Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Although SF Sketchfest begins this week, there is still plenty of music in the city this weekend, too! It’s time to get your ear plugs warmed up — mostly cause it’s really cold out — and get moving!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 1/19/12-1/25/12”
It is frequently said that when you have a formula that works, it is safe to stick with it, but only to the point where you continue to be successful, and not past the point where you’ve entered a realm of dangerous repetition. In 2010 I stated that a popular trend was for a band to go on tour and, as their setlist, play one or more of their classic albums from start to finish. Some acts, such as the Melvins or A Perfect Circle, took up this concept and played multiple albums over multiple nights, and it was a true test of stamina for their fans to make it out for two or three nights in a row to see the entire collection of songs from their catalogue. However, when bassist Peter Hook and his band The Light returned to the Mezzanine in San Francisco to perform Joy Division’s posthumous classic Closer in its entirety, it was quite clear that a nearly-one-year-long wait was a brilliant decision, as it brought a new collection of energetic fans, an explosive performance from Hook and his band, and the reminder that the power and majesty of Joy Division’s music is still fiercely present over 30 years after the release of their final record.
At least for a couple hours, it’s Dan Deacon’s show and we just live in it. You know it right from the beginning; from before the show even, considering his reputation. The acts before him were pretty straightforward players (save for Ed Schrader’s Music Beat but more on that soon) but Deacon breaks it from the get-go: starts a piece that gets the crowd all riled up, plays just a few seconds and then abruptly stops “Okay that works,” he says. What a tease. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: Dan Deacon with Altars, Oona and Ed Schrader’s Music Beat at The Independent, 2/22/2011”
As we all know, tackling a festival like Noise Pop can be tough… There’s a lot if different things to do, and you know that they are all awesome, but how do we know which events are most awesomest of all? Well, since I am of great personal taste, you should simply obey my guidelines, and then you can do no wrong.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2011”
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”
On Thursday night, Slim’s hosted a dynamic range of Bay Area music. Opening with R&B, eased into alternative rock, Pop with soul, then jumped into Hip Hop and ended with fans twirling to Electric Trance. Contrary to logic, the various of styles had a smooth transition from one band’s music flavor to another, which was appreciated by a tight crowd as loyal as family. Continue reading “Show Review: Rondo Brothers with Oona, King Midas in Reverse and Matthew Hansen at Slim’s, 8/26/2010”
This is a busy, busy week for SF show goers… Lotsa stuff to go to! Enjoy your last week of summer vacation! Here’s how:
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 8/26/2010-9/1/2010”
If I had to give a title to this review, apart from the boring, SEO-friendly titles we always use here, it would be “They Might Be Giants vs. The Napa Uptown Theatre.” I think that the band started the show really loving the beautifully restored theater, but by the end of the performance, I feel like there may have been some antagonism between the two. Was this an actual fight? Or merely a love-fest in disguise? It was a bit hard to tell. Continue reading “Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Oona at The Napa Uptown, 8/21/2010”
Feliz Cinco de Mayo de SpinningPlatters.com. He aquí una lista de formas divertidas y fabulosas para pasar sus vacaciones, así como la semana siguiente. Si me ves en cualquiera de estos programas, por favor, gracias a mi me entregando una margarita o tamal!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/5/10-5/11/10”
Coachella was announced today. Pretty good. Pretty much on the other side of the state. And four months away. Musicians work far more often than that. Why don’t you seen them cold and indoors? Sorry that I don’t have Grace Jones to offer you, but here are other things!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: January 20th-January 26th”