Show Review: Eisley at Slim’s, 10/15/09

eisley

So often there are those bands that fall between the cracks of your musical world.  They fight and claw their way in, trying to have a place in your collection.  They try to pop up on your Pandora station, or while you’re trying to decide if you should buy this eighty dollar shirt at a trendy clothing shop, just so they might have a chance of sticking in your head.  And just when they get through (in my case it was the song “Marvelous Things”), they book a concert on the same night of another show you already have tickets for!  It’s beyond me how many times I’ve missed Eisley just because I was at a different show on the same night.  This show was somewhere around six years in waiting. Continue reading “Show Review: Eisley at Slim’s, 10/15/09”

Treasure Island Night Show Review: MGMT at the Independent, 10/16/09

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The next prog superpower? It's not out of the realm of possibility.

My double clicking ability is expert! That’s how I got tickets to MGMT at the Independent. I picked up two tickets to see MGMT thinking that of course someone would like to join me on this outing. Apparently, no one I know likes then enough to cancel their Friday night plans, so I went alone and gave my ticket to a guy so his wife could get in. You can never have too much good karma, and tonight I didn’t need the money.

The last time I saw MGMT was at Live 105’s BFD in 2008. I don’t remember much about the band, I just remember the girls from Oakland girl rap group Hot Tub getting on stage and grinding around. (Hot Tub by the way is amazing.) So, needless to say, seeing MGMT at the Independent is a big change of venue from the parking lot at Shoreline. Continue reading “Treasure Island Night Show Review: MGMT at the Independent, 10/16/09”

New Release Round Up, 10/13/09 – 37 Instant Album Reviews

The new Dead By Sunrise album
The new Dead By Sunrise album

This week was stricken with lost reviews due to non-saving and some pretty good albums. My favorite of the week would have to be Carried Away by People Under The Stairs. Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 10/13/09 — 37 Instant Album Reviews”

Show Review: Gogol Bordello at The Fox Oakland, 10/15/09

Between the pit and the constant movement on stage, photo opportunities were few and far between.
Between the pit and the constant movement on stage, photo opportunities were few and far between.

I was standing by the door into the floor last night when someone walked by, looked inside the floor section of the Fox Theater, and said, “Oh good, it’s a small venue.” I had the opposite reaction when I heard Gogol Bordello was playing the Fox, as it’s a big venue for them, and specifically for our time together.  Though I missed the Bottom of the Hill days, I did spend a few evenings with them at Slim’s, throwing back vodka shots and carrying Eugene Hutz around over my head.  How would the insanity of a Gogol Bordello show translate to this classic theater? Continue reading “Show Review: Gogol Bordello at The Fox Oakland, 10/15/09”

The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival

No, I'm not sure how to get to where this picture was taken.
No, I'm not sure how to get to where this picture was taken.

This weekend’s Treasure Island Music Festival has quickly become my favorite musical event of the year. There are no conflicting set times, so you can see everyone on the bill. The size of the festival is fairly small, so it’s easy to get around. The setting in the middle of San Francisco Bay is absolutely stunning. And something about all of these combine to keep the people going in a relaxed, pleasant mood that makes being there all the more enjoyable.

Now, you might think going to this festival is as easy as hopping in your car and going to the festival to enjoy some music, but you’d be wrong. Read on, and I’ll teach you how to avoid rookie mistakes. Continue reading “The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival”

Spinning Platters Podcast: Episode Six – I Can See This Podcast From My House

Are you a big fan of apples?
Are you a big fan of apples?

Episode 6 of the Spinning Platters podcast features guest Laura Hamilton discussing the pros and cons of ticket scalping, and sharing some of our favorite ticket scalping stories. We also do a final preview of the Treasure Island Music Festival.  As always, we go off on our crazy tangents, including a socialist rant from a surprising source.

We also discuss the following: Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast: Episode Six — I Can See This Podcast From My House”

Album (EP) Review: Foxes! – Who Killed Rob?

Foxes

Foxes! is a 4-piece indie-pop band from Brighton, England.  Just like in a fox hunt, you have to be extremely fast if you ever want to catch them, especially if you live in a country that doesn’t breed hounds for the traditional hunt.

This clever band recently completed a small but successful California tour without visas, and thus without merch and, most importantly, instruments. They dodged the instrument issue by sharing gear with tour headliner, Oakland’s The Hot Toddies.  Matching their DIY pop sound, Foxes! burned and decorated CDRs to hold over their curious new American fans until the real CDs cross the pond legally.

For a fiver, I nabbed a burned copy of the band’s 5-song debut EP, Who Killed Rob? Continue reading “Album (EP) Review: Foxes! — Who Killed Rob?”

Spinning Platters Picks Six: English bands that should be more popular in the US

Here to entertain!
Here to entertain!

Nothing too spectacular here: if you’re looking for groundbreaking bands you may be in the wrong place.  This is a simple list of six English bands that I love but that have made little-to-no impact across the Atlantic here in the US.  They mostly share a bouncy guitar based pop/rock sound and, to some degree, a sense of pseudo punkishness. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Six: English bands that should be more popular in the US”

Album Review: Emmy the Great – First Love

Emmy

I’m kind of a sucker for female singers with a British accent. Ok wait, I’m kind of a sucker for British accents in general, but let’s ignore that for now. Lucky for me there seems to have been some point in the last few years when the music industry decided that the new “it” thing was female British singers. I won’t name them, but you know who I’m talking about: they are always grouped together even though their musical styles are different just because they are of the same gender and geographical area. First Love, the debut album by Emmy the Great (aka Emma-Lee Moss), might fit the quirky-folk contingent. Continue reading “Album Review: Emmy the Great — First Love”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: October 13th-October 19th

Sadness be that it is merely an island of treasure, not a planet
Sadness be that it is merely an island of treasure, not a planet

As we all know, this weekend is the Treasure Island Music Festival.  It’s always a really good weekend, and the night shows are pretty awesome this year, too! I will be there, and you should, too! But, just in case you have a deep phobia of pirates and buried treasure, we’ve got a few more ideas for you:

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: October 13th-October 19th”