Show Review: Them Crooked Vultures with Mini Mansions at The Fox Oakland

Them Crooked Vultures @ The Fox
Them Crooked Vultures @ The Fox

There have been a few “supergroups” that came and went in the last few years, many formed from the remnants of the grunge generation looking to try out new sounds, such as Army Of Anyone (the members of Stone Temple Pilots headed by  Richard Patrick of Filter), Audioslave (the members of Rage Against The Machine headed by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden), or Velvet Revolver (Scott Weiland of the aforementioned STP fronting the remaining members of Guns N’ Roses). While all of the records are excellent in theory, in execution they don’t always live up to the names of the musicians writing the music on the records. The kind of supergroup that is likely to TRULY break the mold is one spanning multiple generations of music. In the case of Them Crooked Vultures, it’s three generations: the stoner-groove-rock of the 2000’s, the solid, angry blues-grunge of the 90’s, and the arena-level rock-n’-roll of the ’70s. Of course, these three genres would make sense, given that Them Crooked Vultures is composed of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age / Kyuss), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters / Nirvana), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).

Continue reading “Show Review: Them Crooked Vultures with Mini Mansions at The Fox Oakland”

New Release Round Up, 11/17/09 – 20 Instant Album Reviews

Pouria says, "Listening to this album is like watching Over the Top."
Pouria says, "Listening to this album is like watching Over the Top."

I’ve been in Seoul for the past couple weeks so I’ve had a bit of a break.  Fortunately I could ease in this week since it didn’t really seem like much came out.  One really hilarious album came out this week, so if you get a chance you should listen to Pretty Ricky for some lighthearted fun. Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 11/17/09 — 20 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: Robbie Williams – Reality Killed the Video Star

Robbie Williams proving once again he is as bad-ass as you can be on a pop record.
Robbie Williams proving once again he is as bad-ass as you can be on a pop record.

Chances are, if you are an American, Robbie Williams is the most famous singer you’ve never heard of.  Not to say you haven’t heard his music, but the name Robbie Williams means nothing to you.  In the UK he has sold more records than any other solo artist.  He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most concert ticket sales in a single day.  He is the most popular non-Latin artist in Latin America.  In 2009 his net worth is estimated to be 80 million pounds (134 million dollars).  With his eighth studio album Reality Killed the Video Star he proves again what all the fuss is about, and the United States, once again, will probably not notice.  Shame on you America. Continue reading “Album Review: Robbie Williams — Reality Killed the Video Star”

Spinning Platters Picks Six: Songs to Get Down To

It's worth reading this to find out why the Eiffel Tower is here.
It's worth reading this to find out why the Eiffel Tower is here.

Like any other San Franciscan, I claim to abhor Los Angeles and all it stands for.  Its sleazy, overtly sexualized, and full of plastic looking waiters trying to be actors.  While trying to not enjoy the perfect weather in Venice Beach last weekend listening to a borrowed ipod, I stumbled upon a playlist called Songs to Get Down To.   Naively, I thought I’d be bouncing through traffic to some dance hits. But as it turns out, the owner of the ipod is a Los Angeles Casanova, and what I got instead was a bunch of slow jams.

I was originally going to give this list a little feminine mystique and some sort of demure title hinting at what these songs are for.  But in the spirit of the sleaziest city on the West Coast, I give you 6 Songs to Get Down To. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Six: Songs to Get Down To”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: November 18th-November 24th

Not playing Cafe du Nord on Monday, but their legacy is...
Not playing Cafe du Nord on Monday, but their legacy is...

So, it looks like the people of the ABC are getting super angry, and are doing some nasty things to our DNA. It also looks like the economy is laying to waste one of San Francisco’s greatest venues at the end of the year. So, please, please help keep live music alive by going to a show or two this week. And next week is Black Friday, a day that you will be shopping early in the morning. I suggest all of our readers power shop, then power nap, and then attend an all ages show somewhere in town, then head to Annie’s Social Club afterwards for some late night punk rock karaoke. But, we won’t have an extensive Black Friday show guide until next Wednesday. Until then, here’s this week:

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: November 18th-November 24th”

Show Review: The Drums at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 11/12/2009

Leaning on a wall of sound
Leaning on a wall of sound

Sitting at a table alone with two strange boys, I toyed with my drink, waiting for my friend who fell asleep to show up. I saw a girl on the dance floor throw her cell phone on the floor, pick it up, then storm off leaving her two friends with stupefied looks on their faces. Boy trouble! Don’t I know it.

Which is where I was at when I first heard The Drums on KALX last week. Continue reading “Show Review: The Drums at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 11/12/2009”

Show Review: The Mountain Goats with Final Fantasy at The Fillmore, 11/14/2009

mountaingoatsfillmore

Just arrived from South Korea on November 14th and had not slept for over 30 hours; I was ripe for covering a concert. I headed to San Francisco from my East Bay hamlet, hoping not to fall asleep at the wheel. Continue reading “Show Review: The Mountain Goats with Final Fantasy at The Fillmore, 11/14/2009”

Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Guggenheim Grotto at The Fillmore, 11/13/09

This show is planned down to the last detail.
This show is planned down to the last detail.

Somewhere in Los Angeles today, They Might Be Giants are playing a show at which they’ll play Flood in its entirety. Shows where bands play the entire album are a bit boring because you know exactly what’s coming next, and most of the fun of a band like They Might Be Giants is wondering just what the heck will be played next. While you can see from the above set list photo that there’s no question what’s going to happen next, I like the element of surprise. Continue reading “Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Guggenheim Grotto at The Fillmore, 11/13/09”

Week in Review: Top 5 Posts from Nov 6 – Nov 12

Part of Strawberryluna's letter series.  You can buy them here.
Part of Strawberryluna's letter series. Click on the picture to buy it.

There was a lot more competition for the top posts of the week this week. Bands that start with the letter P have positively proven to be particularly popular posts at Spinning Platters. I don’t know why that is, but because of this, we’re hoping you’ll come back to read our reviews of Pountain Goats, Pem Crooked Vultures, and the Piery Purances.  But now for this week’s top 5. Continue reading “Week in Review: Top 5 Posts from Nov 6 — Nov 12”

Show Review: Fuck Buttons with Growing and Chen Santa Maria at Bottom Of The Hill, 11/13/09

fuck_buttons
... and the horse they rode in on.

A noise-rock show is a different sort of animal than most musical performances that one usually attends: it’s mostly improvisational, there usually isn’t a wild light show, the performers hardly ever (if ever) look at the audience, and it’s about ten times louder than the last Muse concert you went to, even when you stood next to the P.A. and forgot your earplugs. It’s also likely that you will not be able to predict the level of fanaticism that will be inspired by even the slightest change in the steamroller of sound that is the band’s performance; the crowd could just as easily metamorphose into a frenzied circle pit as it could remain stock-still in silent contemplation of the wall of noise barreling through them. For Fuck Buttons, it ran the full gamut: loud, soft, crazed and quiet, and it was beautiful and destructive chaos all at once. Continue reading “Show Review: Fuck Buttons with Growing and Chen Santa Maria at Bottom Of The Hill, 11/13/09”