Film Review: “Monkey Man”

Monkey Man is a thrilling and stylistic revenge tale

It’s been sixteen years since audiences were introduced to Dev Patel in the Best Picture Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, and he’s finally getting his due, but not the traditional way. Born in England to Indian parents and ancestry, Patel often plays second string to older (white) actors, until recently when he headlined both Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and David Lowery’s The Green Knight (2021), the latter proving that maybe the underappreciated actor has more to offer. Taking it upon himself to show audiences his skillful range as an artist, Dev Patel is making his writing and directing debut with Monkey Man, a brutal action flick in purposeful and self-aware John Wick-styled tone and plotting. The film is a triumphant piece of stylistic filmmaking and action choreography, and an extremely promising launch to a thrilling new chapter in Patel’s belatedly blossoming career. Continue reading “Film Review: “Monkey Man””

Album Review: Vampire Weekend, “Only God Was Above Us”

“Ice Cream Piano” begins with a healthy dose of guitar feedback and pronounced strumming, and then the first few lines of the album soothingly unfold, “‘Fuck the world’ / You said it quiet / No one could hear you / No one but me / Cynical, you can’t deny it.” It’s a surprising, but no less strong, sequence of phrases on which to launch Vampire Weekend’s fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us. The album explores the status quo, including international conflicts, generational attitudes, and society’s unrelenting grip on historical traumas. And yet, Only God Was Above Us, named after a headline quote in the Daily News from a real-life Aloha Airlines flight incident in 1988, is not overtly political. Rather, it’s a musical commentary about fatalism and disillusionment, punctuated by an ultimate yearning for hope and progress. It’s the most cohesively inspired Vampire Weekend album yet, with the band diving head-first into a (mostly) New York City urban soundscape of grunge and grit (see the album cover image above) while not abandoning their gleeful chamber pop origins.  Continue reading “Album Review: Vampire Weekend, “Only God Was Above Us””

HEART WEST COAST TOUR with CHEAP TRICK!!!

This isn’t really a classic rock-heavy blog. BUT- Heart and Cheap Trick are probably my two favorite bands of the “classic rock” era, with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band coming in third. And it’s INSANE that Heart and Cheap Trick are touring together, kicking off their fall tour in San Francisco at Chase Center on September 26th. And it’s being dubbed the “Royal Flush” tour, because Heart + Cheap Trick = Terrible Gambling Experience? 

Tickets are on sale NOW for Citibank Card Holders, and go on sale for the general public Friday, April 5th at 10am local time at https://www.heart-music.com/. Full dates below if you can get past the Barracuda: Continue reading “HEART WEST COAST TOUR with CHEAP TRICK!!!”

OUTSIDE LANDS EAGER BEAVER TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW!!!!!

It’s funny- it feels like we are waiting longer and longer every year for Outside Lands to kick off… BUT! It’s been about the same time every year. Just everyone else is announcing earlier. That being said, I look forward to this weekend every year. I love being able to sort of fully disconnect from my day-to-day existence (with proper preparation to make sure my responsibilities will be covered.) 

Anyways, Outside Lands is August 9th-11th this year, and Eager Beaver tickets, which is the cheapest way to get in the door, go on sale 4/3/24 at 10am. GA are starting at $425, GA+ (Expedited Entry & Exclusive Bathrooms!) start at $665, VIP starts at $965, and the ultra-swank Golden Gate Club starts at $4,895.  Past Outside Lands coverage can be found here! 

Show Review: Go Ahead and Die, Bodybox, Deep Within, Hyper Psychic at Boomtown Brewery (DTLA) 03-19-2024

It’s been quite some time since I’ve covered a show at a venue for the first time. I feel like I’ve been pretty much living at the Belasco, for example, so getting an address for a different venue is always a nice change of pace, especially when it’s somewhere I’ve never been. Boomtown Brewery has been kicking in DTLA north of the arts district for a while now, but they recently started a show booking partnership with The Knitting Factory, which hopefully will bear more fruit for future shows! So I left work half an hour early to brave the even rush hour traffic across town for an evening of hardcore metal music–shocking, I know–and some tasty beer.

