Kata Rokkar — Kata Rokkar – A Bay Area based blog about music, life and stuff by Shawn Robbins.

Archives: Featured

Kata Rokkar Presents Snob Theater: The Final Show

You are cordially invited to the last showcase at The Dark Room Theater. After over two years of some of the most unique and sensational comedic and musical performances, Snob Theater will be taking an extended hiatus. So to bring this show to a close, we have brought back some of our biggest supporters of our show as kind of an “All-Star” line up of comedians and musicians that have been with us since the beginning. We have brought back the hilarious Chris Thayer (Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Funny Shits), the charming Coree Spencer (Comedian on Comedian), the musical comedic stylings of Drennon Davis (SF Sketchfest, The Imaginary Radio Program), and all-around comedy legend Rick Overton (The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman).

Our musical guests will include the quirkiness of Foxtails Brigade’s Laura Weinbach & Anton Patzner and the lovely and talented Debbie Neigher.

This is your last chance to experience these artists in the intimate Snob Theater environment, in affect, seating is very limited.

Thank you for supporting us for over 2 years and continuing to do so. This will not be without the usual special guests and surprises, so we hope to see your smiling face one last time.

SHOW REVIEW/PICTURES: Exray’s “Record Release Show” at the Rickshaw Stop

With a kind of Jonathan Richman style charm and demeanor added to the backdrop of an experimental yet modern electro-dub beat, Exray’s did a swell job at making sure the room was aware of their unique brand of off kilter pop music. Celebrating the release of Trust A Robot (out June 26th on CD/MP3/Cassette Tape) the band drifted through tracks like the simplistic and spacious Yellow Light and the deeply psychedelic Ancient Thing.

Now let’s see what happens when they take this album on the road; I foresee positive feedback.

MP3: Exray’s – yellow light from Trust a Robot (2012)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Exray’s – ancient thing from Trust a Robot (2012)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

SHOW REVIEW: Destroyer / Sandro Perri at The Fillmore

So as probably very few of you know, Destroyer created not only my favorite album of 2011 but one of my most obsessed about records of all time. There’s something simplistic and meaningful about Kaputt that drew me in like no other album I’ve listened to. It was like Bacon & Eggs; basic by design but you keep returning to it because it’s tied to something you find familiar…plus it’s fucking delicious. So I was quite excited to see Dan Bejar and Co. take the Fillmore stage and recreate these songs that I’ve identified with. Plus with my recent discovery of Sandro Perri added to the line-up, it made for a pretty interesting night.

KATA ROKKAR PRESENTS: Snob Theater featuring Rory Scovel with musical guest Trevor Garrod (of Tea Leaf Green)

You are cordially invited to another classy night of music and humor hosted by none other than Snob Theater. This night of smart humor and brilliant music will be accompanied by Dhaya Lakshminarayanan (SF Sketchfest, High School Quiz Show, NPR), Karl Hess (Montreal Just For Laughs, G4 TV, Bridgetown Comedy Festival), Mike Drucker (wrote for SNL, The Onion, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), and the amazing Rory Scovel (Comedy Central’s The Half Hour, John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, CONAN).

And of course our musical guests will include dark folk artists Whiskerman and Tea Leaf Green lead songwriter and keyboardist Trevor Garrod.

This is a rare chance to experience these artists in an intimate environment, in affect, seating is very limited.

SHOW REVIEW: Yann Tiersen at the Regency Ballroom

I entered the slightly packed Regency Ballroom with minimal knowledge of what Yann Tiersen is like in a live setting. All I knew were his heartbreaking and simplistic compositions for the films Amélie and Good Bye Lenin. I did have a few tracks from 2010’s Dust Lane, but I don’t remember if I particularly enjoyed it enough to return to it. After carefully doing my research on his recent album, Skyline, I realized his non-soundtrack material is significantly different but no less engaging and cinematic.