Film Review: Brittany Runs a Marathon

Bell is a winner in charmer of a tale about perseverance and acceptance

Brittany (Jillian Bell) begins to think she needs to make some life changes.

The saying goes that a journey begins with a single step, and there’s no one that’s truer for than Brittany, the heroine of the new dramedy Brittany Runs a Marathon. Jillian Bell, who plays Brittany, gives us a refreshingly complicated character who we alternately root for and are dismayed by, though we always empathize with her. With his first feature film, writer/director Paul Downs Colaizzo has made a well-crafted tale about conquering your fears, achieving your goals, and never giving up on your dreams that somehow doesn’t feel corny or contrived, but only honest, smart, and funny.

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Single Of The Week: Throw It Back by Missy Elliott

The last full length release from Missy Elliott was The Cookbook which came out July 4th, 2005. This was 14 years ago. She would occasionally put out a single or do a live show in this time, but she’s been pretty much quiet. It’s been a sad period without one of the most inventive musicians of the 21st century.

That was until midnight this morning, when she quietly released into the world Iconology, an EP of new material that’s classic Missy Elliott- frantic beats under trippy synths and her spitfire delivery that’s practically inimitable. The lead single, “Throw It Back” is catchy as hell, complete with a perfect Missy video, full of memorable moments that would be nightmarish if they weren’t so happy. This is a classic track that’s going to be part of our lives for a long time to come.

Iconology is available for streaming and downloads TODAY in all the usual places.

Album Review: Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold

The Center Won’t Hold is possibly the most divisive record of 2019. Months before even a single note was heard outside of the recording studio, when the photo of the band recording with Annie Clark of St. Vincent fame was released, many folks already had their minds made up. I heard declarations from folks that “Annie is going to replace Janet Weiss with a drum machine” and that “it’s just going to be a Carrie solo record.” Other fans were excited about the possible new direction, but those folks seemed to be muted by the naysayers, worried that an outside entity was going to destroy their favorite band. Continue reading “Album Review: Sleater-Kinney — The Center Won’t Hold“

Single Of The Week: Ruthless by The Marias

Since we are still coming off the buzz from Outside Lands last weekend, this week’s Single Of The Week comes from The Marias, possibly the best set we caught while we were in the park. This is the latest single to drop off their 2018 release, Superclean Vol II.

“Ruthless” is a groovy, sexy song that falls somewhere between the pop hooks of The Cardigans and the lounge psychedelia of Stereolab. It’s the perfect song to help chill through the current heat wave that’s melting everything in sight.

Superclean Vol II is available now at all the usual places.

Film Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon

Twain-esque fairy tale strains credulity, but yields some rewards

Mark Twain, redux: Our heroes (from l.: Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, and Shia LaBeouf) make their escape on a raft. 

Your enjoyment of The Peanut Butter Falcon will depend largely on your ability to suspend disbelief and wholeheartedly embrace its fairy tale quality. If you can do that, you’re in for a sweet, feel-good treat, but, if, like me, you’re too cynical to ignore its myriad of coincidences and convenient plot turns, you may find yourself distanced from the story, unable to completely immerse yourself in its picaresque adventure.

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Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews

These are the days of miracles and wonder…

It’s been a tough couple of weeks as a nation. Mass shootings in Gilroy, Dayton, and El Paso were not particularly well timed with Outside Lands. In the days leading up to the festival, many people were debating whether or not it was safe to go. Maybe we were next? I had a long talk with my partner about going this year, which included a plan for alerting each other to our safety, and talking about all of the steps that I’ve observed in my years attending this festival that have made me feel safe. In fact, I think I feel safer in Golden Gate Park during Outside Lands than pretty much anywhere else on Earth. 

I’m also a firm believer in “not letting terrorists win.” We can’t let these folks scare us off from living. And, seriously, if you don’t have communing with friends and strangers to appreciate live music, is life really worth living? I’m going to keep going to shows and supporting life music because, well, I really think my life depends on it. Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews”

Outside Lands 2019: Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Poster

The bottom half of the 2019 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival poster is rich with amazing acts. This might be the strongest “undercard” assortment Outside Lands has ever had, with a little something for pretty much everyone. One could probably wander aimlessly during the early part of the day and not be disappointed. However, since you are reading this, I suspect you are like me and tend to plan out every moment of your day when you head out to a music festival. So here’s the early stuff I’d jump on!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

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Single Of The Week: Literary Hoax by Bam! Bam!

For this week’s Single Of The Week, I decided to remind you that Tool have finally put their back catalog on streaming services. You may ask why I mentioned this… Well, the answer is SEO reasons. Because my favorite Bay Area band has new material out TODAY! And they are called Bam!Bam!, which is definitely something you can do with a tool. Usually a hammer.

Oakland’s Bam! Bam! have been putting out great punk singles for years. They’ve put out so many excellent 7″‘s that I find it hard to believe they have yet to release a full length record. Well, today changes that, as their debut record, Nails, was released TODAY and can be enjoyed here. The single off this record is “Literary Hoax,” an infectious earworm of a track. The accompanying video may not be entirely suitable for work, is an excellent piece of filmmaking that provides an uncomfortable visual to such an upbeat piece of music.

Enjoy Nails as your soundtrack to the first weekend of the last month of Summer!

A local stagehand’s review of Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow at Shoreline, 7/26/19

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ARPhotoSF

After a few days of rehearsals at Toyota Amphitheatre in nearby Wheatland to figure out how to put together their massive stage set, Slipknot‘s Knotfest Roadshow officially kicked off at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on July 26. Joining Slipknot was an international array of metal including Volbeat (Denmark), Gojira (France), and Behemoth (Poland).

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Single Of The Week: Dead Mall by PARENTZ

This week’s single of the week comes from Oakland based duo Parentz. This song feels like a groovy, chillwave-inspired bit of modern R&B. The lyrics, however, run from full on hysterical to a deep analysis of the current state of the economy. The song is also hooky as hell, and is the perfect soundtrack for spending time with abandon storefronts.

Dead Mall can be streamed in all the usual places! Including right after the jump!