Continue reading “Show Review: Go Ahead and Die, Bodybox, Deep Within, Hyper Psychic at Boomtown Brewery (DTLA) 03-19-2024”

Single of the Week: “Love The Sinner” by Griefcat

I’m a sucker for good political satire. Griefcat has managed to hit basically everything that frustrates me about conservative culture in a concise, hooky 3 minutes. The emotional journey, surprise punchlines, everything is lovely with “Love The Sinner.” They’ve essentially picked up where the great Garfunkel & Oates left off nearly a decade ago. 

“Love The Sinner” is the latest single from their upcoming full length Late Stage Capitalism, which you’ll be able to enjoy on April 19th. 

Show Review: UADA at Neck of the Woods, March 24, 2024

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks

You know what’s missing at Spinning Platters? Black Metal. There’s just a lack of content related to the most extreme subgenre of metal music.  

(c) Wikipedia

There are even several bands considered influential to this genre, including Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon and Gorgoroth. The most famous of these bands is definitely Mayhem, where members killed other members, committed suicide, and burned churches… ah, the good ole’ 1990’s!

While the vast majority of the subject matter here is geared more towards fans of Outside Lands than fans of Mayhem, Spinning Platters still employs a few brave souls who will immerse themselves in the mosh pits and get their eardrums pulverized, all in the name of reporting back about the glorious screaming vocals, remarkably incredible fast guitar riffs and blast-beat drumming, as well as maybe a count on the number of non-black clothing (HA!) and inverted crosses seen, and all typically without even having to stock up on corpse paint…

Fortunately for Neck of the Woods, black metal bands these days typically don’t burn down anything or commit murder anymore!

Continue reading “Show Review: UADA at Neck of the Woods, March 24, 2024”

BONUS SINGLE: “Docket” by Blondshell featuring Bully

Well, holy shit. Sabrina Teitelbaum, aka Blondshell, put out the best debut record of last year… Maybe even the decade? There’s no way she’s going to one-up that perfect LP, is she? Well, her gift for characters and storytelling seems only to be getting better. Such a darkly honest and pure and risky piece of lyric! If “Docket” is a glimmer of what her sophomore record will be like… Well, we probably don’t deserve that record. 

“Docket” is available in all the usual places. She’s also on the road for, well, a very long time. Hopefully, she will grace our presence in the Bay Area again soon, too. Until then, there are plenty of places for you to visit: 

Continue reading “BONUS SINGLE: “Docket” by Blondshell featuring Bully”

Single Of The Week: “NVR RLLY” by King Isis

Jesus Christ, this song is heavy. I’m not quite sure how else to describe it. This song is one blistering blend of drop D-tuned guitars combined with vocals so emotionally volatile that King Isis sounds like they are singing through their heart, which they’ve ripped out of their own chest and smashed in your face. And seriously. They are so intense and heavy that they are the polar opposite of what the terrorist group ISIS stands for, reclaiming it with a guttural thunder. A reminder that Oakland, CA, is where all the best people on Earth are from. 

“NVR RLLY” is the latest single from Shed and the latest EP from King Isis, and it just so happens to be out TODAY! 

Show Review: Mclusky, Suzie True, and Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends at The Echoplex, 03-04-2024

“This one’s for you Susan.”

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a show at the Echoplex. When I first moved to Los Angeles, it quickly became a favorite venue for a wide array of bands, and I covered a lot of fun gigs there. Somewhere along the line, I stopped making it to as many, and I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe I was just working too much, and I was too exhausted even to try, or maybe I just wasn’t seeing the bands that I wanted to see getting booked there. So what a hell of a time to go back to see one of my all-time favorites, Mclusky, tear the fucker apart!

Continue reading “Show Review: Mclusky, Suzie True, and Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends at The Echoplex, 03-04-2024”