Show Reviews – Page 28 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: Stone Temple Pilots with The Dirty Hooks at the Fillmore, 3/12/18

Gather round, children, it’s story time. (Well, okay, it’s really just more of a long-winded introduction, but bear with me here…) My brother is, by far, one of my favorite people on the planet. He’s a few years older than me, so he was a senior in high school when I was a freshman, and I was fortunate that he was nice to me in front of his peers. This meant that all the older, cooler kids accepted me rather than finding me annoying. This was also the time in our lives when we first started to agree on (and bond over) music. In particular, we loved Aerosmith (because who wasn’t obsessed with Get a Grip in the early/mid 90s?) and Stone Temple Pilots. So fast forward nearly 25 years, and you’d better believe we were both dying to catch the band at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore. Continue reading “Show Review: Stone Temple Pilots with The Dirty Hooks at the Fillmore, 3/12/18”

Noise Pop Show Review: Nilbog with Chaki at Rickshaw Stop, 2/26/2018

I’d like you to close your eyes for a moment and think of the nerdiest concert you can imagine. What do you see when you do this? Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos? The Fair Maidens Play Iron Maiden by Four Ukuleles? Queensryche doing Operation Mindcrime AND Operation Mindcrime 2? Well, my fellow music nerds, I am here to report that I have a concert nerdier than my wildest dreams, and it was wonderful.

Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: Nilbog with Chaki at Rickshaw Stop, 2/26/2018”

Noise Pop Review: The Album Leaf, Vákoum, Indy Nyles at Swedish American Hall, 2/23/18

I’ll start by telling you that I have The Album Leaf’s emblem tattooed on the inside of my right wrist. Let’s just say, my love for their music runs deep, and my respect for them as musicians is significant. I’ve been able to see them perform live several times over the years, each time special and important to me – and Friday night’s show was everything I wanted. From the opening acts until the last note of “Lights” at the end of the evening, it was intimate, emotionally powerful, and beautifully passionate.

Beginning the evening was Indy Nyles, with a compact-but-complex set up on a table in front of the stage. It was an interesting dynamic to be on the same level as the performer, with no barrier to audience members seeing every cord connected, each individual button and key selected. I was impressed with his ability to capture the audience’s attention, forming a quiet energy while building and layering the arcs of his music.

Continue reading “Noise Pop Review: The Album Leaf, Vákoum, Indy Nyles at Swedish American Hall, 2/23/18”

Noise Pop Review: Amy Shark, BOWER, MILCK at The Independent, 2/21/18

Last night’s performances were raw, emotional, and beautiful. You know that feeling you get when someone chooses to open up to you, sharing a personal experience that may have hurt them deeply, but also helped shape them into who they are? All of the performers chose to open themselves up to a room full of strangers, connecting us to each other with emotive lyrics and personal stories of the human heart – both in their song lyrics, and in the backstories while introducing the next song. Continue reading “Noise Pop Review: Amy Shark, BOWER, MILCK at The Independent, 2/21/18”

Noise Pop Review: Jay Electronica, Michael Armstead, Sylvan LaCue at Mezzanine, 2/20/19

I walked into Mezzanine as the DJ played My Neck, My Back, and I saw the smallish crowd of early arrivals start to dance to the familiar song. The DJ transitioned to other fun, nostalgia-inducing songs, the crowd grew, and energy started to fill the room.

Continue reading “Noise Pop Review: Jay Electronica, Michael Armstead, Sylvan LaCue at Mezzanine, 2/20/19”

SF Sketchfest Review: Mourzouksnick, Dopetown 3000 at The Nourse Theater, 1/28/18

One of my favorite things Sketchfest does is that they book many of their shows using the old music format: take a lesser known act and have them do a short set ahead of the headlining set. It’s a great way to learn about some lesser known sketch troops, and often times, it’s very rewarding. Tonight we got to enjoy a set by Dopetown 3000! (Spoiler: They were exceptional) Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Mourzouksnick, Dopetown 3000 at The Nourse Theater, 1/28/18”

SF Sketchfest Review: Selected Shorts – Too Hot for Radio, 1/26/18

Jane Kaczmarek reads a story by Katherine Heiny at Selected Shorts: Too Hot For Radio at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre on January 26, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Tommy Lau)

As a longtime listener of Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts, a short story reading radio program broadcast locally on KQED-88.5 on Saturday nights, I was thrilled to see that Sketchfest was bringing the show to the Festival for the first time ever this year. What made the live performance even more special and fun was that it promised to offer stories “too hot for radio” – ones that, for various content reasons couldn’t be read over the air during the regular program, but could be read to a non-broadcast, live theater audience. As an added bonus on top of that, as is typical with Selected Shorts, the stories would be read by famous, well-regarded actors. For “Too Hot for Radio” we were graced with Arrested Development regular and comedian David Cross, actors Lance Reddick (The Wire) and Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (an alumni of Larkspur’s Redwood High School), and actress and Symphony Space regular reader Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle). The live show, held on Friday, January 26th at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre, didn’t disappoint, and more than lived up to my expectations.

Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Selected Shorts — Too Hot for Radio, 1/26/18”

SF Sketchfest Review: Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, 1/28/18

Annie Ellicott sings with Jeff Goldblum (on piano) and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre on Jan. 28th. (Photo courtesy of: https://www.facebook.com/pg/goldblumofficial/photos)

For the third year in a row, SF Sketchfest fans were treated to the affable charm of actor and musician Jeff Goldblum, who brought his Mildred Snitzer Orchestra jazz band to the Marines’ Memorial Theatre last Sunday for a cabaret-style evening of jazz, movie clips, and a whole lot more. Goldblum’s laid-back and amiable presence is always enjoyable, and he seems to take just as much pleasure in his show and his audience interaction as his fans do. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, 1/28/18”

SF Sketchfest Review: Sasheer Zamata Party Time! at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/26/18

There are many unique things about SF Sketchfest, but one of the most interesting thing they do is book monthly and weekly shows that happen in other metropolises, and bring them to the Bay Area. Tonight we got to enjoy a special delivery from New York City: Sasheer Zamata Party Time!. This is a variety show hosted by SNL’s Sasheer Zamata. We got to enjoy comedians, musicians, and even “party games” played with the audience. I guess this is what you do at parties in New York? As somebody that loves taking in new cultures, I’m up to experience what they do in New York for fun. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Sasheer Zamata Party Time! at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/26/18”

SF Sketchfest Review: Hold On with Eugene Mirman at Swedish American Hall, 1/26/18

From Left: Paget Brewster, Eugene Mirman, Paula Pell, Thomas Lennon. Photos by Dan Dion

When I plotted out my Sketchfest schedule this year, I based my show decisions on a number of factors:

Scarcity: How often does this person actually come to town?
Age: How likely is it that I won’t be seeing this performer ever again?
Fandom: The old “does this performer make my heart feel warm” when I think of them?
Past experiences: Have I gone to this show or seen this performer before and enjoyed them?
Podcast I’ve never heard before: Can I experience a live recording of a podcast before ever listening to it or really even understanding the format?

Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Hold On with Eugene Mirman at Swedish American Hall, 1/26/18”