Author: Gordon Elgart

A music nerd who probably uses that term too much. I have a deep love for bombastic, quirky and dynamic music.

Sketchfest Review: The Meltdown with Kumail Nanjiani, Jonah Ray and many more at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/28/2012

This one was taken in the actual world famous comic book store.

On Wednesdays, in Los Angeles, you can go to Meltdown Comics and see comedy in the back of a comic book store. On Saturday night in San Francisco, hosts Kumail Nanjiani and Jonah Ray brought the comics but left the store behind. What this meant is that  we were treated to a  long and varied night of stand-up from a number of Meltdown regulars without a single back issue in sight.  A small group of Spinning Platters writers were there, and Marie Carney and I are going to take on the task of telling you as much as possible about each comedian while saying as little as possible, and of course not burning material. That’s right: capsule reviews! Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: The Meltdown with Kumail Nanjiani, Jonah Ray and many more at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/28/2012”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/26/12-2/1/12

Tickets to see this guy go on sale Friday morning, but his pants are opening for Wilco all throughout the Bay Area this week.

The brain of Dakin Hardwick, our managing editor, looks like this right now: Sketchfest, Sketchfest, Sketchfest. So when he sat down to write our weekly guide to Bay Area Concerts, he just wrote “Sketchfest” next to everything.  Now, I’m going to deny that you should be going to lots of Sketchfest events (and then reading about them here on Spinning Platters), but there are a few concerts worth mentioning this week. And if I mention a Sketchfest event, too, well …

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/26/12-2/1/12”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/12/12-1/18/12


Playing at Public Works on Thursday night

Dakin’s really busy this week, and frankly, I’m not. I don’t have a day job right now, so I can spend all day finding the absolute best shows for you to go to!  Which ones are those this week? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/12/12-1/18/12”

Spinning Platters Presents The Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2011

Finished 11th, but I really like it.

 While other magazines, blogs and newspapers release their Best Albums of the Year super early, obviously before they’ve even heard some of the albums on their list, we wait until the last possible minute, sharing dozens of nominations with each other while participating in an overly complicated voting process that leads to a Top 10 that looks completely different from anyone else’s. It’s rewarding and fun, and we always find room for small albums that usually get ignored. One person’s favorite gets a real chance to get heard in our system as it becomes the favorite of many. So know, dear reader, that the albums you’re about to see listed have passed a multi-level test of quality. And now, I end my introduction by asking you to click the more tag and see our Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2011.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Presents The Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2011”

Film Review: “The Muppets”

Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit, Walter and Rowlf in THE MUPPETS

starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones

written by: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller

directed by: James Bobin

MPAA: Rated PG for some mild rude humor

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Muppets””

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 11/17/11-11/23/11

Opening for The Sounds on Saturday night at The Warfield

Dakin’s taking the week off from recommending shows. He’s busy shopping for just the right turkey for his Thanksgiving dinner, I guess. Personally, I recommend getting a bottle of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau to bring wherever you do end up going for Thanksgiving. It’s the ultimate Thanksgiving wine.  But enough booze talk. Let’s go see some shows! (And don’t forget to tip your bartenders.) Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 11/17/11-11/23/11”

Show Review: Brandt Brauer Frick with Psychic Friend and James & Evander at Rickshaw Stop, 11/11/2011

An age old argument in music is this: is this band better live or on record? Electronic music seems to be the ultimate fertile ground for this argument because essentially the live show is the record plus lights, isn’t it? Well, not if it’s done right.

Brandt Brauer Frick perform in two different varieties. There’s the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble, an 11-piece combo that plays the material as written on composition paper. Then there’s the core trio, which leave the paper at home, and take chances on stage.  Is this electronic music done right? Continue reading “Show Review: Brandt Brauer Frick with Psychic Friend and James & Evander at Rickshaw Stop, 11/11/2011”

Not Necessarily New Release Tuesday, 11/8/2011

What do arrows sound like? They sound like awesome.

Welcome to a new, and possibly recurring feature on Spinning Platters, Not Necessarily New Release Tuesday. In this, I’ll recommend some new music to listen to. Some of these will be actual new releases, but not necessarily. I’ll also be including recently discovered imports, leaked albums, and rediscovered music as well. Sometimes I’ll just try to get you to listen to a forgotten record that I love. Since this is a new feature, I’ll be making it up as I go along so I absolutely want your feedback; therefore, please comment below and together we can make this the best Spinning Platters recurring feature ever.  (Take that, Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts!) Continue reading “Not Necessarily New Release Tuesday, 11/8/2011”

Festival Diary: The 2011 Treasure Island Music Festival, Day 1

The glamtastic Saturday headliners

The details of the Treasure Island Music Festival are well known to Bay Area music regulars. I’ll go over them briefly.

The setting is beautiful, on an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. There are only two stages that alternate acts, so there’s never any clashes. There are two days: Saturday leans toward dance music, and Sunday is for indie rock. It’s small so you can easily get close to the stage whenever you want, without having to park yourself in the front row all day long. Those are the basics — everything else changes year to year. In fact, the organizers — Noise Pop and Another Planet — intend to never repeat a band. So here’s a quick look at this year’s collection of talent.

Continue reading “Festival Diary: The 2011 Treasure Island Music Festival, Day 1”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 10/13/11-10/19/11

Will be playing the classics for two nights at The Regency Ballroom

Dakin’s taking the week off to play with his cat and get ready for the Treasure Island Music Festival. I’m ready for the festival — Friendly Fires, Cut Copy, Explosions in the Sky, Death Cab For Cutie, Empire of the Sun, Battles, Geographer, Aloe Blacc, many more, bring it! — so I’m suggesting shows for the rest of the week.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 10/13/11-10/19/11”