Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Remember when Tuesdays were the “New Release Day” for music? Those days were special. Although I think moving it to Friday is a little more fun. That being said, two videos dropped today from two of my favorite finds of the year!
Going in alphabetical order out of fairness…
Continue reading “New Music Videos from Blondshell and Dream Wife”
David Bowie’s Blackstar. Metallica’s Hardwired… To Self Destruct. Cher’s Believe. Green Day’s American Idiot. Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy. It’s rare for an artist to go over a decade between “classic albums.” These five were the only five I could really think of where the band was able to find that magic, get that “this is why I love this artist” sound after years. Liz Phair’s two most recent records, Somebody’s Miracle and Funstyle weren’t for me. I actually wasn’t even sure Phair was going to release another album after 2010’s Funstyle, let alone a record that I was going to be legit excited about.
So, when I put on “Hey Lou,” that angular acoustic guitar HIT ME IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS THE LIZ PHAIR THAT I LOVE!!! It’s classic Liz Phair: rough, a little abrasive, vivid lyrics. Yet, the song sounds fairly mature. The arrangement is complex and fascinating in a way that someone with 30 years experience under her belt as a songwriter would be able to do. And, really, she is a better singer now. It’s just a great song.
“Hey Lou” is out now in all the usual places. It’s the first single off her upcoming record Soberish, due later this year. If you are jonesing for a Liz Phair concert, she’s doing a live stream on March 3rd, aptly titled “I Was Almost There.” And, of course, we are still waiting to see officially when we will be able to enjoy live music again, but Phair is still due to tour with Alanis Morisette and Garbage later this Summer. Dr Fauci said that it’s important to make plans out in the world for after this is over, so it’s really beneficial to start buying concert tickets anyways! Until then, keep double masking, avoiding unnecessary trips into the world, washing your hands, and be sure to get your shots when they become available again, and we might actually enjoy this ridiculous lineup together.
The year is 1995. I’m a 15 year-old that was just starting to figure out my musical tastes. I learned that MTV had a two hour-long program at midnight early Monday mornings, that aired “underground” music videos. (Underground is in quotes because, as a grown up, I’m aware that you couldn’t be that far underground to be shown on corporate television). Due to school getting in the way, I would set the VCR to record these videos to watch later. The music from these programs became the primary thing that encoded my tastes for the rest of my life. Two videos that I would rewind and re-watch incessantly, were Liz Phair’s “Never Said” and “Supernova.” 23 years later, I am finally fulfilling that dream of getting to experience this musician, who’s had such an intense effect on my development, perform a full-length concert. Continue reading “Show Review: Liz Phair, Speedy Ortiz at The Fillmore, 9/20/18”
This week around the San Francisco Bay Area: Love! Honey! Medicine! Class war! Typos! Beards! And a moonlighting winemaker.
Let’s preview the week’s upcoming shows, shall we?
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 12/3/15-12/9/15”
Another SXSW has passed, and this year, I intended on doing a daily diary, but the internet kind of sucked in our hotel, and I also really wanted to sleep, so instead you get this: a big, huge list of everything awesome at SXSW, including some amazing day parties thrown by our friends at Terrorbird, Force Field PR, Ticketfly, SPIN, NPR, and MOG (thanks!), leaving me pretty tired and delirious. For those of you that don’t want to read, I’ll sum it up: Best bands that I’ve never heard of before were Attic Ted, The Death Set, and DOM. The Kills did not kill, but TV On The Radio, Death From Above 1979, and The Dead Milkmen all played great comeback sets. Now, sit back, relax, have a Shiner Bock and read on:
Continue reading “Dakin’s SXSW Journal: 47 Instant SXSW Gig Reviews”
Rocktober, week 2. Pretty awesome. A few living legends, a few surprises, and a lot of awesome October live music for your pleasure.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 10/7/2010-10/13/2010”
