The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival (Updated for 2016)

timf-map-590x453This 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. And if you just found this article while looking for a place to buy tickets, just click here! (Updated for 2016 by Dakin Hardwick)

Continue reading “The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival (Updated for 2016)”

Spinning Platters Interview: Comedian Paco Romane

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Paco Romane is one of the greatest Bay Area comedians. In addition to doing stand-up all around the Bay all the time, he hosts the Sup Doc Podcast with George Chen. He’s also performing at the Outside Lands Music Festival this weekend, where he has curated a set of his favorite comics to open the Barbary tent, and will also be doing a “Hipster Chef Roast” at the Gastromagic stage on Friday. If you can’t make it out to Outside Lands on Friday, Romane is doing a warm up show at Plate & Camera Productions on Thursday Night!

We had the joy of chatting with Romane. Sorry that we didn’t invite you, but you can read a word-by-word account of this conversation below!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Comedian Paco Romane”

Top 10 Outside Lands 2016 Acts From The Bottom Half Of The Poster

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Yes, it’s that time of year again. Outside Lands is about to begin, and with it, a slew of great acts you love — as well as a bunch of bands you may have never heard of before. I know that your instinct is to sleep in and show up just in time to let Third Eye Blind know that you do, in fact, believe in science. However, if you do, you are going to miss some of the best music in the festival. The lower part of the poster is where the good stuff hides, so, who knows — you may just stumble across the next Black Keys or Ellie Goulding, both past lower-poster-graduates.

The schedule is out NOW, so you can start planning your weekend. I do believe it’s in your best interest to include some of these acts:

Continue reading “Top 10 Outside Lands 2016 Acts From The Bottom Half Of The Poster”

Spinning Platters Interview: Sarah Hicks, Ratatouille Feature Film with Live Orchestra

 

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This upcoming weekend, July 16-17, the San Francisco Symphony will screen Pixar’s Oscar-winning film, Ratatouille, with the score performed live. Conducting the orchestra will be none other than the amazingly accomplished SF Symphony regular, Sarah Hicks. Sarah was gracious enough to answer some questions about her own musical tastes, as well as her special love of Pixar films…

Spinning Platters: My excitement for the Ratatouille show is growing, since it’s my favorite Pixar film. A popular dinner party question is ‘what’s your favorite Pixar film?’ So, do you have a favorite Pixar film?

Sarah Hicks: Oh, I can’t really choose because I love them all!  That being said, I have to admit that the ones I keep going back to are Monsters, Inc., Up and Ratatouille.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Sarah Hicks, Ratatouille Feature Film with Live Orchestra”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-07-04 – 2016-07-10

Carl Brutananadilewski of Aqua Teen Hunger Force demonstrating the abilities of The Foreigner Belt. (Got burned a bit by his tanning bed earlier.)
Carl Brutananadilewski of Aqua Teen Hunger Force demonstrating the abilities of The Foreigner Belt. (Got burned a bit by his tanning bed earlier.)

July Fourth, 2016! Wooooo! Yeah! Our country is still here! Let’s celebrate!

If you’d like to add to your celebrations this week in The Bay Area with a concert, I’ll tell you what we’ve got coming up: caricatures, drugs, dogs, and culture that you don’t have to pay for.

So, let’s preview. Time to preview. It’s time to preview now and now here are the previews.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-07-04 – 2016-07-10”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-06-08 – 2016-06-12

The sticker that I hope that you earned yesterday.
The sticker that I hope that you earned yesterday.
Did you vote yesterday? Hope you did.

This week in The Bay Area we have fevers, spirits, and, well, Canadians.

And now, let’s preview. I vote for previewing. Let’s preview now. Previews ahoy. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-06-08 – 2016-06-12”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-05-23 – 2016-05-29

Grateful Dead
Appearing for another farewell bow at The Fillmore this week.

This week in The Bay Area we have refusals, memoirs, and those who wear purple. We have clowns, the dead, and war. Should be a pretty good time.

Now, let’s get to the previews. Preview time now. Let’s preview and then we’ll be ready for the week. Previews, starting now. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-05-23 – 2016-05-29”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-05-11 – 2016-05-15

House Stark
Not precisely the wolves that are on their way to Berkeley this week.
This week in The Bay Area we have violence, arguments, wolves on an unlucky day, modern language usages, and raising money against cancer. Good. ‘Cause cancer sucks.

And now, the previews. Let’s get previewing. The time to preview is now and is now that we will preview. Previews, now. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-05-11 – 2016-05-15”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-05-02 – 2016-05-08

Most likely not the Spurs that will be appearing with Daniel Martin Moore this Wednesday at the Hemlock.
Most likely not the Spurs that will be appearing with Daniel Martin Moore this Wednesday at the Hemlock.

This week in The Bay Area we have music from across the Pacific Ocean, from across the Atlantic Ocean, and more. International travel is neat these days.

And now, previews. Preview time. It is time for us to preview. Let’s preview. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-05-02 — 2016-05-08”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-04-23 – 2016-04-27

"Anarchy burger! / Hold the government!" - The Vandals
This Saturday in Oakland, plenty of this.

We’re in the final weekend of Coachella 2016, and the consequent Fauxchella 2016 shows are coming our way. What’s Fauxchella? It’s when you can see a band that’s also scheduled at Coachella but without actually having to go to Coachella.

This week in The Bay Area we have old stars, old studio guys, old smoky guys, montage anchorpoints, as much anarchy as you’d like, and a band that just went ahead and named themselves California.

And previews. Preview time. Let’s preview. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 2016-04-23 — 2016-04-27”