Film Review: “A Million Miles Away”

Peña soars in against-all-odds astronaut story

José Hernández (Michael Peña) finally realizes a lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut.

Hollywood has long plumbed the depths of unlikely hero tales. No matter how many Rocky knock-offs the studios churn out, they never seem to tire of downtrodden and impoverished characters who must overcome great odds to lift themselves into a higher station in life. From Rocky to Rudy to Erin Brockovich, Hidden Figures and, most recently, Flamin’ Hot, these tales lift us up and inspire us even as they fight to be unique. So who can blame director Alejandra Márquez Abella for trying her hand at this well-worn but lucrative formula with her new biopic A Million Miles Away? Luckily for us, though, her effort proves to be an excellent addition to the familiar genre. 

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Show Review: Boris, Melvins, Mr. Flyzzz @ The Belasco 08-24-2023

“Boris knows and Boris likes it all.”

It’s been quite the year in live music so far, and it seems like every band on the planet is touring right now, but when two heavyweights like Melvins and Boris announce a tour together, and not only that, but they announce that they’re going to tour a full album each, it’s a no brainer for me. So I rode off to Downtown Los Angeles for an evening of loud as fuck music from two titans of the genre.

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VIDEO PREMIERE: “Girl Girl Girl” by Anna Hillburg

I was first introduced to the great Anna Hillburg via her amazing (and educational) Instagram Series “Tootin’ Tuesdays!” where she would cover classic trumpet riffs in well known songs, with a bit of history and well crafted video. BUT! We aren’t here to talk about “One of the few things that gave me hope during the deep pandemic,” because she’s also finished the third portion of her epic music video trilogy that began with “Your Room” and “middled” with “No Fun.” “Girl Girl Girl” finishes off the story, and might be my favorite movie of the year at this point. 

“Girl Girl Girl” is a track off Hillburg’s upcoming record Tired Girls, coming your way October 13th! You can do all you need to do to anticipate your listening (by that, I mean Preorder or Presave) of it here! And there’s a record release show at The Make Out Room in SF on October 20th at 7:30pm, so please remember to leave work early that day? Probably in an angry huff? Maybe knock over a water cooler while you are at it? 

Show Review: Flogging Molly, The Bronx at The Warfield

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks

According to Spinning Platters’ crack data analysis research team, Flogging Molly has been to the Bay Area every year since 2000 (except 2010… and 2020, obviously), with eight shows at Fox Theater Oakland, seven at Slim’s (R.I.P.), four at The Fillmore, four Warped Tours at Pier 30/32, four at The Warfield, and one each at Greek Theatre, Bottom of the Hill, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and an Oyster Fest at Fort Mason. 

Before the 3rd song at this, their latest Bay Area appearance, vocalist Dave King mentioned that it has been TEN years since they last performed at The Warfield, so we simply had to fact-check him and determined that it has actually been SEVENTEEN years since they last stood on this stage! (September 28, 2006; March 14, 2005; September 14, 2004 were the only times) Continue reading “Show Review: Flogging Molly, The Bronx at The Warfield”

HOW DID I GET HERE with Annie Hart

On this episode, we had Annie Hart, formerly of Au Revoir Simone, one of Spinning Platters’ all-time favorite bands. We talked about the importance of Pee-Wee Herman, Heavy D & The Boys, Funkmaster Flex, David Lynch, Christmas Presents, and even Okuda Hiroko, the woman who wrote all of your favorite Casiotone beats! Her new record, The Weight Of A Wave, is available now, and fall tour dates are below:

Bumbershoot 2023- The 50th Anniversary In Pictures

Bumbershoot is one of the oldest and longest-running music festivals in America. Sure, it took a bit of a hiatus after the 2019 edition to regroup (and that pesky pandemic had a bit of a part in it, too), it returned in 2023 with a heavy focus on the talent of the Pacific Northwest, including sets from such luminaires as Sleater-Kinney (who played 1/2 of Dig Me Out as well as a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s “Emporer’s New Clothes,”) Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Dandy Warhols. We got to take our camera around and enjoy the sights and sounds of this event, and we even got to take a turn behind the mic for queer/bar staple Burleskaraoke (but, sadly, only the folks at the event got to experience that magic). It was a delightful weekend of both sunshine and rain, and it was such a joy to see Seattle having fun. 

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Film Review: “Sitting in Bars with Cake”

Sitting in Bars with Cake is a delectable slice of laughs and cries

There’s a seemingly endless amount of movies based on books, and a shorter but not insignificant number of movies based on real life cooks. What I can’t recall ever seeing is a movie that was based on a cookbook. Better late than never! Sitting in Bars with Cake, the new dramedy based on Audrey Shulman’s autobiographical book, is a well-produced tearjerker with standout performances, a film perfectly fitting of its streaming platform release.

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Single Of The Week: “(I Wanna Be Ur) 90s Dreamgirl” by Hannah Marks

I’ll be frank- I’m feeling super under the weather this week, and I had two other “single of the week” nods in the queue… Then I found this perfect encapsulation of my teenage years as an angsty gen-xer, crushing relentlessly and telling nobody. The sound- Hannah Marks is a jazz musician and she’s basically assembled an amazing jazz band and has told them to play punk rock, giving us the best Sonic Youth song since, well, since Sonic Youth broke up. And that video? <chef’s kiss>

“(I Wanna Be Ur) 90s Dreamgirl” is the most recent single off Marks’ upcoming record Outside, Outlier, coming your way on October 20th! 

 

STOP THE PRESSES: Ellie Goulding & The SF Symphony on sale tomorrow!

I get a little bit of Hollywood Bowl / LA FOMO. SF is certainly a world-class city with one of the finest symphonies in the US. Yet, we seem to rarely get big-name pop and rock acts coming through to perform with the SF Symphony. Well, Ellie Goulding is only doing this in three cities, and ONE OF THEM IS OURS!!!! On sale Friday, September 8th at 10 am, Ellie Goulding is bringing beautiful symphonic arrangements of her catalog to Davies Symphony Hall for one night only on Monday, November 20th. 

BONUS SINGLE OF THE WEEK: “Are You Awake?” by Lauren Mayberry

My lucky, loyal readers… I’ve got a second single for you this week, mostly because I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT! News of Lauren Mayberry putting out a solo album came about a month ago, around the same time CHVRCHES announced the 10th Anniversary editions of their smashing debut record, The Bones Of What You Believe. However, not a note of music has seen the light of day until now. And when it does? It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking break up song that’s primarily just Mayberry’s voice and piano. And two lines keep repeating in my head: 

Hometown hero is a poisoned chalice choice
If they don’t love you you’re just destined to disappoint

I can’t help but speculate wildly. IS THIS SONG ABOUT THE BAND?!?! HAS THE WEIGHT OF BEING CHVRCHES IMPLIED A NEED FOR A BREAK?!?! And is Mayberry unhappy about it? I HAVE NO IDEA!!! But I will keep listening and studying this song until I know for sure. As you should, too! She’s also hitting the road, and I have no idea what to expect, but I’m sure it’s gonna be good.