Concert Reviews – Page 25 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: Art Brut with Princeton at Cafe Du Nord, 10/30/09 (Late Show)

When Art Brut comes to town, I get excited. Not only do I love the band, I also see them as the kind of band that tends to quit on the U.S. They blast onto the scene with the exceptional album Bang Bang Rock & Roll, and I saw them touring to promote that album four or five times. Their second album, It’s a Bit Complicated, was a relative disappointment. I’ve seen this happen with other British bands: their second album doesn’t perform well over here, and then I only get to hear about UK and European tours, sadly waiting for the one day they might return to our shores. Instead, Art Brut teamed up with producer Frank Black for the phenomenal Art Brut vs. Satan, and they have continued their attack on America. Continue reading “Show Review: Art Brut with Princeton at Cafe Du Nord, 10/30/09 (Late Show)”

Show Review: Melt-Banana with All Leather and We Be the Echo at Slim’s, 10/30/2009

ichirou — Ichirou Agata, guitarist of Melt-Banana

There were a great deal of shows to visit this All Hallows’ Eve’s Eve, ranging from electronica in arenas to punk rock in bars; despite the drastic number of shows involving bands that I’d seen on one-to-a-few occasions, it was Melt-Banana that I ended up seeing. It seemed rather appropriate; on the eve of the holiday most responsible for darkness, chaos and the warding off of evil spirits, what better occasion to see a trio of Japanese noise-punk musicians with their own sets of sonic banshee howls and thundering rhythms? Being an avid fan of experimental music and Japanese power noise, I had a feeling that this was going to be a rather exciting show; I was not prepared, however, for how wild it got inside.

Continue reading “Show Review: Melt-Banana with All Leather and We Be the Echo at Slim’s, 10/30/2009”

Show Review: The Dodos with Ruby Suns at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/29/09

Meric

The Dodos are a band that seem on the cusp of something big right now. Getting Phil Ek, my favorite indie rock producer of all time, on board for their newest record is a sign of big things to come. That record, Time to Die, is heavily focused on soothing vocals melodies and crazy guitar playing from Meric Long, accompanied by strong rhythms from drummer Logan Kroeber. What could this sound like in a live setting? Continue reading “Show Review: The Dodos with Ruby Suns at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/29/09”

Show Review: The Heavy at Slim’s, 10/27/2009

Mid-afternoon on the day on the concert I started feeling ill. Time came to start heading to the city and I told myself I was going no matter what. Driving along the 24 I see a sign that the Bay Bridge is closed…what the heck? This can’t be right. A quick call to 511 confirmed that the bridge was indeed closed.

Suddenly I had the perfect excuse not to go. I was sick and the bridge was closed; no one could blame me for not going. But something inside me, quite possibly the contrarian drive I have, told me if the bridge was closed I had to go. Continue reading “Show Review: The Heavy at Slim’s, 10/27/2009”

Show Review: Amy Millan and Bahamas at Cafe Du Nord, 10/28/09

Amy

When Amy Millan steps away from one of her band projects (Stars, Broken Social Scene), she morphs from indie chanteuse into a roadhouse country singer. There’s plenty of lyrics about drinking, loneliness and hitting the road. I knew right away that this would be a pretty mellow show, and I was definitely proven right by the end of the night. Continue reading “Show Review: Amy Millan and Bahamas at Cafe Du Nord, 10/28/09”

Show Review: Dead Man’s Bones at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/27/2009

Ryan Gosling directing the choir in front of the beautiful backdrop

Dead Man’s Bones is an interesting musical project brought to you by actor Ryan Gosling, of Mickey Mouse Club/Young Hercules/Lars and the Real Girl fame (what? The Notebook? What’s that?), and friend Zach Shields. It is dark gothic music accompanied by a children’s choir. It may sound kitschy and weird, which it is, but it is also wonderful and skillfully arranged. Underneath all the macabre cheese is a strong beating heart that keeps the project as more than a throw away joke. This show would silence any doubters. Dead Man’s Bones is a real, and excellent, band. Continue reading “Show Review: Dead Man’s Bones at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/27/2009”

Show Review: The Gossip and MEN at The Regency Ballroom, 10/25/09

Can I take a nap instead of writing this review? Believe it or not, that’s a complement to last night’s show by The Gossip. I’m exhausted and that’s often the most tell-tale way for me to know I had fun at a show. Continue reading “Show Review: The Gossip and MEN at The Regency Ballroom, 10/25/09”

Live Show Review: Bridge School Benefit at the Shoreline Amphitheater, 10/25/09

When I saw the lineup for this year’s Bridge School Benefit, I got excited. When I saw that hardly anyone was buying tickets for Sunday’s version of the show, I waited for the discounts to happen. And when Livenation reminded everyone that they should only buy tickets on Wednesdays by lowering decent pavilion seats to $40 including service charges, I was in.

It turns out Google offers free wifi throughout Mountain View, including here, so I’m hoping to post the first full length review of the show. With that in mind, I’m writing this review during set breaks. Keep reloading or revisiting, and I’ll add bands as I go. Continue reading “Live Show Review: Bridge School Benefit at the Shoreline Amphitheater, 10/25/09”

Show Review: Mika at The Fox Oakland, 10/24/2009

Either singing or reacting to the painkillers

I didn’t find out I was reviewing this show until I stumbled in to the beautiful Fox Theater, stressed and tired, in the middle of opener Gary Go’s last song. “Who’s reviewing the show?” I ask David Price and Gordon Elgart, senior members of the Spinning Platters staff. They laugh and say “You are!” and I protest: “my computer’s still broken!” But I was betrayed by the fact that my ancient laptop can slowly chug along and allow me to post this. Three blog writers, all unwilling. I lose. Boo! There was a time when I would have loved to review a Mika show, but now is not that time. Continue reading “Show Review: Mika at The Fox Oakland, 10/24/2009”

Show Review: Boys Like Girls and many more at The Warfield, 10/23/09

Being able to go see all the best shows that come through town is the best part of writing for a Bay Area music site. The flip-side of this is that sometimes we need to see some of the … not best shows that come through town as well. Since I never judge in advance, and sometimes I’m surprised, going to see a show with four bands I’ve never heard and a fifth I’ve fondly dismissed in the past, is either a blessing or a curse. So which one of these was Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, The Maine, Rocket to the Moon and Versa Verge? Continue reading “Show Review: Boys Like Girls and many more at The Warfield, 10/23/09”