Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Yup. Two Sleater-Kinney shows this week. You’ve waited almost a decade for this. Other stuff is happening, too, but none of that actually matters. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 4/30/15-5/6/15”
Polaris was a fake band that comprised of real musicians in the 90’s kids show, The Adventures Of Pete & Pete. Now, 19 years after the show’s cancellation, we have the first vinyl pressing of the shows’ soundtrack, and they are also doing their first full scale US tour! They will be coming to The Chapel on April 24th. Tickets are available here!
We had a chance to ask 10 questions to Muggy Polaris (Mark Mulcahy), Harris Polaris (Scott Boutier), and Jersey Polaris (Dave McCaffrey). Here’s what these guys had to say!
TV On The Radio are at an interesting point in their career. The band’s age is such that they are no longer actively buzzed about, yet they don’t stay far enough removed from the music scene to ever be experiencing a “comeback.” A lot of bands can become a little lazy at this point, opting to simply release likable records that don’t really push any boundaries, and serve just as an excuse to tour; TV On The Radio, however, simply have too deep of an imagination to go that direction. As 2014’s Seeds will go down as one of the finest records of their career, the set they played at Oakland’s Fox Theater (their first proper headlining show around here since its release) may go down in history as their finest performance in the Bay Area.
Continue reading “Show Review: TV On The Radio, Nostalghia at The Fox Theater — Oakland, 3/31/15”
Seven days of pure rock n roll…. That’s all I gotta say, man!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/19/15-3/25/15”
Although many of our friends will be hanging out at SXSW this week, we’ve still got plenty of good times in store. Time to enjoy our deserted city and enjoy a few shows without crazy crowds.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/12/15-3/18/15”
There are a few things that you can depend on with Sketchfest every year. We always get w0otstock. We always get a Nerdist Podcast. There is always something featuring a former member of The State. All of those things sell out. One show that they invite back every year that somehow never sells out is Bring The Rock. The premise is super simple- a comedian talks about music. Then Greg Behrendt’s surf rock band The Reigning Monarchs covers a song with the comic singing lead. On paper, this sounds amusing. In reality, it’s the perfect love letter to both humor and rock n roll.
Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Bring The Rock at Cobb’s, 2/7/15”
Panels for TV shows are an interesting thing. They can go in one of two ways: they can either be something educational, where you learn about how certain things work. Or it can a silly display of actors and writers getting together to have fun on stage outside the restrictions of the medium of television. Or, in the case of The Hotwives Of Orlando panel, it was a perfectly balanced version of the two.
Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: The Hotwives Of Orlando at Verdi Club, 2/7/15”
Aqua Teen Hunger Force is one of those shows that has managed to stay pretty far under the radar. It’s heading into it’s 15th season on Adult Swim, making it the longest running show in Adult Swim history. I, personally, believe that it’s the most inventive of the adult cartoons. Tonight, we had the very rare opportunity to get to listen to the show’s creators, Dana Snyder and Dave Willis, talk about this long running program.
I have a hard time believing that there is a soul alive that isn’t aware of Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction. If you don’t know about it, it’s an amazing show where comedians compete by telling titillating erotic tales based on pre-existing works. It is also the great equalizer, where big name comedians compete alongside up and comers, and anyone can win. Tonight’s performance was no exception, as we were treated with stories told by stars of stage and screen Harland Williams, Matt Braunger, Dave Hill, and Erin Foley alongside lesser known comics Jesse Elias, TJ Chambers, Andy Haynes, Barbara Holm, Matt Lieb, and JoAnne Schinderle.
At one point in time, Natasha Lyonne was a cult icon that did quirky, low budget indie films. Then, something strange happened. A little TV show about life in a women’s prison became one of the most popular shows on TV, bringing Lyonne up from cult icon to bonafide star. Sketchfest, by some force of magic, was able to get this big star to come to SF and slum it with us for an evening, discussing a film that’s nearly 20 years old.