Spinning Platters – Page 32 – Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds

Show Review: Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade with Fishbone at Meritage Resort, Napa, 5/19/2023

Even the poster still says Silverado Resort. This show was moved in a hurry! Brian Allen of Flyland Designs did the art for this poster — it’s killer.

About two weeks ago, well after most of the shows had gone on sale, Blue Note Napa announced that they were moving their Summer Sessions series of concerts from the Silverado Resort to the Meritage Resort. The Napa Valley Register reported that it was due to some permitting issues with Napa County, but regardless, if there’s a new venue out there in the world that’s hosting a show as promising as Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and Fishbone, I was going to have to check it out. Continue reading “Show Review: Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade with Fishbone at Meritage Resort, Napa, 5/19/2023”

Film Review: “The Little Mermaid”

Halle Bailey is a shining star in this mostly successful and worthwhile remake

“It’s a dinglehopper!” Disney has been churning out live-action remakes of their classic animated films since the mid-1990s. The velocity increased exponentially with Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book and Pete’s Dragon (2016), and Beauty and the Beast (2017). There have been six (!) direct live-action remakes since then, not including numerous character origin stories, sequels, and spin-offs. Over seven titles are in the pipeline. With few exceptions, most of these have been lackluster cash grabs, devoid of the groundbreaking nature and pizzazz of the originals, and unable to modernize themes and storylines without stumbling hard. Thus, The Little Mermaid is the latest entry into Disney’s live-action remake collection, an adaptation of the 1989 animated classic. Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago; Mary Poppins Returns), the new The Little Mermaid succeeds in ways that previous Disney remakes failed, but at times the film trips over its own feet, err, fins.

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Film Review: “Master Gardener”

Spending time in this garden is no picnic

Master Gardener Narvel (Joel Edgerton) chats with his boss, Norma (Sigourney Weaver).

If you’re a fan of writer/director Paul Schrader, you’re bound to be disappointed by his newest film. With Master Gardener, the Taxi Driver screenwriter seems to have lost his focus, recycling old themes with no new insights and creating a picture that alternates between gothic camp and heavy-handed tedium.

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Single of the Week: “Fitness” by Snõõper

Looking for a nice, relaxing 20 minutes song played at a breakneck pace, so the whole song is played in under 2 minutes? Well, “Fitness” by Snõõper is the track for you! I wouldn’t actually try working out to this song because, well, you would definitely die. That being said, I think this song makes me want to ACTUALLY train hard enough to compete in a natural bodybuilding competition. So, yeah, gonna go buy some eggs and asparagus and get ripped in 1:45 chunks. (Also, this video is fantastic)

“Fitness” can be enjoyed in all the usual places RIGHT NOW. Their debut album, Super Snõõper, is coming your way on July 14th from Third Man Records. This means Jack White is a fan of breakneck perky punk rock, too! You can fully prepare for July 14th both virtually and physically here, and Snõõper is playing Mosswood Meltdown AND a Mosswood Meltdown After Party, both July 2nd in Oakland, CA, if you are the type that doesn’t like experiencing the sun and music at the same time. Tickets for both are available here!

Film Review: “It Ain’t Over”

A wonderful tribute and legacy reclamation for one of baseball’s greatest

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the New York Yankees dominated the baseball world. Between a sixteen year span, 1947-1962, they won ten World Series titles. Only one player was on the team for all ten of those titles (a MLB player record) while also becoming an 18-time All-Star — Yogi Berra. And yet, his name is most commonly associated with witty sayings, or ‘yogi-isms’, like “When you come to a fork in the road, take it” and “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” In the early 2000s his wit was made even more famous by his appearance in an Aflac commercial (which was quite funny, actually). His ‘yogi-isms’ are neither the whole story, nor do they represent his greatest accomplishments. Berra was a World War II veteran, and then achieved some of the best player statistics in the history of the sport, and Sean Mullin’s new documentary, It Ain’t Over, splendidly captures and reclaims Berra’s much deserved legacy.

