Show Review: The xx with Warpaint and Zola Jesus at The Fox Oakland, 9/23/2010

Welcome, they said welcome to the floor / It's been a while (Photo by Carla Deasy)
Welcome, they said welcome to the floor / It's been a while (Photo by Carla Deasy)

How often do you find yourself enthralled with an opening band? For most of us, the answer would usually be “not very often”, and in a fairly large sum of concertgoers, “hardly ever”. What, then, do you say when you find yourself attending a headlining show of that same band? Do you bite your tongue and feel a hypocrite, or do you revel in the fact that you are experiencing them again, and this time in a fuller, more realized capacity? It was, most likely, these sorts of thoughts and sensations going through the heads of many members of the crowd inside the Fox Theater tonight, for the band that had returned to Oakland for their second performance at this historic venue were doing just that: headlining. The xx were the opening act for the electronic masterminds of Hot Chip back in April; this time around, the dark, haunting-yet-danceable London rockers were the ringleaders of the show, which apparently sold out even faster than their previous Fox Theater show from 5 months ago.

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Album Review: No Age – Everything In Between

In 2008, No Age became media darlings with their sophomore release, Nouns: a fuzzed out mixture of noise, pop and punk. Two years later they’ve follow it up with Everything In-Between. The adolescent angst under riding Nouns has now been filtered into a much more mature and complex sound in Everything.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 9/23/2010-9/29/2010

Instead of a quick, witty thing to say, I just want you to figure out which band playing this week is being spoofed with the photograph above. Winner gets a note from me telling you that you won!

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Show Review: Kele with Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Innerpartysystem at The Mezzanine, 9/18/2010

Kele was all smiles

Hiatus is a dirty word when bands you love start throwing it around. Sometimes, the band returns, re-energized and ready for action. Other times the band returns, gets together for a little while, realizes the hiatus was the right move, and just breaks up. And then there are times when the band doesn’t come back at all. So when Bloc Party announced their hiatus, I was concerned. What would come of Kele Okereke, one of my favorite front men of all time? This weekend, I found out. Continue reading “Show Review: Kele with Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Innerpartysystem at The Mezzanine, 9/18/2010”

Show Review: Tu Fawning, Suckers, Menomena at Great American Music Hall

Working the alto sax.

What an inopportune time to have a camera battery die on you. I don’t mean run out of juice, as I’ve already learned that lesson in the past, but actually up and die as in refuse to work. As a result, I didn’t get the opportunity to shoot Tu Fawning, the up-and-coming Portland-based quartet that opened for Suckers and Menomena on Tuesday, September 14th at Great American Music Hall.

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Show Review: Paramore with Tegan & Sara and New Found Glory at the HP Pavillion, 9/17/10

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.

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Spinning Platters Interview: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman on “Howl”

Script supervisor Tony Pettine discusses a scene with directors Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein in the courtroom set of HOWL. Photo courtesy of Telling Pictures.

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

Marina, working outfit #2 for her "Diamonds"

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.

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Show Review: The Chapin Sisters at Café Du Nord, 9/15/10

Abigail and Lily Chapin, a.k.a. The Chapin Sisters, singing with She & Him in festively nautical attire on Governor's Island in July. Photo by Doug Glass.

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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