Show Review: Pixar in Concert with the SF Symphony

PixarNight

The magic of Pixar Animation Studios has produced 13 films since it debuted its first feature in 1995 with Toy Story.  These films have consistently raised the bar for animated storytelling, and with such an impressive list of titles including the Toy Story series, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Finding Nemo, and more, it’s no surprise that one of the hardest questions to ask a movie lover is ‘what’s your favorite Pixar film?’  Part of the magical formula that contributes to the wide success of the studio are the film scores, composed by four incredible talents: Randy Newman, Thomas Newman, Patrick Doyle, and (my personal favorite) Michael Giacchino.  The Pixar film scores have garnered 10 Oscar nominations and 1 win, not including original songs.  Last night, the San Francisco Symphony held the first night of its Pixar in Concert series, a fantastic musical evening featuring excerpts from each of the 14 Pixar titles accompanied by a montage of each film.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 9/30/2010-10/6/2010

Wolf Bands are playing again! I love wolf bands!!! When can I see a wolf band?!?!?

The month that has been declared as “Rocktober” kicks off this week, and despite the fact that many of our good friends are trapped in Vegas for a an expensive schmooze-fest with the indie rock elite, and I’m still kind of bummed that I won’t be able to escape to LA for what appears to be the greatest line up for a single show ever! But, I digress, this is still kind of a “Holy Crap!” week here in the bay area, filled with some pretty special stuff. Take a look!

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Album Review: Peter Gabriel – Scratch My Back

Peter Gabriel’s new covers album Scratch My Back is the beginning of a “song exchange” project. This means that every artist covered on this album is being asked to cover one of Peter Gabriel’s songs in exchange. This collection will then be released under the title …And I’ll Scratch Yours. That’s the intention. Whether or not the second part ends up happening seems to be up in the air so far, but Stephin Merrit has already recorded “Not One of Us” as a b-side to Peter Gabriel’s Magnetic Fields cover,”Book of Love,” so the project has begun. Continue reading “Album Review: Peter Gabriel — Scratch My Back”