Spinning Platters presents “How Did I Get Here?” Season 2, Episode 4 with stand-up comic Liz Miele, author of “Why Cats Are Assholes”

Spinning Platters presents “How Did I Get Here?” is available almost everywhere you enjoy podcasts. You can find us and subscribe here!
 
In this edition of “How Did I Get Here?”, I got to talk with stand-up comedy prodigy Liz Miele about her career, including getting started at 16 and continuing to nurture that career into adulthood. We discussed her first book, Why Cats Are Assholes, which of course, digressed into talking about cat behavior. I even asked some specific questions about my own cat. We also talked about what it’s like touring during a pandemic, and we had a TON of fun. For quick reference- Pasta is Liz’s cat, Zoey and Ike are my cats.
 
We also talked a lot about influences, so Liz made me a list of important bits for her development as a comedian, giving you a companion playlist! We also talked about Miele’s cat photoshoots, and you can find those on her Instagram! She also has a fantastic YouTube page where you can dig deep into her stand-up history. And she also has a podcast with Maria Shehata called 2 Non Doctors for your continued listening pleasure.


Film Feature: SFFILM Festival Spotlights #4

 

The 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival concluded yesterday, and announced its awards on Saturday. Those can be found here, but we have a final wrap up, too – nine capsules highlighting some of the Festival offerings – six dramas and three documentaries.  Check them out below, and see you next year!

Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM Festival Spotlights #4”

Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #3 – “Home” Review

When doing the time isn’t enough for doing the crime

Marvin (Jake McLaughlin) returns home after 17 years in prison
Marvin (Jake McLaughlin) returns home after 17 years in prison.

American cinema and television thoroughly covers the events leading up to someone’s arrest, trial and conviction or exoneration. But what happens after prison, when the convicted must return to their community, and face an entirely different kind of trial?  Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #3 — “Home” Review”

Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #2 – “Supercool” Review

Filmic FOMO

Gilbert (left) and Neil (right) Just Dance at a high school party
Gilbert (left) and Neil (right) Just Dance at a high school party.

Oh, that Superbad, that super, super, somewhat bad 2007 film that spawned, or launched, or squirted out a thousand imitators. Well, maybe ten or so, but it sure feels like a thousand. Supercool, the subject of this review, and an entry in the 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival, is a tag-along that desperately, and I mean desperately, wants to get into the big kids’ party. It’s the lonely, undersexed, over-analyzed teen with a gawky face, messy hair, and a loopy gait who spends all night looking for the party, only to find it’s been broken up by the cops. Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #2 — “Supercool” Review”

Single Of The Week: “The War Clock” by Various Artists

One the list of things you don’t know you needed- Kyp Malone of NYC art-rock legends TV On The Radio is in a psych-jazz band with John Dwyer of OSees and Dwyer-verse players Tom Dolas and Brad Caulkin. They are called Various Artists and their debut album is called Moon-Drenched. Or maybe this is just the band Bent Arcana’s second record? Either way, this track of a fierce piece of brain-melting fuckery that’s also 12 1/2 minutes of pure energy. Do you need something to help you focus on spreadsheets or cleaning the bathroom? This is it. Looking to get lost in your own head? This is also it. Just looking for guitar and sax fury? Yup! This is it.  The one thing “The War Clock” doesn’t sound like to me is actual war… The song is “happy” exciting, not “scary” exciting. You may interpret it as you wish. 

“The War Clock” can be played loud off Bandcamp and a full length, Moon-Drenched, is coming to this world on May 28th. 

Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #1 – Strawberry Mansion Review

Dream logic, logically dreamed

James Preble (Kentucky Audley) scans dreams to audit
VHS makes a comeback.

The writer, director, actor, and veteran Samuel Fuller is said to have remarked that the only way to make a truly realistic war film is to fill a theater full of patrons, then have soldiers shoot at them from behind the screen. No matter how realistic, a war film is still a film. 
Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #1 — Strawberry Mansion Review”

Single Of The Week:”Sad Girl Party” by CYBERST3PH

Some weeks, I find a song that immediately inspires me to write about it. I find a clear and vivid emotional connection, and can easily articulate it. Other weeks, I go through emails and press releases, and a song just jumps out at me, and I don’t really know how to describe it. “Sad Girl Party” by CYBERST3PH is one of those. After hours of listening to new music from all across the spectrum, this song just *hit.* It filled me with that burst of serotonin that comes from hearing a song that just makes you happy. It has all the heart and sincerity of Diet Cig, but a shine to it that usually doesn’t work for a song like this, but just plain does. 

“Sad Girl Party” is available in all the usual places, and be sure to follow CYBERST3PH on Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify to stay in the loop on new music. 

WHOA! BULLY AND JULIEN BAKER HAVE NEW TOUR DATES (not together, sadly)!!!!

Sorry about all caps, but things are starting to look like this whole pandemic thing might really have an end date. For the first time since March of 2020, today saw full-fledged, all-new, legit tour dates getting released for later this year. Not “rescheduled from 2020 to keep these dates on a calendar and hope they actually can happen” tour dates. Not “virtual tour” tour dates. Not “limited capacity / social distancing in the venue” tour dates. Full cap, legit tours. From artists that seem to have been taking the pandemic seriously from the get-go! Continue reading “WHOA! BULLY AND JULIEN BAKER HAVE NEW TOUR DATES (not together, sadly)!!!!”

Spinning Platters presents “How Did I Get Here?” Season 2, Episode 3 with Maggie Arthur of Our Music My Body

Spinning Platters presents “How Did I Get Here?” is available almost everywhere you enjoy podcasts. You can find us and subscribe here!

Maggie Arthur is a Campaign Coordinator for Our Music My Body, an organization that works with music venues and festivals to raise awareness of sexual harassment in the music scene and help work to make those spaces and the people that enjoy them safer. We talked about her early show-going days and the experiences that led to her involvement with OMMB. We also talked a bit about what we can do ourselves to make our scenes and spaces safer and more inclusive. I also learned a lot, and there were even moments in this conversation that were a little uncomfortable for me. But, really, getting to those uncomfortable moments is important. 
 
April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. OMMB’s parent organization, Our Resilience, has great resources to find out what you can do to help others, or if you have experienced sexual assault yourself, a place to find resources to get help. And please don’t forget to follow Our Music My Body on Facebook and Instagram. 
 
 

Single Of The Week: “Manifest” by Revenge Wife

One of my favorite video tropes is the “female murdering their male partner” trope. Kesha gave us a great one in 2019 with “Raising Hell.” The Dixie Chicks’ “Earl” stands as a classic. And now Elizabeth Nistico, under her aptly named alter-ego Revenge Wife, brings us “Manifest.” This is a thrilling tale of love gone awry, and, quite honestly, this music video might be the best movie I’ve seen all year. (I also have a two-year-old that is trapped at home with me due to the pandemic, and when that kid is asleep, I’m either running this blog, working, or trying to make sure the house doesn’t fall to pieces, so there’s not a lot of time for movie watching. 3 minutes and 12 seconds IS my free time) The song itself is some hyperpop brilliance, and I’m really excited about all of this madness ending so I can enjoy this genre live. 

“Manifest” is the second single off Revenge Wife’s forthcoming EP Background Songs For Your Boring Life, Part 1. The release date is still TBA, but you can keep up with Nistico on Instagram and Twitch!