Single Of The Week: “The Moon Is In The Wrong Place” by Shannon & The Clams

As much as I *love* a Shannon & The Clams live show, I’ve yet to find myself actively listening to Shannon & The Clams at home.  “The Moon Is In The Wrong Place” marks Shannon & The Clams really does take the energy and enthusiasm of the band’s live set and turns it into 3:03 of pure psych pop andrenaline. I dare you not to dance to this one, or at least find yourself excited about sweeping the kitchen to it. 

“The Moon Is In The Wrong Place” is the first single of their upcoming record, also called The Moon Is In The Wrong Place, available in stores and at your local streaming service on May 10th. Preorders are happening now and you can select your preferred tripped out vinyl edition here! 

Single Of The Week: “BYE BYE” by Kim Gordon

Kim Gordon is well over 40 years into her career, and with every turn, she surprises me a little bit more. But “BYE BYE” is the last thing I expected to come out from her, and it’s bloody amazing. She has captured the soul and energy of HYPERPOP and has released a track that falls somewhere between Pussy Riot, Charli XCX, Nine Inch Nails, and her own Free Kitten project. Fresh and vital and noisy and… It’s just everything good about music in general. 

“BYE BYE” is the first single from Gordon’s second solo album, “The Collective,” coming your way on March 8th. Preorders can be done here. She’s also embarking on a very short tour this Spring, and those tickets can be secured here. 

Film Review: “Driving Madeleine”

A trip through Paris reveals the power of memory and connection

Madeleine (Line Renaud) connects with Charles (Dany Boon), her taxi driver on a long ride through Paris.

The new French film Driving Madeleine will no doubt remind American viewers of 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy and 2018’s Green Book, two award-winning American movies about disparate characters connecting because of a car ride. But Driving Madeleine (or Une Belle Course, its original French title) removes the racial themes and white savior narratives that garnered criticism of the latter two films, and it’s all the better for it. While slightly predictable, Driving Madeleine is a charming, intelligent, and warm character study. If you can’t take a Sunday drive through Paris any time soon, watching this film makes for a great substitute.

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How Did I Get Here? with Dulce Sloan

We are trying something new with this episode. I am NOT doing any preroll. No theme song. No “warm open.” Let me know what you think.

Dulce Sloan is best known for being a correspondent on The Daily Show and often killing it in that role. We chatted about her move from theater to stand-up, the folks that inspired you along the way, and, of course, The Daily Show and her upcoming book, Hello Friends! Stories Of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs coming your way on February 6th (Preorder Here!)

Sloan is in SF this weekend to play a slew of SF Sketchfest events, including a headline set at Brava Theater on Saturday, January 20th at 9:30 pm. Her full schedule can be found here. If you choose not to leave home, she’s also starring in The Great North, which can be seen on Hulu as well as Sunday Nights on Fox! 

A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2024

Whoa! This is my 12th Nerd’s Guide to SF Sketchfest! And after 14 long years (including two really, really long years not too long ago) of writing these, I can declare that SF Sketchfest has finally done it! They’ve booked the holy trinity of surreal sketch comedy! Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame), Kids In The Hall, and The State are all appearing! These three are the unifying forces that brought together both the stoners and the kids afraid of weed. AND I AM HERE FOR IT!  Honestly, this year’s SF Sketchfest, which I believe is the 21st edition of the event, is probably the most bonkers year yet. I have barely started to figure out what gigs I’m seeing… I need to write this almost for myself as much as for you, my loyal reader. 

A complete schedule and links to tickets can be found here! 

Thursday, January 18th Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2024”

Festival Preview: BottleRock Napa Valley 2024

Happy New Year, live music lovers! BottleRock Napa Valley has announced the lineup for this year’s festival, and as usual, it’s got me looking forward to the summer!

It may seem like there’s a long time between the lineup announcement this morning and the festival itself, but I know from experience that the rest of the winter and the spring will both fly by, and before you know it, it’ll be time to gather at Napa Valley Expo once more.

After many years of speculation, Pearl Jam will indeed (finally!) headline the BRNV stage, as will Stevie Nicks, Ed Sheeran, and Maná. Headliners aside, I may be most excited to see Megan Thee Stallion, but also Cold War Kids, Queens of the Stone Age, Norah Jones, Dominic Fike, St. Vincent, The Offspring, Nelly, Bebe Rexha, Stephen Sanchez, Cannons, Holly Humberstone, The Record Company, Royal Otis, The Moss, and Mondo Cozmo.

As always, you can plan on finding amazing food, wine, beer, and cocktails to pair with your festival weekend. Trust me – you don’t want to miss this one!

You can find my 2024 BottleRock Napa Valley Preview playlist here, so you can listen along and get excited! Don’t have tickets? Don’t worry, you can get yours here. I’ll see you in Napa this summer!

Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2023

By The SPINNING PLATTERS STAFF

Hello! It’s your favorite procrastinating music blog here to present you with… THE LAST TOP ALBUMS OF 2023 LIST! I know everyone else is trying to be first. But the one you remember best is the last one you read, and this is probably the best list anyway. It’s also only 10 records, so you can really sink your teeth into it. 

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Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2023

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for: my 2023 cinematic favorites! You can also check out fellow film critic Chad Liffmann’s list here to compare and contrast and see who you agree with more. Will Oscar voters agree with us? We’ll find out when the nominations are announced on January 23rd!

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Film Review: “All of Us Strangers”

You were always on my mind: Haigh’s latest is a consummate tale of overcoming loss

Adam (Andrew Scott, l.) begins a relationship with his neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal).

Back in 2017, in my review of the lackluster film A Ghost Story, I declared that Manchester by the Sea was the “finest movie about grief ever made.” Fast forward to the present day, however, and I now retract my statement. Writer/director Andrew Haigh’s devastating new film All of Us Strangers has usurped that designation, and at this point I can’t fathom that another picture could even come close to knocking it out of position. An emotionally wrenching, achingly true, and deeply affecting story about trauma, grief, and memory, Haigh’s film is one of the year’s best.

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Film Review: “The Iron Claw”

The Iron Claw’s energy in the ring can’t overcome its weaknesses outside the ring

Your mileage may vary on how much you care about wrestling. Wrestling only became major sports entertainment in the late 1980s with the growing popularity of the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). But in the early 1980s, the Von Erich family sought fame on wrestling’s biggest stages, but tragedy continued to get in the way. The Iron Claw, a new sports drama named after the family’s trademark wrestling move, hastily captures this incredibly sad, hard-to-believe true story, but lacks emotional thoroughness in between its wrestling matches.

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