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”

Spinning Platters Picks Six: Bands I’d Never Heard Of Until Lunch Today

Some designer needs to be fired right now. Or given a raise. I can't decide.
Some designer needs to be fired right now. Or given a raise. I can't decide.

Today I went to Target to buy some stuff, and as I do when I go to Target, I went to the CD section just to have a look around. I thought perhaps I would buy the new album by The Temper Trap, for Target was sure to have that.  Well, they didn’t.  As you might already know, these big department stores carry a tiny selection of the available CDs on the market, so unless you’re an established name, it’s hard to get in there.  Then I noticed something odd.  There were a bunch of featured artists that I had never heard of. How do they get into Target?  I jotted down the names of six of these artists, and decided to see if I’ve been missing the boat on them.  Enjoy six artists that I had never heard of until lunch today. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Six: Bands I’d Never Heard Of Until Lunch Today”

Album Review: a-ha – Foot of The Mountain

AHA_foot_of_the_mountain

Why am I reviewing a-ha you may ask yourself. Perhaps it’s because I am the most mainstream pop fan around here but in truth it’s because they released a fantastic album, Analogue in 2005, which, even with my very short attention span for music, remains on my playlist on a regular basis. This is not really the a-ha of 80’s “Take On Me” fame, though the members are the same as when the band formed in 1982: lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, the music they are making has grown up significantly. I am told their lyrics are Christian based but, to be honest, I don’t pay that close attention and just hear great songs. Analogue featured some amazing balladic tunes and I was happy to hear of the Europe-only release of their new album Foot of the Mountain. Continue reading “Album Review: a-ha — Foot of The Mountain”