Noise Pop Show Review: Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band with Deerhoof at The Fox Oakland, 2/23/10

I have spent a lot of time defending different artists in my day. Usually this is because, well, my tastes are difficult to define, to say the least. (Case in point: two of my early reviews, which happened one right after the other were this and this) But, the one single artist that I come to the defense of more than any other is Yoko Ono. Everyone has an opinion about her, and generally speaking, this opinion is pretty negative. The primary cause of this is most likely either a.) they blame her for the break up of The Beatles (I still think that this was Linda’s fault) or b.) they blame her for the widespread acceptance of the avant garde. I personally don’t hold her responsible for either of these things. I also think people either don’t take her seriously enough, or take her far too seriously.

I must give a respectful shout-out to the good people of Noise Pop for making this show happen. They took a chance at booking such a divisive figure for their opening night show, and it paid off pretty nicely.

Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band with Deerhoof at The Fox Oakland, 2/23/10”

Spinning Platters Picks Some Noise Pop 2010 Shows

This one man will begin a great week of music

It’s here! Noise Pop 2010 starts today with two excellent shows, and your first opportunity to show-hop. Start at Bender’s Bar for the happy  hour with Har Mar Superstar, and then cross the bridge (or better yet, take BART) to the Fox Oakland to see Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band. Many of your favorite Spinning Platters writers will be there. But then what? You’ve got a whole week of shows, and you’re not sure what to see?

How did we decide? It was simple. If one of our writers requested to cover a show, we’ve included it. Where is our staff hoping to see all of you? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Some Noise Pop 2010 Shows”

Spinning Platters Podcast – Episode 17: Noise Pop 2010

Best Week Ever?

On the newest episode of the Spinning Platters Podcast, we welcome Dawson Ludwig from Noise Pop to talk about the upcoming 2010 Noise Pop Festival. Join us as we discuss our highlights of the festival, wonder about the history of the festival, talk about what we’ve been listening to, and go off in a million different directions. You can subscribe by clicking the giant button to the left, or listen below. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast — Episode 17: Noise Pop 2010”

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts from 2/5/10 – 2/11/10

All those people in the crowd? They visited the site this week.

This week at Spinning Platters, we reviewed a few new albums, saw a few shows, and told you what shows to see. Although this post is meant to tell you the busiest new posts of the week, I’d like to mention that we had a strange boost of traffic on an old review of a show by Rooney and Tally Hall. It got mentioned on a Rooney message board, and Rooney fans are spectacularly loyal. Welcome, fans of Rooney! I hope you’re still reading. As for our top five new posts? Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts from 2/5/10 — 2/11/10”

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts from 1/29/10 – 2/4/10

This photo should help you understand Joel's line about a missing drum

Due to popular demand, this weekly Saturday column has returned! I can’t tell you how many people have clamored for its return because the writers have gone back to  betting on the outcome. So which writer is collecting the pot? And which one is drinking from the king’s cup? Read on to see our top five most visited new posts of the last week. Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts from 1/29/10 — 2/4/10”

What You Need to Know from the San Francisco Musician and Promoter Workshop

Zambaleta on 19th and Florida in the Mission, SF

I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit dubious when I initially heard about the first installment, via Twitter, of this San Francisco-based event back in November. How many seminars, workshops, and online tutorials are already out there promoting their take on the best practices in social media for musicians and managers? However, a closer look at the list of instructors, not to mention the partners including SonicLiving and the premier music technology event in the Bay Area, SF MusicTech Summit, revealed that the San Francisco Musician & Promoter Workshop promised to transcend your atypical music industry-related gathering.

Continue reading “What You Need to Know from the San Francisco Musician and Promoter Workshop”

SF Sketchfest Review: The Jill and Julia Show at Yoshi’s San Francisco, 1/27/10

Julia Sweeney and Jill Sobule

According to the song that opened their winning 90-minute set, comedian Julia Sweeney (best known for her 1990-1994 run on Saturday Night Live) and musician Jill Sobule (best known for singing “I Kissed A Girl” first and so much better) met randomly at the Monterey Bay Aquarium one lucky day not long ago. Sobule cautiously approached Sweeney to express her admiration, but then Sweeney spotted Sobule and pounced her. Their mutual admiration society has led to an ongoing story-song collaboration called “The Jill and Julia Show,” which made its first Bay Area stop last night as part of the 2010 SF Sketchfest.

Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: The Jill and Julia Show at Yoshi’s San Francisco, 1/27/10”

SF Sketchfest Review: The Greg Proops Chat Show with Special Guest Robin Williams at Yoshi’s, 1/20/10

It's his line.

I had heard rumors of the renowned aging sasquatch riding around the damp streets of San Francisco in unforgiving bike shorts, but a confirmed sighting still eluded me… until…

On a dark stormy night, in a tiny Fillmore club, Robin Williams bedazzled a lucky audience with a one-on-one chat with Greg Proops. Well, it wasn’t much of a chat, more like a never-ending barrage of witty banter between the two comics that had no real direction or ending for that matter. Fueled exclusively by H2O, and lots of it, we enjoyed close to two hours of fast-paced ADHD ramblings from Mr. Williams that made the rest of the world seem distant. Good entertainment is rated by how easily you can escape from your own surroundings, and with Robin onstage, I was whisked away to a land of sodomy, various accents, and career revaluations. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: The Greg Proops Chat Show with Special Guest Robin Williams at Yoshi’s, 1/20/10”

Gift Guide For Music Nerds: The Best Records of 1997

This is how you would have had to search for music in 1997.
This is how you would have had to search for music in 1997. It's easier now.

Have no clue what to do? Has a large green creature come and snagged all the good presents away? Don’t fret because the Spinning Platters elves have present ideas to fill up Santa’s sleigh…

It seems it’s that time of the year when the days in number
seem to fall off the calendar into slumber.
And there is only one thing you could possibly find,
that wouldn’t be on kind people’s minds.
It’s better than socks.  It’s better than butter.  It’s better than delightful hot cocoa with a candy marshmallow ring.
It rocks so hardly in summer,
maybe even some with a mutter,
and it’s let you go along, allowing you to dance and sing.
It’s pure but complicated, not dirty or replicated.
It’s as tasty as fresh warm bread
even those that are of leaven,
it’s just what you always thought it was, it’s the music of 1997!

Here are the Top 15 most important reasons…or in some cases, non reasons, to buy your loved one, or enemy for that matter (the holidays don’t discriminate) an awesome gift from 1997! Continue reading “Gift Guide For Music Nerds: The Best Records of 1997”

Gift Guide For Music Nerds: 10 Quick Questions With Brad Klausen

PJOwl

I first discovered Brad Klausen’s work due to his Big Business poster, and discussed him in my first article about rock poster artists for Spinning Platters without knowing who he was.  It’s a few months and a few poster orders later, and now I breathlessly await each new release from him.  For our ongoing series, the Gift Guide For Music Nerds, I’m suggesting that you go to his site and buy the music nerd in your life some amazing rock posters. So I asked Brad if he would do a quick email interview with us, and his responses blew me away.  They’ll surely do the same for you.

Spinning Platters:  What was the first work of art you did for money? Continue reading “Gift Guide For Music Nerds: 10 Quick Questions With Brad Klausen”