Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Our dear editor-in-chief posted this on the Spinning Platters twitter account:
SpinnPlatt Our concert calendar looks sad and lonely for the next two weeks. Someone talk us into something, please.
Which makes me realize that he needs this column more than anyone else. Just because Fauxchella is only two weeks away, doesn’t mean you can take a break!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/31/10-4/6/10”
So I’ve been working a lot of long hours. It has sapped my will to be funny or amusing. Basically sapping my will…although I guess it could also be a direct result of listening to Bieber. Zing! Continue reading “Mega New Release Round Up 3/16/10 and 3/23/10 — 52 Instant Album Reviews”
It’s not hard to see why Spin magazine calls Neon Indian one of the top ten bands most likely to break in 2010. There’s nothing to dislike. Beats that demand dancing and vocal melodies that layer with funky 80’s synth so well, you’d have to be a regular Principal Belding not to like the energetic romp of Neon Indian. Continue reading “Show Review: Neon Indian at The Mezzanine, 3/26/10”
Rounding out the various articles on SXSW 2010, is me, the reluctant writer. While I should have been recording back at the hotel all the awesome (and not so awesome) things I had witnessed in Austin like Dakin, I was too busy picking out my outfits, and blowing my nose. But then why didn’t I write a post-SXSW article like Gordon, you may ask? Well, I went and partied in Las Vegas instead. Or, how come I didn’t use my day off (Viva Cesar Chavez!) and create a cute and interesting post like Marie? To that, all I have to say is, I’m just lazy. But 9 days after the commencement of the festivities, here are my thoughts and my fuzzy pictures to illustrate the grandeur that is SXSW 2010. Continue reading “Caroline’s SXSW 2010 Photo Highlights”
Electronic acts far and wide have begun to embrace the digital world as a new means of performance, production, and musical composition. Despite the ease and shimmer that is brought to songs of digital birth, there is really nothing quite like the humming, warm drones of analog circuits, whether they be in new-school oscillators or old-school synthesizers — or possibly both. Tonight’s performance at the Fox Theater welcomed two acts — Air from France, and AM from Los Angeles — who brought the gentle charm of analog and the sweeping beauty of ambient electronics to a theater which often plays host to some of the loudest and most bombastic rock acts of today. Continue reading “Show Review: Air with AM at The Fox Oakland, 3/26/2010”
Let me start off by saying that I probably saw 1% of possible bands to see at SXSW, and none of them were the bands everyone is talking about. I didn’t bother waiting in line for She and Him. I left a venue Hole was playing right before they came on twice. I don’t give a crap about The Black Keys or Broken Bells, and my feet hurt too much to watch Miike Snow (which I actually kinda regret). My point being that my awards are highly subjective and only the opinion of me, Marie. A special thanks to YouTube for making these awards possible.
So, on with the awards! Continue reading “Marie’s Best of SXSW 2010 Awards”
Wellll, damn. If I wasn’t worshiping at the shrine of Metric already, last night’s show at the Fox Theater easily convinced me: this band is fierce and invincible. Their live set was a tight performance; it seems doubtful that there was more than a moment where they didn’t hold the audience firmly in their grasp. Guitarist James Shaw has mentioned that the band “toured the new songs a lot” and it shows – they move effortlessly through a set, never missing a note, and still look as though they’re having as much fun as the audience. Continue reading “Show Review: Metric, Codeine Velvet Club and Nico Vega at the Fox Oakland, 3/24/10”
In celebration of the release of Apparition Film’s The Runaways, Spinning Platters is giving away movie posters & copies of the recently remastered 2-CD set of Joan Jett & The Blackheart’s Greatest Hits. Click on to find out how to win! Continue reading “Spinning Platters presents a Runaways Movie Giveaway”
Chances are, if you’re a music aficionado, you’ve already heard of AM. If not directly from a friend or by way of online channels such as Lala and thesixtyone, where he currently enjoys a strong presence, then you’ve most likely been exposed through a more traditional medium.
This is due to the fact that every single track off of his 2006 full-length debut, Troubled Times, has appeared in either a film or TV show. Thus far, the Tulsa-born, New Orleans-bred singer-songwriter has been savvy enough to capitalize on the momentum of such a promising start. AIR has asked him to open for them on their North American tour and when that concludes, he’ll embark on a stint with none other than Charlotte Gainsbourg as she also treks through the U.S. and Canada.
Continue reading “Album Review: AM — Future Sons & Daughters”
While the photos on this post are all by David Price, he’s in Vegas this week, so all the text here is simply an …
Editor’s Note: Our photographer, David Price, dealt with inconsistent lighting, security that weren’t all on the same page, a lack of photo pits, and plenty of cameras in his face to take over 10,000 photos at SXSW. And then I went and boiled them all down here to 30 favorites. There’s other photos in individual posts, and we’ll be drawing from other ones as we continue our coverage as well. Inside, you’ll find several shots of the most photogenic guy at SXSW this year, Pink Eyes of Fucked Up, including one with our managing editor Dakin Hardwick. It’s not the most well-lit shot in the world, and it’s not particularly newsworthy, but we like it. And that’s how I picked these 30 photos. Because we like them. Continue reading “Our 30 Favorite Photos from SXSW 2010”