The Dreamspeakers Festival Society website states that “When the first Dene filmmaker returned home to Canada’s Northwest Territories, his people had no words for his new art. They call it ‘Dreamtalking’.” The term ‘Dene’ refers to both the native language (also called Athabascan) and also the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Dreamspeakers was founded in 1993, and for the last 28 years has highlighted the films and media art of Indigenous artists from nations around the globe.
When COVID hit, CHVRCHES were scattered all around the world. They were also due to play the biggest venues of their career, so not only were they not able to do a victory lap for Love Is Dead, but they weren’t able to even mourn the loss of the tour together. So what do they do? They write and record an album. And if the lead single, “How Not To Drown,” is any indication, these trials may have led to the best record of their career. This is a dark, moody track that is somehow also danceable. The band incorporates live bass and guitar, which is rare, and Lauren Mayberry’s voice blends with Robert Smith (yes, the guy from The Cure) in a beautiful way.
“How Not To Drown” is out now on all the usual platforms, and their fourth studio record, Screen Violence, is in stores on August 27th. Preorders are currently happening.
The devil went up to Connecticut; he was lookin’ for a soul to steal
Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) stands up to evil.
Now is a great time to go to the movies (assuming you’ve had at least one, and ideally both, vaccine jabs). The long hiatus from theater-going means that even the most mediocre films will benefit greatly from being seen on a large screen, blasting through surround sound systems, and riding the energy of an exuberant audience. The third installation of TheConjuring movies, not including the Conjuring universe spin-offs Annabelle, The Nun, and La Llorona, is not mediocre by any means.
“The Bastard Tracks”. B-Sides. The meat of the record. Songs not usually on the live set. Deep cuts. Tracks the diehard fans know.
Death Angel created this web stream to dig “deep into [their] catalog to perform older favorites, newer classics and songs that have never been performed live before” with multiple interview segments containing the stories behind the songs and “a glimpse into the collective minds and souls of Death Angel.”
It must be Classic Rock Week at Spinning Platters!
With all of the venues in San Francisco having been shuttered since March 2020, and without knowing just how much longer Covid-19 is going to keep them closed, Spinning Platters grew tired of the waiting and decided to look far and wide to other places in pursuit of a Real. Live. Show.
Not only were we lucky enough to photograph rock and roll legends Foreigner mere days ago, now we can add 50% of Van Halen, the direct lineage of Led Zeppelin’s drummer, and even 25% of Mötley Crüe (more on that later) to the list. Our rock/metal photographer, who has been riding out the latter part of this pandemic in Florida, got invited to photograph and review another show!
Evelyn (Emily Blunt) implores her injured son Marcus (Noah Jupe) to be quiet in the face of imminent danger.
Last March, I was all set to go to the advance reviewer screening of A Quiet Place II when the Bay Area began to shelter-in-place. The screening was cancelled and the movie’s release postponed. But this week I finally made it to that reviewer screening, marking my return to the cinema, some 14 months later. And it was worth the wait. Because not only is Part II terrific, but releasing it earlier via streaming wouldn’t have done it justice. This picture is meant for the big screen.
2019’s The Center Won’t Hold was a brilliant departure for one of the greatest bands in American rock n roll history. Sleater-Kinney was due to embark on a massive co-headlining trek with Wilco to support the record, allowing them to play the largest venues of their career. However, we all lived through the hell that was 2020. Instead of resting on their laurels, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein decided to “bubble” together and, for the first time in their 25+ years playing together, write, record, and produce an album as a duo. Their 10th full-length, Paths Of Wellness, is out June 11th. The first single was the bluesy, Brownstein-led “Worry With You.” The second single and our single of the week is the Tucker-led “High In The Grass,” a psychedelic rock number reminiscent of Tucker’s other band, Filthy Friends. It’s a great song and further evidence that Sleater-Kinney will continue to move forward, sonically.
You can enjoy “High In The Grass” in all the usual places. Paths Of Wellness can be preordered/presaved in all the usual places, too! And that co-headlining tour with Wilco? It’s been rescheduled for 2022. Sadly, no California dates at this time, so Bay Area folks will need to book a plane ticket to catch this amazing double bill.
With all of the venues in San Francisco having been shuttered since March 2020, and without knowing just how much longer Covid-19 is going to keep them closed, Spinning Platters grew tired of the waiting and decided to look far and wide to other places in pursuit of a Real. Live. Show.
Granted, many of these other places are less safe than the cautious San Francisco (recall that SF was the first city in America to institute a lockdown), but Spinning Platters is vaccinated and willing to risk it all for you! Where did we find such an amazing live event? Well, since our rock/metal photographer has been riding out the latter part of this pandemic in Florida, we found that shows actually happen there.
Jan (Toni Collette) develops a special bond with her new racehorse, Dream Alliance.
With theaters slowly reopening, film lovers may be waiting for the perfect film to get them up off the couch and back into the multiplex. Dream Horse may be just that film: it’s an old fashioned, feel-good movie that should motivate the whole family to undertake a cinematic outing.
