This week’s single of the week is notable because, well, it came with a b-side. So you’ve got two songs to help you make it through your Friday! Portland’s Black Belt Eagle Scout has followed up last year’s nearly perfect Mother Of My Children with two songs that manage to be delicate and noisy simultaneously, perfecting the sound that Neil Young & Crazy Horse had been fighting to find for decades. The church organ that kicks in for the second half of “Half Colored Hair” is downright chilling.
The 7″ can be purchased here, or find Black Belt Eagle Scout on tour with Julia Jacklin this spring!
Cast is terrific, but this movie becoming a must-see is a long shot
Newly hired speechwriter Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen, center) goes over his work with Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron, r.) and her aides Tom (Ravi Patel) and Maggie (June Diane Raphael).
Director Jonathan Levine tries his hand at comedy again for the first time since 2017’s tepid Amy Schumer/Goldie Hawn vehicle Snatched, and somewhat redeems himself. Long Shot is a bit smarter and a bit funnier than Levine’s previous picture, but, while entertaining enough, it isn’t destined to become a comedy classic. Continue reading “Film Review: Long Shot“
Rolanda D. Bell as Blue in Down Here Below. (Photo courtesy of Jose Manuel Moctezuma, 2019.)
As the socioeconomic gap continues to grow in the Bay Area, the percentage of people struggling to survive rises. Food, shelter, safety… those on the margins become a statistic: A pity, a charity case, a series of photographs, a nuisance — their humanity stripped. We’re often told there’s one way to live, and that one way provides us with the material possessions needed to bring stability into our lives. Our identities are closely tied to societal milestones and to our relationships: mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband. Look under any social media bio and you’ll often see these monikers proudly displayed along with one’s location and chosen profession. So what happens when just the struggle to sleep or eat becomes a privilege, let alone the factors that bring stability to someone’s life? And, at the core of it all, what truly differentiates those who have, and those who have not? If we don’t meet certain milestones, are we no longer deemed acceptable to have basic human rights? Furthermore, what happens to the child whose mother can not afford daycare? Or the artist who cannot make art because they can no longer afford the space? How many of our rights will be stripped until the majority of us live on the margins?Continue reading “Theater Review: From Ubuntu Theater Project, a Powerful Message About Humanity in Lisa Ramirez’s Down Here Below“
I have to confess, I was completely in the dark about Wax Trax! Records, which seems criminal to me now considering my music tastes. So, what better way to learn the whole story than a documentary screening followed by a concert?
When I was 16, I was heavily invested in the world of punk rock. But it was the commercial version of it that was found on the local alternative radio station Live 105, 120 Minutes on MTV, and PBS documentaries of a bygone era.
Then I got a job at a telemarketing company, and a coworker began introducing me to the lovely world of riot grrrl. I was given tapes of music by Team Dresch, Sleater-Kinney, and Bikini Kill. The pure ferocity of it all spoke to me. It opened so many sonic doors for me, and helped me realize that I preferred listening to female voices—and found that women writers were easier for me to relate to than men. Continue reading “Show Review: Bikini Kill, The Linda Lindas at The Hollywood Palladium, 4/26/19”
Wrap up: 62nd annual San Francisco International Film Festival
The San Francisco Film Festival wrapped up last week, concluding with the announcement of its Golden Gate Awards and its two Audience Awards. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut comedy feature Booksmart earned the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall, Alfred George Bailey’s study of Bay Area photographer Jim Marshall, took the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. If you didn’t get a chance to catch as many films as you would have liked, never fear: many of the Fest’s offerings will be widely released in the months to come. Below we take a look at four films that you’ll be able to see very soon at a theater near you (and you can also check out our previous Fest spotlights post here).
April 20 in San Francisco is celebrated annually like a national holiday. Commonly known simply as 420, the day consists of 15-20,000 people basically sitting on a hill in Golden Gate Park smoking pot all day. Coincidentally, the 2019 version actually was a national holiday, as Good Friday preceded, Passover started, and Easter Sunday was the next day. This year’s 420 also had one more reason for San Franciscans to celebrate, and that was the world premiere screening of the documentary Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story.
Lady Enid (Dana Lewenthal) passes out from fear as the Vampire (Alicia von Kugelgen) lurks over her planning their next move (photo courtesy of Marian Bliss, 2019).
The Mysteries of Irma Vep is a classic gothic tale filled with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and suspicious family members. The show centers around Lord Edgar Hillcrest and his new wife, Lady Enid Hillcrest, who has arrived at the estate and struggles to fit in. The ominous presence of Edgar’s late wife Irma Vep hovers over them, in more ways than one. Late night shenanigans lead to the exposure of supernatural elements, and lead both characters on a journey to discover who, what, when, and how. Continue reading “Theater Review: Last Weekend to Catch Irma Vep at the Danville Village Theatre”
The end of A Tribe Called Quest still hits me really hard. The fact that they never ended up playing a Bay Area show after their twice cancelled Outside Lands set still makes me feel a little bitter. And then I stumbled across Tribe’s beatmaker, Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s new band, The Midnight Hour. They do classic jazz, but retain that specific flavor that is Tribe. They dropped a live record today, complete with a solid single, “Mission.” It’s the perfect Friday song… It is mellow enough to take the edge off the work week, and energetic enough to motivate you to get through it.
Their record, Live At Linear Labs, is out today and available in all the usual places, including Spotify and Bandcamp!
No Age are one of LA’s finest experimental punk bands, and have been making a great noise for almost 15 years. Guitarist Randy Randall has taken that noise to the next level with his recently released Sound Field Vol 1, a series of sonic experiments inspired by the I-10 freeway. Randall is playing a handful of shows to promote this release, and is dropping by Cafe du Nord in San Francisco for 4/20. Tickets are available here
Spinning Platters recently had a chance to chat with Randy. Here’s what we talked about!
