Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
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.
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.
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”
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.
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””
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.
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.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Disney’s live-action sports dramas used to be a much bigger deal at the box office and in audience’s appreciation. If you’re of a certain age, movies like Cool Runnings (1993) and Iron Will (1994) carry special meaning, and if you’re slightly younger, movies like Remember the Titans (2000), The Rookie (2002), and Miracle (2004) may carry similar weight. These movies share specific characteristics: based on true stories, the protagonists are underdogs, more than a few training montages, and surface-level commentary on socio-political topics. Disney’s latest, Young Woman and the Sea, contains all the above facets and confidently carries the torch forward for the sub-genre. Director Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) knows how and when to deploy the emotional and feminist beats of the story, so the film never feels overly stuffed or preachy. Like the great Disney live-action sports dramas that have come before it, Young Woman and the Sea is a spirited and emotional tale that is perfect for viewers of all ages. Continue reading “Film Review: “Young Woman and the Sea””
FINALLY! Single-day breakdowns are up for you all to get anxious about conflicts. Like, am I really going to have to pick between Tyler, The Creator and The Postal Service? This whole thing looks amazing, once again, and it’s really a nice, even spread of acts all three days. On top of this, they’ve also added a Latin music stage called CASA BACARDI, featuring B-Side Brujas, Chulita Vinyl Club, and MUCH MORE!
Single Day Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 30th (TOMORROW!) at 10 am! Full text of each day’s lineups below: Continue reading “OUTSIDE LANDS SINGLE DAY LINEUPS!!!”
(You’re reading Day 3. Be sure to check out Day 1 and Day 2!)
The last day of BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 started out warm and clear. Despite arriving at the Napa Valley Expo a bit later than the two days preceding, I had a full day planned. First up was The Beaches at the JaM Cellars stage. I almost missed this set because the band name didn’t ring a bell. Fortunately, another photographer mentioned that they were an all-girl band, which caused me to take a minute to look them up. As soon as I did, I realized that this was a band I’d been hearing recently (“Blame Brett”), so I tagged along to check them out. They’re a fairly high-energy pop-rock band serving plenty of attitude, and their set was a good time. The ladies of the band were cracking me up as they first took the stage, talking about wine hangovers and being “so ready to crush some grapes later!” They were trying to function after one hour of sleep, guitarist Leandra Earl explained, due to having played Red Rocks the previous night. “Who’s ready to be hungover again tomorrow?” lead vocalist Jordan Miller asked as they began “Grow Up Tomorrow.” BRNV is pretty good at putting the right bands at the right times, and this was no exception. You can find their entire setlist here. Continue reading “BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 Festival Journal, Day 3”
