SF Sketchfest Interview: Marc Capelle of Red Room Orchestra

Red Room Orchestra has become a bit of an SF Sketchfest staple. They first graced our presence with a tribute to the music from Twin Peaks, and have, in the years since, brought to life the songs and scores from Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Big Lebowski, and Boogie Nights. This year they are returning with Twin Peaks in homage to its late composer Angelo Badalamenti and late vocalist Julee Cruise, playing Great American Music Hall on Thursday, February 2nd. The next night they are doing the music from Repo Man, and those tickets can be purchased here. 

We had the opportunity to talk to Red Room Orchestra’s founder and band leader Marc Capelle about his career, the inception of Red Room Orchestra, and a lot about how they function. 

Spinning Platters: What was the musical experience that made you decide that this was your career? Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Interview: Marc Capelle of Red Room Orchestra”

SF Sketchfest Review: The Benson Movie Interruption: The Lost Boys at the Great Star Theater, 1/27/23

Oh, SF Sketchfest, how I’ve missed you. Fortunately, now that we’re living in what I can only call a ‘semi-post-COVID’ world, our favorite local comedy festival has returned. For me, there was only one way to properly celebrate the restoration of a few weeks’ worth of laughs like only Sketchfest can give us: by getting myself to the Great Star Theater late-ish last night to hear Doug Benson and special guests poke fun at the 80s cult classic The Lost Boys. Warning to anyone who sadly has not yet seen this movie: spoilers ahead!

Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: The Benson Movie Interruption: The Lost Boys at the Great Star Theater, 1/27/23”

SF Sketchfest Review: Femmes The Rules at Brava Cabaret, 1/21/23

One of the games I like to play is “SF Sketchfest Roulette.” This is when I pick a random show with nobody I’ve heard of on the bill and hope for the best! The lucky winner this night was Femmes The Rules. A show that was advertised as a show where female-identifying comics interrupt male-identifying comics while they do a bit. GENIUS PREMISE! I’m on board. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Femmes The Rules at Brava Cabaret, 1/21/23”

SF Sketchfest Review: “Viva Variety” 25th Anniversary Tribute: A Very Special Evening at The Great Star Theater, 1/21/23

All Photos by Jakub Mosur

The last three years have been awful. Like, pure misery. SF Sketchfest, alongside Noise Pop, was kind of the “last” festival before things went to hell. In late 2020, when SF Sketchfest graced us with their calendar, I was excited, not just about the shows, but because it meant to me that there might have been a path out of this madness. But, instead of enjoying an early 2021 reprieve from the darkness, cases got worse. Vaccines were starting to make their way into our arms, but not anywhere nearly fast enough to change the trajectory of the pandemic. So the whole thing was moved to 2022. The same January 2022 gifted us with Omicron, decimating the Bay Area and locking down several counties. So, yeah, it got pushed again to 2023. And based on November 2022, I wasn’t expecting 2023 to be any better, and I was expecting to lose another year. BUT- something strange happened… People were actually careful this Christmas and NYE. We didn’t get a January surge like we had the last two years. Regular readers will know that I am EXTREMELY COVID pessimistic, and I was expecting, even if the festival happened, that I wouldn’t take part. But luckily, much of California is doing very well with COVID. (Lord help us that we finally get to the point where we don’t have any more increases in case rates!) Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: “Viva Variety” 25th Anniversary Tribute: A Very Special Evening at The Great Star Theater, 1/21/23″

Spinning Platters Interview: Lane Moore

Lane Moore can do pretty much anything. Comedian, journalist, writer, musician, and, although it didn’t come up, I’m pretty sure she can perform open heart surgery, too.  Moore is coming to town for SF Sketchfest for two shows: She’s doing a stand-up set as part of Studio Sets at Brava Studio on January 27th at 7 pm, and later that night, she’s headed to Cobb’s for a performance of Tinder Live. Tickets are available here. 

Lane Moore’s latest book, You Will Find Your People: How To Make Meaningful Friendships As An Adult is coming out on April 25th and can be preordered here. You can find her on Instagram, and her band, It Was Romance is on Bandcamp! (Interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Very lightly.)

