Category: Show Reviews

Show Review: Megadeth + Mudvayne at Toyota Pavilion in Concord

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks

San Francisco Bay Area did a good job on this particular weekend keeping everyone segregated to their respective tribes.  Outside Lands Music Festival catered to the norms and the hipsters in the middle of The City in Golden Gate Park, Vice Prez Kamala Harris had a fundraiser for the wealthy 1% at Fairmont Hotel way up on top of Nob Hill, and Megadeth, Mudvayne, and All That Remains brought the metal and goth and punk kids (and adults) all the way out to Concord at Toyota Pavilion, for their Destroy All Enemies tour.

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Mosswood Meltdown – An Epic Punk Rock Festival

 

Mosswood_Meltdown_2024_John-Waters_PhotoCredit_Emily-Anderson-05760
John Waters Opening Commentary 

Warning!  This article has unsponsored, unfiltered tales from the Photo Pit. I’m excited to share highlights of Mosswood Meltdown, an absolute pinnacle event. I’m ever grateful for its return each year and its host, John Waters.    Continue reading “Mosswood Meltdown — An Epic Punk Rock Festival”

Show Review: Death To All 6/27 and 6/28/2024 @ The Regent (Downtown Los Angeles)

I often hesitate before I type certain statements. Of course, what writer doesn’t, but more often than not, I find myself questioning how much truth I’m putting down. No self-respecting writer wants to publish hyperbole; it is the enemy of serious writing. With that, I think it is safe to say that heavy metal music has been experiencing a renaissance. With festivals like Sick New World, Mayhem, Metal Injection’s inaugural Summer Slaughter (upcoming), and massive world tours with sonically packed lineups like Chaos and Carnage, it’s a hell of a time to be a metal fan.

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Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Bratmobile’s Lookout Records Era

Remember the 00’s? It was such a hopeful time. The activism community was really fired up against Bush and his so-called “war on terror.” It felt like we were making real headway as progressives, and it felt like there was a real unified front. Sadly, at the same time, the Tea Party managed to devolve into the frighteningly authoritarian MAGA movement, and, to be frank, I’m feeling a little hopeless right now. BUT! I opened my inbox to find two records that really motivated me during that era and are coming back into circulation: Bratmobile’s Ladies, Women, and Girls and Girls Get Busy. These two records mean the world to me, and without Bratmobile playing shows again (including an appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival THIS WEEKEND!)

Colored Vinyl and CDs are coming to you on October 25th (two days before my birthday!). You can preorder here, including a really cool-looking shirt with the classic logo. 

And you can stream these two classic records right now for a nice hit of ambition for your day: 

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Single of the Week: “Dissonance” by King Isis

Oakland’s King Isis keeps getting better. “Dissonance” truly is a perfect title for a track that blends both sonic dissonance and lyrical dissonance. It’s a magic piece of work, and I can only see her stock rising with time. 

“Dissonance” is available in all the usual places. She’s also bringing her band to The Emerald Cup, happening August 17th-18th, kicking off the reopening of Oakland’s historic Henry J Kaiser Center. 

Show Review: Chaos and Carnage at The Belasco, 05-24-2024

FAST. HEAVY. FUCKING. METAL.

As one of the resident heavy music fans of Spinning Platters, it is often equal parts duty and pleasure that guide me from show to show. Duty in the sense that there aren’t many other writers in our humble group that cover punk and metal, pleasure in the sense that I absolutely fucking love it. It also helps that we’ve been in somewhat of a watershed year since 2023, for heavy music, with many bands releasing some of their best music to date, as well as a slough of new bands pushing their way into the lights. Nothing quite embodies that statement like the Chaos and Carnage Tour this year, so it was my absolute pleasure to leave work a bit early to zip on over to Downtown Los Angeles to see one hell of a metal music lineup.

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BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 3

(You’re reading Day 3. Be sure to check out Day 1 and Day 2!)

The last day of BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 started out warm and clear. Despite arriving at the Napa Valley Expo a bit later than the two days preceding, I had a full day planned. First up was The Beaches at the JaM Cellars stage. I almost missed this set because the band name didn’t ring a bell. Fortunately, another photographer mentioned that they were an all-girl band, which caused me to take a minute to look them up. As soon as I did, I realized that this was a band I’d been hearing recently (“Blame Brett”), so I tagged along to check them out. They’re a fairly high-energy pop-rock band serving plenty of attitude, and their set was a good time. The ladies of the band were cracking me up as they first took the stage, talking about wine hangovers and being “so ready to crush some grapes later!” They were trying to function after one hour of sleep, guitarist Leandra Earl explained, due to having played Red Rocks the previous night. “Who’s ready to be hungover again tomorrow?” lead vocalist Jordan Miller asked as they began “Grow Up Tomorrow.” BRNV is pretty good at putting the right bands at the right times, and this was no exception. You can find their entire setlist here. Continue reading “BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 3”

BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 2

(You’re reading Day 2. Be sure to check out Day 1!)

Saturday in Napa dawned bright and sunny for another day of festival fun! My first stop was the Verizon stage, where I caught Holly Humberstone. The girl’s voice is absolutely angelic, and while I only know a few of her songs so far, I enjoyed her performance. She was a treat to start a lovely day, and I was happy to hear both “The Walls Are Way Too Thin” and “Falling Asleep at the Wheel.” You can find the entire setlist here (Verizon; BRNV photos) Continue reading “BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 2”

BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 1

Even if I weren’t eagerly awaiting this year’s BottleRock Napa Valley, as I do every year, I would have known it was coming: Napa weather has been absolutely perfect lately. Highs in the mid-70s, clouds are few and far between, and there’s often a lovely breeze if you get a little hot in direct sunlight. Seriously, it’s been wonderful. It’s perfect festival weather! Continue reading “BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 1”

Show Review: Decapitated + SepticFlesh at DNA Lounge, May 18, 2024

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks
Decapitated photos by: Zoran Theodorovic of Capital Chaos TV

After just over a month on the road, co-headliners Decapitated and SepticFlesh, along with Kataklysm and Allegaeon, held their penultimate show of the Cancer Culture Over North America tour at DNA Lounge in San Francisco. The show was packed from the first band to the last, and all four felt like they could have been the headliner!

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