Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
(Photo of Thank You Come Again by Marc Fong)
It’s not even Halloween yet, but it’s time to start getting ready for next Winter’s festivals! Noise Pop decided to extend to 11 whole days for next year, which is BONKERS! So it’s time to clear your calendar and stock up on hangover remedies so you can destroy your eardrums from February 22nd – March 3rd.
Early Bird badges are SOLD OUT, but watch this page for the next release. It’s certainly going to be worth the money.
The 46th Mill Valley Film Festival is now underway! For a full view of special awards, spotlights, and centerpiece films, check out the complete festival guide. Tickets can be purchased here.
Below is our third preview of the Festival, featuring brief looks at four more films (If you missed our other preview posts, you can find them here and here):
Continue reading “Film Feature: Preview #3 of the 46th Mill Valley Film Festival”
Our coverage of the 46th Mill Valley Film Festival, which starts tomorrow, Thursday Oct. 5th, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 15th, continues below. We take a look at four titles worthy of your attention: two documentaries and two narrative features. You can browse the full program here, and read our first preview post here. Be sure to bookmark Spinning Platters to check back for more film snapshots during the Fest! And special note: although the Festival’s in person screenings end on the 15th, several films will be available for streaming after the Fest closes.
Continue reading “Film Feature: Preview #2 of the 46th Mill Valley Film Festival”
The 46th Mill Valley Film Festival will take place Oct 5 – Oct 15, 2023, with screenings at theaters all around the North and East Bay (and a few in SF).
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 four films:
Continue reading “Film Feature: Preview #1 of the 46th Mill Valley Film Festival”
Y’know, as often as I try to keep on top of hip, new things, I’m 43 years old (going on 44 next month!), and I DEFINITELY reminisce about the Bay Area of my youth (Read: 30’s). And Talkies at the old Cinecave (The best comedy venue in history, RIP) was something that I always loved. Well, ever since George Chen moved to LA, the show moved, too. We’d only get to enjoy the blend of film, PowerPoint, stand-up, sketch, and storytelling that is TALKIES during his annual Sketchfest visit. Well… FEAR NOT! TALKIES is ON TOUR and it’s coming home during the off-Sketchfest season!
TALKIES is hosted by Nick Stargu, Aviva Siegel, George Chen, and Land Smith-Abbinate. Special Guests for these shows will be Drennon Davis and Jack Brown, along with Ashley Monique in SF and Jessica Sele in Sacramento and Santa Cruz. (BTW: I bloody love those last two comics AND don’t drive, so, yeah, I’m a little sad about them being on different shows.)
Next week, they are bringing the show to Punch Line in SF on October 3rd, Comedy Spot in Sacramento on October 4th, and Blue Lagoon in Santa Cruz on October 5th!
Show Preview by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks
The extended weekend of October 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the year 2 0 2 3 has been leaving fans of heavy metal music in decision limbo since the beginning of April. In mid-March, the annual heavy metal pilgrimage to Sacramento, called Aftershock Festival, announced another stellar (as always) 4-day lineup for an unforgettable weekend of Rock N Metal. What nobody knew then is that a mere two weeks later, Power Trip (not the band) would announce a killer classic metal lineup for their festival, to take place simultaneously on the same weekend, albeit in the southern California desert. Goldenvoice had just put Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) on notice, and fans then had to decide which to go to! Now, with t-minus two weeks and counting, Spinning Platters is here to explain why Aftershock Festival is thee festival to attend and how they will not be relinquishing their West Coast Fall Festival crown…
Continue reading “Aftershock 2023… and why it will be better than Power Trip!”
I get a little bit of Hollywood Bowl / LA FOMO. SF is certainly a world-class city with one of the finest symphonies in the US. Yet, we seem to rarely get big-name pop and rock acts coming through to perform with the SF Symphony. Well, Ellie Goulding is only doing this in three cities, and ONE OF THEM IS OURS!!!! On sale Friday, September 8th at 10 am, Ellie Goulding is bringing beautiful symphonic arrangements of her catalog to Davies Symphony Hall for one night only on Monday, November 20th.
Another day, another festival announcement… But this one is special, mostly because it’s bound to be the loveliest and weirdest event of the Fall. Atlas Obscura, the only travel website that I ever use, has teamed up with Sacred Bones Records and Oakland’s very own SPELLLING to curate a very special evening in, of all places, Children’s Fairyland.
There will be art; there will be amusements; there will be tarot readings; there will be SUN RA ARKESTRA, for crying out loud! And, of course, SPELLLING, and LA’s Sasami (possibly the most dynamic performer I’ve ever seen on a stage), and so much more! And did I mention it’s at Children’s Fairyland from 7 pm-11 pm on Saturday, September 16th?
Tickets are $70 and available here. Only 1200 tickets for sale, so buy fast so you don’t miss out!
It’s the time of year again!! When you get to stress over the Outside Lands, schedule for a week and a half, attempting to both optimize your experience and agonize over clashes. Not only that but there are now TWO dance music areas instead of one… So get ready to figure out the fastest way between the SOMA Tent and Dolores’ stage. Feel free to plot your own schedule here. And, obviously, if you are foolish and haven’t picked up tickets yet, you can still get Sunday GA and Golden Gate Club tickets here.
Now, on with the schedule: Continue reading “Outside Lands Set Times Announced!”
It’s late July / early August, which means it’s time to start plotting out your Outside Lands plans! This means you get to hear MY OPINION on the best acts from the “lesser known” half of the poster! There is a lot of good stuff happening early in the day, so get your money’s worth, load up on coffee, and get to the park when the gates open! A full slate of performers can be found here, and there are still *some* tickets left as of press time, and those limited ticket types can be found here.
In addition to the list below, Outside Lands added a new, gay-centered stage named after every hipster’s favorite Castro-adjacent park, Dolores‘! On Friday the area is being taken over by Fake & Gay. On Saturday, SF Drag Laurette, D’Arcy Drollinger is bringing her club, OASIS, to the park. And on Sunday, the most legendary local party, Hard French will be making sure you feel very French all Sunday long. Continue reading “Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Outside Lands Poster 2023”
