Dakin Hardwick – Page 79 – Spinning Platters

Noise Pop Review: Francisco The Band, Kitten at Bender’s Bar & Grill, 2/28/13

Noise Pop Happy Hours are once of the better kept secrets of the festival. They all happen at Bender’s Bar & Grill in the Mission- a great spot that serves some of the cheapest drinks of any music venue in town. They also serve tater tots. And who doesn’t like tater tots? It also gets you some really intimate performances for free, and set times that are early enough for the fans to get with day jobs to get to bed at a reasonable hour, or the hardcores can tackle two shows in one night! On this Thursday evening, I managed to battle rush hour traffic in order to head out to see a couple of bands over a delicious grilled macaroni & cheese.

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Noise Pop Review: Body/Head, Horsebladder, Burmese at Rickshaw Stop, 2/26/13

When Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore split up last year, my heart broke. I always felt that they were the perfect rock couple- Moore was the pop yin to Gordon’s experimental yang. And, as expected, Moore’s post Sonic Youth output has largely been filled with guitar pop. And Gordon has been largely quiet. So, when Noise Pop announced that they were featuring her new project, Body/Head, on their opening night of Noise Pop, I was thrilled. When I learned that it was a “noise” project with east coast avant gardist Bill Nace, I had very high hopes for this performance. My favorite Sonic Youth moments have always been when Gordon vocalizes over thunderous guitar shredding. To have a band that strips them down to the just this part was practically a dream show. So, yes, I needed to be there.

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Spinning Platters Interview: Chloe Chaidez of Kitten

Kitten at Bottom Of The Hill last June. Photo by Marie Carney

Kitten are a beast of a band. They play a furious blend of punk and new wave, while their lead singer, Chloe Chaidez, is at the tender age of 17, one of the most dynamic and aggressive front people in rock. We recently took the time out to speak Chaidez about their recently released EP, Cut It Out, the evolution of their sound and the logistics behind being in a teenage rock band. Kitten will be playing a Noise Pop Happy Hour show on Thursday, February 28th at Bender’s Bar & Grill as well as opening for Paramore at The Warfield on May 4th, and their debut full length is due to drop later this year. You’d be foolish to miss their live show.

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A Music Nerds Guide To Noise Pop 2013

Every year, for one week, the good people of Noise Pop with their epically refined tastes put together the best week of live music program of the year. And, of course, it could be highly intimidating as well. So, here is a well thought out guide to Noise Pop 2013.

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Show Review: Pink, The Hives at HP Pavilion, 2/18/13

I wasn’t expecting to review this show. I went to see Pink because a good friend of mine is a fan of the support on this tour: The Hives. I thought we’d enjoy The Hives and then go home after a few Pink songs, just because we paid the money. Instead, we ended up entranced for nearly two straight hours, watching one of the greatest performers I have ever seen!

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10 Quick Questions with Dawson Ludwig: Marketing Director for Noise Pop

The only time a Dave Matthews Band picture will be featured in a Noise Pop Preview

Noise Pop is having it’s 20th birthday this year, and it’s bigger than ever! What started out as a small, one night mini-festival at The Kennel Club (now The Independent), has evolved into a week long event that takes over nearly every venue in San Francisco. In addition, it’s organizers have also created Treasure Island Music Festival (aka The Best Music Fest in America in my opinion) and opened do415, a site to help music fans find shows. SpinningPlatters got the opportunity to talk with Noise Pop’s Marketing Director, Dawson Ludwig, to learn a bit about this year’s festival and his own evolution as a music listener.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/14/13-2/20/13

We’ve got a really fun week for shows! Not only do you have some fine Valentine’s Day options, but you also still have two more days to enter our Hives Prize Pack contest before they play in San Jose with Pink!

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SF Sketchfest Review: SEX aka Weiners and Boobs at Marine’s Memorial Theater, 2/8/13

The year was 1998. The State, MTV’s highly influential sketch comedy show had just gotten the axe. Three cast members: Joe Lo Truglio, Michael Showalter, and David Wain were asked to if they had a play they could do for a theater festival in New York. They were given a week to write, cast, and rehearse it. The name came first: SEX aka Weiners and Boobs. Because if you are going to title something, that’s about as good as a title can get. Fast forward 15 years, and the good people of Sketchfest managed to put together nearly all of the original cast for an encore performance of this fine piece of theater.

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SF Sketchfest Review: Garfunkel & Oates, Dragon Boy Suede at Rickshaw Stop, 2/10/13

Garfunkel & Oates have played Sketchfest twice before. In 2011, they were part of Chris Hardwick’s (No Relation) Music Night as one of several acts performing. In 2012, they opened for the great Reggie Watts at Mezzanine. Tonight, however, we got to experience them play their own headlining set. It meant that every single person in the crowd was their just for G & O. And, considering this show sold out several weeks in advance, it only proved that the good folks of San Francisco were quite thirsty to see these wonderful woman play a full set.

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Show Review: fun., Andrew McMahon at The Fox Theater – Oakland, 2/7/13

This would be my fourth time seeing fun. within the last twelve months. The first time was in the parking lot of a record store in Austin, TX. That show only featured the core of the band: vocalist Nate Reuss, keyboardist Andrew Dost and guitar player Jack Antonoff. It was 2 o clock in the afternoon in the baking hot sun, and the crowd was simply mad for them. I knew from that moment that this band had the right balance of sincerity and showmanship to make it big. It was a rare moment when I wanted to get to see a band play the big rooms. Shortly after this show, “We Are Young” became a monsterous hit, and their full band, electric club tour that was booked at tiny clubs turned into the hottest ticket in town. Tonight, a short 11 months after that first time in the record store parking lot, I got to see this band do the “full big room” show. And, by golly, the succeeded at it.

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