Search Results for: fyf

Desert Daze 2022: 10 Years In The Evolution Of A Music Scene

Danny Baraz November 8, 2022

Walking into Lake Perris Recreational Center took on new meanings this year after last year’s Desert Daze served to exorcize the ghosts of a global pandemic, to teach us that “Nothing that has happened so far has been anything we could control” and heal our mind, body and souls with drum soul-os. While 2021’s pared down Desert Daze was a cautious delight in a sea of dreck on earth, Desert Daze 2022 was a perfectly curated reckless abandon of people having sex in the lake again and breathing all over each other- in through the nose, out through the mouth. The headliners captured 10 years in the evolution of a music scene, the ascent of previously buzzworthy bands into icons celebrating a decade of seminal albums and a new wave of artists that might also one day celebrate the recently released albums they are currently touring on. For some people, Iggy Pop pulling out of the festival before he could impregnate us with music was a deal breaker but luckily, I received so much Iggy sperm the last 6 years that I was ready to bear my Beach House baby. related: Desert Daze 2021- Music, Magick and Medicine 2022 was

The Sounds of Spring in Summer: Primavera Sound LA 2022

Rob Shepyer September 22, 2022

On the surface, Primavera Sound LA appeared to have an almost perfect lineup. There was something for everyone. Legendary rockers like Kim Gordon or Nine Inch Nails, extreme acts like Mayhem, exotic and rare imports like Arca, Drain Gang or Chai, young bands on the verge of greatness like Amyl and the Sniffers or Dry Cleaning, or massive millennial bands like Cigarettes After Sex and Fontaines D.C. For those who fancy themselves adventurers across the modern musical landscape, this was a necessary expedition. I checked many bands off my must-see list all in one weekend and these weren’t even the headliners. If Primavera Sound could be defined by two things though, they would be expert curation of international artists and an unforgettable set by Nine Inch Nails. related content: Stroking to LCD: This Ain’t No Picnic Prior to Primavera weekend starting, I checked out Dark Side‘s Hollywood Forever show, their first performance since 2014. It was a mind-bending musical experience, transcendent of whatever it is we call psychedelic rock into something beyond genre or ideals. With this in my rear view mirror, I had high hopes for their performances finishing Primavera’s opening day on Friday along with the rest of

Risks Make Better Memories Than Nostalgia: Sound and Fury 2022

Rob Shepyer August 8, 2022

Followers of Jankysmooth know that Sound and Fury has always been my favorite festival in Los Angeles. The feeling of being onstage and seeing a barrage of young people charging a band was incomparable among all of our precious and diverse music scene. The openness of artists to share the stage and microphone with their beloved fans made me an instant admirer of hardcore. Growing up a metalhead, I came to the realization that live, nothing touched hardcore. The constant flow of love between audience, artist and promoter made me feel part of something larger than myself, no matter how outgoing or shy I was. And it wasn’t just the scene that I found a home in, it was Sound and Fury specifically. It’s not common that artists constantly show an outpour of love to a promoter but at Sound and Fury, artists had a special connection to the festival that made them constantly thank Riley, Martin, and Madison by name during their sets. After all, these guys weren’t just the people that got them a gig, they were friends that gave them a platform for their art when few else would. Sound and Fury gave Anaiah Lei a platform

11 Must See Artists at Primavera Sound LA

Janky Smooth Central Command July 25, 2022

Somebody pinch us, Los Angeles must be dreaming. It seems too good to be true, that we’re getting our own version of Primavera Sound, one of the most eclectic music festivals in all the world. Primavera is known for its unique and top-notch curation, with a taste for exotic artists that range from all over the musical and geographic map. You can catch Mayhem or Kim Gordon or Girl in Red. There is something for everyone at Primavera Sound LA, but knowing their audience, everyone going is pretty much into everything. They might not listen to black metal, but they’re down for the vibe, at least for an hour. Primavera Sound is about capturing the wide spectrum of fun there is to be had in the name of music, sweet music. We’ve chosen 11 artists we’d rather die than miss at the festival for you to check out. You can buy tickets to Primavera Sound LA here. Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor’s festival return to Los Angeles sees him headlining once again in a slot that ensures he will get the platform he needs to let his art make a powerful statement about the world we’re living in. There’s so

