Category: Features

OUTSIDE LANDS ANNOUNCES 3/3! TICKETS ON SALE SOON!

PSST: I heard a secret from a little bison this morning:Outside Lands is changing it up a bit this year. The biggest news? THE LINE UP IS COMING TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD. Which is GREAT for someone like me who is very impatient and likes planning early.

Second? No Eager Beaver. Nobody will be able to buy tickets until after the lineup drops. Instead, there will be a Loyalty Sale starting March 3rd at noon (presale signup here by Tuesday, March 3 at 11:00am PT to receive their Loyalty Presale code). Then, a Ranger Presale starts at noon on March 4th (Signup for the Ranger Presale remains open here, through Tuesday, March 3 at 4:00 pm PT). 

Additionally, Outside Lands is pleased to offer a Chase Presale exclusively to Chase cardholders beginning Tuesday, March 3 at 12 pm PT and running through Thursday, March 5 at 11:45 am PT via sfoutsidelands.com. Signup is not required.

The General On Sale begins Thursday, March 5, at 12 pm PT, with tickets available to the public while supplies last via sfoutsidelands.com.

This is a lot. I know. But it’s exciting. And, always, three days in Golden Gate Park is amazing. So get your layers packed, your sunscreen and dancing shoes ready for August 7-9 for another amazing Outside Lands. 

Noise Pop Review: Death Valley Girls, Forty Feet Tall, Grooblen at Kilowatt, 2/23/26

Photos by Emily Anderson

You know how some venues seem to have the right “vibe,” and you can feel the fun as you walk in? It seems that the classic Mission District bar, Kilowatt, has that energy. Because there was an intense joy that I felt from the moment I walked in. To my right was the perfect long bar with silly things behind it, including Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I understand why the folks of Noise Pop have gone all in on this space. And with the loss of Thee Parkside and the impending death of Bottom Of The Hill, I felt optimistic that SF won’t be without a small rock n roll venue. I bought a $15 cocktail that was a very strong pint of Mexican Mule because it seemed right, and the price was clearly right, and from a time long ago in SF. I window shopped the merch, and then found a spot right in front of the stage, ready for some rock n roll. Continue reading “Noise Pop Review: Death Valley Girls, Forty Feet Tall, Grooblen at Kilowatt, 2/23/26”

Noise Pop 2026: Spinning Platters Tells You What To Do

Noise Pop is celebrating its 33rd iteration, and it’s 34th year (DAMMIT COVID!), which means it’s the 33 1/3 Noise Pop. Not really, but I prefer to label it as such. Because of records. But it could also take 33 1/3 years to dig through the lineup. Feeling like some Noise Pop (or, as Swami John Reis referred to it at Bimbo’s in 1999, “popping noise music”) but don’t want to do the work? Here’s what I like. The full schedule is here. Badges and limited individual tickets are still available for many shows.

Continue reading “Noise Pop 2026: Spinning Platters Tells You What To Do”

MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN 2026 LINEUP IS BONKERS!!!!!

My partner and I named our kid after Corin Tucker. Once the doctors and nurses cleared the room, on the day they were born, we decided we needed to sing them a song. After being awake for like 36 hours, there was only one song we could remember the words to. That song? “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” That hospital? Kaiser in Oakland. It was magic. Today, Mosswood Meltdown released a lineup that brings this all full circle. Because The Return Of Jackie & Judy is a Ramones cover band comprising of Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, plus Toko Yasuda of St Vincent on bass, and Fred Armisen of Trenchmouth on drums, playing directly across the street from the very hospital I first sang a Ramones song to my Corin. 

Oh yeah, and there’s like Iggy Pop, Bikini Kill, Otoboke Beaver, The Dead Milkmen, Scowl, and SO MANY MORE AMAZING BANDS. And of course, it’s being hosted by the legendary John Waters. Tickets on sale NOW! 

MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN PREPARTY! PAVEMENT, WEDNESDAY, VIVIAN GIRLS TAKE OVER MOSSWOOD PARK

We are waiting patiently for our good friends to unveil the Mosswood Meltdown 2026 line-up. In the meantime, they tossed a fun little surprise our way! The night before Mosswood, they are bringing us a pretty impressive, stacked indie rock line-up: the delicious Sonic Youth meets classic country of Wednesday, the return of power pop legends Vivian Girls, and headlining is the pride of Stockton, PAVEMENT! All hosted by John Waters. 

Tickets are on sale NOW! $99 for GA, $165 for VIP (with special viewing area and ins & outs), and those prices are fee-inclusive! 

I CAN’T WAIT FOR JULY!!!

Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2025

With Oscar nominations announced in just a few short weeks on January 22nd, Spinning Platters closes out the year by weighing in with our own Best Films of 2025! Check out fellow critic Chad Liffmann’s Top 20 here, and read on below for my Top 10:

10. BOB TREVINO LIKES IT

Way back in March, I boldly predicted that this understated but powerful film would secure a spot on my Top 10 list. Despite the many outstanding movies that followed since then, I always remembered this well-told, empathetic story about loneliness, unexpected connections, and found family. Released early in the year, the picture seems to have been forgotten at awards time, which is unfortunate. It deserves a wide audience.

Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2025”

Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2025

What a sneaky good, but not great, movie year. 2025 was full of major blockbuster disappointments (Mickey 17, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tron: Ares, The Running Man, Wicked For Good) and a few five-star masterpieces. But there was a plethora of three-and-a-half to four-star fare, some good and some great, that made moviegoing a memorable experience. The honorable mentions will be many this year, but here’s my ranked list of the twenty best films of 2025:

20. FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES

The sixth film in a series is rarely, if ever, as good as, if not better, than all previous installments. Bloodlines refreshed the ‘90s horror franchise in inventive new ways, killing off a plethora of death-cheaters. 

19. THE NAKED GUN

Pure comedies can still be good, and still make money! The reboot of The Naked Gun had some of the funniest lines of the year, and produced the rare pleasure of joining in raucous laughter with a moviegoing audience. Continue reading “Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2025”

Portola 2025: In Words and Pictures

Additional Reporting and Photos by Matthew Meyer and Dakin Hardwick

Portola has figured out how to live in the impossible: a perfect balance between a giant warehouse rave, an art-party fever dream, and a legacy showcase built around titans like The Chemical Brothers and LCD Soundsystem. The festival grounds themselves were half the trip, stages stretched across a working port, tucked between hulking cranes and an airplane-hangar-sized warehouse. One side of the grounds was dominated by a massive ship; the other opened out onto the Bay, where the breeze mercifully cut through the heat.

Scantily clad post-Burning Man pilgrims roamed like the playa had drifted into San Francisco, fur and neon armor still glowing. Unlike so many other festivals, Portola spared us the dreaded sound bleed; every stage claimed its own sonic territory without stepping on another’s toes. Continue reading “Portola 2025: In Words and Pictures”

Film Feature: MVFF48 Festival Preview #2

If it’s October, it must be Mill Valley. Yes, everyone’s favorite fall film fest opens tonight, Thursday, October 2nd. You can check out the full program here, and don’t despair if a screening is listed as “standby”: more tickets may be released before the screening date, and same-day wait list tickets most likely will be available. Check out the Box Office for more information. We already presented a sneak peak of three of of this year’s offerings, and below we highlight five more: four great features and an equally worthy documentary. See you at the Fest!

1.) Metallica Saved My Life
(United Kingdom, 2025. 99 min.)

Anyone looking for a sort “Behind the Music” exposé about Metallica would be better served by watching the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. That the band is still together 20+ years since that film is a testament to its staying power, which aligns with the angle this new doc takes. “Metallica is everybody” is the rallying cry of Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund’s new film, which Metallica’s PR team is no doubt swooning over. Despite its Metallica-can-do-no-wrong vibe, this documentary about the band’s devoted fans is infectious and disarming. Filled with stories of people from all walks of life and all across the globe who have found solace, connection, and joy in the band’s music and concerts, the picture paints a warm portrait of a Metallica family that embraces anyone who wants to love the band and its community. Particularly affecting interviews from a trans man in Austin and fans from Iraq, Botswana, and Ukraine are emotionally raw, and help keep the picture from sinking too deeply into hagiography. Metallica band members are also interviewed, and they come across gracious and sincere in their appreciation of their fans. Sure the film is terrific PR, but it’s also genuinely uplifting. 

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Thurs., Oct. 9th, 6:00pm at CinéArts Sequoia, Mill Valley (at standby)
– Fri., Oct. 10th, 3:00pm at Smith Rafael Film Center

Continue reading “Film Feature: MVFF48 Festival Preview #2”

Film Feature: MVFF48 Festival Preview #1

The 48th Mill Valley Film Festival  (MVFF) will take place Oct. 2-12, with screenings at theaters across the North and East Bay.

For a full view of special awards, spotlights, and centerpiece films, check out the complete festival guide. Tickets can be purchased here. Below is a preview of the festival, featuring brief looks at three films:

1.) THE SECRET AGENT
(Brazil, France, Germany, Netherlands, 2025. 158 min.)

The Secret Agent is a blistering 1970s-styled political thriller as prescient today as the film could’ve been in the era in which the story takes place. In a tremendously powerful performance, Wagner Moura (Narcos; Civil War) plays an ex-professor in Brazil who is in hiding with other refugees from the country’s military dictatorship, with numerous authoritative officials after them. Director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau) soaks The Secret Agent in textural viscerality; the characters are drenched in sweat, the colorful costumes and immaculate set design pop off the screen, and the musical score infuses the slow-burn narrative with mystery and energy. 

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Fri., Oct. 3rd, 6:00pm at CinéArts Sequoia
– Sun., Oct. 5th, 11:15am at Smith Rafael Film Center Continue reading “Film Feature: MVFF48 Festival Preview #1”