This massive Sterling wine barrel adorned with speakers serves as an iconic BottleRock logo. (Photo by Kara E. Murphy)
Ahhh, BottleRock. Last year, it was surreal that my tiny hometown had put together such a terrific festival. And then the bottom fell out. While I won’t go into the specifics of why most of the year was a matter of “will they or won’t they?”, I will say that there were more than a few skeptics about the likelihood of a BottleRock 2014. I never lost hope, and was thrilled when it was finally announced that our festival hadn’t died after its first year. This year’s lineup boasted headliners Eric Church, Outkast, and The Cure! Other acts included Heart, Weezer, The Fray, Smashmouth, Third Eye Blind, Matisyahu, Sublime with Rome, and many, many more. On top of that, what (I think) makes this festival cooler than any other is that it’s situated right smack in the middle of Napa’s lovely climate, and offers an overwhelming array of options from our local food and wine lover’s paradise. Continue reading “BottleRock Napa Valley 2014 Festival Journal, Day 1”
I should start this post off right away by admitting a few things: first of all, if you’ve seen any of my previous work on this site, you’ll already know, but I’m by far the most “mainstream” music listening on the Spinning Platters staff. Many of the bands my cohorts write about are those I’ve never heard of, while I’m running around checking out John Mayer, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, and Pink. Also, and perhaps more importantly, I’m a huge novice when it comes to music festivals. I’ve been to a good handful of the one-day sort of radio station assembled festivals, and several consecutive years of Warped Tour. But bigger, multi-day festivals? I’ve only been to one so far: BottleRock Napa Valley 2013.
I can’t even say how much I needed a good show like this one.
Over the past three decades, I’ve called many a band my favorites, but of course over time, preferences change and so have I. For me, the ones that “stick” are those that tend to have qualities I can’t find elsewhere: a voice so unique I recognize it even a new song, a melody I can’t get out of my head, or lyrics that make me feel like I’ve been spied on… No matter what, though, the favorite bands I come back to again and again always share one quality in particular: they sound even better live than they do on their albums. Seriously: imagine that seeing concerts regularly is what you do, and after the zillionth time of getting amped up to see a band you’ve been into, you discover they’re less than stellar live. Trust me, it sucks, and it definitely always sours my love for not-so-amazing-live bands. (At least a little.) So after a year and a half spent devouring every single Imagine Dragons song I can get my ears on (and a little preview at a festival last summer), I was beyond ready to see if these Dragons had what it takes to launch a long-term love affair with me. I don’t subject myself to standing-room-only general admission floor tickets for just any act (I may be getting too old for all of that), but there I was on Thursday night, about six rows back from the stage at SAP Center, waiting for the lights to go down. Continue reading “Show Review: Imagine Dragons with The Naked and Famous and X Ambassadors at SAP Center, 2/13/2014”
In the world according to Stace (that’d be me, for those not paying attention), Maya Rudolph is a genius. A comedic genius, you might say, but I mean it in a more general way. I’m just sayin’, if this woman ran for president, she might get my vote. Beautiful, funny, and musically talented, she’s got it all. As if that isn’t enough, she’s in a long-term relationship with the music of Prince, and it’s getting pretty serious. Recently, she’s been sharing it with the world alongside her college buddy, singer-songwriter Gretchen Lieberum, and together they are Princess.
Lucky, lucky me: SF Sketchfest brought this act to my city and gave me a ticket to watch! (Don’t be jealous.) So last night, I planted my feet outside the doors at Mezzanine in the drizzle and waited an hour to be let in. At first, I thought I’d finally found the island of misfit toys, as no one remotely associated with the venue seemed to know much about what was going on, who the artist was, if tickets would be available (the show was sold out, but of course there were still those willing to try at the door), or how long the event would go. In the end, after an hour, I was the first one in the door. Cocktail in hand, I picked a spot against a pillar near the front and there I stood for the two hours until the ladies graced the stage. I have to be honest: these were torturous hours. Though I subject myself to them regularly, I’m not especially fond of huge crowds, and Mezzanine really packed ’em in last night. I can’t blame everyone else in the city for wanting to witness the glory of Princess, but it didn’t stop me from wishing I had a little more room to breathe. (Seriously: I even texted managing editor Dakin, who was up front, to ask if it would be any better if I went back near the door. He said probably not much, so I sucked it up and stayed put.)
