Janky Smooth

The Growlers Lose The Beach Goth Battle But Won The War This Weekend

Dave Unbuckled November 7, 2017

We had already survived a dead car battery in record breaking heat, when our ride dropped us off at Bolsa Chica State Beach for Punk in Drublic, in Huntington Beach. This was a fitting location to pre-game for Growlers Six, happening twenty miles up the coast, as it was the

Halloween At The Roxy w/ The Evil Ones: Roky Ericksen & Death Valley Girls

Rob Shepyer November 2, 2017

Halloween shows at the Roxy have become a Janky Smooth tradition after last year’s showcase with Ho99o9 and The Shrine, Halloween 2017 Death Valley Girls support, a Roky Eriksen and Death Valley Girls collaborative evening was a mandatory spooking, especially with DVG lead guitarist Larry Schemel now playing guitar in Roky’s band.

The Lemon Twigs At Teragram: A Tale Of Two Brothers

Lawrence Rengert October 31, 2017

Looking for parking in Los Angeles is something you spend a lot of time doing. I was on my way to see The Lemon Twigs and glad I had left early. As I cruised the streets looking for a spot to put my car, I ended up in my teenage

Cloak & Dagger Fest: The Heart Of Los Angeles Bled From Dusk Till Dawn

Rob Shepyer October 27, 2017

Good “dark” music should come from a damaged yet open heart because it’s those damages that make all the styles of dark music involved in Cloak And Dagger Festival beautiful to those that wear black late at night- or during the day, for that matter. Whether it was dark wave,

Desert Daze 2017 Headline Here: Some Variation of Rock’s NOT Dead

Jonathan Reyes October 25, 2017

When you get a ticket to Desert Daze, you know what you paid for, such as Iggy Pop’s last performance of the year and the holy sounds of Spiritualized. But there are things included in the price that you probably didn’t expect or ask for. Things like a Defense Against The

Warning At Alex’s Bar: In the Front Row “Watching From a Distance”

Rob Shepyer October 23, 2017

The rise of doom metal’s popularity after the 2000’s had generated numerous doom and stoner bands that have saturated the scene with a lot of the same old sounds. Some bands take doom places that aren’t even metal I’d argue, like Australia’s Divide and Dissolve. One of the second wave

The New American Storytellers: Nikki Lane & JD McPheerson At The Regent

Rob Shepyer October 18, 2017

JD McPheerson is a rising star, blazing with acclaim from artists, critics, and fans alike that see his music as the revival of classic rock and roll. And by rock, I’m talking about old timers like Chuck Berry (RIP), Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The moment I heard “North

Music Tastes Good In Long Beach – It Really Did

Janky Smooth Central Command October 17, 2017

Music Tastes Good 2017 was a fun-filled weekend featuring eclectic music and gourmet foods on the breezy coast of the Long Beach Marina Green Park on September 30th and October 1st. As I first arrived at the festival on Day 2, all my senses were immediately going off as I

So Much Strange At Das Bunker 21st Anniversary At Union

Rob Shepyer October 15, 2017

I’ve always been iffy about going to Das Bunker. Industrial music has held a special place in my heart since high school when I used to smoke myself stupid and put on headphones to let Skinny Puppy pervert my vulnerable mind. Later, when it came to light that Skinny Puppy’s

Finally, A Ska Review: Less Than Jake At The Teragram

Rob Shepyer October 14, 2017

We here at Janky Smooth cover every genre of rock and hip hop but sometimes, certain styles of music slip between the cracks and don’t get their due. This year I’ve seen everything from “New German Death Art” to “Brass House” to “Trap Jazz” to “Metal Gaze”, so I felt