Nick Thune – Spinning Platters

SF Sketchfest Review: Comedy Film Nerds Podcast on 1/25/2014

comedy film nerds

While preparing to go to the live Comedy Films Nerds show at Punchline today I came to the strange realization that I’ve been listening to the podcast for three years. Almost every episode. So you can say that I feel like I know the podcast hosts Graham Elwood and Chris Mancini and I was a bit apprehensive about how it would feel watching instead of listening to the action. Podcasts feel so personal, making you feel like the comedians are talking straight to you. But could it still feel like that in a theater full of people? I was about to find out. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Comedy Film Nerds Podcast on 1/25/2014”

SF Sketchfest Review: Smug Shift on 1/24/2014

Another year, another Sketchfest, another installment of Smug Shift. It seems just yesterday I was ream-deep into my first SF Sketchfest, jotting notes with a juvenile sincerity dormant since the beginning of middle school (where it all went wrong). Over the overworked, overwrought ordeal, only one show reached personal perfection: Smug Shift, a concoction of former Bay Area-based boons Moshe Kasher and Brent Weinbach. Last night at the Verdi Club, the show stretched its wings and lifted its head skyward with rekindled opulence: a weird, phallic phoenix. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Smug Shift on 1/24/2014”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/23/14-1/29/14

Wake up and go to shows this week! So many shows... — Wake up and go to shows this week! So many shows…

The thirteenth annual SF Sketchfest is upon us, littering San Francisco with night after night of too many good things at once.

To help with these sorts of problems, please consult “A Nerd’s Guide To Sketchfest 2014.” Yes, Dakin’s full-on once-over of this year’s fest is just the right guide to help you make those wrenching nerd decisions about which one-of-a-kind Sketchfest show to choose from on each jam-packed night. Too much good stuff is a good/ANNOYING problem to have. You are fortunate. We are fortunate.

This week! We have Canadiens! Sleepwalkers! Metal! Tim! Punk rock benefit shows! And science! O you lucky person, you — to have all of these awesome things to choose from.

Here’s what’s coming up this week.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/23/14-1/29/14”

Outside Lands 2013 Journal, Day 3: Sunday, August 11th

Sunday. The sabbath. And, of course, I believe in the church of rock n roll. And I believe that I kept the day as holy as could be. Of course, since Hall & Oates showed up, it really couldn’t happen any other way.

Continue reading “Outside Lands 2013 Journal, Day 3: Sunday, August 11th”

A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2013

Spinning Platters loves Sketchfest. San Franciscans are generally really lucky, but for two and a half weeks every year, our lives get even brighter and more chaotic, because the best live comedy programming one could imagine is here, in the greatest place on Earth. Of course, it can be awfully intimidating. Hence this guide, to help you sort out everything that you should go to. For a complete schedule and tickets, please click here!

Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest 2013”

Sketchfest Review: Smug Shift 1/21/2012

After a certain hour, the nocturnal muse of midnight, the world gets weird. Sure, reality is eternally enveloped in curiosity and every “hour” on Earth is both day and night. Still, regardless of circumstance, there is a pivotal time drenched in ethereal giddiness that inspires irrational adventures. This is evidently the best time to start a comedy show. Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Smug Shift 1/21/2012”

Sketchfest Review: Ron Funches/Nick Thune, 1/20/2012

The SF Sketchfest Dozen is a noble and novel concept. Twelve vetted new headliners from across the country perform over three weeks at the Punch Line, one of the most revered comedy clubs in the country. Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Ron Funches/Nick Thune, 1/20/2012”

Spinning Platters Guide To New Year’s Eve 2011 In The San Francisco Bay Area

It’s scary how quickly New Year’s Eve is approaching. It’s almost 2011, and if you are like me, you haven’t figured out what you are going to do. Well, here are a few tips shows that you can still decide to head out to!

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide To New Year’s Eve 2011 In The San Francisco Bay Area”

Show Review: Mates of State with Free Energy and Nick Thune at Great American Music Hall, 7/1/2010

Co-written with Dakin Hardwick

Mates of State brought their “Summer Crushes” tour to Great American Music Hall last week to promote their newest project, a covers album called Crushes. But rather than just show up and play, they brought along a traveling variety show. At the end of the night, though, it was the joyful music of Mates of State that I’m going to remember. So what else was there? Continue reading “Show Review: Mates of State with Free Energy and Nick Thune at Great American Music Hall, 7/1/2010”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/24/10-6/30/10

Tonight at Milk! Spinning Platters is taking you on a quick guide to live music in the Bay Area from June 24th to the 30th. ROCK!

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/24/10-6/30/10”