This year, I seem to have been a little cursed when trying to get to a Sketchfest show at Marines Memorial Theatre. I had two events there this year, and both times, I couldn’t avoid being late. The first time, I missed most of the show due to insane traffic. This past weekend, I missed fifteen or twenty minutes because I had to make a choice: leave the day’s first event (The Benson Movie Interruption: “Twilight: New Moon,” something I looked forward to all year long) early, or take my chances with being late to event number two. I opted for the latter, rushing out in the rain to my car, across town, and to do my best to quickly find parking near the venue. Even so, I was late and there was nothing to be done about it except sit down, shut up, and enjoy the rest of the show. I’ve requested to review Celebrity Autobiography before: Rachel Dratch, Fred Willard, Florence Henderson, Pamela Adlon… Need I say more? Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Celebrity Autobiography: The Music Edition on 2/8/2014”
Okay, truth: almost exactly a year ago, I saw Doug Benson and a bunch of other funny dudes trash talk their way through the first Twilight movie, and haven’t stopped snickering about it since. While Sketchfest is one of our favorite times of year at Spinning Platters, regardless of which specific shows pop up on the yearly schedules, I secretly hoped all year long that the success of last year’s Benson Movie Interruption might become a yearly thing that would carry me through all five terrible films in the the Twilight “saga.” So imagine the joy I felt when this year’s Sketchfest schedule was released, and there it was: The Benson Movie Interruption: Twilight: New Moon! I sent my request in immediately, along with a note to my managing editor that basically said it was the one event I had to cover, even if it meant skipping new events I really wanted to check out. Thankfully, not only did I get access to see Doug and other funnies again this year, but I didn’t have to sacrifice lots of other chances to giggle! And for those that don’t know: whether you love Twilight or hate it, as long as you have a sense of humor, this is something you should plan on attending in the years that follow (there are still three films left in Doug’s series). There is no better way to spend an afternoon, especially a rainy Saturday as was the case this year, than in a room full of people watching a truly awful movie, with many a funny man talking shit over it all. Trust me, it’s wonderful. And I already can’t wait to do it again next year…
Stephanie Hunt and Megan Mullally are Nancy and Beth.
One of the best things about SF Sketchfest is that it brings fantastic comedic talent we might not otherwise have a lot of opportunity to see right here to the Bay Area. For example, Megan Mullally. The woman is equal parts brilliantly funny and beautiful. I’ve been a fan of hers since Will & Grace, though admittedly haven’t followed her career as closely as perhaps I should have. That’s why I’d never heard of her musical act (a duo with funny girl Stephanie Hunt, who I know from How to Live with Your Parents…, Californication, and Friday Night Lights), Nancy and Beth.Anyway, thanks to Sketchfest’s awesome musical offerings, I was able to catch their set last Friday night at SF’s JCC with the utterly wonderful and hilarious opener The Lampshades, and one night was all it took to make a fan out of me! Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Megan Mullally in Concert with her band Nancy and Beth on 1/31/2014”
Every year, Thrilling Adventure Hour is one of the events I most look forward to at SF Sketchfest. While this year was no exception, I did hit a most unfortunate snag that nearly ruined the event for me: Bay Area traffic. The early performance of the show started promptly at 7:00pm Saturday night at Marines’ Memorial Theatre, and usually it runs for about ninety minutes. Sadly, while I left with plenty of time to spare, an accident on I-80 backed up traffic from Berkeley all the way across the Bay Bridge, so by the time I parked, schlepped to the theatre, got my ticket and found my seat, I was a whopping forty-five minutes late. The first note I made: “I missed half!” Even worse, I was wrong. This year, for whatever reason, the show was shorter than normal. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Reviews: Thrilling Adventure Hour with the Workjuice Players and very special guests on 1/25/2014”
Ahhhh, Sketchfest. Because it’s how I first was introduced to Spinning Platters (albeit in a roundabout sort of way), it’s always a bit nostalgic for me. More importantly, I’m always impressed at the amazing mass of talented, funny people that flock to San Francisco to help us laugh our way through what semblance of winter we’re graced with each year. 2014 is no exception, and as Sketchfest enters its teen years, we celebrate milestone anniversaries of several funny films. On opening night (last Thursday), our first chance: Napoleon Dynamite turned ten, and a celebratory screening at the Castro Theatre packed the house with quirky-comedy-lovers. (Though I suspect the promise of an appearance by Napoleon himself, Jon Heder, didn’t hurt.) Though originally cast members Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro) were promised to appear, circumstances beyond the control of the Sketchfest powers-that-be arose, leaving Mr. Heder to fly solo. Thankfully, though, he is more than capable of cracking up a crowded theatre… Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: “Napoleon Dynamite” 10th Anniversary with Jon Heder on 1/23/2014″
