Jamila Woods – Spinning Platters

Show Review: Jamila Woods with Madison McFerrin at August Hall, 2/4/24

(Photos by Dakin Hardwick)

I am a new fan of Jamila Woods, having just discovered her through Spinning Platters’ intense and wonderful Album of the Year process, and I’m so glad I did. Jamila Woods is an amazing writer, and her music fills the soul. On the stormiest Sunday California has seen in a long time, I trekked through the almost deserted streets of San Francisco in the hopes that music would take away the wet and soggy feelings I’d had all weekend. Continue reading “Show Review: Jamila Woods with Madison McFerrin at August Hall, 2/4/24”

Single of the Week: “Practice” by Jamila Woods featuring Saba

Chicago’s poet/singer/rapper Jamila Woods is very quickly becoming one of those rare artists that I’d buy anything from blind. Her latest record, Water Made Us, keeps dropping great singles. “Practice” is a sexy, romantic, and genuinely happy track. It’s such a nice relief from the exceptionally stressful news week we’ve had to listen to a song that’s such a joy. It’s also a rare video where every single person is naked, yet it’s somehow not NSFW?

Water Made Us is available to stream wherever you pay your monthly streaming dues to. The physical version of the record is coming October 24th, just a few days before my birthday, so if you feel like buying me this on vinyl, I’ll gladly accept it! Woods is also touring, and I’m pretty excited to see this show live. Tickets went on sale today! Continue reading “Single of the Week: “Practice” by Jamila Woods featuring Saba”

Single of the Week: “Tiny Garden” by Jamila Woods featuring duendita

Jamila Woods never ceases to surprise me. Her heavy lyrics are always full of layers, often political or spiritual, or a mixture of both. So, after spending hours with “Tiny Garden,” trying to determine what she’s getting at, only to find that she’s gifted us with… A straight-ahead love song? A stunning, honest love song, centering on the work and the joys of being in a long-term relationship. And that middle lyric: “If I’m awkward, let me rock,” sent shivers down my spine. It’s the most real, relatable, and kind song I’ve heard on a while.

“Tiny Garden” is the first single off Wood’s upcoming album, Water Made Us, which is sure to dominate all of the end-of-the-year lists. So do the prep work to make sure you are ready for it on October 13th here!

Single Of The Week: SULA (Paperback) by Jamila Woods

In 2019, Jamila Woods gave us LEGACY! LEGACY!, a profound piece of work about reflecting on how your heroes connect to your own life. At least, that’s what I got out of it. As we know, art is subjective and you get out of it what makes sense to you. Woods could have continued spent 2020 completely quiet, but that doesn’t seem to be her way. Instead, she dropped this beauty of a ballad, “SULA (Paperback),” a reflection on the Toni Morrison novel, Sula. The song is pure Woods, drawing on elements of the piece of literature that inspired her, and making it something deeply personal. The arrangement is refreshing and tender, combining jazz ballad guitar with pedal steal and layered harmonies that just hit that part of your gut that makes you feel all warm and alive inside.

“SULA (Paperback)” can be streamed in all the usual places, or you can purchase it off Bandcamp. While you are there, if you don’t already own LEGACY! LEGACY!, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It may never leave your turntable.

Ways You Can Support Artists AND Help Fight Police Brutality and Systemic Racism

That headline is a mouthful, isn’t it? It’s been difficult processing all of my feelings about everything that has happened this year… From Australian burning to the destruction of Nashville to COVID-19, this year has been a rough one, but it’s been particularly bad for the music business. Yet, in the last few weeks, coming off the heels of the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor and Charles Floyd, there has been an outpouring if activity coming from musicians, all donating to worthy causes that will fight the infrastructure that has led to so many innocent people of color dying at the hands of the people they pay to serve and protect them.

All I am asking of you is to do something you probably want to do anyways: buy merch from your favorite artists. Many of these artists are leveraging that June 5th is “Bandcamp Day,” where Bandcamp waives their fees, so artists get everything. Here are just a handful of campaigns happening now from some Spinning Platters favorites:

Continue reading “Ways You Can Support Artists AND Help Fight Police Brutality and Systemic Racism”

Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2020

Noise Pop week. It’s pretty much impossible, isn’t it? It’s the single best programmed week of live music the Bay Area gets all year! And this year marks the return on the Noise Pop Film Series! There is other fun stuff in store, like a photo exhibit at Hotel Biron, and some secret late shows at Cafe du Nord! So, yes, there is plenty do to that ISN’T seeing a band. Which is my life’s blood, and probably your’s, too, since you are reading this preview. Since there is a lot to do, this is not a comprehensive guide to the fest by any means. (That can be found here) This is one show per day that you should go to, plus a movie on some days. And if you don’t want to buy nine sets of tickets, pick up a badge that can get you into EVERYTHING! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2020”

Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2019

By The Spinning Platters’ Editorial Team

2019 was an insane musical year… If I traveled back to 2000 and told me that Trent Reznor would have writing credit on the longest running #1 single of all time, and that song was a duet between a 20 year old rapper and Billy Ray Cyrus that won a CMA award, I’d think you were insane. (BTW: I just watched the video to this song for the first time, and it’s pretty wonderfully weird) The insanity is a good thing, and our top 10 of the year ended up being our most eclectic one yet!

#10 Pony / Orville Peck Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2019”