Three Nights of Bjork CORNUCOPIA at the Shrine

Rob Shepyer January 12, 2022

It’s been years since the last time I saw Bjork perform in Los Angeles. I’ll never forget it, it was FYF fest 2017, the most stacked lineup this city has seen in years, with Frank Ocean’s last LA performance headlining one night, Nine Inch Nails closing out the fest, but Bjork and Missy Elliot reigning supreme on the opening Friday night festivities. Simply hearing “Joga” live was a life altering musical experience. Bjork’s vocals cut right through to people’s hearts so after two years of living in a covid hellscape, I have no doubt she will make every audience of her upcoming three night stint at the Shrine Auditorium cry their eyes out. related content: FYF Fest 2017 Steals Coachella’s Throne As So-Cal’s Premiere Festival These three Shrine performances won’t simply be Bjork shows, these are CORNUCOPIA shows, some of the avant-garde and inspiring live music you could ever experience, especially if you’re a creative yourself. Fantasy becomes a force for change with visuals co-directed by Bjork and Argentine genius, Lucrecia Marartel and co-creative directed by James Merry. You’ll see images of foreign worlds straight out of the queen’s mind. The visuals are so animated and vibrant they feel like

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Ty Segall & Freedom Band at Teragram ~ 8/2

Janky Smooth Central Command July 30, 2019

Our generation’s renaissance man and golden boy of garage music, Ty Segall is playing a slew of shows at the Teragram in August and we are giving away tickets to every damn one of them. He’s playing all his albums consecutively and this show will feature a set of songs from First Taste. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO TY SEGALL AUGUST 2ND AT THE TERAGRAM BALLROOM Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Ty Segall Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON AUGUST 1ST AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Space Roses: Ionnalee at the Fonda

Rob Shepyer May 15, 2019

Ionnalee is an international mystery, the scale of which parallels the mystery of the very cosmos in which she sings about and is clearly in sync with. It’s rare that pop music fans in America embrace a Swedish import as tightly and devoutly as they have with Jonna Lee but after seeing this futurist angel made of flesh and chrome perform live, the real mystery is how she isn’t on the top of the charts with monuments of her erected of the moon. related content: Adult. Interview: Warriors For Weird Formerly performing under the moniker, Iamamiwhoami, Ionnalee’s synth pop is polished, sweeping, danceable, vogue-able, and communicates both in sound and lyric, ideas and feelings that make you realize your insignificance existing between space and time but also your transcendence above space and time as as a soul and stars made into flesh. Ionnalee shines with star power through her skin. She takes control of every stage, dancing without pause for over an hour with moves and artistry only she can execute. She only creates the visual component of her set, projections of space, black and white Richard Avedon-esque dramatic realist imagery, science fiction, all in starkly contrast shadows and highlights.

Catch One Hell of a Night With Integrity and Pageninetynine Presented by Psycho Entertainment

Rob Shepyer April 29, 2019

This night at Catch One was easily one of the most extreme, craziest nights of music that will occur in 2019. The entire night, every room at Catch One was booked to perfection with diverse bands going on in time slots that allowed you to catch every flavor of heavy music if you had the right credentials, which was the case for me. Jesus fucking Christ, I got to see Integrity and Pageninetynine in the same damn night. It was one for the history books. I had been waiting to see Integrity live for years, bitching and moaning on their social media pages for them to play Los Angeles. Leave it to Psycho Entertainment not only to make my dreams come true but exceed my expectations with a lineup that featured amazing bands that would each draw me to a show if it was just them playing. They weren’t the only promoters that made this night happen though, this shit was so insane that Midnite Collective and Church of the 8th Day had their hands in the pot too. related content: Midnite Communion V: Los Globos Doom Spa With Bongzilla And Bongripper My night began with Graf Orlock, the perfect

