Issac Brock and crew sauntered out to fervent fans in Oakland Wednesday night. The 25th-anniversary tour for The Lonesome Crowded West has twenty-one scheduled tour dates full of 90s gems that soundtracked college dorms through the early 2000s. This one was sold out, with fans of all ages and all eras of the band attending. Beanie-topped tidy grunge folks in the teeming audience at the Fox howled when the first licks of “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine” began. The setlist continued down a nostalgic path stirring ephemeral eddies of light-push-moshing. “Doin’ The Cockroach” is their disco grind dance number. The crowd obliged. Continue reading “Show Review: Modest Mouse at The Fox Theater, 11/30/22”
1997 was the year I graduated high school. It was also the year I started college. I was awfully intimidated by college… I went from being a relatively well-liked and popular kid (Yeah. I know. I’ll stop gloating.) to an awkward kid that didn’t know how to make friends. In fact, I moved between classes, work, my dorm room, the computer lab, and the Taco Bell inside Mary Park Hall at San Francisco State University.
At the Taco Bell was a lovely human that the good folks of SFSU dubbed “Taco Bell Rob.” He was pretty much the only employee- at least, he was the only one there whenever I was. He lovingly prepared fast faux-Mexican fare for tired and hungry students who missed getting to the dorm cafeteria. I was a little, angry punker that thought music had to be fast. The faster, the better. I’ve never met someone more excited about music than Rob. And whenever I walked in, he made sure to challenge this notion in the most loving and wonderful way. He introduced me to Built To Spill. I think he introduced me to Elliot Smith and The Aislers Set. And he was the first person to play The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse for me.
I’ve since lost contact with Rob. The last time I saw him, he gave me a ride home from The Aislers Set reunion show at The Chapel in 2014. I don’t know if he’s going to be at The Fox tomorrow night to see Modest Mouse play The Lonesome Crowded West in its entirety, but for those of you that are, be sure to send a thank you to the person in your life that showed you something new, something that opened your mind and eyes to new sounds. That person is more important than you think.
BTW- here’s his band from the 00’s. They were fantastic.
Is it too early to call it? Sleater-Kinney’s latest may be 2015’s best.
Don’t call it a comeback. It’s just worth acknowledging that years have passed since the forecast for upcoming releases has been this bright. Here’s hoping it doesn’t amount to an audio equivalent of the anticipation and subsequent let down one might experience on New Year’s Eve. Giorgio Moroder (who really made Daft Punk’s latest album a worthwhile listen), The Juliana Hatfield Three, and Sleater-Kinney are just a few of the sorely-missed acts making triumphant, long-awaited returns in 2015.
This list may have grown by twenty additional albums compared to last year, but that doesn’t mean every last major release was included. Sorry to inform you, in advance, that you won’t find the likes of Papa Roach, Marilyn Manson, Fall Out Boy, Fergie Ferg, or Canada’s *pride*/current Calvin Klein cover boy, Justin Bieber listed. Even Mumford & Sons will not be mentioned beyond this sentence. That’s just Spinning Platters allowing me and my subjective musical tastes to run amok. However, there is something here for every musical taste imaginable and as I mentioned at the conclusion, if there was something we must all know about that was overlooked, let it be known in the comments.
Read on, discover some new gems, and get an overview of what to expect this coming year. I’ve even included links to lead-off tracks where they’re available and, of course, my own witless banter when absolutely necessary. Happy New Year of listening.
This past weekend, First City Festival made its debut at Monterey County Fairgrounds (if it sounds familiar, the annual Jazz Festival is also held there) and the stellar turnout ensured that this won’t be the last time we witness the two-day event that was named after Monterey’s claim to be the “first capital” of California.
With a line up containing Neko Case, Toro Y Moi, Akron/Family, and the Antlers, on day two alone, it was definitely worth making a two-hour road trip from the Bay Area. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was mellow, and lines for food and beverages were reasonable. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t make a top five list. Before you look at the photos, humor me in reading my thoughts on the highlights and lowlights of the day’s events.
Episode 4 of the Spinning Platters podcast is now available below, and in iTunes. Dakin, Gordon and D.P. are joined on this episode by Carlos Rodela of Mevio. You can see him weekly on Rad on the Web and Press Pause, or hear him below. This week’s topics are:
What we’ve been listening to
Outside Lands Festival Cage Match — We put bands playing at the same time up against each other to decide who you should be seeing
Rad on the Web, and what other joy you’ll find on the Mevio Tech channel
