starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Kerris Dorsey
written by: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
directed by: Bennett Miller
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some strong language
Film Review: “Moneyball”
Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 9/22/11-9/28/11
There are few things more exciting than stumbling across a live show from an artist that you have never heard before. This Monday, at Knockout, SpinningPlatters is giving you that thrill. You and a guest can enjoy fine beverages at one of my outer mission bars, and enjoy the beautiful sounds of country singer Alana Amram & The Rough Gems. Check out he Van Dyke Parks assisted single Summer Winds right here, and to enter the contest, simply fill out this form!
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Spinning Platters Picks Six: REM Songs That Helped Define Who I Am
Today, the very upsetting news was released that REM, after 31 years, has called it quits. This band was one of the most influential bands in the history of rock, and, in my humble opinion, ranking up there with The Beatles and Michael Jackson in terms of influence on society. Every blog on Earth is, of course, discussing this today. Everyone knows that their success opened the doors to the whole “alternative rock” movement, and their success, either directly or indirectly, made room for band such as Nirvana and The Flaming Lips on a major label roster, and their influence still remains today, with the fierce mainstream success of Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons. That’s not what this is about. This is about my own time spent with REM.
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Show Review: Thievery Corporation w/ AM & Shawn Lee at The Fox Theater – Oakland, 9/16/2011
One of my favorite experiments is to go see a band that I know nothing about. Usually this tends to be a low key affair, in a small venue somewhere. It’s rare for a band to play a venue in the 3,000+ capacity range that I’ve managed to miss. Although it can easily be a gamble, the pay off can be great. On the warm Indian Summer night, I took the new band challenge.
Show Review: Peter Hook and The Light performing Closer at The Mezzanine, 09/17/2011
It is frequently said that when you have a formula that works, it is safe to stick with it, but only to the point where you continue to be successful, and not past the point where you’ve entered a realm of dangerous repetition. In 2010 I stated that a popular trend was for a band to go on tour and, as their setlist, play one or more of their classic albums from start to finish. Some acts, such as the Melvins or A Perfect Circle, took up this concept and played multiple albums over multiple nights, and it was a true test of stamina for their fans to make it out for two or three nights in a row to see the entire collection of songs from their catalogue. However, when bassist Peter Hook and his band The Light returned to the Mezzanine in San Francisco to perform Joy Division’s posthumous classic Closer in its entirety, it was quite clear that a nearly-one-year-long wait was a brilliant decision, as it brought a new collection of energetic fans, an explosive performance from Hook and his band, and the reminder that the power and majesty of Joy Division’s music is still fiercely present over 30 years after the release of their final record.
Film Review: “Straw Dogs”
starring: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, James Woods, Dominic Purcell, Rhys Coiro, Willa Holland
written and directed by: Rod Lurie
MPAA: Rated R for strong brutal violence including a sexual attack, menace, some sexual content, and pervasive language
Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 9/15/11-9/21/11
It’s everyone’s favorite time of the week: When SpinningPlatters tells you what shows you should be going to. These are all pretty good, even the crappy ones
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Film Review: “Drive”
starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Oscar Isaac
written by: Hossein Amini
directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
MPAA: Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.
Spinning Platters Interview: Peter Hook
A few weeks ago, Spinning Platters had the pleasure of chatting with Peter Hook, the legendary bass player for Joy Division, New Order and Monaco, as he prepares for his upcoming North American tour. (He is coming to Mezzanine in San Francisco on Saturday, September 17th) This conversation happened about a week before it was revealed that New Order were recording and touring again without Hook. Instead, Hook is bringing his ace band The Light around the states to perform the classic Joy Divison record Closer in it’s entirety, as well as other key tracks. We did get to discuss the tour, the general response to the gigs from people close to Ian Curtis, the Joy Divison vocalist that passed away 21 years ago, and about other projects in his plate.
Now that you have been doing Joy Division songs (with The Light) for about a year, have audiences responded differently?
Show Review: Givers with Kopecky Family Band at Rickshaw Stop, 9/8/2011
Givers. There is something about this band that piqued my interest before hearing a single note. It may be the publicity photo that I keep seeing, with the incredibly pretty girl in it. It may be the fact that there is absolutely nothing bad on their label, Glassnote Records. Or it could just be my sixth sense about bands. Anyways, I uncovered by copy of their debut full length record that was sent to me from the label. I started listening, and maybe a week later, I realized that it’s all I wanted to listen to. Then, I noticed that they were playing. So, as expected, I decided to seize the moment and go see this band.
Givers. There is something about this band that piqued my interest before hearing a single note. It may be the publicity photo that I keep seeing, with the incredibly pretty girl in it. It may be the fact that there is absolutely nothing bad on their label, Glassnote Records. Or it could just be my sixth sense about bands. Anyways, I uncovered by copy of their debut full length record that was sent to me from the label. I started listening, and maybe a week later, I realized that it’s all I wanted to listen to. Then, I noticed that they were playing. So, as expected, I decided to seize the moment and go see this band.
Continue reading “Show Review: Givers with Kopecky Family Band at Rickshaw Stop, 9/8/2011”