show reviews – Page 12 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: She & Him with The Chapin Sisters at The Fox Oakland, 5/29/10

When Zooey Deschanel walked on stage in a sparkly dress you would have thought it was the next messiah walking out to greet her followers. In a weird way I guess she is the messiah of sweet indie-ness. Between her movie career and the success of She & Him, Zooey Deschanel is the It girl of indie rock. She certainly looked the part at The Fox: bouncy perfect hair, cute make-up, black tights and kitten heels, but what really sold the show was her voice. From the first note it was strong, clear and emotive, and for the next hour and a half it was glorious. Continue reading “Show Review: She & Him with The Chapin Sisters at The Fox Oakland, 5/29/10”

Show Review: OK Go with Earl Greyhound and Grand Lake at The Fillmore, 5/26/10

Tim Nordwind, Damian Kulash and Andy Ross of Ok Go — A rare moment without confetti

During OK Go’s show at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Wednesday night, lead singer Damian Kulash tried to explain why the band’s home is San Francisco. “Because we live on YouTube” was his explanation. Yeah, alright, whatever. But it’s clear what they meant was that the Bay Area is made to appreciate a label-leaving, DIY-video-making band of nerds like them. And this video thing is working out for them. One blog recently called them the “shtickiest band ever,” so what sort of shtick did they bring with them? Continue reading “Show Review: OK Go with Earl Greyhound and Grand Lake at The Fillmore, 5/26/10”

Massive Attack with Martina Topley-Bird and MNDR at The Warfield, 5/26

4626556382_da3bed05c9 — The lights wash over Massive Attack

The boys from Bristol are back. After a seven year waiting period, studio perfectionists and UK music pioneers Massive Attack return to full form with their newest and much delayed album, Heligoland. The second show of a two night stop in San Francisco, Massive Attack bring their eccentrically driven set for all to marvel at. Would their perfection pay off?

Continue reading “Massive Attack with Martina Topley-Bird and MNDR at The Warfield, 5/26”

Show Review: Broken Bells with The Morning Benders at The Regency Ballroom, 5/21/10

brokenbells3 — Broken Bells are to be taken seriously

Long live the super group. Established producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and his musical pal, James Mercer of The Shins, made their way to the Grand Ballroom in San Francisco Friday night to showcase their new experiment, Broken Bells. After what seems to have been the season of all star groups such as Them Crooked Vultures and Atoms for Peace, did this long anticipated show live up to all its hype? Continue reading “Show Review: Broken Bells with The Morning Benders at The Regency Ballroom, 5/21/10”

Show Review: Evelyn Evelyn with Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley and Sxip Shirey at Great American Music Hall, 5/22/10

P1150281 — Evelyn Evelyn answer life's important questions

When Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley decided to join together to do a musical project, they decided to literally join together. They created Evelyn Evelyn, conjoined twin musicians, built a story and characters, recorded and released an album, and they’re now on tour together. This show was billed as Evelyn Evelyn with Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley and Sxip Shirey “also appearing.” There’s a point in this absolute pleasure of a three-hour show when Amanda Palmer thanks people for coming to such an odd show, and practically begs the audience to tell their friends in whatever way they can that they should come see the show. I’m game for this; read on to be convinced. Continue reading “Show Review: Evelyn Evelyn with Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley and Sxip Shirey at Great American Music Hall, 5/22/10”

Show Review: Gil Mantera’s Party Dream with Triple Cobra and Go Going Gone Girls at Bottom of the Hill, 5/15/10

GilDonny — It's not just a dream. It's a party.

So-called novelty bands tend to have a short shelf life. The progression tends to go something like this: you see the band open for someone else and you immediately tell your friends, then you see them again with your friends and have a great time, and then you keep going but your friends are over them. Meanwhile you’re telling the friends who have stopped going that the band is special; it’s not just a shtick. Sometimes you’re wrong, but sometimes you’re right. So am I right about Gil Mantera’s Party Dream? Continue reading “Show Review: Gil Mantera’s Party Dream with Triple Cobra and Go Going Gone Girls at Bottom of the Hill, 5/15/10”

Show Review: Rogue Wave with Man/Miracle at The Fillmore, 4/30/10

I was one grumpy bitch last night. The minute I left the house I knew it was bad news. But my brother was in town from Davis, so I dragged him along with me. When we were kids, and as he’s my younger sibling, there’s a long history of me pulling him with me to all the random shows I wanted to see growing up in the city. He even said the last time he thinks he went to a show was in 1999, and it was with me to some random whatever. I guess I have to drag him, because he sure won’t go on his own. Continue reading “Show Review: Rogue Wave with Man/Miracle at The Fillmore, 4/30/10”

Show Review: Keith Emerson and Greg Lake at The Regency Ballroom, 4/26/10

Moog — The most photographed keyboard setup in the history of the world?

Before the show even started, and long after it ended, fans were gathered around the stage to take photographs of the famous synthesizer on stage at The Regency Ballroom on Monday night. This is the actual synthesizer that was used on “Lucky Man,” the classic track by Emerson Lake & Palmer that both kicked off their career and ended this concert. That prog nerds (like me; I was taking a photo, too) worship equipment is well known, but what about the people playing it? What about Emerson Lake & … well … nobody?

Continue reading “Show Review: Keith Emerson and Greg Lake at The Regency Ballroom, 4/26/10”

Show Review: Dr. Dog with Sean Bones at the Great American Music Hall, 4/24/2010

Openers. As a general rule of thumb they tend to be doomed. The crowd isn’t usually there to see them and this can lead to feelings of impatience amongst the audience. This was not the case last night at the Great American. I had never heard of or seen Sean Bones prior to last nights show. A quick Google image search led me to assume that this was going to be a Brooklyn based indie band with stupid instruments. This also, thankfully, was not the case. Continue reading “Show Review: Dr. Dog with Sean Bones at the Great American Music Hall, 4/24/2010”

Show Review: Vampire Weekend at the Fox Oakland, 4/19/10 and 4/20/10

ezra — Thanks to Flickr user Alloyous for the use of the picture

Vampire Weekend proved without a doubt at their two sold out shows at the Fox in Oakland that they are a strong band. I didn’t hear any mistakes either night. The drums, brought to you by C.T. (Chris Tomson) were solid, holding everything together. Chris Baio danced and played the bass masterfully. Rostam Batmanglij fleshed out the melody with keyboard and guitar and Ezra Koenig gave it all a focal point with his charm and strong vocals center stage. This was the third and fourth time I’d seen Vampire Weekend and I knew they could deliver a good show like this, but could they still surprise me? Continue reading “Show Review: Vampire Weekend at the Fox Oakland, 4/19/10 and 4/20/10”