Features – Page 35 – Spinning Platters

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts for Oct 16-23

Every week I post our top 5 most trafficked posts for the week, and every week someone complains that their post didn’t have a chance because it went up the same day I calculated the winners. I didn’t realize that the writers here were gambling on the outcome, but it turns out there’s quite a large (virtual) office pool going on over this. Why just last week, Vanessa won SIXTEEN whole M&Ms by writing the most read post. Oh, what’s this? I forgot to do the week in review last week because I was too busy getting ready for Treasure Island? Sorry, Vanessa! I owe you some M&Ms.

And because of this, I’ll now be doing this weekly review on Saturdays. And with that said, the top 5 posts for this week! Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts for Oct 16-23”

Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 7 – It’s a Community

Episode 7 of the Spinning Platters podcast features a discussion of the Treasure Island Music Festival with our guest Sandy Burciaga of the LA-based arts, music and skateboarding site Grimy Goods. We also discuss the history of our websites, and take our usual trips into tangential territory. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 7 — It’s a Community”

Treasure Island Festival Diary, Part 2: 10/17/09 Nighttime

The sky was lit by balloons and fireworks.

When the darkness finally arrived on Treasure Island on Saturday night, I decided it was time to put the camera and notebook down, and just dance. So nighttime at Treasure Island, as seen through my eyes, is a lot of disconnected sweaty memories. That is, of course, until I tried to leave the island, which turned out to be a lot tougher than I thought. Continue reading “Treasure Island Festival Diary, Part 2: 10/17/09 Nighttime”

Treasure Island Festival Diary, Part 1: 10/17/09 Daylight

We're about to wave them like we just don't care

The day is finally here for the Treasure Island Music Festival! This morning, I woke up with an extra bounce in my step which disappeared quickly as I started packing my backpack. Camera? Check. Laptop? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Now off to take the long public transit adventure to Treasure Island for a day of music and fun in the sun in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Continue reading “Treasure Island Festival Diary, Part 1: 10/17/09 Daylight”

Treasure Island Night Show Review: MGMT at the Independent, 10/16/09

The next prog superpower? It's not out of the realm of possibility.

My double clicking ability is expert! That’s how I got tickets to MGMT at the Independent. I picked up two tickets to see MGMT thinking that of course someone would like to join me on this outing. Apparently, no one I know likes then enough to cancel their Friday night plans, so I went alone and gave my ticket to a guy so his wife could get in. You can never have too much good karma, and tonight I didn’t need the money.

The last time I saw MGMT was at Live 105’s BFD in 2008. I don’t remember much about the band, I just remember the girls from Oakland girl rap group Hot Tub getting on stage and grinding around. (Hot Tub by the way is amazing.) So, needless to say, seeing MGMT at the Independent is a big change of venue from the parking lot at Shoreline. Continue reading “Treasure Island Night Show Review: MGMT at the Independent, 10/16/09”

The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival

No, I'm not sure how to get to where this picture was taken.

This weekend’s Treasure Island Music Festival has quickly become my favorite musical event of the year. There are no conflicting set times, so you can see everyone on the bill. The size of the festival is fairly small, so it’s easy to get around. The setting in the middle of San Francisco Bay is absolutely stunning. And something about all of these combine to keep the people going in a relaxed, pleasant mood that makes being there all the more enjoyable.

Now, you might think going to this festival is as easy as hopping in your car and going to the festival to enjoy some music, but you’d be wrong. Read on, and I’ll teach you how to avoid rookie mistakes. Continue reading “The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival”

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts For Oct 2 – Oct 8

A lot of people are hardly strictly waiting for us to announce our most read post of the week.

This week saw a lot more competition to be in our Top 5 Most Viewed New Posts of the Week. Without the killer buzz-saw of Kylie Minogue reviews, all manner of posts had a shot at the top. Keep coming back this weekend for some rare weekend updates including some show reviews and our weekly New Release Round Up. And now, on to our top posts. Can you guess what #1 might be? Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts For Oct 2 — Oct 8”

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts for Sept 25 – Oct 1

This week at Spinning Platters was the Kylie Minogue show. In one day, she took over our #1 all-time most-read post as well as giving us the busiest day in our site’s history. Cheers to Kylie! I hope you enjoy your time in America as much as we are. So who won the battle for second place? Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts for Sept 25 — Oct 1”

David Byrne Talks About Bicycles, Herbst Theater, 9/29/09

Bicycle

Last night David Byrne hosted an event for the “29th Annual Literary Events Series Benefiting the 826 Valencia College Scholarship Program” on “Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around.” Also on the forum was Mike Teitz, a Senior Fellow and former Director of Research at the Public Policy Institute of California, David Chiu, the President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and Leah Shahum, the Director of the San Francisco Bike Coalition. I came not having read his book, Bicycle Diaries, or ever having ridden a bicycle in San Francisco. So, I felt like a bit of an outsider. But I don’t have a car and I am as big a supporter of bicycles as anyone who hasn’t owned a bike in ten years. Also, I like David Byrne and I am interested enough in what he has to say, on most subjects, to come out on a weeknight. Continue reading “David Byrne Talks About Bicycles, Herbst Theater, 9/29/09”

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts for Sept 18-24

Steven Wilson wants you to check out the top posts of the week.

This week at Spinning Platters, we reviewed lots of shows, plenty of albums, and made some lists. For our new week in review feature, I’ll let you in on what our Top 5 most trafficked new posts were, and invite you to check them out if you haven’t already. Come back this weekend for review of Living Colour with Fishbone, and follow us at @SpinnPlatt for plenty of giddy drunken remarks live from The Zoopy Show. Now, click through to see our busiest posts of the week. Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts for Sept 18-24”