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

Archives: Show Review

SHOW PICTURES: Emily Jane White at Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Album Release)

[caption id="attachment_9883" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Emily Jane White[/caption]

Dark, gritty, and heavy on the shadows…I’m talking about the Brick & Mortar’s stage lighting. But that could easily be used to describe Emily Jane White’s recent US-release Ode To Sentience. This show was special, mainly due to the fact that Emily decided to play her entire album from start to finish for the lucky audience. She was even nice enough to tack on an intimate version of Wild Tigers I Have Known from her 2009 debut, Dark Undercoat.
She is one of a kind…

MP3: Emily Jane White – Black Silk from Ode To Sentience (2012)

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)

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

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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.

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.

SHOW REVIEW: Explosions in the Sky and Zammuto at the Palace of Fine Arts

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to witness two extraordinary bands play the classy and echoing halls of The Palace of Fine Arts. Having seem Jonsi (of Sigur Ros) and The Books dominate this stage already, I was confident that both the mighty Explosions in the Sky and Books guitarist Nick Zammuto’s aptly named new project Zammuto would mesh well with this elegant and seated venue.

The SUPER LATE SXSW 2012 Coverage // Saturday, March 17th: Photos & Recap

Finally! Lets wrap up this party of post about the festival I attended two months ago. Let’s get something straight though before I describe the conclusion to my festivities; SXSW is more than just an interactive festival of music, film, and social media advances, it’s a social experience on several different levels. Yes there is free live music (minus official shows), free beer, free food, and free transportation (see Ray-Ban Taxi), but what makes SXSW is the adventure of it all. Even though you’re being bombarded with all sorts of corporate messages and absurdly ridiculous marketing techniques (see Giant Doritos Vending Machine Stage), SXSW is a playground for the modern young adult. You experience music you’ve never heard before, try food you’ve never tasted before, meet people you’ve never met before, and participate in all sorts of adventures that will garner stories that will eventually be shared with your friends, future children, or cats. It’s not just one of the best music festivals around, it’s one of the best communal gatherings of young, like-minded people around. I will be back again next year for sure.

Now without further ado, here’s the rest of The SUPER LATE SXSW 2012 Coverage.