Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
This list simply goes to show you that there is no such thing as a slow week in the bay area for shows…. We have two legendary punk bands playing in SF, plus a slew of other odds and ends that insure that nobody’s musical taste will go unaccounted for. So, do yourself a favor and go to a few shows this week. You’ve worked hard and deserve it!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/17/12-5/23/12”
So, this week is a great week if you wanna see old people sing youthful songs… We get The Dead Milkmen, Keith Morris (Circle Jerks) and Roger Waters all coming very soon. There are also a few shows happening if you like it slightly more youthful. Also this week: CREED!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/10/12-5/16/12”
I’ve seen The Black Keys twice before going to this show. The first time was opening for Sleater Kinney at The Great American Music Hall in 2003. It was two guys that looked like they came in off the streets, playing super lo-fi blues. I honestly didn’t know what to think of them, and I forgot about them for a number of years. Then, in 2009, I saw them again in Austin, playing the back patio of a dive bar. It was appearantly a huge deal, and I managed to miss the fact that they were slowly becoming one of the biggest bands in rock. Fast forward a mere three years later, and they are playing arenas. I kept flashing back to that tiny (literally) little band I saw nearly a decade ago, and I couldn’t believe they were playing one of the biggest venues in Northern California. So, I decided it was time to give them another go!
Continue reading “Show Review: The Black Keys with The Arctic Monkeys at Oracle Arena, 5/4/12”
Regular readers of this site are aware of the fact that I put together a list of recommend shows in the bay area every week. Sometimes weeks it’s easier than others. Sometimes I scour through the schedules of local venues, and I find myself listening to a long list of bands that I’ve never heard before. I’ve uncovered some really good stuff over the years, but, rarely to I find a single song that makes me need to change my schedule around and go out on a Monday night. Was it worth making my way out on a Monday night? Well, your going to have to click that “more” button to to find out how that worked out for me:
Continue reading “Show Review: Tennis with Wild Belle at The Independent, 4/30/12”
Another week of rock and roll… Because sleep is totally overrated.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/3/12-5/9/12”
One of the great traditions of the San Francisco International Film Festival has been pairing up an indie rock band with a classic silent film. In past years these have always been classier films, such as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea or A Page Of Madness. It seemed to be a risky move to do something as populist as the slapstick comedy of Buster Keaton. Of course, in a genius move, they called upon Merrill Garbus, the mastermind behind Oakland’s experimental pop outfit tUnE-yArDs to compose and perform an all new score for four classic Buster Keaton short films. Garbus called up local avant garde guitarist Ava Mendoza to help compose the score, which they also performed live, alongside Nate Brenner on bass, and a horns section made up of Noah Bernstein and Matt Nelson.
We’ve got another full week of shows, and this one is chock full of some truly interesting and experimental music. Open your mind and your ears and go out this week!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/26/12-5/2/12”
April’s live musical options in the bay area are huge. Due to the sheer numbers of acts coming to town, mostly due to bands coming through because of Coachella. It means that you can be in twenty places at once in any given night this month. On the evening that I opted to see GIVERS, I decided based on putting five different gigs in a hat, and picking one at random. This brought me to Slim’s on a spring Sunday evening, and it very well could have been my best decision.
Continue reading “Show Review: GIVERS with White Arrows at Slim’s, 4/15/12”
The best 7 days of live music ever? Maybe… Read on!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/12/12-4/18/12”
Chilly Gonzales is not a household name in the USA, yet he is a very accomplished and successful musician. In America, his two most famous pieces of work are connected to Apple commercials, where his identity is entirely concealed. It puts him in a interesting place where he essentially has the freedom to do as he wishes, while still making a living as a musician. Thus bringing him to the tiny SOMA bar, Hotel Utah Saloon, doing a one man show on a Saturday night.
Continue reading “Show Review: Chilly Gonzales: “The Piano Talk Show” at Hotel Utah Saloon, 4/7/12″