Features – Page 33 – Spinning Platters

Stop SOPA/PIPA – 4 Ways You Can Help

Today some of the largest entities on the Internet including Wikipedia, Reddit, and MoveOn.org will go completely dark, for 24 hours, to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA – fun fact: “Sopa” means “trash” in Swedish) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). These two bills, introduced to the House and Senate back in October, respectively, would allow the U.S. Department of Justice and copyright holders to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. I should mention that action can be taken without due process. So, for example, if I posted a YouTube video on Spinning Platters, the copyright holder could have this site (and even YouTube, itself) shut down without any notice. Continue reading “Stop SOPA/PIPA — 4 Ways You Can Help”

Why you should attend SF MusicTech Summit, Music Hack Day, and Music Startup Academy

This February, make something happen with all the right resources.

“We should start our own group; I’m not sure what the title would be but it has to encompass the fact that we are some of the few, the brave, that have attended every single SF MusicTech Summit in existence.” That’s basically what my friends, Scott Schiller, Jordan Harband, and I were joking about as we basked in the sun flooding Japantown’s mall courtyard during lunch break at the last event in September. Continue reading “Why you should attend SF MusicTech Summit, Music Hack Day, and Music Startup Academy”

Who Needs New Music? My top albums of 1998!

“What’s wrong Chazzy Black, you look sad?”

“I don’t know Linux, I know we have all this great music that came out in 2011 (Spinning Platters Top Ten Albums of 2011), but I’m just not happy. I like dreamy guitars, sad depressing themes, and booty shaking grooves and all that, but I’m just not sure it means anything anymore. All these albums are derivative…”

“Chazzy Black you’re the only person I know that can take a wonderful thing like the music of 2011 and turn it into a problem.”

“Isn’t there anyone that can tell me what music is all about?!

“Sure Chazzy Black I can tell you what music is all about”

“Time Machine Please…”

“And there was my favorite music of 1998…”

Continue reading “Who Needs New Music? My top albums of 1998!”

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

brandt-brauer-frick-ensemble-mr.-machine-review-e1318885673689 — 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”

Wanderlust Festival, 2011: The Best from the Bay + the Rest

It definitely wasn’t my imagination when I felt that some of the lines for the most sought-after yoga courses were excessively long or the crowds that flocked to the stage for the live musical performances were exceedingly large; as it turns out, this year’s Wanderlust Yoga + Music Festival in Squaw Valley saw some 14,000 attendees solely for yoga.

Despite the 65% increase in attendance from last year, there was still a unique intimacy, not to mention sense of spiritual community, that enriched the entire experience. Yogis and musicians from the Bay Area were there to represent and impart their talents in full force. Thus, I present the best from our area plus the rest that made my trip a truly transcendent experience.

Continue reading “Wanderlust Festival, 2011: The Best from the Bay + the Rest”

Spinning Platters Tackles Your Tough Outside Lands 2011 Decisions

map11 — We will make this a little easier for you to navigate.

For four years running now, the good people at Another Planet and Superfly have put together a massive outdoor music festival in the part of San Francisco so far west that most people don’t even know it exists. The weather is unpredictable, the terrain in this portion of Golden Gate Park is difficult, and with 5 stages, decisions are always tough to make. Well, all I can say about the first two is to bring layers and wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. As for who to see when? Well, I’ve studied the band schedule and the map, and based on my impeccable taste in music I am ready to present to you the most fulfilling plan for your Outside Lands experience.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Tackles Your Tough Outside Lands 2011 Decisions”

Spinning Platters Guide to the Frameline35 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

The 35th annual Frameline LGBT Film Festival kicks off later this week, running from June 16-26 with screenings at the Castro, Roxie, and Victoria theaters. Frameline has once again programmed a globally diverse lineup of sex comedies, coming-of-age dramas, compelling documentaries, and something called Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same. Full info available at the official website. Look after the jump for Spinning Platters’ top 10 picks for the festival (all descriptions courtesy of Frameline).

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide to the Frameline35 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival”

Spinning Platters Guide to the San Francisco International Film Festival 2011

The 54th annual San Francisco International Film Festival kicks off this Thursday, April 21, bringing with it two weeks of jam-packed film programming until its conclusion on May 5. Special guests and honorees this year include Oliver Stone, Matthew Barney, Zoe Saldana, Clifton Collins Jr., and Christine Vachon. The festival will also feature a live performance of the film scores of Claire Denis by Tindersticks.

For full information, check out the official festival website. But first, look after the jump for our top 15 movies to see this year at the SFIFF.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide to the San Francisco International Film Festival 2011”

Noise Pop Show Review: Ben Gibbard at Great American Music Hall, 2/27/11

Ben Gibbard is called out by Bob Mould at Noise Pop

Closing the Noise Pop festival with solo acoustic shows from Ben Gibbard and Zach Rogue was the right choice. People flew in from Europe, skipped the Oscars, even skipped church for an a relaxing evening at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. The young crowd was a mix of experienced Noise Pop festival attendees and those that made last night’s show their select choice. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: Ben Gibbard at Great American Music Hall, 2/27/11”