Black is Beautiful: Smokin’ Grooves Festival at The Queen Mary

Aria Silva-Espinosa June 22, 2018

Gates to the Smokin’ Grooves festival opened bright and early on Saturday morning with artists playing as early as 11:00am. There’s always a special group of people who hit the festival grounds as soon as gates open, intent on getting the full 12-hour experience but the early crowd gathering on the water’s edge consisted largely of people with young children. Relaxed vibes, diverse music and a behaviorally mature crowd sets Smokin’ Grooves apart from other festivals because it appeals to a broad spectrum of music fans. Headlined by timeless legends like Erykah Badu and The Roots, Smokin’ Grooves brings a sampling of the best of new and old R&B, funk and soul music to Long Beach. Because LBC is more or less equidistant from Downtown LA and Orange County, this festival drew an impressive crowd for a festival in its first year. And truly, as each person moved past me I couldn’t help thinking “Wow, that was the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen! No, they have to be the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen!” Smokin’ Grooves is a cultural celebration, a PRIDE festival and a big family picnic all rolled into one big, three-stage festival in the looming

Morbid Angel at The Regent: A Lesson in Death

Rob Shepyer May 13, 2018

Morbid Angel is one of the longest reigning, pioneering, OG Flordia death metal bands still touring. If one were to make a list of the “Big 4” of death metal, one would have to place them in the the number 2 slot, only after Death. Having titled their records alphabetically, the band has already gotten to K with Kingdoms Disdained an album that scrapped their former lead singer and bassist David Vincent to reunite with Steve Tucker. Under the master guidance of guitarist and band leader Trey Azagthoth, this latest 2017 release is one of the most crushing and riveting albums in the entire universe of extreme music and for a first generation death metal band to have released it among all these young kids trying to reinvent the wheel of metal, is truly significant of Morbid Angel’s greatness and right to reign. related content: The Battle of The Bays: Obituary & Exodus Clash At Teragram Ballroom Church of the 8th Day hosted Morbid Angel at the Regent with three openers, each contributing to a night of ear-splitting insanity. The first of which was Voices of Ruin, strapped with spiked leather and growls of Herculean magnitude, the band’s sound was

Air + Style Day 2: Snowblind in So-Cal

Aria Silva-Espinosa March 9, 2018

Construction cranes tower over Exposition Park, obscuring the view from the festival grounds. Although Sunday means progress is stalled, the skeletal half-constructed stadium leaves the stages set up for the festival looking dwarfed in comparison. The lineup boasts a lineup similar to what I would put on a ‘Sunday Morning’-type of playlist, Gucci Mane included. Like any Sunday of a festival, it took awhile for festival-goers to start filing in. A good percentage of the earlier crowds consisted of families with school-aged children and even stroller-bound infants. This serves as a reminder that this is just as much of a family-friendly sporting event as it is a music festival. related content: Air + Style Day 1: The Church Of Dram When attending a festival, it isn’t uncommon to be forced to make the heartbreaking, relationship-ruining decisions about which sets you’re going to catch and which will have to be sacrificed due to conflicted scheduling. Not so with Air & Style; the sets are split between two stages and staggered so nobody has to miss anybody they want to see. related content: Air + Style Saved By Hard Rain Washing Away Crowds We caught part of the Cloud Nothings‘ set and being

Dusk At Midnight: Converge At The Regent Theater

Rob Shepyer January 27, 2018

Converge is not just a band to me, Converge is a concept. Fresh off the heels of one of 2017’s best releases in extreme music, the band embarked on a stacked tour with metal heavyweights Cult Leader and Sumac as openers. All three bands are worthy of headlining the Regent and the length of their sets reflected that reality. Converge is known for having some of the most violent shows of any band still playing. And to me, in regards to concerts, violence might as well be synonymous with excitement and greatness. Among the others to top the list of most violent audiences were that of Trash Talk and The Dillinger Escape Plan, each of those bands has something about their sound and presence that triggers a primal instinct within the listener. Converge’s sound encapsulates many harsh realities that their fans relate to. The crunchy guitars, bombastic machine-gun drums, and Jacob Bannon’s rabid doberman vocals all brew together to sound like emotional dysfunction, that hard knock street life, nihilism, betrayal, death, decay, and devastation. related content: Trash Talk, Ratking and Pangea: Slam Dance 101 At The Echoplex What people now know as metalcore, bands like Suicide Silence or Parkway Drive,

