Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Big shows, little shows, in between shows, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone this week. It’s a great week to go to shows in the bay!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/2/11-6/8/11”
Welcome to my annual tradition of answering the SXSW questions you didn’t know you had! And here are this year’s questions.
1. What over-hyped band was the first one I saw, and surprised me by being excellent?
2. Who brought horns and a bunch of new songs, and got me to see them twice?
3. Who is still my favorite new band discovery of 2009, even as they totally destroy in 2011?
4. What hip-hop performer made even this hip-hop-know-nothing stand up and take notice?
5. What band blew the circuit breaker — twice, got cut off for time, and got to finish their set after the crowd yelled for more?
6. Who had the most frustrating technical difficulties?
7. Who’s possibly the best live act in the world today?
8. And if it’s not them, who is it?
9. What greatly anticipated import lived up to my expectations, and then some, but then got screwed over?
10. Who was the best guitar player in Austin during SXSW 2011?
11. What Kaiser Chiefs song was I honestly singing while waiting for Death From Above 1979 to play on Saturday night?
12. What’s this I hear about overcrowded, over-commercial SXSW? Is it true?
Click for the answers! Continue reading “Gordon Answers Your 2011 SXSW Questions”
On episode 18 of the Spinning Platters Podcast, we welcome Carlos Rodela of All of Us Are Famous to discuss Noise Pop, the best way for bands to sell music, our own history in bands, and various other topics. You can subscribe to the podcast by pushing the giant button to your left, or you can listen below. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast: Episode 18 — Too Late For Goodbyes”
So, it looks like the people of the ABC are getting super angry, and are doing some nasty things to our DNA. It also looks like the economy is laying to waste one of San Francisco’s greatest venues at the end of the year. So, please, please help keep live music alive by going to a show or two this week. And next week is Black Friday, a day that you will be shopping early in the morning. I suggest all of our readers power shop, then power nap, and then attend an all ages show somewhere in town, then head to Annie’s Social Club afterwards for some late night punk rock karaoke. But, we won’t have an extensive Black Friday show guide until next Wednesday. Until then, here’s this week:
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: November 18th-November 24th”
What follows is a pretty simple list of every single musical act I saw at Glastonbury 2009 for at least one song. There were others that I walked by, and sometimes it takes a whole song to walk by them, but when I don’t know who’s playing until I’m finished walking by them and have gone back to my tent to look at a list of who was just on stage, I don’t think that counts because I wasn’t paying any attention at all. I’m looking at you, The Script (or was it The View?) I’ll make very brief remarks about some acts, and pretty lengthy ones about others. I probably won’t say too much about the music for some bands, but will assume you know them already instead. Find out which acts had me dancing, which had me skankin’, which ones had me screaming, and which one left me in tears. Buckle up, because this is going to take me a while. Continue reading “Glastonbury Diary, Part Three: The Music”
I thought I was seeing a White Lies show, and it was nice that Friendly Fires were playing. But by the time the show was over, it was clear I had seen a Friendly Fires show, and that it was nice that White Lies were playing.
I got there right as White Lies were taking the stage. (There was an opener called The Soft Pack but I was unable to see their set. Other reviewers might lie about this.) I like White Lies album a lot, and the music sounds good live. It’s just that they don’t do much on stage. They just stand there. Their music calls for them to be dressed better, too. I still like the album, but their set left me cold.
I scooted up front with some friends to watch Friendly Fires, and this band is a great time! The songs sound so lively on stage, and the band performs with a catchy intensity. It makes it hard to not dance. There was, in fact, much dancing. I still can’t recommend their album other than as a demo for their live show. Their set was only 40 minutes or so; they’re going to need more material to become a true headlining band. But if you are at a festival where they’re playing, make a point of visiting their stage.