There are few things more exciting than stumbling across a live show from an artist that you have never heard before. This Monday, at Knockout, SpinningPlatters is giving you that thrill. You and a guest can enjoy fine beverages at one of my outer mission bars, and enjoy the beautiful sounds of country singer Alana Amram & The Rough Gems. Check out he Van Dyke Parks assisted single Summer Winds right here, and to enter the contest, simply fill out this form!
Thursday, September 23
Return to Forever IV, Zappa Plays Zappa at The Warfield
Return To Forever is the moniker for Chick Corea’s ever evolving jazz fusion supergroup. The current line up includes fellow legends of jazz rock fusion Stanley Clarke on bass, Lenny White on drums, Frank Gambale on guitar, and, most exciting, Jean Luc Ponty on violin. Opening the show is Zappa Plays Zappa, Dweezil’s fantastic interpretation of his father’s work.
Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs at Mountain Winery
Friday, September 23rd & Saturday September 24th
Two Gallants, The Mumlers (Fri), Waters (Sat), at The Independent
Adam Stephens is, in my own opinion, one of the finest songwriters in the bay area. He’s also one of the nicest guys on Earth. Drummer Tyson Voegel is a monster on the kit. Together, they play a powerful punky blues rock. This is a homecoming show on the heels of their first tour in nearly 4 years.
Friday, September 23rd
The Frail at The Apple Store – Union Square
Saturday, September 24th
Robin Thicke, Faith Evans, Ginuwine, El Debarge at Craneway Pavilion
Deep in the East Bay, shows happen all the time. Many of them are pretty low key. And some of them are insane four act bills, hosted by LA Law’s Blair Underwood (!). This is a great reason to visit Richmond for the very first time, if not to hear this song live:
or this one:
Hank 3, Hellbilly, Attention Deficit Domination at The Regency Ballroom
And on the other side of the bay, you get this guy, who is pretty amazing, too.
Sunday, September 25th
The Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch, Eoin Harrington at Sharon Meadow – Golden Gate Park
In high school, I went and saw the band Babes In Toyland play a show. There was an issue with the overhead music, and we somehow ended up hearing “Name” by The Goo Goo Dolls around 10 times while waiting for the band to go on. This angered and upset the audience that was awaiting some female post grunge action, as opposed to a wimpy folk song. Anyways, I really like Michelle Branch, which is the reason to go to this show. It’s also free, and runs from noon to 5 pm.
Ladytron, SONOIO, Polaris At Noon at The Regency Ballroom
And after your day in the park listening to schmaltzy happiness, you can get your credibility back by heading to The Regency to see the legendary synth quartet Ladytron. Because, well, they are awesome.
D Generation, Prima Donna, The Biters, Flexx Bronco at The Uptown Nightclub
Or this show… It’s one hell of a Sunday this week, isn’t it?
Monday, September 26th & Tuesday, September 27th
Jimmy Eat World does Bleed American, Kinch at The Fillmore
Bleed American is a fantastic record. It’s my favorite of this genre. They are doing two nights of this fine record beginning to end. No excuses. And the keyboard based power pop of opener Kinch is also pretty blissful.
Monday, September 26th
Alana Amram & the Rough Gems at The Knockout
Truly great country music makes your heart kind of hurt a little. Alana Amram has one of those great voices that does that. He stunning, reverb heavy, dark sound is perfect for hearing on a Monday night in a bar in the outer mission. Let me know if you want to go, too! We are giving away one pair if tickets to this show. Just fill out this form!
Duran Duran at Mountain Winery
Or you can go see Duran Duran in Saratoga. Almost as awesome.Simon LeBon and I share a birthday. He’s a little bit older than me, however.
Tuesday, September 27th
TV On The Radio at The Fox Theater – Oakland
Simply, the single most important band in rock. Not Radiohead. Not Coldplay. Not Arcade Fire. Not Mumford & Sons. It’s TV On The Radio, and if you don’t go to this show, you may be a complete idiot. Also, Joy Bryant is in this video. I think that’s kind of cool.
Braids, Pepper Rabbit, Painted Palms at Bottom Of The Hill
On the off chance you can’t make it to Oakland, you can stay in SF and catch the equally as trippy and experimental Braids at Bottom Of The Hill.
Wednesday, September 28th
Gaucho at Amnesia
