Single of the Week: “CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE” by Ecca Vandal

The guttural growl that opens this track rattled me to my core. Ecca Vandal has the perfect rock ‘n’roll voice—a melodic rasp that perfectly pairs with meaty, drop-D guitar riffage and weirdly catchy drums. This is the sound of Summer—sweaty and mosh-ready joy in the face of impending doom. It is a reminder that Australia keeps importing some of the best rock ‘n’roll around. 

“CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE” can be enjoyed in all the usual places. 2025 is just starting to heat up for Ecca Vandal, and it’s worth following her on the socials to watch when she decides to destroy America. 

 

Film Review: “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”

Humor and tragedy converge in the brilliant and disquieting On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Shula (Susan Chardy) wears a guinea fowl costume to begin “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.”

With the release of On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, writer/director Rungano Nyoni’s first feature film since her 2017 indie darling, I Am Not a Witch, the Zambian born British filmmaker has once again proven her unique talent for depicting tribal traditions through a modern lens. Guinea Fowl is simultaneously tragic and comically disquieting, venturing in and out of surreality within its otherwise grounded character-driven narrative. Kudos to A24 and a few UK and European studios for producing and distributing Guinea Fowl, since the film is not an easy sell. Guinea Fowl should be seen; its tightly controlled narrative, powerful performances, and artistic risk-taking make it one of the first must-see films of the year. Continue reading “Film Review: “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl””

Show Review: Max Cavalera’s Schizophrenia

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro

Max Cavalera tours a lot. Max and his brother Igor G. are best known for starting the band Sepultura in the early 1980’s, and since leaving that behind nearly 30 years ago, he has Soulfly, Nailbomb, Go Ahead and Die, and Cavalera Conspiracy keeping him and the Cavalera family very busy. They have plenty of good reasons to perform for their fans as much as they do, and that is because there is so much music to play! In fact, alongside Max on this particular excursion, both in the band and crew, is drummer/brother Igor G., guitar/son Igor A., manager/wife Gloria, and merchandise/son Richie. 

Continue reading “Show Review: Max Cavalera’s Schizophrenia”

OUTSIDE LANDS EAGER BEAVER TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW AT 10AM

Once the big festivals start announcing their line ups, I get excited about Outside Lands finally dropping their lineup. Always a little bit more interesting than the rest in the US, and I’ve never had a bad time in the 17 years I’ve been heading to the Golden Gate Park for this shindig. We still have to wait a little longer to learn about the music. The Eager Beaver tickets are always the cheapest way to get in and are on sale tomorrow. Out-the-door (fees included!) prices are Eager Beaver 3-Day GA tickets are $485.05 all in ($425 + $65.05 fees), 3-Day GA+ tickets are $734.55 all in ($665 + $69.55 fees) and 3-Day VIP tickets are $1,045.55 all in ($965 + $80.55 fees) and, for those with deep pockets and enjoy some fancy times, $5,095.55 all in ($4,895 + $200.55 fees) for Golden Gate Club tickets. For that price, you get front-of-stage viewing, access to the golf cart fleet for speedy transit around the site, and food & drinks provided by celebrity chefs Melissa King, Tyler Florence of Miller & Lux, and Dana Younkin & Nancy Oakes of Boulevard! 

Tickets on sale at 10am on March 5th! You can find those tickets here! And once you secure those tickets, wedding packages are also available, so you can live your dream of getting married in the beauty of Golden Gate Park, surrounded by 75,000 of your closest friends! 

Film Feature: Carrie and Chad Pick the 2025 Oscars

Film critics Carrie and Chad on who will – and who should – win the 97th Academy Awards

The 97th Academy Awards air tomorrow, Sunday, March 2nd, on ABC and Hulu at 4:00 pm PST. As always, your faithful Spinning Platters film critics Carrie Kahn and Chad Liffmann share their predictions and hopes for the major categories. You can follow along and print your own ballot here. Good luck to nominees and Oscar pool participants alike!

Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie and Chad Pick the 2025 Oscars”

Film Review: “Last Breath”

Diving tale drowns in mediocrity

Chris (Finn Cole, l), Duncan (Woody Harrelson, center), and Dave (Simu Liu) prepare for a dangerous underwater assignment.

That a studio exec thought Last Breath might bring in box office dollars is curious. A documentary about the same story, with the same name, by the same filmmaker, came out in 2019. But now, some six years later, in his first feature film, writer/director Alex Parkinson presents a fictionalized version. My guess is that Parkinson wanted to try his hand at feature films, and probably felt that using a story with which he was already familiar would be an easy route into the genre. Unfortunately for us, Parkinson’s maiden attempt at dramatizing previously covered real-life material falls flat.
Continue reading “Film Review: “Last Breath””

Single of the Week: “What Do I Know” by Deep Sea Diver

Guitar heroine Jessica Dobson keeps killing it. “What Do I Know” is a pop confection layered with her epic guitar stylings, the same epic guitar stylings that prompted Beck to bring her on board one of his best live bands. The same heroics that prompted Pearl Jam to bring them out on an arena tour last year. This song rips, and I can’t wait to hear the whole album. WHICH ALSO COMES OUT TODAY! 

You can enjoy “What Do I Know” and 10 other killer gems when you stream Billboard Heart, which I suspect you will do shortly. Deep Sea Diver is a fantastic live act, and you shouldn’t miss their upcoming tour! 

Show Review: Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and Friends with Dave Hill at The Neptune Theater, 2/21/25

Shannon, Narducy & Hill: Attorneys at Rock

When I told people that I was going to see Michael Shannon perform the music of R.E.M. fronting a band that’s the alt-rock world’s equivalent of Ringo’s All-Starr Band, their reactions, for the most part, were Doc Brown in tone, asking, “Michael Shannon! The actor!?” Yes, that Michael Shannon. This particular music project of Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy (more on him later) is ten years in the making, and this is the second year they’ve been playing REM-themed shows exclusively.  Continue reading “Show Review: Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and Friends with Dave Hill at The Neptune Theater, 2/21/25”

Every Kid Gets An “A” When They Can’t Remember Most of The Music From 2000 and 2001 Like An Amnesiac

The clocks turned to 12, and everything stopped.  Yes, it was Y2K (and Kremlin Joe for you Futurama fans) that stopped everything. Y(orke)2k. Nobody cared about any of the music that came out “in the year two thousand” (Conan fans) because we were all on the Radiohead forums discussing what unreleased, once played as an encore, unbelievably interesting and oddly structured because I only heard it on someone’s mixtape that I couldn’t get a copy of, the song was going to be on the next Radiohead record. Just thinking about writing this list, I went a good five minutes before I could even name a record that came out prior to Kid A on 10/2/2000.  But that was only half of it! The earth-shattering news on the album’s press release was that it was only part one! They had written so many songs they had enough for two albums! Amnesiac came out some seven months later. Because of that, and maybe because everyone kept saying the new millennium didn’t technically start until 2001, the two years will forever be jumbled in my brain as one, especially when it comes to music.

So, here we are. 11 years after I wrote my list of my favorite albums of 1999 (it was such an experience that I needed more than a decade of restorative meditation), to celebrate the 24th and 23rd anniversaries of both records, it’s time to compile the list of the best albums of 2000 and 2001! Continue reading “Every Kid Gets An “A” When They Can’t Remember Most of The Music From 2000 and 2001 Like An Amnesiac”

Single of the Week: “Goon Show” by Tropical Fuck Storm

Some songs are indeed an adventure. I was never really sure where “Goon Show” by Australia’s Tropical Fuck Storm was going to take us, but it’s a psychedelic nightmare and daydream all at once. 

“Goon Show” can be enjoyed in all the usual places. They are also headed to the US for a Summer tour that’s onsale now!