RokkaTone

RokkaTone is acoustic roots rocksteady. It's the R&B pulse reminiscent of the 1960's Wailers, the straight-ahead acoustic blues like 'Exile on Main Street,' and the folk songwriting tradition of Greenwich Village. It's five young Austin musicians setting aside their separate "steady" gigs -- reggae, alternative, bebop, and country bands -- and wielding instruments you'd find in a Jamaican street band: steel drum, melodica (a hand-held keyboard), acoustic guitar, upright bass, trombone, hand percussion, and a sparse drum set that includes three soup cans strapped to the piccolo snare drum.

Born in 2002 in a coffeehouse in South Austin, RokkaTone has built a dedicated audience through monthly shows at Flipnotic's Coffee House, showcases at rock clubs like Emo's and reggae/world music venues like The Flamingo Cantina, and various private events and benefits. RokkaTone's sound is as vogue-retro as the well-worn snap-button shirts hanging in Austin's vintage clothing shops. It's a befitting tip of the hat to the pioneers of Jamaican and American roots music, detailed with the band's own modern stamp. RokkaTone is acoustic roots -- a young band with an old soul.


If art is communication and craft the means, these songs are both.
- Victor Rice on "In This Life"


Hailed by The Austin Chronicle as one of the "local bands that won't stay under the radar much longer," (Christopher Gray vol.23 no.18) RokkaTone is surely on the move. Their debut LP "In This Life" will be released nationally and internationally on September 8th on Ska In The World (Japan) and Grover (Europe and the United States). Be sure to visit www.rokkatone.com for more information.