BREAKING: The Line-Up for Inside Lands 2020 Has Been Announced

We all spent that last two weeks looking at our Facebook memories of photos from 12 years of Outside Lands, noticing how perfect the weather was two weekends ago, and being sad, and then angry, and then sad again that we weren’t going to get to commune together in Golden Gate Park for music, comedy, food, and community this year. (Especially since Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is also off the table) 

I know it’s not the same, but August 28th – 29th, starting at 4pm each day, twitch.tv is broadcasting a whole new special event called “Inside Lands.” We are getting archival performances, and although we don’t know exactly what we are going to see, but I hope to got we get to relive the portion of Gorillaz EPIC 2017 set with that bone chilling, inhuman scream that Maseo belted out at the beginning of “Feel Good Inc.” We will also be getting new, exclusive performances, including sets from Outside Lands 2021 acts Sharon Van Etten, Hinds, Brittany Howard, Beach House and more. It’s not the same as being in the park, but I hope this gets you close. May I recommend having some delicious take out from a local restaurant on hand, and maybe even see if your favorite local bar is doing craft cocktails to go so the experience is complete? If you want, you can even have your roommate spill beer on your blanket to make it feel right. (Kidding) 

The event is hosted by Lyrics Born, and can be streamed here at twitch.tv/outsidelands. While you are there, be sure to pick up tickets for Outside Lands 2021 with Lizzo, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Tyler, The Creator, Kehlani and more! And, of course, keep practicing social distancing, wear a mask, wash your hands, and let’s crush this disease to make sure we can party next year.

To quote Lyrics Born: “Don’t worry about the president. He can’t stop the show.” Here’s the line-up: Continue reading “BREAKING: The Line-Up for Inside Lands 2020 Has Been Announced”

From Beck to The Boss, here are 70+ albums to look forward to in 2014

If there was one thing the contributing writers, and staff, of Spinning Platters agreed on during our annual gathering to determine the best albums of the year, it was that 2013 was a bit underwhelming for music. The silver lining in what was mostly a mundane, forgettable time for music was that a lot of women broke through and achieved some well-deserved recognition. Daft Punk and Deltron 3030 returned after a near-decade hiatus and did not disappoint. Still, the fact that Miley’s antics garnered any attention, whatsoever, and were even considered “interesting” didn’t exactly bode well for collective musical output.

It’s time to move forward and hope for a better turnout these next 350-plus days (some of us are still recovering/getting acclimated, thank you). If you’ve noticed a pattern in titles such as “50 must-hear albums coming your way in 2014,” with an emphasis on the staggering figure, from other publications, it’s because, well, there are already that many hotly-anticipated releases to look forward to in the coming year. Of course, there are more to be found here because we’re delightfully (right?) exhaustive (in case you haven’t noticed our other, alternative best-of-2013 round-ups).

This list offers an alternate variation on what has already been published by the likes of SPIN and Consequence of Sound; but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, we’re stoked for the return of Beck. Not included: soundtracks, EPs, reissues, and live recordings. Special thanks goes out to Pause & Play, a wonderful, consistently updated resource for new album releases on the horizon. Without further ado, here are the anticipated links – some with videos, links to singles, and even full album streams. Enjoy.

Continue reading “From Beck to The Boss, here are 70+ albums to look forward to in 2014”

Treasure Island Music Festival 2012 Diary: Day 1

A festival patron is enjoying use of the trampoline.

Normally the Treasure Island Festival likes to separate Saturday and Sunday by genre: Saturday is the electronic day and Sunday is the rock day. However, as the lines blur between the two worlds, so did the festival. As Sunday will have a fair amount on laptops, Saturday seemed to have a healthy dose of live drums and guitar. And, well, for me, a lot of new music to tap into. This may be the first year where I was largely unfamiliar with the bulk of the acts playing on Saturday, which made my day even more exciting. I had a nice adventure, and I hope you enjoyed yourself, too. And if you didn’t, well, I feel bad.

(All Photos are by the fantastic Kelly Hoffer)

Continue reading “Treasure Island Music Festival 2012 Diary: Day 1”