The night I got notified that I was getting the opportunity to see the Honda Civic Tour, I was ecstatic. The lineup looked extremely star-studded: Paramore, Tegan & Sara, and New Found Glory. I haven’t seen any of these bands perform with the slight exception of New Found Glory, whom I watched from afar a year or two ago when they were traveling with the Warped Tour. With the way my night started, I was afraid that the rest of the night would go horribly. Luckily for me, these bands did not let me or the rest of the packed stadium see a dull moment.
Spinning Platters Interview: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman on “Howl”
The Times of Harvey Milk. Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt. The Celluloid Closet. Paragraph 175. Over the course of 25 years, two Best Documentary Oscars, and a smattering of Emmys and Peabodys, San Francisco-based filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have forever changed the face of documentary film-making and revolutionized the portrayal of gay and lesbian subjects in American culture. Now, they’ve made Howl (opening in Bay Area on September 24), their first scripted film, in which James Franco brilliantly embodies Allen Ginsberg. They recently sat down with Spinning Platters to discuss their latest effort.
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Show Review: Marina & the Diamonds with Young the Giant at The Independent, 9/15/10
The sold out crowd at The Independent was radiating energy at the Marina & the Diamonds show. It packed full of people pretty early, with the stage crush beginning during openers Young the Giant’s set. During sets the crowd bounced and cheered and in-between everyone waited politely, leaving room for friends off buying drinks. We were ready for an excellent night of music.
Show Review: The Chapin Sisters at Café Du Nord, 9/15/10
Sister acts: they’re not just girl-group nuns on the run from the mob anymore. As far as I know, at least. I can’t personally vouch for The Chapin Sisters’ lack of involvement with organized crime. But I can vouch for the utter gorgeousness of their performance at Café Du Nord last night, so I certainly hope they don’t get bumped off by Harvey Keitel anytime soon. That would be tragic.
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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 9/16/2010-9/22/2010
Yes it comes time for another installment of Weekly Guide to Bay Area concerts. In this edition, a lot of family friendly shows… And some rather vulgar ones, as well…
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Show Review: Southern Culture On The Skids at Great American Music Hall, 9/11/10
There are some bands that words cannot adequately describe. If I were to try and sum up the feeling one would get from listening to Southern Culture On The Skids it would include images of driving down a coastal highway in a pick-up truck while wearing a truckers hat. This quartet from Chapel Hill, North Carolina has been at it for well over 20 years, playing a playful blend of rockabilly, surf, punk rock and just a hint of traditional country & western music. I had the opportunity to check them out live for the first time at the Great American Music Hall. Hunkering down in the crowd with a beer in hand, I was about to learn exactly how much fun a woman with a bucket of fried chicken could have.
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Film Review: “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector”
How do you solve a problem like Phil Spector? In The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector (opening today at the Roxie Theater), filmmaker Vikram Jayanti — who co-produced the Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings — creates a compelling but fundamentally flawed portrait of this culture-shaking musical genius and convicted murderer.
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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 9/9/2010-9/15/2010
Here’s another fun week of fun stuff to fill with funness. Happy funny funtimes!!
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Channel Surf the Blogosphere for the latest tracks with Shuffler.fm
It seems like every other week, a new music service is launched with the intention of being the ultimate, one-stop “music discovery tool.” Truth be told, any savvy music aficionado will own up to the fact that they use at least two or more tools to find, stream, and download new and classic music alike.
Since there’s always the promise of “the next big thing” looming, whether it’s the rather failed impact Ping (the social extension of iTunes 10) had on consumers or Google’s forthcoming music service that’s reportedly making a grand debut on Christmas day, I decided to spend some time with Shuffler.fm, which I discovered through a feature on Mashable, to see if it’s something I’d actually use on a consistent basis. The answer, quite surprisingly, is “yes” and “daily.”
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Show Review: Stereo Total at Slim’s, 9/2/10
Thursday night usually isn’t a night people stay in, but by the sparse attendence at Slim’s for the Stereo Total show you would have thought it was Monday night. Maybe it was the $20 ticket price, or the fact that Jenny and Johnny stole the indie kids for the evening, but either way I can’t say I was disappointed. Those who were there brought their A game (including a gentlemen with flowers wrapped in leopard print tissue paper for Francoise!). And most importantly, there was plenty of room to dance. Continue reading “Show Review: Stereo Total at Slim’s, 9/2/10”