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HOW DID I GET HERE? with Salami Rose Joe Louis

Lindsay Olsen, aka Salami Rose Joe Louis, is an incredibly hard to pin down musician. I have often found her loosely labeled “jazz” or “electronic” but neither of those seem quite right. She’s doing a beautiful blend of jazz, pop, psych, house, and pure imagination that you really have to listen to in order to believe. We had a chat with her about her early influences, her time in a punk band where she played the blender, as well as the process if recreating a solo project with a full band. Her latest record is called Akousmatikous and is coming out on May 19th. Preorders / Presaves are ongoing. She’s also going on tour and you can find tour dates here!

Find and subscribe to How Did I Get Here? on your favorite streaming platform by going here!

BottleRock Napa Valley 2023 Preview

Can you feel it? Summer’s almost here, finally! Besides the fact that the rain has finally stopped and the temps are heating up, you always know it’s just about summer when it’s time to take a look at the upcoming BottleRock Napa Valley festival!

As usual, the folks organizing this magical event in my sweet hometown have done a brilliant job providing us with not just fantastic headliners but quite a few awesome smaller bands. It starts in less than 10 days, and as usual, I can’t wait!

This year, the Red Hot Chili Peppers return to headline along with The Smashing Pumpkins, Lizzo, Duran Duran, Post Malone, and Lil Nas X!

Beyond that impressive lineup of headliners, there are countless other interesting acts I hope to see, including Bastille, Phantogram, Kennyhoopla, Jean Dawson, Beach Weather, Paris Jackson, local band High Noon, Leon Bridges, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, Dayglow, Danielle Ponder, Wu-Tang Clan, The National, Caamp, Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, The Wrecks, and The Alive. And that’s without listing any of the extensive food, wine, or cocktails available to tempt and delight tastebuds, too!

Here’s my 2023 BottleRock preview playlist for your listening enjoyment, and I look forward to seeing you there soon! Don’t have tickets? Try here, and come on out to Napa for some sunshine at the best fest in the west!

Bumbershoot is back!! Bumbershoot is back!!!

Regular readers will have learned that this site’s music editor sometimes misses important news. Like, I don’t know, the 50th Bumbershoot getting announced with a ridiculously stacked line-up of mostly said music editor’s favorite bands? Well, better late than never? Plus, they broke out the lineup into individual days, and it’s still almost too much good to handle.

Headlining Saturday is Pacific Northwest legends (and the literal best band in America) Sleater-Kinney (playing what looks like their only show of 2023!) alongside Bay Area notables Zhu and AFI, as well as Brittany Howard. Sunday treats us to The Revivalists, Bay Area punks Jawbreaker, alongside The Descendents, Matt & Kim, and more. Further down the line-up, we’ve got Spinning Platters favorites, The Dandy Warhols, Debby Friday, Shannon & The Clams, Destroy Boys, Morgan & The Organ Donors, Hunx & His Punx, and way too many more.

The other exciting news? Bumbershoot has teamed up with our pals at The UC Theater to help their Concert Career Pathways Program spread to Seattle. What is this program? It’s a tuition-free, hands-on education program bringing careers in live music to young people that wouldn’t normally have this opportunity. You can donate to these folks here.

Full daily lineups are below. Tickets are available NOW and are moving nicely, so don’t delay!

New Music Videos from Blondshell and Dream Wife

Remember when Tuesdays were the “New Release Day” for music? Those days were special. Although I think moving it to Friday is a little more fun. That being said, two videos dropped today from two of my favorite finds of the year!

Going in alphabetical order out of fairness…

Continue reading “New Music Videos from Blondshell and Dream Wife”

Show Review: A Night of Enchantment: Pixies and Slow Pulp Grace the Fox Theater – Oakland, 5/4/23

A Night of Enchantment: Pixies and Slow Pulp Grace the Fox Theater

Within the heart of downtown Oakland lies the historic Fox Theater, a stunning Art Deco masterpiece that has set the stage for many an unforgettable concert experience. Last week, the theater’s exquisite interior and world-class sound system played host to an electrifying performance by the Pixies, with Slow Pulp as their mesmerizing opening act. Continue reading “Show Review: A Night of Enchantment: Pixies and Slow Pulp Grace the Fox Theater — Oakland, 5/4/23”