Dear Readers,

As you’ve probably noticed, I have been very sporadic with posts and photography over the past few months. The reason; I am Active Duty Coast Guard and have been deployed to work in Portsmouth, NH on the CGC Tahoma. I have been working for the Coast Guard for over 11 years now and there’s no turning back now. My job has provided the flexibility for me to maintain this website, travel to concert festivals, take concert photography, host a successful comedy variety show, and collaborate with some great personal heroes of mine, both musical and comedic. Now it’s time to pay my dues and move to the next unit.

If you would have told me this website would have become what it has, I would have slapped you and laughed in your face. I started concert photography because of this website. I discovered so much amazing and innovative music due to this website. I have been able to talk to people like Marc Maron, Henry Rollins, Noah Lennox (Panda Bear), Frightened Rabbit, Portugal. The Man, Dredg, and Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk). And the most rewarding aspect of this is because I started this website. I worked my ass off to make sure my readers only heard music I love and made sure I never succumbed to advertising and excessive press emails.

I’d like to thank the very talented Scott Coello (Cribble) for the incredible design of Kata Rokkar. When I approached Scott about the feel of the website, I did not expect this level of imagination and since then he’s done nothing but impress me with his consistently awesome ideas.

Thanks to Erin Lodi, Tanner Pikop, and Ivan Hernandez for covering and photographing shows for me. You all displayed some amazing photography and fantastic articles. I will miss you.

I’d also like to thank Dawson Ludwig of DO415 and Noise Pop. Dawson has provided so many opportunities for this website and my own comedy show that I feel like I owe him my first born.

Also I’d like to thank The 405, The Bay Bridged, The Deli SF, Pete from Ears of the Beholder, Kevin from Epicesauce, Jason from Indie Shuffle, Future Sounds, Captain Obvious, Adrian from ipickmynose, Nate from Yours Truly, Julie from The OCMD, The Owl Mag, Motel De Moka, David from SF Critic and SF Station, Matt from Song by Toad, Anthony from The Needle Drop, Matt at Turntable Kitchen, Will from We All Want Someone To Shout For, Anthony from Hype Machine, Brandon from Elbo.ws, Ben from Metrojolt, Chloe Roth from SF Chronicle, and Ian Port from SF Weekly.

Also to all the people that gave me access to cover concerts; THANK YOU! I often wonder why you asked or allowed me to do so but I am forever thankful.

Lastly, I am not done! While I am retiring the Kata Rokkar name, which I admit is the worst website name ever, I will be returning with another project shortly and you will all know as soon as I get settled in.

I had a lot of fun doing this and it’s become one of the best things I’ve ever done. Thank you to all of you who have read through my horrible grammar and evolving music tastes.

See you soon!

Shawn Robbins

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)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Emily Jane White

Emily Jane White

Emily Jane White

Emily Jane White

Emily Jane White

Two Sheds

Two Sheds

Two Sheds

Two Sheds

Laura & Anton

Crafted with care and covered in Victorian influence, Foxtails Brigade played Snob Theater in December of 2010 to packed house of stunned and entranced listeners. Fronted by guitarist/lyricist Laura Weinbach, her charm is not nearly as impenetrable as her cosmic poetry or, for that matter, the band’s baroque-like music. The young Californian guitarist’s latest album is an eleven-song piece that includes lush string arrangements by fellow band-member Anton Pazner (Judgement Day, The Devontionals) that drift nicely with Laura’s combination of undeniable eloquence & flawless harmony. The result is an album that sounds unlike anything else. Entitled The Bread And The Bait, Laura and Anton will bring the album’s magic to Snob Theater one last time. Be there to catch the charm. MP3: Laura & Anton – Day By Day from Reverie (2010)[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Debbie Neigher

Since emerging on the San Francisco café circuit in 2009, this New Jersey-born artist has been hailed as a truly special talent. With an uninhibited imagination and acute sense of detail both in music and words, Debbie Neigher has gone from practicing on an out of tune piano in the living room of her parents house to hypnotizing growing crowds in San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. Continuing to showcase her amazing ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary with her unique and provocative vocal style and prodigious piano skills garnered through years of classical training, Neigher released her debut album, produced by John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone Studio in San Francisco, last Spring to rousing critical acclaim. Debbie has performed at Snob Theater twice now and both times have left audiences speechless at her talent. She graces the stage one last time and we are very lucky to have her. MP3: Debbie Neigher – My My My from Debbie Neigher (2011)[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

COMEDIANS

  Our comedic line-up is full of comedians that have inspired the show and are very good friends and supporters of the Snob Theater vision. We have Chris Thayer who brings his unique stage presence and self depreciating jabs, Coree Spencer with her quirky observations and brash sense of humor,  Drennon Davis with his Imaginary Radio music+comedy routine that amazes audiences, and all-around comedy legend Rick Overton, whose been in over 100+ film roles and have performed on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and Comedy Central and HBO. Also we have some impressive special guests lined up. Seriously, you don’t want to be the one that missed this show.

Tickets are $10 FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE ________ $1 off drink tickets will be provided for anyone willing to visit the nearby bars. ________ Doors open at 9:30pm Show starts at 10pm ________ The Dark Room Theater 2263 Mission Street, between 18th and 19th San Francisco, CA 94110 Call 415-401-7987 for info.

Enjoy this appropriately gorgeous video for Bowerbirds‘ “Overcome With Light”.

The band’s latest album, The Clearing, is out now via Dead Oceans.

MP3: Bowerbirds – In The Yard from The Clearing (2012)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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: view full post to listen]

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

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Exray's

Exray's

Exray's

Exray's

Exray's

Mwahaha

Mwahaha

Mwahaha

Mwahaha

Mwahaha