Stop SOPA/PIPA – 4 Ways You Can Help

Today some of the largest entities on the Internet including Wikipedia, Reddit, and MoveOn.org will go completely dark, for 24 hours, to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA – fun fact: “Sopa” means “trash” in Swedish) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). These two bills, introduced to the House and Senate back in October, respectively, would allow the U.S. Department of Justice and copyright holders to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. I should mention that action can be taken without due process. So, for example, if I posted a YouTube video on Spinning Platters, the copyright holder could have this site (and even YouTube, itself) shut down without any notice. Continue reading “Stop SOPA/PIPA — 4 Ways You Can Help”

Show Review: Andy Grammer with Ryan Star and Rachel Platten at Great American Music Hall, 1/15/2012

Andy Grammer

Until recently, I barely knew the names Andy Grammer or Ryan Star.  Rachel Platten, however, was a name I knew – I’d just seen her open for the musically delicious Keaton Simons back in October.  Adorable, charming, and a catchy singer-songwriter, I made a mental note to review her set next time she came to the Bay Area.  Which is how I found myself researching the likes of Ryan Star and headliner Andy Grammer last week, in preparation for last night’s show at SF’s Great American Music Hall.  I knew a song or two from each guy (“Start a Fire” and “Breathe” from Mr. Star, and last year’s catchy hit “Keep Your Head Up” from Andy), all of which I liked enough to get excited to discover new tunes.  As it turned out, the show would exceed my expectations tenfold. Continue reading “Show Review: Andy Grammer with Ryan Star and Rachel Platten at Great American Music Hall, 1/15/2012”

A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2012

A sketchy nerd!

For 11 years, San Francisco has had the opportunity to witness the best in comedy. And, for the third straight year, we’ve helped you dig through the 500,000,000 amazing shows to find the best shows for only the nerdiest of San Franciscans. And, since I am a man of exquisite taste, you will trust my guidance.

You can purchase tickets for these and all of the other shows at SFSketchfest.com. Many of these sell out, especially the ones that I want you to go to, so decide quickly!

Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2012”

Show Review: Devo with The Punk Group at the Fillmore, 1/14/2012

Are they not men? They are DEVO!
Are they not men? They are DEVO!

While there is all manner of serious business involved in a tour, a concert, or even a single small show at a tiny club down the street, there’s no reason to think that the performers involved can’t have a sense of humor about their craft. To enter a career where one spends a great deal of time under a many-headed microscope, subject to all form of criticism and judgment, it’s a stifling gig to churn out a repetitive set, stick to the shadows, and keep your eyes to the floor as if you’re just waiting for the experience to end. It makes far more sense to abandon that sense of self-severity in the name of fun and celebration, to embrace the rock concert as the spectacle it has always been revered as, and to explode with enthusiasm for every minute of the evening. This is a job best suited for seasoned veterans, as well as musical acts that decide to live outside the realms of defined genres and formulaic sounds — and the Akron, Ohio quintet known as Devo proved themselves more than up to the task.

Continue reading “Show Review: Devo with The Punk Group at the Fillmore, 1/14/2012”

Spinning Platters Interview: Mike Brown

Comedian, Mike Brown

Mike Brown is a comedian based in New York. His work shows exceptional polish and his career shows excellent promise. He is performing January 21st at the Purple Onion for the Rooftop Comedy Showcase.

Spinning Platters: Where are you from originally?
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Mike Brown”

Why you should attend SF MusicTech Summit, Music Hack Day, and Music Startup Academy

This February, make something happen with all the right resources.

“We should start our own group; I’m not sure what the title would be but it has to encompass the fact that we are some of the few, the brave, that have attended every single SF MusicTech Summit in existence.” That’s basically what my friends, Scott Schiller, Jordan Harband, and I were joking about as we basked in the sun flooding Japantown’s mall courtyard during lunch break at the last event in September. Continue reading “Why you should attend SF MusicTech Summit, Music Hack Day, and Music Startup Academy”

Film Review: “Joyful Noise”

Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in JOYFUL NOISE

starring: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Dexter Dardin, Courtney B. Vance, Jesse L. Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Dequina Moore

written and directed by: Todd Graff

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some language including a sexual reference

Continue reading “Film Review: “Joyful Noise””

Spinning Platters Interview: Barbara Holm

Barbara Holm is a comedian based out of Seattle, Washington. She’s noted for her wit, one-liners and off-center humor. She is hosting Sketchfest in the Mission on January 20 and performing at the Rooftop Comedy Showcase on January 21.

Spinning Platters: Where are you from originally, when did you reach the city of Seattle and what is the stereotypical disposition of a Seattleite? Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Barbara Holm”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/12/12-1/18/12


Playing at Public Works on Thursday night

Dakin’s really busy this week, and frankly, I’m not. I don’t have a day job right now, so I can spend all day finding the absolute best shows for you to go to!  Which ones are those this week? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/12/12-1/18/12”