Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
When Amy Millan steps away from one of her band projects (Stars, Broken Social Scene), she morphs from indie chanteuse into a roadhouse country singer. There’s plenty of lyrics about drinking, loneliness and hitting the road. I knew right away that this would be a pretty mellow show, and I was definitely proven right by the end of the night. Continue reading “Show Review: Amy Millan and Bahamas at Cafe Du Nord, 10/28/09”
Dead Man’s Bones is an interesting musical project brought to you by actor Ryan Gosling, of Mickey Mouse Club/Young Hercules/Lars and the Real Girl fame (what? The Notebook? What’s that?), and friend Zach Shields. It is dark gothic music accompanied by a children’s choir. It may sound kitschy and weird, which it is, but it is also wonderful and skillfully arranged. Underneath all the macabre cheese is a strong beating heart that keeps the project as more than a throw away joke. This show would silence any doubters. Dead Man’s Bones is a real, and excellent, band. Continue reading “Show Review: Dead Man’s Bones at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10/27/2009”
Can I take a nap instead of writing this review? Believe it or not, that’s a complement to last night’s show by The Gossip. I’m exhausted and that’s often the most tell-tale way for me to know I had fun at a show. Continue reading “Show Review: The Gossip and MEN at The Regency Ballroom, 10/25/09”
When I saw the lineup for this year’s Bridge School Benefit, I got excited. When I saw that hardly anyone was buying tickets for Sunday’s version of the show, I waited for the discounts to happen. And when Livenation reminded everyone that they should only buy tickets on Wednesdays by lowering decent pavilion seats to $40 including service charges, I was in.
It turns out Google offers free wifi throughout Mountain View, including here, so I’m hoping to post the first full length review of the show. With that in mind, I’m writing this review during set breaks. Keep reloading or revisiting, and I’ll add bands as I go. Continue reading “Live Show Review: Bridge School Benefit at the Shoreline Amphitheater, 10/25/09”
I didn’t find out I was reviewing this show until I stumbled in to the beautiful Fox Theater, stressed and tired, in the middle of opener Gary Go’s last song. “Who’s reviewing the show?” I ask David Price and Gordon Elgart, senior members of the Spinning Platters staff. They laugh and say “You are!” and I protest: “my computer’s still broken!” But I was betrayed by the fact that my ancient laptop can slowly chug along and allow me to post this. Three blog writers, all unwilling. I lose. Boo! There was a time when I would have loved to review a Mika show, but now is not that time. Continue reading “Show Review: Mika at The Fox Oakland, 10/24/2009”
The setting: A 27 year old dude sitting in a bar where the definition of cool can no longer legally apply to him. He is sitting in an 18+ club. The clientele ranges from creepy E-ridden middle-aged men in sports jackets to fresh, young 18 year-old girls trying to define their sexuality.
Imagine the scent of pickled matter slowly overpowering your senses. Imagine confusion. Continue reading “Show Review: Dragonette at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 10/22/09”
Why review Heart? Why now? They haven’t been relevant in quite a long time, and the last round of hits were arguably pretty hokey power ballads.
Well, there are a number of reasons to revere Heart. Primarily, they were the first rock band where women called all of the shots. They had complete creative control over songwriting, as well as marketing. Even if Heart were terrible, they still deserve a place in Rock n’ Roll history. (Seriously, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. I love the punk rock, but how aren’t Heart inducted yet?)
Continue reading “Show Review: Heart at The Warfield, 10/22/09”
The thing about secret shows is that they never stay secret for long, especially when they are produced by organizations like MySpace that harness the power of the blabbermouths. I was fortunate enough to hear about Weezer’s appearance the day before, but most importantly, I didn’t have to work the next day so it left with the whole afternoon to stand in line. Continue reading “(Secret) Show Review: Weezer and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head at The Regency Ballroom, 10/21/09”
My experiences of Echo & The Bunnymen have been few and far between. The first was hearing “The Killing Moon” while watching the opening of Donnie Darko, while others included their cover of The Doors’ “People Are Strange,” and listening to Jello Biafra’s humorous rant about his first appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show, where guest Tipper Gore spoonerized the band’s name into “Bunny and the Echomen”. While I listen to them casually, I’ve never had a deep appreciation for their music; with this in mind, I was still very excited to see their second of three performances this year, which included two sets: their 1984 album Ocean Rain, in its entirety, and a second set of old and new songs. Continue reading “Show Review: Echo & the Bunnymen at The Fox Oakland, 10/22/09”
I have difficulty, sometimes, when it comes to getting out to do certain things that are common. I rarely see movies or plays because the numerous showings mean that I don’t have to pinpoint a particular time and day to do it, which inevitably means it doesn’t happen. The same often happens with touring musicians that come around a lot. Brandi Carlile is one of those artists. San Francisco has rarely gone more than a year without her coming to town, and more often than not, it’s closer to every six months. So, of course, I look at my schedule and decide it’s inconvenient for me to see her this time around, so I’ll just catch her next time. I’ve put her off for about for years, and tonight I finally decided to stop stalling and check her out. Continue reading “Show Review: Brandi Carlile and Katie Herzig at The Fillmore, 10/20/09”