Features – Page 37 – Spinning Platters

Outside Lands Festival Diary: Part 1

I have to know this backwards and forwards

Some news organizations get full access to festivals like Outside Lands. They get a photo pass, backstage access, free tickets, free food, special parking, and other forms of special treatment. Some blogs get a lower level of access to these festivals, which would include free tickets, and perhaps a photo pass. And finally, there’s up-and-coming, fast growing music sites like Spinning Platters, who work for a ticket. This will give you an entirely different perspective on Outside Lands, access be damned. We’re not here to hobnob, we’re here to have a good time. And answer your questions at the info booth. Continue reading “Outside Lands Festival Diary: Part 1”

Spinning Platters Podcast: Episode 4 – Outside Lands Festival

Episode 4 of the Spinning Platters podcast is now available below, and in iTunes. Dakin, Gordon and D.P. are joined on this episode by Carlos Rodela of Mevio. You can see him weekly on Rad on the Web and Press Pause, or hear him below. This week’s topics are:

What we’ve been listening to
Outside Lands Festival Cage Match — We put bands playing at the same time up against each other to decide who you should be seeing
Rad on the Web, and what other joy you’ll find on the Mevio Tech channel

Click on to listen, or even better, subscribe to the Spinning Platters podcast on iTunes. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast: Episode 4 — Outside Lands Festival”

Sing It Hasselhoff: Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson Break Up

Last year, Scarlett Johansson released a record called Anywhere I Lay My Head, a moody collection of Tom Waits songs arranged by David Sitek. He put together a band consisting of members of TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and the Celebration. Reviews were very mixed, but I enjoyed the record a great deal. The record has its fans, but in the end was a bit of a flop. I don’t think anybody expected her to put something out again, especially so quickly.

Continue reading “Sing It Hasselhoff: Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson Break Up”

Wanderlust Festival Diary: The Photos

Jenny Lewis as seen without a photo pass

I took quite a few photos at Wanderlust Festival: nearly 500 of them. Since I didn’t have any sort of media credential, you’re not going to see any amazing closeups of performers’ nostrils, but my handy pocket camera does a pretty good job of it. I’ve selected 19 of my favorites, showing every musical act I saw over the weekend and more. If you were there, I hope these act as a nice reminder of a wonderful weekend; if you weren’t, I hope it will inspire you to go next year. Feel free to share these photos around. Please just tell everyone where you found them! Now, on to the photo gallery. Continue reading “Wanderlust Festival Diary: The Photos”

Wanderlust Festival Diary: Part Three

If you look right above that dome, you can see the lake.

Sunday at the Wanderlust felt like one long, sad goodbye. The whole drive home to Oakland was hanging over my head the whole day. Can’t drink. Can’t party too hard. Must drink enough water so that I feel good enough to make the drive. Have to leave early enough to get home for work. All of these things can really bring a guy down as he heads up the funitel to another sun-soaked day of music. How long could this feeling last? Continue reading “Wanderlust Festival Diary: Part Three”

Wanderlust Festival Diary: Part Two

Everyone was really high at this festival.

In order to get to the mainstage at the Wanderlust Festival, you need to board the funitel and ride the gondola to one the Gold Coast at Squaw Valley. This is definitely the riskiest activity I’ve ever done to get to a show. So what did I find when I got to the top? Continue reading “Wanderlust Festival Diary: Part Two”

Wanderlust Festival Diary: Part One

When I heard about the Wanderlust Festival, its amazing location, and its perfect lineup, I booked a hotel room the same day. Because of this, I’m writing this diary post from an amazing hotel room with three queen size beds, a full kitchen with utensils, and killer balcony, and right inside the village where the festival is located. The fridge is stocked (salmon for dinner tomorrow), the beds are made, and everyone’s getting ready for sleep.

But how was tonight’s music? Continue reading “Wanderlust Festival Diary: Part One”

Glastonbury Diary, Part Three: The Music

Seeing this on the screen was only a hint of the excitement to come.

What follows is a pretty simple list of every single musical act I saw at Glastonbury 2009 for at least one song. There were others that I walked by, and sometimes it takes a whole song to walk by them, but when I don’t know who’s playing until I’m finished walking by them and have gone back to my tent to look at a list of who was just on stage, I don’t think that counts because I wasn’t paying any attention at all. I’m looking at you, The Script (or was it The View?) I’ll make very brief remarks about some acts, and pretty lengthy ones about others. I probably won’t say too much about the music for some bands, but will assume you know them already instead. Find out which acts had me dancing, which had me skankin’, which ones had me screaming, and which one left me in tears. Buckle up, because this is going to take me a while. Continue reading “Glastonbury Diary, Part Three: The Music”

Glastonbury Diary, Part Two: The Experience

Things can get a little crazy down front at Glastonbury

When last I was writing a diary, everything was going swimmingly as far as getting to the Glastonbury Festival on schedule. But then a funny thing happened while I was on the train. It turned out that accidents on the M3 and M4 had blocked up traffic throughout the region, and the buses were running a bit behind schedule. How much so? I was told to expect a 3 1/2 hour queue. And so, I’ll make “waiting in queues” the first of the Top Six Things That Define “The Glastonbury Experience.” Continue reading “Glastonbury Diary, Part Two: The Experience”

Glastonbury Diary, Part One

I'm on this bus right now. Or one just like it. I didn't take the photo.

I’m on my way from Heathrow to Reading, due to arrive at about 15:15. Then I have a 15:44 train to Castle Cary, arriving in a couple of hours from then. Finally, I get on an official Glastonbury Festival shuttle bus, which takes anywhere from 15-45 minutes according to various reports. Continue reading “Glastonbury Diary, Part One”