Spinning Platters – Page 57 – Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds

Aftershock 2023… and why it will be better than Power Trip!

Show Preview by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro

The extended weekend of October 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the year 2 0 2 3 has been leaving fans of heavy metal music in decision limbo since the beginning of April. In mid-March, the annual heavy metal pilgrimage to Sacramento, called Aftershock Festival, announced another stellar (as always) 4-day lineup for an unforgettable weekend of Rock N Metal. What nobody knew then is that a mere two weeks later, Power Trip (not the band) would announce a killer classic metal lineup for their festival, to take place simultaneously on the same weekend, albeit in the southern California desert. Goldenvoice had just put Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) on notice, and fans then had to decide which to go to! Now, with t-minus two weeks and counting, Spinning Platters is here to explain why Aftershock Festival is thee festival to attend and how they will not be relinquishing their West Coast Fall Festival crown…

Continue reading “Aftershock 2023… and why it will be better than Power Trip!”

Festival Review: Through The Looking Glass at Children’s Fairyland, 9/16/23

Children’s Fairyland is a pretty magical, at times even mythical place. The place that may or may not have inspired Disneyland has certainly inspired the imaginations of many generations of children who have grown up in the Bay Area. Yet, aside from the annual open-bar fundraiser, there haven’t been many opportunities for adults without children to really experience the wonder of this place. Really, it would take a special type of person, an artist who understands what fairies mean to grown-ups, who can bridge the beauty of approaching the world with a childlike curiosity with an adult’s maturity. There are probably three local musicians who are capable of curating an event at Children’s Fairyland and doing it right. It would be either Les Claypool, Tom Waits, or SPELLLING. And, really, we all know SPELLLING is the only person who could really do it right.

Continue reading “Festival Review: Through The Looking Glass at Children’s Fairyland, 9/16/23”

Show Review: Pixies and Modest Mouse with Cat Power at Oxbow River Stage, 9/15/23

This is my favorite time of the year: the hottest days of the summer are in the rearview, and fall is just around the corner. Before the warmth of the season fades completely, if we’re lucky, we might get one last chance to catch a spectacular show outdoors before it gets cold. This past weekend presented me with one such chance, in this case, to see the Pixies and Modest Mouse with Cat Power at Napa’s Oxbow River Stage. Continue reading “Show Review: Pixies and Modest Mouse with Cat Power at Oxbow River Stage, 9/15/23”

Single of the Week: “The Tree b/w Get The Hell Out Of Here” by Maren Morris

Country music is a messy, messy place these days. The narrative seems to always be dominated by the Jason Aldeans and Toby Keiths, and Morgan Wallens, folks that dominate the mainstream not because they make good music but because they speak to the petty grievances of right-wing America. (I’m not putting Oliver Anthony in this boat, and someday I’ll write a real blog post about that song, but I don’t think he’s saying what people think he’s saying with that song.) Anyway, I’ve already said too much about despicable white men who are deathly afraid of losing power and control. I’m much more interested in the people looking to speak the truth, unafraid of losing power. Maren Morris’ new EP, The Bridge, does just that. It’s a direct rebuttal of “Try That In A Small Town,” two singles about the crushing weight of hate in this country and how to navigate it. Neither of the tracks are actually political anthems. She’s managed to hit that specific feeling of being overwhelmed by the hell we are in, and sometimes it feels like we are just doomed, but we’ve gotta take a step out and rest and then get back to work, because we are all humans and need to treat each other as such.

Anyways… I’m also on Day 12 of testing positive for my first ever COVID-19 infection (and hoping hard to test negative tomorrow and finally leave my room) and feeling SUPER angry about how we don’t have any sufficient ways to protect ourselves while still existing and such. So, yeah, I’m feeling raw and Maren Morris is like a nice weighted blanket telling me that I’m not alone, and maybe, just maybe, we will get through this. The Bridge is out now and is available on all your DSPs. Hopefully, we will see a physical release, too!

Film Review: “A Million Miles Away”

Peña soars in against-all-odds astronaut story

José Hernández (Michael Peña) finally realizes a lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut.

Hollywood has long plumbed the depths of unlikely hero tales. No matter how many Rocky knock-offs the studios churn out, they never seem to tire of downtrodden and impoverished characters who must overcome great odds to lift themselves into a higher station in life. From Rocky to Rudy to Erin Brockovich, Hidden Figures and, most recently, Flamin’ Hot, these tales lift us up and inspire us even as they fight to be unique. So who can blame director Alejandra Márquez Abella for trying her hand at this well-worn but lucrative formula with her new biopic A Million Miles Away? Luckily for us, though, her effort proves to be an excellent addition to the familiar genre.

