Dakin Hardwick – Page 100 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: Toad The Wet Sprocket, Hey Marseilles at The Fillmore, 7/23/10

toad1 — Seen Here: Toad. Not Pictured: Wet Sprocket. Also Missing: The part of my brain that would tell me not to make that joke

I have a live music bucket list. That is, I have a list of performers and bands that I would like to see before I or they die. This week has been pretty good for me, in terms of knocking things off that list, but I was really excited about the opportunity to see the first band to make that list. I believe I was 12 when I first heard “All I Want.” I was watching VH-1, as I did sometimes at that age, and thought that it was one of the coolest songs that I have ever heard. At that point, I decided that I needed to see them live, yet it somehow became a difficult task. They played often throughout my high school years, but broke up before I was able to see them. When they reunited, they local shows tended to be either very intimate (selling out super fast), at wineries that are unreachable by public transit, or opening for other bands (Counting Crows, Big Head Todd & The Monsters), and it just wasn’t plausible for me. But, with everything working out just right, I’ve finally accomplished this goal, nearly 18 years later.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/22/10-7/28/10

care-bear-with-a-heart-source_2zb — You can color in your own Bear In Heaven on the way to the Rickshaw Stop on Monday Night!

The last week of July is looking pretty crazy… Tons of amazing shows going on this week, including two very rare 4-band shows that are worth arriving early and staying late. Time to buy some Red Bull!

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/15/10-7/21/10

dodo — In honor of their stint opening for The New Pornographers, here are naked pictures of The Dodos.

Today is too hot for me to come up with something witty to say… Go see some shows!

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/8/10-7/14/10

This is what my street looks like today. Waiting on the results of the Mehserle trial. A little scared.

Well, I’m sitting in my apartment in downtown Oakland, looking outside, waiting for all hell to break loose. And, if the entire city doesn’t burn to a crisp tonight, I’m going to check out some of these shows!

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Show Review: Lilith at Shoreline Amphitheater, 7/5/10

There has been a lot of controversy over the resurrected Lilith tour, including complaints of mis-marketing, poor ticket sales, and a general lack of consistency in the line ups. When it comes down to it, though, none of this matters when it comes to the actual event. I was there to account these events first hand, and I honestly felt that the show I went to was quite successful. It was actually refreshing to attend a festival that was so well organized, as well as such a well behaved audience.

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In Defense Of: The New Lilith Tour

Once upon a time, in the late 90’s, a struggling singer-songwriter was finding it difficult to get her music heard. She was too edgy for Adult Contemporary radio, but too light for Alternative Rock radio. She also noticed that both of these genres were awfully male-centric. So, her solution was to find a group of like-minded female musicians and take them on the road with her. The basic idea is that there is strength in numbers, and with the marketing push of several artists, it could be good for everyone, much like Lollapalooza managed to accomplish in the early 90’s. That artist was Sarah McLachlan, and the tour was called The Lilith Fair, named after Adam’s first wife. Continue reading “In Defense Of: The New Lilith Tour”

Album Review: The Roots – how i got over

The Roots have had an unheard of career trajectory for the hip-hop world. They quietly came onto the scene in 1993 with an organic form of hip hop that was created entirely with live instruments, and were often thrown in with the jazz/rap fusion acts like A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets. Although they didn’t reach the same level of success as those two acts, they were definitely one of the most determined acts in hip hop, touring non-stop, which is rare in hip-hop, and eventually became one of the most revered live acts in the country. They managed to build a following the old fashioned way, and have managed to become a little more successful with every passing year.

Fast forward to 2010, and The Roots are practically a household name, with several hit singles under their belt at this point as well as an extremely high profile gig as the house band in Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Their latest record, how i got over, might be the record to finish that process off, and become that household name.

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Show Review: The Backstreet Boys with Christian TV at The Warfield, 6/27/10

3199 — The Boys, mid-step, at SF Pride earlier that afternoon.

There is something to be said about the survivors of a trend. No matter who you are, what trend you come from, it’s hard to disrespect anyone that doesn’t give up. The Backstreet Boys are one of those acts. Much like Sonic Youth, REM, Madonna, and Neil Young, The Backstreet Boys have consistently put out records since their inception. These days, of course, are the days of The Backstreet Boys on the commercial wane. Gone are they days of playing arenas and selling 1.1 million records in a single week. So, how does the sole survivor of the late 90’s boy band movement fare with their move to the small stage? Continue reading “Show Review: The Backstreet Boys with Christian TV at The Warfield, 6/27/10”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/24/10-6/30/10

Tonight at Milk! Spinning Platters is taking you on a quick guide to live music in the Bay Area from June 24th to the 30th. ROCK!

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