Ladies and gentlemen! We’re back with another Snob Theater! We’ll be showcasing the best in Bay Area based music and stand-up comedy tonight at The Dark Room Theater! In case you’re not familiar with the show; Snob Theater is a one of a kind show that combines performances by today’s best in indie rock with equally feted stand-up comedians. Originating at San Francisco’s Dark Room Theater, Snob Theater creates a magnet for smart and entertaining performances and provides a unique and exciting atmosphere for the lucky audience. Produced and hosted by comedian/music blogger Shawn Robbins, Snob Theater showcases the comfort of the performers as they take chances in a stripped-down setting.

Our musical guests this month include It’s For Free Grace (Ted Nesseth of Heavenly States) and Obo Martin.

Oakland’s The Heavenly States, lead by Singer/songwriter Ted Nesseth, are a staple in Bay Area indie music. The band makes some of the catchiest, most confident rock ‘n’ roll of any group around. Their latest EP is nothing short of a dizzying, soulful work of art, easily the most expansive work in their career. However, Ted Nesseth has recently stepped away from the rest of the States and will be playing a solo set consisting of original songs as the name It’s For Free Grace. Nesseth creates sprawling, exhilarating, filler-free live shows of keenly focused artistic vision and ambition. Lyrically, Ted can hold his own in front of an audience of willing and smart people that know well-crafted music.

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The Heavenly States – Model Son from Oui Camera Oui (2011)

Not much is known about the elusive and mysterious Obo Martin (aka Freckle Face). Opening for the likes of Sean Hayes on several occasions and spreading his brand of freak-folk all across the Bay Area. His music has a sunny, breezy feel with performances that evoke warm, lazy afternoons spent with good friends. His album, Outstanding In The Field, is dominated by calming melodic, mid-tempo numbers played with relaxed expertise. It’s lush, warm, and inviting. While Obo’s music is humorous and satirical, it can also be compelling and weird, escaping definition. Using voice, guitar and four-track, his raw song-craft is terrifyingly effective at communicating the breadth of human emotion.

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Obo Martin – The Tenderloin from Outstanding in the Field (2008)