The Janky Smooth Top 10 Shows of 2017 Rated by Contributors

Janky Smooth Central Command January 19, 2018

Above any album or single releases, CONCERTS had to be the best thing about music in 2017. It wasn’t necessarily the dissidence in the air but rather the acts that chose to play in Los Angeles, that made the year so good. Bands like James Chance and The Contortions made their fateful returns to our city after over twenty years of hiding on the East Coast. Audioslave reunited for the first time in ages and tragically ended up simultaneously playing their final show at the Teragram Ballroom. Every band in the Big 4 of Thrash was on tour in 2017. Lets also not forget that Iggy fucking Pop played four festivals and during every set he raged like it was 1987. The concerts were great and somehow the festivals only got better, FYF expanded this year to three days and got Frank Ocean to serenade us like only he can; Desert Daze had King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Sleep absolutely kill it; and Sound and Fury raged with Trapped Under Ice and Turnstile headlining. I think 2018 will have an impossible time trying to beat 2017 but who knows, Yanni’s on tour. Janky Smooth has listed our best

Youth Code, Chelsea Wolfe, Death Valley Girls

The Janky Smooth Top 10 SONGS of 2017 Rated by Contributors

Janky Smooth Central Command January 15, 2018

Low expectations for politics in 2017 made for high expectations in music and though this year saw revolution and protest turned into memes with albums like Eminen’s Revival, if you look closely, almost every genre had standout artists and a raising of the bar. Even hip hop, which was was dominated by trap artists like Post Malone hitting number 1 on Billboard, had more lyrical artists like Big K.R.I.T., Brockhampton, and Tyler, The Creator come out with career defining work. Metal saw old school bands like Obituary come out with incredible songs while newer ones like Power Trip, released their first true thrash anthem. Punk saw a similar phenomenon happen with Cocksparrer’s new joint and then Career Suicide’s. Even though Trump is our president and the Dodgers lost the World Series in game 7, music in Los Angeles, California in the year 2017 was exceptional, better than 2016. In 2017, the world of music realized it can weaponize quality just because it’s so damn good rather than try to convince us that musical weapons must be quality. This is not about albums or politics though, this is about SONGS. Five minutes of sound that capture the year, two minutes if you’re

Janky Smooth Top 10 ALBUMS of 2017 Rated By Contributors

Janky Smooth Central Command January 12, 2018

Year end album reviews remind us at Janky Smooth why we’re so lucky to be covering the underground music scene in Los Angeles. Maybe, if there was no underground and all you could listen to was the chart toppers, then you wouldn’t even think there was anything special about 2017. What we have on our hands is actually a phenomenal year of music. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released five albums in 2017… FIVE. King Krule transformed his career with The OOZ. And the direction of entire genres became more clear with releases by future heavyweights, like High-Functioning Flesh to industrial or Ho99o9 to hardcore punk… or is it the hard trap songs by the 999 we should be focusing on? Lets also not forget that Lil B, the Based God, finally blessed us with his much anticipated Black Ken. You can see music veering into more electronic and experimental directions both in the mainstream and underground spheres. Still though, the bands that use traditional instrumentation and vocals only seem to stay truer to their roots. Janky Smooth attempted to whittle down the best of 2017 down to ten albums and here are our expert opinions: TOP 10 ALBUMS OF

Rolling Loud SoCal 2017 Doses the Youth with the Latest Opiate of the Masses

Rob Shepyer December 23, 2017

Whether you follow and enjoy hip hop or not, you cannot live in 2017 without encountering the sounds of “Trap”, hip hop’s newest anarchist misfit offspring and perhaps its most polarizing subgenre. As a punk and metalhead my whole life, a year ago, I would’ve never predicted I would go to a festival like Rolling Loud SoCal 2017 but now, as a music critic, I don’t think I’d have a credible understanding of modern music without partaking in the spiked Trap kool-aid. Trap music began in the South, the word “Trap” referring to the physical location of a drug deal. Thus, rappers that had drug dealer alter egos became known as trap rappers. The sound’s origins are debatable but what is definite is that it came out of Atlanta, Georgia with ties to the Dungeon, a bare bones recording studio in a basement that has bred artists like Outkast and Future. T.I. claims he invented Trap, others can hear a definite link beginning with Gucci Mane. Then there’s other important proto-trap artists like Soulja Boy and Lil B. But it is perhaps Migos and Future that are the most stolen from artists, with Future creating what is now known as Mumble-rap with songs

