Spinning Platters – Page 212 – Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds

Film Review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

A hell of a ride: Branagh, Pine infuse Clancy franchise with new energy

Chris Pine is on the run as Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

With Oscar nominations announced yesterday and the slate of Serious Award-Worthy films soon to be on their way out of theaters, it’s time to make way for some rousing old-fashioned movie-going fun. Kenneth Branagh has helped us on that front with the somewhat awkwardly titled Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, his inspired and highly entertaining reboot of the late author Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series. Branagh and screenwriters Adam Cozad and David Koepp have created an entirely new story for Clancy’s CIA agent character, the first not actually based on any of Clancy’s books. Koepp’s previous credits include 2012’s Premium Rush, the excellent Manhattan bicycle chase movie, and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit benefits tremendously from that same adrenaline-fueled, frenetic, thrill-a-minute aesthetic. Continue reading “Film Review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”

Spinning Platters Interview: OJ Patterson on OJ Patterson

SF Sketchfest will soon breach our atmosphere: bending sky, burning oxygen and causing birds to scramble for safety. In one week it will land in the San Francisco Bay. A torrential wave will surge through the Financial District, down Mission St, and swallow Twin Peaks in salt water. At least, that’s how it’s going to feel when the biggest celebration of comedy’s many forms comes to town.

There’s always commensal collateral to the lights and glitz, big crowds and big parties. The air feels different, the gravity heavier, especially for a few locals rocking the coveted “Artist” lanyard. Some are turning their hard work, talent, or streetwise into a high profile credit. Some are the new flavor, showcased as the emergent outliers. Some are “over it”, half distracted by growth, having fun before moving on. Some are returning with the Bay in their heart and another city on their mailing address. Some are debuting, honored and humbled, finally on the inside looking… around. Like me. After years of reporting, volunteering, (pining), I’m performing for my first SF Sketchfest @ Lost Weekend Video on 1/31. Spinning Platters’ top brass (a/k/a Dakin) requested an interview… from me, about me. Double the work, way less validation but I shall oblige on weirdness alone. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: OJ Patterson on OJ Patterson”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/15/14-1/22/14

Anti-bunny. — Sometimes there are signs that insist on no bunny.

You need to know what concerts are coming to The Bay Area this week? You’ve come to the right place.

We’ve got folk rock, pop metal, malicious metal, the cosmic intersection of country and rock, and the most highly-weaponized pop that US dollars can purchase.

It’s a good week.

Here’s what’s coming up.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/15/14-1/22/14”

Spinning Platters Interview: Kevin Allison of Risk! True Tales Boldy Told

Kevin Allison.credit Dave Dietz.sm — Photo by Dave Dietz

Kevin Allison is probably best known for being the tall, redheaded member of 90’s cult sketch comedy group The State. Since the dissolving of The State, Allison has been doing a podcast called “Risk! True Tales Boldy Told” where people tell stories from outside of socially accepted norms. He will be doing a Storytelling Workshop with Sketchfest at Brava Studio on Friday, January 31st at 3 PM (tickets). He will also be doing a live recording of Risk! at the Brava Theater at 7:30 on the 31st with Dana Gould, Nato Green, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Brendon Walsh telling stories, as well as an opening set by fellow The State alums Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black (tickets). We had a chance to sit and talk with Allison ahead of these performances. Since he is a storyteller, I was only to squeeze in three questions. It’s ok, because I didn’t want him to stop talking! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Kevin Allison of Risk! True Tales Boldy Told”

Album Review: Painted Palms – Forever

San Francisco based duo Painted Palms thrive in a world of disconnection. Whether it be their creative process, in which members Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme write independently and then collaborate over the internet, or their lyrical content, which dwells upon the things that cannot be communicate. Painted Palms writes about the kind of isolation that can only be a product of this digital age. Yet this isolation rarely feels like a prison. From the propulsive guitars in “Hypnotic” to the saccharine psych pop of the title track “Forever” these songs ooze with curiosity and imagination.
Continue reading “Album Review: Painted Palms — Forever“

From Beck to The Boss, here are 70+ albums to look forward to in 2014

If there was one thing the contributing writers, and staff, of Spinning Platters agreed on during our annual gathering to determine the best albums of the year, it was that 2013 was a bit underwhelming for music. The silver lining in what was mostly a mundane, forgettable time for music was that a lot of women broke through and achieved some well-deserved recognition. Daft Punk and Deltron 3030 returned after a near-decade hiatus and did not disappoint. Still, the fact that Miley’s antics garnered any attention, whatsoever, and were even considered “interesting” didn’t exactly bode well for collective musical output.

It’s time to move forward and hope for a better turnout these next 350-plus days (some of us are still recovering/getting acclimated, thank you). If you’ve noticed a pattern in titles such as “50 must-hear albums coming your way in 2014,” with an emphasis on the staggering figure, from other publications, it’s because, well, there are already that many hotly-anticipated releases to look forward to in the coming year. Of course, there are more to be found here because we’re delightfully (right?) exhaustive (in case you haven’t noticed our other, alternative best-of-2013 round-ups).

This list offers an alternate variation on what has already been published by the likes of SPIN and Consequence of Sound; but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, we’re stoked for the return of Beck. Not included: soundtracks, EPs, reissues, and live recordings. Special thanks goes out to Pause & Play, a wonderful, consistently updated resource for new album releases on the horizon. Without further ado, here are the anticipated links – some with videos, links to singles, and even full album streams. Enjoy.

Continue reading “From Beck to The Boss, here are 70+ albums to look forward to in 2014”

Individual Writers’ Lists: The Best Albums of 2013

bleached — Dakin saw this band a million zillion times in 2013, but was it also his favorite album of the year?

We’re closing up shop on last year with one more post. This one lists our individual writers’ top albums of 2013. Their instructions were to send me a list with some brief writing. You’ll see different counts of albums, and some different formats, but find your favorite writer’s list, and you’ll have a good place to finish catching up on the best of 2013.

You should definitely read our Official Top 10 of 2013, as well. Let’s start this giant multi-page post with our Managing Editor, Dakin Hardwick. Continue reading “Individual Writers’ Lists: The Best Albums of 2013”

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Show Review: The Pharoah Sanders Quartet at Yoshi’s, 1/3/14

Confession: I don’t know as much about jazz as I should. I do consider myself a music nerd, but my collection of jazz records consists of a handful of excellent staples (Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, John Coltrane’s Meditations and A Love Supreme, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, and compilations from Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, and Joao Gilberto), and I have a good idea as to who is important in the field. Pharoah Sanders is a name that I know from other artist’s referencing him as an influence more than anything else. That, and he played on Coltrane’s Meditations, which, in my own humble opinion, is one of the greatest pieces of art created by mankind. Continue reading “Show Review: The Pharoah Sanders Quartet at Yoshi’s, 1/3/14”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/2/14-1/8/14

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/2/14-1/8/14”

Spinning Platters Presents The Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2013

Though this album is great (and my favorite of the year), it just wasn't good enough for this list. It came in at unlucky number 11. — Though this album is great (and my favorite of the year), it just wasn’t good enough for this list. It came in at unlucky number 11.

If there’s one thing Spinning Platters does differently, and especially nerd-ish, it is our Album of the Year list. All the contributors get to nominate their favorite albums of the year (there were 53 nominees this year) then a grueling listening/voting process starts until we have it narrowed down to the top ten. While not everyone may agree with the final list, it is democratic and popular opinion that must rule. So without further ado, here is our top ten!

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Presents The Official List of the Top 10 Albums of 2013”