starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Julia Taylor Ross
written by: Laura Lau
directed by: Chris Kentis and Laura Lau
MPAA: Rated R for disturbing violent content and terror
Film Review: “Silent House”
Show Review: Javier Colon with Reed Waddle at The Uptown Theatre Napa, 3/4/2012
Let’s talk for a minute about NBC’s The Voice. Last April, when it premiered after much hype, I was really excited to check it out. For anyone who isn’t familiar, the premise of the show is that undiscovered musical talents audition for four current musicians, in hopes that their vocals alone will convince one (or more) of them to coach them through the rest of the competition. They call it a “blind” audition because all four coaches (Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Cee-Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton) sit with their backs to the stage, unable to see the performer at all. It sounds like a great concept, right? True, I always point out that there’s a little bit of a fallacy here, since it is a TV show, and someone’s doing the casting, so while it’s true that the coaches don’t see who the voice is coming out of before signing on to work with them, it’s not entirely true that how a performer looks isn’t taken into consideration at all.
Anyway, last year it was really fun to watch, because after you get past the fact that almost all of the performers look commercial enough to make it in the industry, you start to get sucked into the untapped talent – in my case, I was especially rooting for Team Adam, as Mr. Levine has a knack for picking the artists I liked the best. In the end, my favorite guy won. His name is Javier Colon, and truth be told, I haven’t heard much about him since he won. So believe me, I was excited to see him when I saw that he was playing the Uptown Theatre in Napa last night. Continue reading “Show Review: Javier Colon with Reed Waddle at The Uptown Theatre Napa, 3/4/2012”
Rachael Yamagata, Dan Wilson, and Madi Diaz at The Independent 3.2.12
I know it’s the biggest cliché you can think of, but somehow, I keep falling into it. Sure I’ve liked Rachael Yamagata, that’s been “Known For Years” now. She’s a great song writer, great husky emotive voice, the piano, you know, the whole nine. But at times, I get bored. She gets the mood going, this dark depressing mood, and…actually, I think she explains it very well. On stage, she mentioned how she’s always surprised that people ask her to play their weddings. In her opinion she’s better suited to play their divorce proceedings. I thought she just might be a little stale and boring live. “The Reason Why” these clichés have apparently “Worn Me Down,” I really can’t say. But what I can say is that I was entirely wrong. There’s a reason you go see an artist play live. Sure they can always disappoint and sound exactly like they do on record, but the gamble is worth it when it pays off. Continue reading “Rachael Yamagata, Dan Wilson, and Madi Diaz at The Independent 3.2.12”
Show Review: Ty Segall with White Fence, Mikal Cronin and The Feeling Of Love at the Great American Music Hall, 3/2/2012
Put down your spiked hair. Pull those safety pins out of your pierced ears. Trade in the leather jacket, the studded belt, the plaid pants, the violently political message, the inability to enjoy anyone within your immediate proximity unless you’re physically engaged in violence towards them. But don’t stop enjoying yourself. This is not the place for the energy to drop, for the volume to descend, or for the spirit of radical thought to become extinguished. This is the place for two-minute songs and stagedivers and snarling fuzz and harrowing reverb, all compacted together into a stick of dynamite that keeps burning for almost five solid hours. This is the first stop on the tour for Ty Segall, a veteran to the Bay Area garage-folk-psych-rock scene, which, tonight, has taken up residence in the Great American Music Hall, and is here to demolish the foundations — both figuratively and a significant bit literally.
Theatre Review: Becoming Britney at the Retro Dome, 3/2/2012
Everyone’s favorite Spinning Platters backup writer, I was summoned to cover an event that had conveniently piqued my interest: Becoming Britney. A show written in the space between the tongue and the inner cheek, the only concern was whether it would collapse under the weight of being over the top. Nope.
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Spinning Platters Interview: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim on “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie”
Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie is a play on precision and expectation. Ricocheting, hazy-vision precision, and constantly fragmenting expectation. The movie stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim as actors/directors facing unmitigated evil after wasting a billion dollars. Their solution: revitalize a mall. Such wonkiness is the epidermis of a diseased body containing awkward, obtuse, and hilariously horrible circumstances. Here is an interview elaborating on said horribleness. Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie is now available in theaters and VOD. Enjoy. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim on “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie””
Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/1/12-3/7/12
As we near SXSW, we find that the quality of touring acts increases dramatically. This week is full of difficult decisions, and even a farewell tour by one of the most underrated and innovative bands of all time.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/1/12-3/7/12”
Show Review: Nellie McKay: “I Want To Live” at The Rrazz Room, 2/28/12
There aren’t enough artists like Nellie McKay in the world. Stylistically, she sounds like classic jazz pop, but she isn’t afraid to push those boundaries. Unlike many similar artists, her politics are always worn on her sleeve, and she isn’t afraid of offending people. Her records have explicit lyrics stickers on them, yet you wouldn’t realize it if you weren’t paying close enough attention. Which surprised me that she ended up booking the traditional jazz lounge The Rrazz Room, inside the upscale Hotel Nikko.
Continue reading “Show Review: Nellie McKay: “I Want To Live” at The Rrazz Room, 2/28/12″
Sketchfest Review: Killing My Lobster (2/1/2012)
In the fast-paced, cutthroat, Wild West of Bay Area sketch, few are in league with enterprising comedy tycoon, Killing My Lobster. Barons and Baronesses of the Neo Internetdustrial Revolution, the troupe has made appealing regional satire a booming forte. Powered by live action and recorded skits, and coupled to A.J. Schroder Esq. and the duchess, Jill Bourque, the KML Express set across the Eureka prairie. Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Killing My Lobster (2/1/2012)”
Noise Pop Show Review: The Fresh & Onlys, Disappears, Talkdemonic at Bottom of the Hill, 2/22/12
The Bottom of the Hill is one of those venues where amazing things can happen. Its intimate space creates a setting where bands, their friends, and patrons can all rub elbows without the pretense of Rock Stardom bogging down a conversation. Many a band right on the verge of blowing up have graced the stage fully aware of their sparkling future and have played to it, creating an “I was there” situation where one constantly reminds his or her friends (or just about anyone who happens to be around) of the night they saw so-and-so play Bottom of the Hill. I’ve been known to drop an “I was there” once or twice myself (cough Arcade Fire cough).