Category: Features

Show Review: Habibi, Rudy de Anda, Babewatch at Bottom Of The Hill, 2/29/2020

In the world of garage rock, it’s expected for bands to put out material quickly and furiously. Bands like Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall have set the bar so high that one record a year comes off as “slow.” When Habibi didn’t follow up their 2014 debut – a delicious blend of garage crunch, 60’s girl group harmonies, and Iranian melodies – right away, people just assumed they called it quits. It wasn’t until 2018, when they put out a short EP, that I thought they were even still a unit. However, it took six long years before we got a proper follow up. It also meant six years without a proper visit to SF. I’m glad that 2020 gave us both. Continue reading “Show Review: Habibi, Rudy de Anda, Babewatch at Bottom Of The Hill, 2/29/2020”

Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2020

Noise Pop week.  It’s pretty much impossible, isn’t it? It’s the single best programmed week of live music the Bay Area gets all year! And this year marks the return on the Noise Pop Film Series!  There is other fun stuff in store, like a photo exhibit at Hotel Biron, and some secret late shows at Cafe du Nord! So, yes, there is plenty do to that ISN’T seeing a band. Which is my life’s blood, and probably your’s, too, since you are reading this preview. Since there is a lot to do, this is not a comprehensive guide to the fest by any means. (That can be found here) This is one show per day that you should go to, plus a movie on some days. And if you don’t want to buy nine sets of tickets, pick up a badge that can get you into EVERYTHING! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2020”

Film Feature: Carrie and Chris Pick the 2020 Oscars

Film critics Carrie and Chris on who will – and who should – win the 92nd Academy Awards

The 92nd Academy Awards air tomorrow, Sunday, February 9th, on ABC at 5:00 pm PST. Once again, Spinning Platters film critics Carrie Kahn and Chris Piper share their predictions — and hopes — for the major categories. A lot of the winners feel like locks, based on earlier award season wins, but, honestly, we’d rather have some upsets to make for an interesting show then have all our predictions come true. Fingers crossed for some liveliness!

Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie and Chris Pick the 2020 Oscars”

Film Feature: Highs and Lows from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival

The 2020 Sundance Film Festival concluded this weekend with Festival jurors bestowing prizes upon 28 of the 128 films shown during the ten-day Fest. All the winners can be found here, but, as I did last year, below I present my own highlights — good and bad — and let you know which films you should SEE or SKIP, should any of these be widely released at some point.

Continue reading “Film Feature: Highs and Lows from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival”

Single Of The Week: Chow Nasty by Lost Puppy Forever

Lost Puppy Forever are a bass/drums punk duo from San Francisco. They dropped their debut EP a few months ago, and I, personally, slept on it. But, it’s never too late to find your favorite new band. “Chow Nasty” is their first single and video, and this song is “thick as fuck” and really gets you in your chest. Don’t understand what that means? Put on some headphones, and play this song really loud. You’ll feel it in the center of your chest.

Noise Pop Fest is coming around the corner, and they are running a contest for bands to play! Go here to vote for your favorite band. And, by favorite band, I mean go vote for Lost Puppy Forever. Contest ends January 14th. And if you really want to support the band, head over to their Bandcamp page to pick up a digital copy of the EP!

Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2019

By The Spinning Platters’ Editorial Team

2019 was an insane musical year… If I traveled back to 2000 and told me that Trent Reznor would have writing credit on the longest running #1 single of all time, and that song was a duet between a 20 year old rapper and Billy Ray Cyrus that won a CMA award, I’d think you were insane. (BTW: I just watched the video to this song for the first time, and it’s pretty wonderfully weird) The insanity is a good thing, and our top 10 of the year ended up being our most eclectic one yet!

#10  Pony / Orville Peck Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2019”

Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2019

Top 10 lists are notoriously subjective, of course; one fan’s “best” can easily be another’s “worst.” To be included on my Top 10 Films of the Year list, a film has to do two things: affect me profoundly while watching it, and stay in my thoughts long after the credits roll. Below are my ten favorite films of 2019 that meet that criteria. You can also check out my list from last year here.

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Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews

These are the days of miracles and wonder…

It’s been a tough couple of weeks as a nation. Mass shootings in Gilroy, Dayton, and El Paso were not particularly well timed with Outside Lands. In the days leading up to the festival, many people were debating whether or not it was safe to go. Maybe we were next? I had a long talk with my partner about going this year, which included a plan for alerting each other to our safety, and talking about all of the steps that I’ve observed in my years attending this festival that have made me feel safe. In fact, I think I feel safer in Golden Gate Park during Outside Lands than pretty much anywhere else on Earth. 

I’m also a firm believer in “not letting terrorists win.” We can’t let these folks scare us off from living. And, seriously, if you don’t have communing with friends and strangers to appreciate live music, is life really worth living? I’m going to keep going to shows and supporting life music because, well, I really think my life depends on it. Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews”

Outside Lands 2019: Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Poster

The bottom half of the 2019 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival poster is rich with amazing acts. This might be the strongest “undercard” assortment Outside Lands has ever had, with a little something for pretty much everyone. One could probably wander aimlessly during the early part of the day and not be disappointed. However, since you are reading this, I suspect you are like me and tend to plan out every moment of your day when you head out to a music festival. So here’s the early stuff I’d jump on!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019: Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Poster”

Sleater-Kinney’s Social Media Profiles Are All Black?

UPDATE?: Spin may have uncovered an album name and a blurb from Carrie

It seems that Sleater-Kinney have set their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profile pics to the color black. Now it’s time to speculate wildly as to what that means… Is the new album coming sooner than expected? Or does it mean something else? I’m just really excited about this and needed to tell the world.

In the meantime, they also have a contest running to win a signed Stratocaster and a Sleater-Kinney Prize Pack! You can enter that here!