies — never really talk about animal behavior science, and this circus, which features almost no animals, is all about this. Isabella Rossellini starts her performance with the popular notion that we should not attribute human characteristics to animals, and the idea that animals and humans are entirely different, and then gently, joyfully, dismantles this notion with delight. Continue reading “Show Review: Link Link Circus at The Chapel”

Album review: John Grant’s Love is Magic

 

John Grant, the individual, is remarkable; he began his musical training at age four, and, prior to becoming a working indie rock star, with his band The Czars, had worked as Russian-English medical translator. He speaks four languages, and spent his childhood in Colorado, where he grew up in a religious family, and came out as gay in his twenties. He has struggled with addiction, and continues to struggle with severe anxiety. He is intense, wry, smart, and neurotic, and these traits inform his music. Continue reading “Album review: John Grant’s Love is Magic“

SF Sketchfest Review: Animal House 40th Anniversary with Cast and Crew Panel Discussion

The Deltas in front of their frat house.

The cast and crew from the classic movie Animal House assembled at the Castro Theatre for a panel discussion of the comedy classic in honor of its 40th anniversary. It is, as you may remember, vibrant with jokes that stand the test of time. The movie was groundbreakingly raunchy for its time, with sexual humor that seems tame now, but in 1978 challenged the ratings board, and caused the studio to resist its production until Donald Sutherland joined the cast. It was risque to show dildos on screen, and the gross out humor and blatant sexuality was new for the day. There were several scenes in which women, on a date, in a car, overlooking the city, were giving hand jobs in convertibles, expressing irritation and boredom at the laborious process of pleasuring their date, a scenario familiar to many adults. This was also one of the few jokes that seems to have been specifically penned for audience members who aren’t white men. “Is it supposed to be so soft?” asks the woman on their second encounter in the car. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Animal House 40th Anniversary with Cast and Crew Panel Discussion”

Spinning Platters Interview: Eddie Muller, founder of the upcoming Noir City Film Festival

Eddie Muller is the founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation and the man known internationally as the “Czar of Noir.” SFFILM this month named Muller to its pantheon of “Essential SF” cinema figures. Earlier this year, Muller debuted as the host of the new Turner Classic Movies franchise Noir Alley, providing him with a national platform to introduce a fresh audience to film noir and to the work of the Film Noir Foundation.

NOIR CITY 16 takes audiences back in time with a program of 12 genuine “A” and “B” double bills, spanning the breadth of the original film noir era, 1941 to 1953.  

The most popular film noir festival in the world returns to San Francisco’s majestic Castro Theatre for its 16th edition, January 26-February 4, 2018. “Film Noir from A to B” presents 24 classic noirs as they were experienced on their original release, pairing a top-tier studio “A” with a shorter, low-budget second feature, or “B” film. All but one of the films will be presented in glorious 35mm.

You can view the program here.

I’ve been going to Noir City for most of the past 15 years, and was delighted to have the chance to interview Eddie about this year’s festival, how film noir continues to be relevant, and why these old movies still resonate today. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Eddie Muller, founder of the upcoming Noir City Film Festival”

Spinning Platters Recommends: Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, January 19/20 at the Fillmore

Show date: January 19/20, 2018, 7:00 pm

Venue: The Fillmore

City: San Francisco

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Recommends: Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, January 19/20 at the Fillmore”

Show Review: Kesha, Savoy Motel at The Masonic, 10/31/2017

Kesha, with her Mom. Photo by Dakin Hardwick.

Author’s note: We at Spinning Platters stand with survivors, and we believe women when they come forward and tell stories of having been assaulted. Due to the code of journalistic ethics, we are forced to refer to Dr Luke as an “alleged abuser” while the case is still pending in court.

Whatever you think of her music, Kesha deserves your respect. Kesha’s album Rainbow and its accompanying tour come after a long public and risky battle to take control over her career from the man who allegedly abused her. Had she lost this fight, she would have been forced to continue her close work with her alleged rapist to create new content. Had she won, but not had such strong continuing fan support on social media, she might have been able to fulfill her contract and make records, but but the label might have simply cut their losses and granted her no touring budget or promotional budget. Continue reading “Show Review: Kesha, Savoy Motel at The Masonic, 10/31/2017”

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2017: Friday Recs and Rundown

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is here again, bringing a host of bands both new and familiar. The best music is not necessarily the most well known, and the greatest festival experiences are the surprises. Here’s the first of three posts to help guide your HSB journey, with recommendations, links, and descriptions.

On Fridays, the crowds are relatively light until the late afternoon, so you can wander more easily than on the other days. Those dastardly organizers, though — they always pit similarly great bands against each other at the same time slots, so there will be hard choices to make. Continue reading “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2017: Friday Recs and Rundown”