Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
ill peach is a songwriting trio that has written songs with Hayley Kiyoko, Miya Folick, and Big Freedia, to name a few SP favourites. Despite all these names, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional and sonic thunder that is “Cult Daddy.” A brutal satire of religious cults that hits very hard in the face of the scariest Christian right movement in modern history.
“CULT DADDY” is available for streaming and purchase here. I look forward to hearing more from them.
Noise Pop is celebrating its 33rd iteration, and it’s 34th year (DAMMIT COVID!), which means it’s the 33 1/3 Noise Pop. Not really, but I prefer to label it as such. Because of records. But it could also take 33 1/3 years to dig through the lineup. Feeling like some Noise Pop (or, as Swami John Reis referred to it at Bimbo’s in 1999, “popping noise music”) but don’t want to do the work? Here’s what I like. The full schedule is here. Badges and limited individual tickets are still available for many shows.
Continue reading “Noise Pop 2026: Spinning Platters Tells You What To Do”
Director Gore Verbinski, who spent nearly five years in Disney franchise filmmaking while helming the Pirates of the Caribbean series, is one of those rare filmmakers who is unafraid to venture off-the-rails when it comes to unique storytelling (Rango) and/or genre-obscuring tonality (The Mexican, The Weather Man). With Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, Verbinski is once again letting loose and crafting a dynamic, low budget sci-fi adventure that defies categorization. Continue reading “Film Review: “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die””
Back in 1998, I was waiting for my girlfriend in front of The Warfield. This was pre-cellphone. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs were playing. The band finished their set, and THEN she showed. Very apologetic. I forgave her, and security let me buy a shirt. Sadly, it’s taken them 28 YEARS TO COME BACK TO THE BAY AREA!!!! They are the only playing three US shows (LA, San Diego, Napa), so it’s time for me to FINALLY head up to check out La Onda Festival, May 30th – 31st.
Who else is playing? Well, the kings of Rock en Español, Mana. Reggaeton master J Balvin, the funk metal band that is WAY better than RHCP: Molotov, the politically potent Ozomatli, the great Kinky, and a WHOLE LOT MORE. Tickets are on sale Friday, 2/13 at noon PST.
Yup. This is Ecca Vandal’s second single of the week appearance in less than a year. AND STILL NO ALBUM NEWS!??!?! AND STILL NO BAY AREA DATE?!?!?!?!?! “BLEACH” is a little less metal yet, somehow a lot heavier and harder. Ecca Vandal is the reigning queen of industrial music, keeping it chaotic, dark, and weird. And that lofi, pre-rock piano breakdown at the 2:30 mark before it turns into a rap song? CHILLS!
You can access “BLEACH” via all the usual places. NOW MAKE HER FINISH THAT RECORD SO SHE CAN COME TO OAKLAND! WE WILL MOSH FOR HER!!!
From Tod Browning to Francis Ford Coppola, Werner Herzog and Robert Eggers to Mel Brooks, and many in between, filmmakers love to put their stamp on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and/or its German offspring, Nosferatu. It seems that just about every year the Dracula story gets reimagined. Step up to the plate, writer/director Luc Besson (Léon, The Fifth Element, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets). Besson imprints the traditional Dracula story with his trademark strangeness, choosing to emphasize both humor and gothic romanticism while filling the frame with strong production design. Though this new Dracula is far from dull, and even features a few standout performances, the film’s erratic style and tonality keep the final product from reaching the emotional and cinematic heights of its most memorable predecessors. Continue reading “Film Review: “Dracula””
It’s hard to take in a movie like The Moment without knowing the context surrounding it. It’s a faux-documentary about Charli XCX’s first-ever arena tour, which followed the surprise success of her 8th record, brat. Prior to brat, Charli’s only top 10 hits in the US came very early in her career, and she did not receive top billing, despite being the primary writer on both “I Love It” and “Fancy.” In the 10+ years since these massive songs hit the mainstream, Charli has largely remained in a “cult icon” status, producing underground club bangers that united LGBT club kids and indie rock hipsters, but she never really reached the massive stature she seemed primed for. She *thought* she had it figured out with 2022’s Crash. But even her attempt to construct a perfect pop record fell short of the goal, and brat was the response to that–a messy, noisy, emotionally complex affair that was expected to bomb. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Moment””
Whistle, the newest horror film from director Corin Hardy (The Nun) and distributed by IFC and Shudder, is a smartly crafted exercise in mindless iteration. Like an eager groupie of the Final Destination franchise, Whistle riffs, steals, and honors the re-energized ‘90s franchise (Final Destination: Bloodlines was a surprise hit in 2025) to entertaining but ultimately forgettable ends. Whistle’s campy teenage horror proves the elasticity of the subgenre, even as the illogical script and unbalanced acting places a chokehold on the film’s effectiveness. Continue reading “Film Review: “Whistle””
Are you still gutted over the fact that Metric were forced to pull out of their Fantasies 15th anniversary tour last year? Are you angry that Trump wants to make Canada the 51st state, but would be overjoyed if the US became Canadian Provinces 11-61? Do you like music made by people who know maple comes from sticking a spigot in a tree? THEN DO I HAVE THE DREAM TOUR FOR YOU! Canadian Indie Legends Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars are uniting for the nearly ultimate dream tour! (Did they lose Feist’s number or something? Also, can we get Bran Van 3000 involved somehow?)
Introducing: The All The Feelings Tour!
Tour Dates are here. Citi cardmembers’ presale begins February 4th at 12 pm local time. Public Onsale is Friday, February 6th at 10 am. Also, Broken Social Scene and Metric are springing new music onto our hungry and eager ears. Continue reading “CANAPHILES REJOICE! METRIC, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, AND STARS ARE TOURING NORTH AMERICAN TOGETHER!”
Before seeing Send Help, I had read some early buzz calling the film a cross between Castaway and Misery. After seeing it, however, I would posit that it’s actually more like Triangle of Sadness meets Office Space. Regardless of any cinematic comparisons, one thing is for certain: despite its inevitable descent into campy ridiculousness, Send Help provides some decent January escapism.
