Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/22/12-3/28/12

In tribute to fun. playing The Indy this week, I googled the word "fun," and this looked like the best example of the word that I could find.

Well, I have returned from Texas ten pounds heavier, with several new calluses on my feet, and a slew of new bands for you to go see, and several old favorites. So, do yourself a favor and come see a few amazing bands this week.

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Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2012

For the last 20 years, the good folks of Noise Pop have turned a single show at Kennel Club (now known as The Independent) into a huge, weeklong festival that causes Bay Area music nerds to clear their calendar every year. In recent years, the fest has expanded beyond music- we have movies, craft fairs, and literary events in addition to one of the best programmed music fests you will ever go to. Go to 2012.noisepop.com for a full listing, but if you want to know what I think you should go to, follow the jump!

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/16/12-2/22/12

We are on our way to the beginning of Noise Pop…  But, since you are addicted to show going like I am, I have prepared a list of warm up gigs that you should attend. I know that I will be!

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/26/12-2/1/12

Tickets to see this guy go on sale Friday morning, but his pants are opening for Wilco all throughout the Bay Area this week.

The brain of Dakin Hardwick, our managing editor, looks like this right now: Sketchfest, Sketchfest, Sketchfest. So when he sat down to write our weekly guide to Bay Area Concerts, he just wrote “Sketchfest” next to everything.  Now, I’m going to deny that you should be going to lots of Sketchfest events (and then reading about them here on Spinning Platters), but there are a few concerts worth mentioning this week. And if I mention a Sketchfest event, too, well …

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A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2012

A sketchy nerd!

For 11 years, San Francisco has had the opportunity to witness the best in comedy. And, for the third straight year, we’ve helped you dig through the 500,000,000 amazing shows to find the best shows for only the nerdiest of San Franciscans. And, since I am a man of exquisite taste, you will trust my guidance.

You can purchase tickets for these and all of the other shows at SFSketchfest.com. Many of these sell out, especially the ones that I want you to go to, so decide quickly!

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/12/12-1/18/12


Playing at Public Works on Thursday night

Dakin’s really busy this week, and frankly, I’m not. I don’t have a day job right now, so I can spend all day finding the absolute best shows for you to go to!  Which ones are those this week? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/12/12-1/18/12”

Spinning Platters Interview: David Owen, Janet Varney, and Cole Stratton: Founders of SF Sketchfest

Cole Stratton, Janet Varney, David Owen. Not Pictured: Burritos (Photo By: Jakub Moser)

In 2002, three Bay Area comics organized a festival featuring some of their favorite local sketch groups. They dubbed it Sketchfest, and it was a success. The next year, comedy legend Fred Willard joined the event, and every year subsequent year, the event became bigger and bigger. This year’s festival has grown to 2 1/2 weeks long, and features the biggest line up yet, featuring the likes of Eddie Izzard, Amy Poehler, Wil Wheaton, Barry Bostwick, and scores of other people so famous that even your grandparents know who they are. (You may need to ask your grandparents who Barry Bostwick is)

SpinningPlatters had the opportunity to chat with founders David Owen, Janet Varney, and Cole Stratton about the evolution of the festival, the struggles of putting it on every year, where to grab a burrito, and a whole ton of hypothetical situations that were good fun to ask. Be sure to go to SFSketchfest.com to check out the line-up and purchase tickets.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 12/22/11-12/28/11

Yo, I'm Woody Allen. And you will never be me. Life is tough, ain't it.

Yes, this is kind of a slow show week. Why? Because it’s Christmas week. Even venues need to take to occasional holiday. But, you know what, the biggest badass in America is coming to town! So, yeah, Merry Christmas.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 12/8/11-12/14/11

This is an early picture of a popular Bay Area musical group. I'm not sure which one, but I'm pretty sure it's the one that 2Pac used to dance for.

Yes, we all know that Metallica are taking over The Fillmore this week, and only very special people will be getting into those shows. Remember that Metallica also totally blow, and everything on this list is better. Or, at least tell yourself that, because you aren’t getting in. Don’t worry, I’m not getting in, either.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 11/17/11-11/23/11

Opening for The Sounds on Saturday night at The Warfield

Dakin’s taking the week off from recommending shows. He’s busy shopping for just the right turkey for his Thanksgiving dinner, I guess. Personally, I recommend getting a bottle of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau to bring wherever you do end up going for Thanksgiving. It’s the ultimate Thanksgiving wine.  But enough booze talk. Let’s go see some shows! (And don’t forget to tip your bartenders.) Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 11/17/11-11/23/11”