Millennial Matchmaking: Gary Numan & Ugly God At The Observatory

Rob Shepyer November 22, 2017

Two artists from very different times and scenes played two different shows on the same Observatory stage. Gary Numan and Ugly God- rarely do you get that much musical diversity out of a night and I was interested to see how my brain would react to absorbing the contrast. Anyone that knows me would think I was more interested in seeing Numan and though I’m a fan, I came to see what all this trap hype was about. For you see, music has become for me a divining rod which one can use to understand where society is going and if Trap’s popularity is any indication, I think we’ll all be celebrating ourselves stupid in times to come. The Gary Numan show was first with Me Not You as his only support on the bill. They’re a band from New York City that played an amazing and cathartic set with electronic post-punk vibes that kept building and building, pulling the tears out of your eyes while cramming the noise down your ears. They reminded me a bit of Health but with female vocals and a pinch of mellow, alternative vibes comparable to older bands like The Breeders or The Cranberries or

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 show I had intended to cover, but the promoters seemed less interested in our intention of reviewing the fest, than assisting with late promotion through our social media. For this reason alone, we felt it necessary to stop by and “sample” some of the 100 local craft beers being distributed amongst the festival goers, then ditch the divorced-dad-fest, as we cruelly nicknamed it, and go straight to Beach Goth. related content: Beach Goth 4: The Party Of The Year We attempted to count and review each beer, but by the time we arrived at the mid-twenties, I was already tripping over my shoelaces and bumping into patient patrons, hiding their disgust at our unruly entitlement, and surly demeanors. It also didn’t help that the more I drank, the more negatively critical I became with each beer, while my partner and photographer became more friendly and outspoken with the pourers and

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 Dark Arts class or learning there’s more than one form of sound healing. related content: Iggy Pop Performance Archives for 2017 related content: Punk Rock Bowling 2017: You Can’t Be What You Were… Desert Daze is a nondenominational psychedelic gathering for people who want to expand their minds but is welcoming to people who just want to get high and bang their heads to Sleep. It’s like burning man without the orgy tent. Or was it? I never went to the mystic bazaar which might have been code for orgy tent. I was too busy trying to stay drunk in the desert which is harder than it sounds but went down with a little help from the buds with the suds from Spaceland (shout out to Rooster)- It all worked out. related content: Desert Daze 2016: Quantifying The Physics Of A Good Time The anti-festival is here. DD has all 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 doom bands that were able to leave a mark on the genre and get people to reconsider the possibilities of playing slow and heavy is the United Kingdom’s Warning. Their 2006 album Watching From A Distance was the most sensitive and gut-wrenching metal I had ever heard up to that point- it was doom-poetry. Oddly, it may be the case that Warning take more influence from folk than traditional doom bands like Candlemass or Saint Vitus or even Black Sabbath. Doom is simply the musical vehicle the band needs to perform the message. Warning planned to tour Watching From A Distance in its entirety earlier in the year, with Sound And Fury promoting their first Los Angeles show in years, unfortunately for Warning, the reign of president Donald Trump plagued them with visa issues and stopped them from entering the country. My hopes of checking the band off my bucket

Jawbreaker At Riot Fest: The Moment I Stopped Hating Pop Punk

Danny Baraz September 21, 2017

Sometimes, a live music moment catches you off guard and hits you so hard that you are overcome with the feels- a band or a song that summons a moment in time, a relationship, a victory or a defeat- you are instantly transported to that time and place with a chord, or a riff or a melody. As a reliable concert crier, I typically have a pretty good idea when that moment is coming. Before the show starts, before I get to the venue and even before tickets go on sale, as soon as a show is announced, I know. But The Misfits as the marquee headliners of Riot Fest 2016 and up to this past Sunday when Jawbreaker were the belles of the ball known as Riot Fest 2017, it redefined the criteria for the eligibility of what makes those moments and what don’t and redefined how I reconciled my musical identity- yeah, Jawbreaker were that good. related content: The Misfits At Riot Fest Chicago 2016: Bats In The Press Tent I was 14 In 1990 when Jawbreaker’s first album, Unfun was released. It was the same year the *greatest speed metal album of all time was unleashed and

