In this episode I got to talk with Bay Area music legend Chris Appelgren. We talked about many of his bands, including Bumblescrump (sadly not getting into exactly what this word means), The Potatomen, and The Peechees. We also discussed his rising through the ranks at Lookout Records, and even talked about its inevitable decline. And, of course, we talked about his time at Noise Pop, Bold Italic, and Ticketfly, as well as his return to the record business by helping Once And Future Band release their 2020 album Deleted Scenes.
Celebration of community rises to new Heights in joyful adaptation
Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) and Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) celebrate with their friends and neighbors.
Full disclosure: I’m someone who doesn’t typically like musicals. I’m jarred when, mid-conversation, characters break into a big song and dance number, and everyone acts like that’s a totally normal way to communicate. Then the dialogue resumes, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around that. So I was a bit apprehensive to see the film version of In the Heights, a musical I had seen live, and hadn’t found memorable. But my cynical self was blown away: not only is the movie better than I could have imagined, but it benefits tremendously from the shift to the big screen. Continue reading “Film Review: “In the Heights””
UPDATE: Lorde’s 3rd full-length record, Solar Power, is coming out August 20th and can be preordered / presaved here. We’ve also got a 2022 tour for Lorde coming down the pike, so get yourself vaccinated if you haven’t already, and buy your tickets Monday, July 5th at 12pm local time!
Remember the immortal words of Kim Deal when she sang “Summer is ready when you are” a mere 28 years ago? Those words probably ring truer this year than ever before. Maybe because this is going to be a weird Summer where not everyone is going to be ready at the same time, but when you are ready for Summer, it’s going to be LIT AS FUCK. Not LIT AF. LIT AS FUCK. So lit that this week we didn’t have just one, but TWO singles about the impending Summer of hugs and sharing space with your friends again. “Pool Hopping” by illuminati hotties is a glorious piece of classic pop-punk that is perfect for blasting at your first barbecue in 15 months. And, dear God, I really can’t wait to eat with my friends again.
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.
