Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Director Tate Taylor, who most recently brought Kathryn Stockett’s best selling novel The Help to the big screen, tries his hand at true life material in Get on Up, a biopic of the Godfather of Soul himself, the legendary James Brown. The results are mixed; tonally, the picture is a bit uneven, but some fine performances elevate the proceedings, and the soundtrack alone is almost worth the price of admission. Continue reading “Film Review: Get on Up”
Have you ever felt like you were in on a big secret? And nobody believed you when you told them this secret? Like the one where one of the most influential bands of the last 40 years staged a reunion in a 1,000 person night club that, somehow, didn’t sell out in 30 seconds? Because on this unseasonably warm November night, the good people of San Francisco got to experience something that we haven’t seen in 13 years. Fred Wesley was James Brown’s trombonist and band leader during the classic 70’s funk era. Although he’s been recording and touring with a band called “Fred Wesley & The New JB’s,” this was the first time in many, many years that he’s played with any of the players that recorded those classic songs with James Brown.
Many an hour in my life has been spent hunting down classic music moments on Youtube. From live performances that have never been released on home video–only a moment from being removed by a copyright holder–to modern-day music videos, Youtube is a treasure trove of musical moments. So although I’m picking only six today, you can be sure that I’ll be picking six again. Here are six Youtube music videos I can watch over and over again, and do. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Six: Hidden Music Gems on Youtube”