OUTSIDE LANDS NIGHT SHOWS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED

Oh, man. It feels like 2024 is just flying by, and Outside Lands will be here before you know it. I know many of you are still trying to reconcile the fact that Tyler, The Creator, won’t be returning this year. However, who wouldn’t want to experience the literal song of the Summer in a giant field in the middle of Summer? In the meantime, Outside Lands have announced their Night Shows, which means it’s coming up soon. 

And, well, things are looking pretty epic. Sturgill Simpson at The Independent?!?! Romy of The xx at 1015 Folsom?!?!?! And Corinne Bailey Rae bringing her Black Rainbows show to Bimbo’s will be magic. Outside Lands ticket holders get the first crack at tickets on 6/27 at 10 am. Tickets for night shows are here, and if you need a presale password, buy your Outside Lands passes here before they are gone!  Continue reading “OUTSIDE LANDS NIGHT SHOWS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED”

Single of the Week: “Big Man” by Self Esteem & Moonchild Sanelly

Self Esteem one half of the great UK duo Slow Club, and has been putting out witty, inventive pop tracks for the better part of the last decade. Moonchild Sanelly is an inventive genius from South Africa. The one thing these two have in common? Nobody knows them in the US. That’s our loss, of course. But this song might be the thing that fixes that? It’s a genuinely sweet song about appreciating a solid partner that also isn’t too saccharine. I kinda love it. 

“Big Man” is currently available in all the usual places. Can we expected more form both Sanelly and Self Esteem? I certainly hope so. 

Film Review: “The Bikeriders”

The Bikeriders is Comer’s star-making vehicle

Director Jeff Nichols has been on an impressive streak of memorable dramatic films that directly or indirectly involve the culture of middle-America, including Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, Mud, and Loving. The Bikeriders is his latest dramatic piece of cinematic Americana (or, “Ameridrama”, to coin a phrase), stradling the median between mainstream drama and niche historical fiction. The Bikeriders is a surprisingly charming piece of old-school storytelling, buoyed by an impressive script and strong performances. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Bikeriders””

Film Review: “Tuesday”

Death stops for Julia Louis-Dreyfus in smart, introspective picture 

Zora (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) struggles with grief over the pending loss of her ill daughter.

Croatian filmmaker Daina Oniunas-Pusic has earned multiple awards for her short films, and now parlays that talent on to the big screen with Tuesday, her terrific feature film debut. A contemplative and serious meditation on life, death, grief, and letting go, Oniunas-Pusic’s film never feels heavy-handed, even as it grapples with some of life’s most weighty philosophical questions.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Tuesday””

Single of the Week: “Cause Of Death” by Fake Fruit

I LOVE Fake Fruit. They really are the best Bay Area band of the moment, and they simply keep getting BETTER. “Cause Of Death” is a killer little post-punk tune driven by one of the most interesting sax tones I’ve ever heard. And that video is a captivating piece of cinema filmed at The Chapel, which might be my favorite place on Earth. 

“Cause Of Death” is the third single off Fake Fruit’s upcoming release, Mucho Mistrust, coming your way August 23rd. They will be appearing at Stern Grove on August 4th alongside Alex G and J Boogie. FREE Tickets are up for grabs at 2pm on July 4th and can nabbed here. 

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.

Continue reading “Show Review: Chaos and Carnage at The Belasco, 05-24-2024”

Single of the Week: “Any Way” by L’Impératrice featuring Maggie Rogers

Ooohh… Maggie Rogers can sing ANYTHING, and it will send my head swimming in all the right ways. She is the thing that makes this song really hit. “Any Way” is a sexy spy movie banger. Only the spy movie sits entirely in your imagination. Rogers is having a killer year, and this collaboration with L’Impératrice is just the icing on the cake. 

“Any Day” is the latest release from L’Impératrice album Pulsar, which is available TODAY in all the usual places. 

Film Review: “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”

Bad Boys sticks to its guns for an explosively fun summer flick

After “The Slap,” Will Smith took a much needed multi-year hiatus from acting. Whatever self-reflection, anger management, family therapy or whatnot he (was forced to or voluntarily) went through, good for him. He also made a very wise decision (likely in close coordination with his agent) to return to movies within the warm embrace of the most tried-and-true action franchise of his career: Bad Boys. Re-teaming with Martin Lawrence and directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), this fourth installment, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, proves that the series still has some juice left in the tank, as long as it sticks to its iconic blend of neon-soaked action and curse-filled bickering. Continue reading “Film Review: “Bad Boys: Ride or Die””

Film Review: “Ezra”

Mediocre drama wastes Cannavale, De Niro pairing

Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald, bottom r.) learns some fighting moves from his grandfather (Robert De Niro) as his father (Bobby Cannavale) looks on.

Robert De Niro and Bobby Cannavale have acted together once before, in Martin Scorsese’s 2019 mob drama The Irishman. But casting them as father and son is a brilliant idea, and, if nothing else, actor/director Tony Goldwyn’s new film Ezra at least offers audiences that long overdue delight. 

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Single of the Week: “Any Day Now” by Kate Bollinger

Kate Bollinger has been dropping GREAT singles for years now. Seven years, to be precise. Yet, somehow, she’s yet to get a proper “Single Of The Week” shout out. Even more suprising is that she has yet to release an actual LP! Well, the has come and “Any Day Now” is the first single from her debut record, Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind, coming out September 27th. It’s a twee pop confection, and it makes me feel good knowing that the next generation of bright and sunny indie rock is in safe hands with Kate.