setlist – Page 11 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: Desaparecidos with The Velvet Teen at Bottom of the Hill, 8/28/12

Waiting in line for the doors to open at Bottom of the Hill last night I knew it would be a nostalgic evening. Ten years ago I came to the same place, early and excited, to find a printed paper sign saying that Desaparacidos would not be performing, that instead Conor Oberst would be performing a solo acoustic show. That show was great, though it was hindered by the fact that Conor Oberst had played the same show as Bright Eyes earlier that year at Great American Music Hall and that anyone going to see Desaparecidos at Bottom of the Hill should have been expecting a night of feverish music and aggression not intense sadness and introspection. As I walked inside I just hoped my dreams of ten years ago would not be destroyed. Continue reading “Show Review: Desaparecidos with The Velvet Teen at Bottom of the Hill, 8/28/12”

Show Review: Jay Brannan at Great American Music Hall 8/4/12

JB1 — Jay Brannan’s stories are so good, he even makes himself laugh

Leaving the Great American Music Hall Saturday night, sure we talked about the great show and how opener Chris Pureka was a perfect fit, but mostly we talked about how Jay Brannan should be a superstar. His personality beams charm at you from the stage and his voice is clear tenor perfection that emotes every single word, so much so that it can almost break your heart. So why isn’t he super famous? Continue reading “Show Review: Jay Brannan at Great American Music Hall 8/4/12”

Show Review: The Dirty Projectors, Wye Oak at The Fox Theater, 7/28/12

No Two Doves. They didn’t play Two Doves! Two years ago my compadre (from here on out known as The Editor) tried to convince me to see Dirty Projectors at the Fillmore. I bailed on him for Vampire Weekend, Beach House, and The Very Best at the Greek (I don’t think that was a complete fail, one band with harmonies and African beats for another. And fun fact! According to Wikipedia, Ezra once played sax for Dirty Projectors!). The point of this rambling intro being that my only knowledge of Dirty Projectors was their song Two Doves, a lovely but slow emotional song. Not something I’d want to spend all night listening to. In other words, I was an idiot.

So this time, after some more research, I accepted El Editoro’s invitation to see the band at The Fox Theater in Oakland. After all they serve some tasty nachos at the Fox.

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Show Review: Cody ChesnuTT at Yoshi’s – SF, 7/12/12

I find it hard to believe that 2002 was 10 years ago. This was the last time that we heard from Cody ChesnuTT. He released a brilliant record called The Headphone Masterpiece. It was a two CD set, recorded at home, and was one of the most refreshing R&B records of it’s time. He managed to balance out the fine line between neo soul and indie rock in a truly inventive way. Both The Roots and Miranda July sang his praises, but it didn’t seem to be enough, and nearly as soon as he burst onto the scene, he was gone. I genuinely thought that this was going to be his sole artistic contribution to the world. Then, as I often do, I found myself scrolling through the listings of local venues, and found ChesnuTT playing a show. Of course, that meant that I was going to the show.

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Show Review: Howard Jones at The Mezzanine, 7/12/2012

Nostalgia about the ’80s is a weird thing. For some reason, the “kids” of today will talk endlessly about going to see Modern English at Cafe Du Nord, hoping they’ll play both “I Melt With You” and “I Melt With You ’88.” They’ll go see endless cover bands of their new wave heroes. But the modern story of this decade always seems to forget one of the singular songwriting talents, someone with several hits up his sleeves, someone whose “one person and a synthesizer” sound was once revolutionary and is now common. That someone is Howard Jones.
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Show Review: Marina & The Diamonds with MS MR at The Fillmore, 7/11/12

Marina-Diamonds-pkp- — All photos by the legendary Paige Parsons

Marina & The Diamonds were supposed to play The Fillmore a year and a half ago. She canceled the show in order to record her new record. I had purchased tickets, and I will admit to being a little bummed about this at the time. But, alas, I let it go. The wait seemed to be a good thing for her, because when she finally rebooked, the show sold out rather quickly. I guess it’s the whole story of “If you love something, set it free, and if it comes back, it’s yours forever.” Because this crowd defintely seemed more in love with Marina than they would have a year and a half ago.

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Show Review: The Gaslight Anthem with Dave Hause at The Independent, 7/5/2012

On this first night of a completely sold out tour, New Jersey’s Gaslight Anthem showed that they are ready for the big time that’s around the corner for them. They didn’t do this by focusing on material from their forthcoming album, Handwritten, but by blowing through nearly two hours of their infectious combination of punk, pop, “New Jersey,” new wave and Americana. And the crowd sang along, every word. Continue reading “Show Review: The Gaslight Anthem with Dave Hause at The Independent, 7/5/2012”

Show Review: Summerland Tour: Everclear, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Lit, Marcy Playground at Mountain Winery, 6/28/12

artmark — Art Alexakis and Mark McGrath: Your Tour Organizers

When I first heard about this Summerland tour, I didn’t believe it. As a punker kid in high school, these were all bands that I was too good for. I would only listen to Live 105 or KOME in secret, while I told my friends that I was listening to bands like The Queers or cub. I did see Everclear back in the day, but only because they opened for Primus. Sugar Ray? I saw because Save Ferris and Goldfinger were opening. But I secretly enjoyed these bands. Even when this tour was booked, my gut was to be an angsty 16 year old and make fun of it. But, secretly, I really wanted to go. Since I am much more comfortable with my own skin, I decided to own my nostalgia and make the long trek from Oakland to Saratoga, a city that most Oaklanders aren’t even aware of.

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Show Review: Natalie Merchant w/ San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, 6/18/12

6974673049_e75c89e3b8_z — Natalie Merchant at a show in Northampton earlier this year. Thank you, .reid. for sharing!

As a self professed music nerd, it’s almost embarrassing that I don’t go see the San Francisco Symphony more often. We are really lucky to have a world class orchestra in are backyard, playing nearly every night. Davies Symphony Hall is also one of the most perfect rooms to experience live music in, where every seat has an excellent view, and the sound is near perfect. This is my first time here since I took my dad to see PDQ Bach in 2008. And it took a pop musician to bring me there. Natalie Merchant, best known as the lead vocalist for 10,000 Maniacs, isn’t your average pop singer, and the idea of that majestic voice backed by a full orchestra sounded like a perfect combination.

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