Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Big shows, little shows, in between shows, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone this week. It’s a great week to go to shows in the bay!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/2/11-6/8/11”
Memorial Day kicked off the first of a 3 night residency for Sleigh Bells, the much discussed and divisive band signed to MIA’s N.E.E.T. Records and featuring the bassist for the sadly overlooked teen pop groups RubyBlue, Alexis Krauss on vocals and Derek E Miller on guitar, formerly of Florida hardcore band Poison The Well. The hype behind these shows, where the first two sold out months ago, while a 3rd, smaller gig at Rickshaw Stop sold out moments after it went on sale last week, is amazing. The question is, does this band with only a single album under their belt, live up to the hype?
Continue reading “Show Review: Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian and Oberhofer at The Independent, 5/30/11”
starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Adrien Brody, Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill
written and directed by: Woody Allen
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and smoking.
This week kicks is the official first week of “Summer” culturally, albeit Summer actually begins sometime late June, I think. Anyhow, since festival season is almost here, it’s time to start training. Let’s see how many of these you can do this week! Get your ear plugs ready!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/26/11-6/1/11”
featuring the voices of: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michelle Yeoh, Dennis Haysbert, Victor Garber, Paul Mazursky, James Hong
written by: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
directed by: Jennifer Yuh
MPAA: Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action and mild violence.
Roughly a year and a half ago, British post-punk dreamers Echo & the Bunnymen came to American shores for just a few stops to host a darkly gorgeous, orchestra-accompanied performance of their classic album Ocean Rain. No doubt inspired by the success of their tour and the continuing trend of artists who perform full-album sets at their shows, the Liverpool-based quintet was back in town with a similar formula, although taken to a much greater length. This time around, frontman Ian McCulloch and the rest of the crew were performing TWO of their older records — their debut Crocodiles and sophomore effort Heaven Up Here — with a 3-song encore after each. Lest the smallish crowd and the lower capacity of the venue place doubts in the mind of those who passed by the Warfield Theater on Thursday night, the excitement and enthusiasm from the fans was even more fervent than for the band’s Ocean Rain performance, and the group themselves performed with even greater intensity than before.
Continue reading “Show Review: Echo & the Bunnymen with Kelley Stoltz at The Warfield, 5/19/2011”
starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally, Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Keith Richards, Richard Griffiths
written by: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
directed by: Rob Marshall
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence, some frightening images, sensuality and innuendo
Continue reading “Film Review: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides””
I was fully aware of what was potentially in store for me when I purchased tickets to see Lauryn Hill play The Mezzanine. Tales told of showing up unremorsefully late, being inebriated during the show, and heckling the crowd just to name a few things. However, when it was announced that Lauryn Hill would be performing a Bob Marley tribute at The Mezzanine in a week, I snatched up a ticket like Cookie Monster devours his favorite treats. I’m a Bob Marley fan as much as the next person, but it was mostly imagining seeing one of the seminal artists of my youth in such an intimate setting. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was on constant rotation on my Panasonic portable CD player, as I would attempt to learn the rap in “Doo Wop (That Thing)”.
Continue reading “Show Review: Lauryn Hill at The Mezzanine, 5/18/11”
There has been a recent trend of fantastic bands, both old and new, being prevented from making their way to this side of the Atlantic due to all manner of circumstances. Most often, it’s an inability to acquire visas by an international deadline, but in the case of more controversial and explosive acts, their arrival has often been deterred by high tensions overseas — acts of terrorism and war, both abroad and at home — which put a damper on the transport of any act, musical or otherwise, that is loud, aggressive, and armed to the teeth with fire, smoke and dynamite. Last night, the biggest name on this list — the German industrial metal collective known as Rammstein — finally made their way back to the Bay Area for their first show in 10 years, and brought their full cataclysmic performance with them, offering one of the biggest, loudest, and hottest shows ever seen within the walls of the Oracle Arena.
Continue reading “Show Review: Rammstein with Combichrist at the Oracle Arena, 5/18/2011”
This is kind of a slow show week… You know what’s great about living in the Bay Area? Prince, Kylie Minogue, Jenny Lewis, and Poncho Sanchez are all playing a “slow” week. This place is awesome!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/19/11-5/25/11”