Spinning Platters: I made a terrible mistake while researching questions. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Lane Moore”

Film Review: “Missing”

Repetitive mystery still entertains

June (Storm Reid) becomes frantic when she realizes her mother is missing after a trip to Colombia.

Back in 2018, my number two movie of the year was Searching, an innovative thriller about a father’s search for his missing teenage daughter that was told entirely through modes of modern technology. Fast forward five years later, and members of that filmmaking team have made essentially the same movie, only this time we have a teenage daughter searching for her missing mother. The result is a film that, while no longer fresh in style, at least has a winning formula that keeps us entertained, even as we’re no longer impressed by the narrative concept.

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Theatre Review: “Wine Escape”

Wine Escape brings a bit of Northern California to the UK
Daniel Craze and Nick Hessling as Jimmy & Johnny- a duo not to be messed with! Photo Courtesy of Molly Grave (2022).

Greetings from the UK! The land that brings you British Pantomime. For our readers who are unfamiliar with Pantomime, it is a form of theatre that encourages audience members to participate. The plot almost always revolves around a fairy tale. There’s some set of rules like certain characters who always appear so repeat pantomime goers have an idea of what to expect. Audiences love moments like shouting at the main character that something has appeared behind them, like a big bad wolf. Of course they don’t notice, and this drives the audience wild, especially younger audience members, who are typically the target for these type of shows. Singing and dancing along to pop songs is encouraged, and, in general, it’s a smashing good time. Continue reading “Theatre Review: “Wine Escape””

Single Of The Week: “She” by Avataria

Philly’s Avataria is back with a heavy Heart meets St Vincent track called “She.” The nearly industrial, cinematic build-up takes you into a vocal performance that’s simultaneously fragile, confident, angry, and exasperated. How is that possible? Just give it a listen. 

“She” is the first video off Avataria’s first full-length album, Let Go, which has entered our sphere of consciousness TODAY! Streaming info here, but if you are like me and prefer the physical world to the digital, you can purchase the record on wax here! Oh- and she makes custom guitar pedals! 

A Nerd’s Guide to SF Sketchfest 2023

JESUS CHRIST! I first wrote this article in 2020. When I was just getting ready to push it live, BAM! Cases started spiking hard, and the 2021 SF Sketchfest was moved to 2022. In late 2021, I revised this AGAIN; luckily, most of the events stayed the same.  And right as I was about to post this for 2022… I got an email from SF Sketchfest’s publicist saying the whole thing was moved again… To 2023! 

I’m overjoyed that they managed to keep much of the same line-up and in approximately the same order! It saved me a lot of time and effort. They’ve even added a few new events to the mix that I’m pretty excited about, even though it meant I had to actually write more. Even better- they are live-streaming select events, which is great for folks that don’t like going places! So, without further ado, I present to you the 2021, I mean 2023, Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest! Which is the 20th SF Sketchfest, I might add!  Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide to SF Sketchfest 2023”

BOTTLEROCK 2023 LINE UP IS HERE!

BOTTLEROCK LINEUP HAS DROPPED!!!! And it’s looking like it might be the most fun year yet! Not only do they have 3 of our top ten of 2022 (Lizzo, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ashe), but the top line also features the classic lineup of Red Hot Chili Peppers finally making up their lost 2020 set, hitmaker Post Malone, New Romantic heartthrobs Duran Duran, groundbreaking genius Lil Nas X, and 90’s Lollapalooza veterans The Smashing Pumpkins (still minus D’Arcy, however. :grumpyface:)

Other Spinning Platters favorites at this shindig include The National, Sheryl Crow, Tove Lo, Nile Ridgers & Chic, Phantogram, Japanese Breakfast, and, hiding at the very bottom, Paris Jackson (!). Full lineup after the jump. And then the “About Damn Time” video because that song never gets old.

Tickets on sale January 10th at noon PST. 

Continue reading “BOTTLEROCK 2023 LINE UP IS HERE!”