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Show Review: Boris, Melvins, Mr. Flyzzz @ The Belasco 08-24-2023

“Boris knows and Boris likes it all.”

It’s been quite the year in live music so far, and it seems like every band on the planet is touring right now, but when two heavyweights like Melvins and Boris announce a tour together, and not only that, but they announce that they’re going to tour a full album each, it’s a no brainer for me. So I rode off to Downtown Los Angeles for an evening of loud as fuck music from two titans of the genre.

Continue reading “Show Review: Boris, Melvins, Mr. Flyzzz @ The Belasco 08-24-2023”

VIDEO PREMIERE: “Girl Girl Girl” by Anna Hillburg

I was first introduced to the great Anna Hillburg via her amazing (and educational) Instagram Series “Tootin’ Tuesdays!” where she would cover classic trumpet riffs in well known songs, with a bit of history and well crafted video. BUT! We aren’t here to talk about “One of the few things that gave me hope during the deep pandemic,” because she’s also finished the third portion of her epic music video trilogy that began with “Your Room” and “middled” with “No Fun.” “Girl Girl Girl” finishes off the story, and might be my favorite movie of the year at this point.

“Girl Girl Girl” is a track off Hillburg’s upcoming record Tired Girls, coming your way October 13th! You can do all you need to do to anticipate your listening (by that, I mean Preorder or Presave) of it here! And there’s a record release show at The Make Out Room in SF on October 20th at 7:30pm, so please remember to leave work early that day? Probably in an angry huff? Maybe knock over a water cooler while you are at it?

Show Review: Flogging Molly, The Bronx at The Warfield

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro

According to Spinning Platters’ crack data analysis research team, Flogging Molly has been to the Bay Area every year since 2000 (except 2010… and 2020, obviously), with eight shows at Fox Theater Oakland, seven at Slim’s (R.I.P.), four at The Fillmore, four Warped Tours at Pier 30/32, four at The Warfield, and one each at Greek Theatre, Bottom of the Hill, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and an Oyster Fest at Fort Mason.

Before the 3rd song at this, their latest Bay Area appearance, vocalist Dave King mentioned that it has been TEN years since they last performed at The Warfield, so we simply had to fact-check him and determined that it has actually been SEVENTEEN years since they last stood on this stage! (September 28, 2006; March 14, 2005; September 14, 2004 were the only times) Continue reading “Show Review: Flogging Molly, The Bronx at The Warfield”

HOW DID I GET HERE with Annie Hart

On this episode, we had Annie Hart, formerly of Au Revoir Simone, one of Spinning Platters’ all-time favorite bands. We talked about the importance of Pee-Wee Herman, Heavy D & The Boys, Funkmaster Flex, David Lynch, Christmas Presents, and even Okuda Hiroko, the woman who wrote all of your favorite Casiotone beats! Her new record, The Weight Of A Wave, is available now, and fall tour dates are below:

Sep 12 Anchor Rock Club Atlantic City, NJ
Sep 13 Bowery Ballroom New York (NYC), NY
Sep 14 White Eagle Hall Jersey City, NJ
Oct 20 Space Gallery Portland, ME
Oct 21 Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre Somerville, MA
Oct 22Press Room Portsmouth Portsmouth, NH
Oct 24 Velvet Underground Toronto Toronto, ON
Oct 25 Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Kalamazoo, MI
Oct 27 The Empty Bottle Chicago, IL

Bumbershoot 2023- The 50th Anniversary In Pictures

Bumbershoot is one of the oldest and longest-running music festivals in America. Sure, it took a bit of a hiatus after the 2019 edition to regroup (and that pesky pandemic had a bit of a part in it, too), it returned in 2023 with a heavy focus on the talent of the Pacific Northwest, including sets from such luminaires as Sleater-Kinney (who played 1/2 of Dig Me Out as well as a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s “Emporer’s New Clothes,”) Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Dandy Warhols. We got to take our camera around and enjoy the sights and sounds of this event, and we even got to take a turn behind the mic for queer/bar staple Burleskaraoke (but, sadly, only the folks at the event got to experience that magic). It was a delightful weekend of both sunshine and rain, and it was such a joy to see Seattle having fun.

[Show as slideshow]