Single of the Week: “All In My Head” by the Linda Lindas

The other night, I was in a late-night Lyft coming home from the train station after *finally* seeing The Rolling Stones. (It was great. Nope, I’m not writing a full review.) I have a young child, and the driver has an adolescent child. We talked at length about how tough the transition from kid to adolescent is for parents. The next morning I opened up my email to find “All In My Head” by the Linda Lindas and it perfectly encapsulates the anxiety and stress of life when everything inside you and outside of you is changing. Coincidentally, they debuted this song opening for The Stones in LA a few days before! 

“All In My Head” comes from The Linda Lindas’ upcoming album, No Obligation, on Epitaph Records, out October 11th. They are spending the Summer on tour with Green Day and Rancid and snuck in a gig at 924 Gilman that sold out in 30 seconds flat, so if anyone has an in for tickets, please let me know. 

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: 

Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Bratmobile’s Lookout Records Era”

Single of the Week: “Joyride” by Kesha

 

Kesha’s new single, “Joyride,” is a pure celebration, a dance party anthem that takes us back to the early 2010s with a little extra modern edge. With what Kesha has been through with her lawsuit against former producer Dr Luke and then his defamation countersuit, it has felt like Kesha’s music career has had to take a backseat to the drama. But if you have been paying attention, you know she has been writing songs and experimenting with her music, awaiting the day she would be free from her 6 album deal with Dr Luke’s Kemosabe Records (part of RCA), and that time is now! 

Released on July 4th on her own new label, Kesha Records, this is more than a song; it is a joyful scream of independence and freedom. It is a party song for those who give no fucks. Clearly, Kesha has been honing her songwriting craft and saving the best for herself. I can’t wait to see what is coming next.

Interview with Bay Area Theatre Legend Andrea Gordon

Interview by Sahar Yousefi
Written by Edward Mulryne and Sahar Yousefi
 
Andrea Gordon takes the helm as Director of Play Reading and Production at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Photo by Jessamyn Picton, 2024.
Acclaimed theatre writer, director and producer Andrea Gordon is presenting a six-part series of monthly play readings with her company Rainbow Zebra Productions at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Titled the ‘Reading Series Extravaganza’, every performance will feature a piece of new writing and local actors, with casting by Liam Vincent.
 
Curious to know more about this ambitious and community-minded project, Spinning Platters recently sat down with Andrea Gordon for an interview.

Continue reading “Interview with Bay Area Theatre Legend Andrea Gordon”

Film Review: “Touch”

Wistful love story deftly captures the ephemeral nature of time

Miko (Kôki)) and Kristófer (Palmi Kormákur) fall in love after meeting at her father’s restaurant.

Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur, known for his edge-of-your seat survival adventure pictures like Everest and Adrift, might not be the first name you’d think of to adapt a romantic mystery for the big screen. But with Touch, his adaptation of fellow Icelander Olaf Olasson’s 2022 novel of the same name, Kormákur proves he’s just as skilled at plumbing the depths of the human heart as he is the drive of the human spirit.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Touch””

Film Review: “MaXXXine”

Ti West completes his horror trilogy in devilishly fun ’80s fashion

First came X. Shortly after came the prequel, Pearl. And now, MaXXXine, writer/director Ti West’s end cap on a remarkably gory, provocative, homage-filled horror trilogy. Mia Goth is at the center of all three films, an actor who has transcended “scream queen” status to become a bona fide megastar of the genre. She deserved an Oscar nomination for her performance in Pearl, and arguably an earlier nomination for her dual roles in X. In MaXXXine, the creative pairing of West and Goth complete their trilogy in entertaining, if not spectacular, fashion. MaXXXine is an overt homage to the wide-ranging horror genre birthed from Hollywood between the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, from the prestigious to the grimy. Continue reading “Film Review: “MaXXXine””

Film Review: “Daddio”

Johnson, Penn excel in thoughtful taxicab drama

A woman (Dakota Johnson) taking a cab ride home from JFK converses with Clark (Sean Penn), her driver.

Screenwriter Christy Hall makes her directorial debut with Daddio, a script she originally conceived of as a stage play. That theatrical quality is evident in the film, an emotionally rich two-character study that takes place in near real time. Featuring stellar performances from Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, Daddio is the sort of understated but affecting drama that often gets lost in the summer blockbuster shuffle but deserves to be seen.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Daddio””

Film Review: “A Quiet Place: Day One”

No need to make noise for this franchise prequel 

Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) surveys damage after an alien attack.

Both the original A Quiet Place and its follow up, A Quiet Place Part II, made my Top 10 lists for 2018 and 2021, respectively. A Quiet Place: Day One, the new film in the series, however, falls far short of achieving that honor this year. A prequel to the original movie, this third film in the franchise offers audiences nothing new, and merely repeats elements that made the first two movies so successful.

Continue reading “Film Review: “A Quiet Place: Day One””

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. 

BUMBERSHOOT 2024 DAILY LINEUPS!

Bumbershoot’s big return last year was one of my life’s most magical concert moments. I don’t think I’ve gotten more hugs and mutual tears of joy with strangers than the Sleater-Kinney set. Well, they dropped the daily lineups for this year, and Labor Day weekend at the Seattle Center will be another packed weekend of fantastic music. Saturday is getting closed out by Pavement but also features SP faves Cypress Hill, Aly & AJ, TEKE::TEKE, Black Belt Eagle Scout, k. flay, Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry, and so much more. Sunday has James Blake headlining, along with electronic music weirdo Marc Rebillet, Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, BADBADNOTGOOD, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Automatic, Pom Pom Squad, The Polyphonic Spree and too many others to list. There also will be comedy, drag, food, film, and even something called “Burleskaraoke” that I did last year, and, yes, was definitely sensory overload and highly recommended. Tickets are available here, and the full daily breakdown is below. Continue reading “BUMBERSHOOT 2024 DAILY LINEUPS!”