Category: Show Reviews

SF Sketchfest Review: “Viva Variety” 25th Anniversary Tribute: A Very Special Evening at The Great Star Theater, 1/21/23

All Photos by Jakub Mosur

The last three years have been awful. Like, pure misery. SF Sketchfest, alongside Noise Pop, was kind of the “last” festival before things went to hell. In late 2020, when SF Sketchfest graced us with their calendar, I was excited, not just about the shows, but because it meant to me that there might have been a path out of this madness. But, instead of enjoying an early 2021 reprieve from the darkness, cases got worse. Vaccines were starting to make their way into our arms, but not anywhere nearly fast enough to change the trajectory of the pandemic. So the whole thing was moved to 2022. The same January 2022 gifted us with Omicron, decimating the Bay Area and locking down several counties. So, yeah, it got pushed again to 2023. And based on November 2022, I wasn’t expecting 2023 to be any better, and I was expecting to lose another year. BUT- something strange happened… People were actually careful this Christmas and NYE. We didn’t get a January surge like we had the last two years. Regular readers will know that I am EXTREMELY COVID pessimistic, and I was expecting, even if the festival happened, that I wouldn’t take part. But luckily, much of California is doing very well with COVID. (Lord help us that we finally get to the point where we don’t have any more increases in case rates!) Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: “Viva Variety” 25th Anniversary Tribute: A Very Special Evening at The Great Star Theater, 1/21/23″

Theatre Review: “Wine Escape”

Wine Escape brings a bit of Northern California to the UK
Daniel Craze and Nick Hessling as Jimmy & Johnny- a duo not to be messed with! Photo Courtesy of Molly Grave (2022).

Greetings from the UK! The land that brings you British Pantomime. For our readers who are unfamiliar with Pantomime, it is a form of theatre that encourages audience members to participate. The plot almost always revolves around a fairy tale. There’s some set of rules like certain characters who always appear so repeat pantomime goers have an idea of what to expect. Audiences love moments like shouting at the main character that something has appeared behind them, like a big bad wolf. Of course they don’t notice, and this drives the audience wild, especially younger audience members, who are typically the target for these type of shows. Singing and dancing along to pop songs is encouraged, and, in general, it’s a smashing good time. Continue reading “Theatre Review: “Wine Escape””

Show Review: Modest Mouse at The Fox Theater, 11/30/22

Issac Brock and crew sauntered out to fervent fans in Oakland Wednesday night. The 25th-anniversary tour for The Lonesome Crowded West has twenty-one scheduled tour dates full of 90s gems that soundtracked college dorms through the early 2000s. This one was sold out, with fans of all ages and all eras of the band attending. Beanie-topped tidy grunge folks in the teeming audience at the Fox howled when the first licks of “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine” began. The setlist continued down a nostalgic path stirring ephemeral eddies of light-push-moshing. “Doin’ The Cockroach” is their disco grind dance number. The crowd obliged.  Continue reading “Show Review: Modest Mouse at The Fox Theater, 11/30/22”

Single Of The Week: “Veronica Mars” by BLONDSHELL

I have never seen Veronica Mars. I barely know the premise. But from the minor key muted strum opening this track, I’ve never been more intrigued by a TV show that I missed nearly 20 years ago. The song actually places me in My So-Called Life territory, the greatest TV show ever. This song is a fuzzy, emotive burner and my only complaint is that it’s too short. And I’ve NEVER said that about a song before. 

“Veronica Mars” is available in all the usual places. She’s touring with Suki Waterhouse and, yes, I’m sad that there is no Bay Area date, too.

Show Review: Bleached with Thank You Come Again and DJ Omar at The Chapel, 11/15/22

 

I love seeing a band “off cycle” or when they don’t have anything specific to promote. They are loose. They don’t have to focus on promoting anything. It’s when a band gets to simply be themselves on stage. I’ve probably seen Bleached more than almost any other band at this point (not to dismiss their recent Single Of The Week, of course), but this may be the first time I’ve seen them like this. Continue reading “Show Review: Bleached with Thank You Come Again and DJ Omar at The Chapel, 11/15/22”

Show Review: Lamb of God + Killswitch Engage + Mercyful Fate + Kreator in Dallas

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ARPhotoSF

Throughout our cumulative years working in many components of the local music industry, the staff of Spinning Platters has been lucky enough to become friendly with quite a few bands, their management, public relations, and even their road crews. In late May, over Memorial Day Weekend, we ventured outside of our Bay Area bubble to the middle of the country (Chicago). We were subsequently offered the opportunity to cover some shows there.  Now, once again, Spinning Platters had the chance to travel to Dallas (Don’t Mess With Texas!) and was informed that we would be able to cover the final show of one tour and the first show of another! What started out as simply two photo passes for Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Animals as Leaders, Fit for an Autopsy AND Mercyful Fate, Kreator, Midnight turned into a whole lot more…

Album Review: “Dig Me In: A Dig Me Out Covers Record” by Various Artists

Dig Me Out is a classic record. In many ways, it opened up the worlds of both Riot Grrl and Indie Rock to bigger, more mainstream audiences. It’s also nearly perfect as it is. When it was first announced, Dig Me In left me with mixed feelings… There could be some truly great interpretations of these songs on this record. But why mess with a good thing? I mean, other than to raise money for SMYRC, an organization that provides queer and trans youth a safe place to make art, 25% of the proceeds from this release go to. 

Anyways you can check this out yourself here, but my thoughts on it are below: Continue reading “Album Review: “Dig Me In: A Dig Me Out Covers Record” by Various Artists”

Show Review: Aftershock Festival 2022

 Aftershock 2022 was a fantastic memory that will be hungered to repeat next year.  Allowing over 40,000+ people each day to chill during a sweltering 99 degrees (Fahrenheit) with large mist blowers and delicious (health or comfort) eats choices were plentiful. The stage layouts were designed with both mainstages almost back to back with alternating performances with viewing screens of each other’s performance.  Then the 3 smaller stages rotated with incredible talent that are under the mass media radar.  As with all great experiences, I will always be missing something; thus, I did miss the first day of all my personal favorite bands.  In addition, I am sure I missed out on others on the days I attended.  Yet, the ones mentioned were phenomenal, and hope to see comments on your experiences. Continue reading “Show Review: Aftershock Festival 2022”

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2022 Journal

At the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, you may arrive as an orphan, but you will leave with a close adopted family of one million.   Hosted within the iconic Golden Gate Park, an all-inclusive backyard. 

Each stage appeared to have a theme of strict bluegrass, Americana, funk, rock, or soul.   It didn’t matter where you were all the stages hosted extremely talented artists with bookshelves of Grammy awards.  Even when Marcus Mumford was introducing his guests and missed one; the trust was evident.  If you were playing at Hardly Strictly, your talent is recognized, and you are welcome to collaborate.   Wondering with discovery was encouraged.  My least favorite part of the festival was making decisions, and my favorite was all decisions were good decisions. Continue reading “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2022 Journal”

Single Of The Week: “Ex-Girl” by Alexis Castrogiovanni

It’s funny… Alexis Castrogiovanni sent me a different track for single of the week, and I thought, this is really good. And then I clicked on “Ex-Girl,” and was taken aback. This driving cello puncutated by lyrics that puncture your heart? OH SHIT! And then a baritone sax kicks in? MY GOD! This song is so brutal! 

“Ex-Girl” comes from Alexis Castrogiovanni’s EP, Someday My Thoughts Will Be Like A Range of Mountains, which is availble NOW from her Bandcamp page.