San Francisco – Page 48 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: La Roux at The Great American Music Hall, 10/18/09

You had to wonder how much love was left for La Roux, going up against the Treasure Island Music Festival closing with The Decemberists and The Flaming Lips, just a few miles away on the very same night. But all bets were off, because whatever it is that gets people started, whatever it is that makes your booty want to shake, and whatever it is that you can never quite put your finger on about an artist, La Roux has it. Continue reading “Show Review: La Roux at The Great American Music Hall, 10/18/09”

Show Review: W00tstock: 3 Hours of Geeks & Music, Swedish American Hall, 10/19/09

Guess which are the geeks and which are the music!

The Swedish American Hall was the host to a brand new event last night. This was called W00tStock, and was advertised as “3 Hours of Geeks & Music.” It turned out to be part concert, part convention, and part comedy show. I can say without a doubt that it focused on the geeks more than the music, and that what music there was also fell onto the left side of the ampersand. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Continue reading “Show Review: W00tstock: 3 Hours of Geeks & Music, Swedish American Hall, 10/19/09”

10 Quick Questions with Paul and Storm

After their epic performance at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo, the world was breathlessly awaiting Paul and Storm’s next move. Fortunately, they had already announced this move a couple of days earlier. What brings them to San Francisco this week is an absolute geek fest called w00tstock, that also features Wil Wheaton, Adam Savage, and “other surprise guests,” most of whom have been announced and are listed at the bottom of this post. I’ll be there, and I strongly recommend picking up a ticket for Tuesday night while you still can. I spoke with Greg “Storm” DiCostanzo and asked him if he would do an email interview with Spinning Platters when the show got closer, and he graciously agreed to do so.

Spinning Platters: Your most well known song, featured in Rock Band, is “Opening Band.” What happens to that song when you headline? Continue reading “10 Quick Questions with Paul and Storm”

Show Review (Treasure Island Music Festival 10/18/09): The Flaming Lips, A Letter of Appreciation

Flaming Lips

Dear Kliph, Stephen, Michael, and Wayne,

This letter has been over a decade in the making. I can pinpoint the moment that started my love affair with your band to a precise moment in time. The date was October 28th, 1997, exactly one day after my 18th birthday. I was entering in to adulthood, and learned of a band that I only had a fleeting familiarity from adolescence via the video tapes of Alternative Nation that I cherished so dearly. This band that I had forgotten about had released the most amazing records I have ever read about. 4 cds, all designed to be played simultaneously. This record is called Zaireeka, and it was an experience that I have only enjoyed on a handful of occasions, primarily because of the difficulty in staging a listening. From this point on, I knew you were a band that I needed to know, and as I learned how to be a grown-up, you were there for me the entirety of the journey thus far, and I have no intention of losing you.

Continue reading “Show Review (Treasure Island Music Festival 10/18/09): The Flaming Lips, A Letter of Appreciation”

Treasure Island Festival Diary, Part 2: 10/17/09 Nighttime

The sky was lit by balloons and fireworks.

When the darkness finally arrived on Treasure Island on Saturday night, I decided it was time to put the camera and notebook down, and just dance. So nighttime at Treasure Island, as seen through my eyes, is a lot of disconnected sweaty memories. That is, of course, until I tried to leave the island, which turned out to be a lot tougher than I thought. Continue reading “Treasure Island Festival Diary, Part 2: 10/17/09 Nighttime”

Show Review: Eisley at Slim’s, 10/15/09

eisley

So often there are those bands that fall between the cracks of your musical world. They fight and claw their way in, trying to have a place in your collection. They try to pop up on your Pandora station, or while you’re trying to decide if you should buy this eighty dollar shirt at a trendy clothing shop, just so they might have a chance of sticking in your head. And just when they get through (in my case it was the song “Marvelous Things”), they book a concert on the same night of another show you already have tickets for! It’s beyond me how many times I’ve missed Eisley just because I was at a different show on the same night. This show was somewhere around six years in waiting. Continue reading “Show Review: Eisley at Slim’s, 10/15/09”

Treasure Island Night Show Review: MGMT at the Independent, 10/16/09

The next prog superpower? It's not out of the realm of possibility.

My double clicking ability is expert! That’s how I got tickets to MGMT at the Independent. I picked up two tickets to see MGMT thinking that of course someone would like to join me on this outing. Apparently, no one I know likes then enough to cancel their Friday night plans, so I went alone and gave my ticket to a guy so his wife could get in. You can never have too much good karma, and tonight I didn’t need the money.

The last time I saw MGMT was at Live 105’s BFD in 2008. I don’t remember much about the band, I just remember the girls from Oakland girl rap group Hot Tub getting on stage and grinding around. (Hot Tub by the way is amazing.) So, needless to say, seeing MGMT at the Independent is a big change of venue from the parking lot at Shoreline. Continue reading “Treasure Island Night Show Review: MGMT at the Independent, 10/16/09”

The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival

No, I'm not sure how to get to where this picture was taken.

This weekend’s Treasure Island Music Festival has quickly become my favorite musical event of the year. There are no conflicting set times, so you can see everyone on the bill. The size of the festival is fairly small, so it’s easy to get around. The setting in the middle of San Francisco Bay is absolutely stunning. And something about all of these combine to keep the people going in a relaxed, pleasant mood that makes being there all the more enjoyable.

Now, you might think going to this festival is as easy as hopping in your car and going to the festival to enjoy some music, but you’d be wrong. Read on, and I’ll teach you how to avoid rookie mistakes. Continue reading “The Insiders’ Guide to the Treasure Island Music Festival”

Show Review: A Hawk and a Hacksaw at The Independent, 10/9/09

Accordian solos don't get any cooler than this. — Accordion solos don't get any cooler than this.

Any trip to the Divisadero corridor always deserves a stop at one of the many excellent and inexpensive restaurant choices available. On this trip, the choice was half an order of BBQ chicken, mac ‘n cheese, and corn. I was still picking kernels out of my teeth when we walked in midway through the set of Damon and Naomi, the openers for the evening. The music was melancholy and wistful, with intertwining vocals from both musicians, Damon on acoustic guitar and Naomi on keyboards. I wasn’t too disappointed, but their brand of self-proclaimed “dream pop” wasn’t doing anything to help out my impending food coma. It was a surprise to learn that the duo did a stint on Sub Pop back in the mid-to-late 90’s. However, I wasn’t much into indie rock back then; rather, mainstream alternative, but that’s beside the point. The set ended a little after 10:00pm, and on to the waiting game. Continue reading “Show Review: A Hawk and a Hacksaw at The Independent, 10/9/09”

Show Review: Fran Healy & Andy Dunlop from Travis at The Swedish American Hall, 10/8/09

This event was billed as “An Evening with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop from Travis: A Chronological Acoustic Journey Through the Travis Back Catalogue- Laugh Out Loud Stories, Scottish Accents, Handsome Scottish Men, Naked Torsos.” Although one of these things didn’t occur (the naked torsos) I’m not sure I can do a better job describing the show then they did, but here goes.

Continue reading “Show Review: Fran Healy & Andy Dunlop from Travis at The Swedish American Hall, 10/8/09”