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).
SF Sketchfest has a brilliant ability to capture the Bay Area’s attention and imagination. Benefactors of this allotted spotlight are local artists, made bolder and louder by proper production value. In the case of Scott Vermeire, Harmon Leon and Colin Mahan, the added bells and whistles enhanced their rustic independence, demystifying each artist’s vision. Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Mahan/Leon/Vermeire @ Eureka (1/25/2012)”
The is how we dance in Canada. (All photos by Kara Murphy)
Canada has had a very difficult relationship with hip hop in the US. It seems that very few acts can break through, despite all the talent that is brewing in our great white north. Aside from Drake, there has yet to be a true superstar to come from the great white north. Which means that such great acts like k-os, K’Naan, and Buck 65 are stuck cris-crossing America, playing small clubs on weekday nights to have full rooms. Which is a shame, because there is so much serious talent coming from our “America’s hat.” On a a cold Sunday night, San Francisco was treated to a performance from Nova Scotia’s Buck 65.
Everything's explodin'! (photo by Paige K. Parsons)
Twenty years. For many fans in the live music scene, this is an impossible amount of time to fathom. The concert demographic, wide as it might be, generally seems to fall between teens and people in their 50s, and if you go twenty years back, you’ve got a whole group of people who weren’t even born yet, to those who were solidifying their first solid years of adulthood. The amount of music, live or otherwise, that has been recorded, performed, and otherwise created in that timespan is magnificent in its breadth and depth. For twenty years, the Noise Pop Festival has helped to bring acts of all leagues and backgrounds to the San Francisco music scene, peppering venues with marvelously-clashing lineups and intimate gatherings that blow the minds of even the most seasoned veterans of the club-hopping world. After twenty years, it’s good to know that the Bay Area can still be stunned, which happened when the Noise Pop folks pulled out their trump card of the 2012 lineup — The Flaming Lips were making an appearance at the barely-700-person-capacity Bimbo’s 365 Club, and were performing their magnum opus The Soft Bulletin from start to finish.
The Fray's Ben (drums) and Isaac (atop the piano, singing his ass off)
The Fox Theater. Scars on 45. The Fray, live. A crowd that actually applauds with their hands more than with their voices. These are things that, until Monday night, I’d never before experienced. And all were, as it turned out, the beginning of a wonderful cure for a stereotypical “case of the Mondays.” Though I’ve been listening to The Fray for several years, this was my first chance to catch a show, and until last week, I’d never even heard of English opening band Scars on 45. They did, however, come highly recommended by a friend, and so I couldn’t wait for the show to start. Lucky for me, the lights went down promptly at 8:01 pm. Continue reading “Show Review: The Fray with Scars on 45 at The Fox Theater, 2/20/2012”
Getting the last laugh. Where's your Taylor Hicks now?
It’s about time we popped the cherry on television reviewing on Spinning Platters. Any time there’s a new NBC show about the creation of a new Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe starring an American Idol runner-up, we’ll be there! Even better if the hype machine is dialed up high, saying it’s going to be an “adult Glee.” I mean, I’m an adult, and I think Glee sucks, so this must be the show for me. And is it ever? It’s everything I’d hoped it would be, and also far, far less. It’s a fascinating, horrible mess, and I’m hooked after two episodes of diverse quality (one’s good; one sucks). Let me explain why. Continue reading “Smash Blogging: Episodes 1 and 2”
For the last 20 years, the good folks of Noise Pop have turned a single show at Kennel Club (now known as The Independent) into a huge, weeklong festival that causes Bay Area music nerds to clear their calendar every year. In recent years, the fest has expanded beyond music- we have movies, craft fairs, and literary events in addition to one of the best programmed music fests you will ever go to. Go to 2012.noisepop.com for a full listing, but if you want to know what I think you should go to, follow the jump!
We are on our way to the beginning of Noise Pop… But, since you are addicted to show going like I am, I have prepared a list of warm up gigs that you should attend. I know that I will be!
Legal issues were all the rage at the SF MusicTech Summit, but I've never concerned myself much with the law in this area.
This week was the 10th SF MusicTech Summit at The Hotel Kabuki in Japantown, and while Spinning Platters has been covering this event since the beginning, this was the first time I personally got to attend. The event serves mainly as a chance for everyone in the music tech world to catch everyone else up on what they’re doing, congratulate themselves on how well they’re all doing, and look for money and engineers; however, sometimes you can learn things. Here’s what I learned. Continue reading “5 Things I Learned at the 10th SF MusicTech Summit on 2/13/2012”
