It’s hard not to go overboard with the metaphors, but someone took diamond cutting tools and applied them to Mika Miko. The result? Bleached.
I always enjoyed Mika Miko, and seeing them at Nickel City was one of the better shows I’d attended, because there’s little better than playing NBA Jam while they’re yelling into telephones in the other room. So I was excited to hear what Jennifer and Jessica Clavin had been up to since then. It turns out they’ve been brought back from the experimental punked-up cliff, and are now best suited on a ticket with Brilliant Colors or the latest Go-Go’s reunion. Cheers.
For our second month of Spinning Platters’ Midnight Music Movies we are presenting the fabulous Hedwig and the Angry Inch at The New Parkway in Oakland. When compiling our list of music movies Hedwig flew to the top of my list. Not only is it full of amazing music but the humor, camp and punk-ness was just made to play at midnight. Hopefully you already want to buy your tickets, but if you aren’t sure give me five minutes to convince you. Continue reading “Midnight Music Movies at The New Parkway: Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Noise Pop Happy Hours are once of the better kept secrets of the festival. They all happen at Bender’s Bar & Grill in the Mission- a great spot that serves some of the cheapest drinks of any music venue in town. They also serve tater tots. And who doesn’t like tater tots? It also gets you some really intimate performances for free, and set times that are early enough for the fans to get with day jobs to get to bed at a reasonable hour, or the hardcores can tackle two shows in one night! On this Thursday evening, I managed to battle rush hour traffic in order to head out to see a couple of bands over a delicious grilled macaroni & cheese.
A dark-snarling-rocker, avant-garde-artiste-extraordinaire, maniacally-grinning crooner, possessed of a sinister disposition and an undulating, catlike movement — these are all terms that accurately describe Bay Area native Mike Patton. Outside of the impressive trail that he and his bandmates in alt-metal band Faith No More blazed, through early 90s metal and the foundations of heavier alternative music, Patton has always been dabbling in sonic experiments and new forms of performance, and the extent of his craft is all but belied by Faith No More’s marvelous, but definitely accessible, compositions. Patton, of course, is not the only creative force within his various endeavors, and has spent most of his projects with bassist Trevor Dunn, in bands such as Mr. Bungle and the John Zorn-spearheaded Moonchild Trio. Dunn has now joined the ranks of the indescribable-yet-definitely-dark-and-thrashy Tomahawk, formed by Patton and Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, and the result is a tough-as-nails blast of energy and mesmerizing chemistry in an onstage performance — all the sensation of the insane chaos of the pair’s less accessible work, coupled with enough familiar songwriting techniques to draw in the more discerning of music fans.
When Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore split up last year, my heart broke. I always felt that they were the perfect rock couple- Moore was the pop yin to Gordon’s experimental yang. And, as expected, Moore’s post Sonic Youth output has largely been filled with guitar pop. And Gordon has been largely quiet. So, when Noise Pop announced that they were featuring her new project, Body/Head, on their opening night of Noise Pop, I was thrilled. When I learned that it was a “noise” project with east coast avant gardist Bill Nace, I had very high hopes for this performance. My favorite Sonic Youth moments have always been when Gordon vocalizes over thunderous guitar shredding. To have a band that strips them down to the just this part was practically a dream show. So, yes, I needed to be there.
Tonight at Bottom of the Hill, Rogue Wave is playing a sold out show for the 2013 Noise Pop Festival. This isn’t particularly newsworthy; they’ve done it before. What’s a big deal about this is that it’s Rogue Wave’s first hometown show in a couple of years, and it comes soon after the completion of their newest album, due sometime later this year. I sat down with Pat Spurgeon, Rogue Wave’s long time drummer to talk about the upcoming album, how musicians talk about their influences, and Gangnam Style, of course. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Pat Spurgeon of Rogue Wave”
If you’ve never experienced The Cabin Down Below Band, you quite literally don’t know what you’re missing. My advice? Remedy this error as soon as is possible! This week I got my chance to do just that with a night to remember: Petty Fest’s first ever stop in San Francisco! The evening was hosted by the aforementioned brilliant band, sponsored by the generous Jameson, and boasted a line-up well worth dragging one’s self out on a “school night” for: Boz Scaggs, Nick Valensi of the Strokes, Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Jon Heder, Aimee Mann, and Matt Sorum, to highlight just a few… Continue reading “Show Review: Petty Fest at the Fillmore, 02/27/2013”
Well guys, the time has come for me to give the world what it so desperately needs: another blog! After much soul-searching, I’ve decided to venture out on my own and start my own pop culture blog. It’s called The Binge, and I’ll be writing about film, music, and television. It’s live now, so you should visit it! And like it on Facebook! And what the hell, follow me on Twitter. If you’d like to continue reading the movie reviews and interviews I’ve been writing for Spinning Platters these last few years, you’ll find them there. Hell, I’ve alreadystarted! I may still pop up on this excellent website from time to time, but The Binge will be my home now. I can honestly say that covering film for Spinning Platters has changed my life, and I’m so grateful for having had the opportunity to share my completely unqualified opinions about movies with you. So let’s keep going, shall we?
Kitten at Bottom Of The Hill last June. Photo by Marie Carney
Kitten are a beast of a band. They play a furious blend of punk and new wave, while their lead singer, Chloe Chaidez, is at the tender age of 17, one of the most dynamic and aggressive front people in rock. We recently took the time out to speak Chaidez about their recently released EP, Cut It Out, the evolution of their sound and the logistics behind being in a teenage rock band. Kitten will be playing a Noise Pop Happy Hour show on Thursday, February 28th at Bender’s Bar & Grill as well as opening for Paramore at The Warfield on May 4th, and their debut full length is due to drop later this year. You’d be foolish to miss their live show.
Saturday night, San Francisco. An unexceptionally brisk evening stood to be made swampy from down home revelry. The Independent, Alamo Square’s intimate, inky chamber, stood to facilitate the subdued, sweet swelter. Everything happened so fast. One stride past the evening’s threshold and…