Ministry Make Bid To Be Official ANTIFA House Band At San Diego Show

Danny Baraz August 6, 2017

It was FYF weekend in Los Angeles- a weekend in the summer in which Los Angeles is the center of the summer music festival world. Not to mention the swarming packs of virgins in San Diego for Comicon. So why then am I at the San Diego House of Blues, of all places, on the Friday of the first night of the festival in which one of my favorite musicians on the small list of all time greats that I have yet to see is performing? Well, Bjork IS a genius but seeing the Ho99o9 boys open for Ministry in one of my most cherished cities was just too good and intimate to pass up. So I hit up Eaddy, aka YetiBones a couple of weeks beforehand to see what was up and found out that it would also be his birthday on Friday, July 21st. It was so on. related content: FYF 2017 Steals Coachella’s Throne As So-Cal’s Premiere Festival related content: Ministry Make Ears Bleed at Punk Rock Bowling Club Show There were multiple story lines at play this evening. Aside from one of my well documented, favorite new bands playing with one of my favorite all time

Ty Segall Saves The Smell at Teragram Ballroom

Desert Daze Finalize 2017 Lineup: Iggy Pop, Ty Segall, Sleep, & More

Janky Smooth Central Command August 1, 2017

You could have seen Iggy Pop this year at Punk Rock Bowling or Burger Boogaloo or FYF Fest but nothing will compare to the Street Walking Cheetah taking the stage amidst the dry, hot sheen of the California high desert at Desert Daze 2017. And he’s joined in this latest lineup addition by some other great artists too, Garage Rock’s golden boy Ty Segall and Trap Jazz bad boys Badbadnotgood, are now listed on this stellar new lineup poster. And check out the art on that thing, Desert Daze seems to be harkening back the Native American cultures that may have roamed those deserts hundreds of years ago. Makes sense seeing how Iggy Pop is all our spirit animal. Oh, did I mention that Sleep will be playing Holy Mountain in it’s entirety? Yeah. Related Content: Desert Daze 2016: Quantifying The Physics Of A Good Time related content: Ascending The Holy Mountain- Sleep at The Fonda Theater Ty Segall is already scheduled to perform with his incredible side project called GØGGS and we don’t begrudge him his double dip in the least. related content: GØGGS Is Damn Good Gravy On The Ty Segall Catalog Tickets for Desert Daze 2017 can

FYF Fest 2017 Steals Coachella’s Throne As So-Cal’s Premiere Festival

Dave Unbuckled August 1, 2017

My bones are still rattling and recovering from Capn’ Jazz’s sold out set at The Echo Thursay night. So much so that I limp across the edges of Exposition Park, and marvel at the crowd as I walk into my first FYF fest. The festival has grown dramatically since it’s early days as a showcase for DIY and up and coming local punk acts in 2004. It’s so comfortably warm walking through the LA coliseum on the outskirts circling the festival that I skip my normal routine of stealing water bottles and go straight to the pit. Related Content: FYF Presents: The Glorious Return of Cap’n Jazz At The Echo In an impromptu pow wow we map out our weekend and get ready to go watch Badbadnotgood- a band I’ve been following since their second album BBNG2 began getting the well-deserved buzz it received nearly five years ago. The band has carved a niche identity as mainstays in these large festivals. The crowd sways through their set, flexing their youthful energy that will be gone by day’s end but for now the band invites special guest Denzel Curry onto the stage and finishes the set with people pogoing to Trap Jazz

FYF Presents: The Marked Men & Royal Headache Tearing Regent To Shreds

Rob Shepyer July 31, 2017

The Marked Men are a band of Texan punks from the early 2000’s that FYF managed to lasso into a show at the Regent Theater. To some, the news of this show was of the same magnitude as Jawbreaker‘s upcoming reunion for Riot Fest. The Marked Men’s sound is traditional power punk with an unrelenting 3-chord assault reminiscent of bands like The Spits. It’s the perfect soundtrack to youthful debauchery and even though the ages of the crowd were mixed from teenagers to geezers, the energy of everyone in the audience was young and crazy when the Marked Men took the stage. It trips me out to think that the 00’s were so long ago that bands from that era are considered icons and veterans now. Perhaps I’m getting too old for this shit. related content: The Spits at Union- Trash and Glamor United in Los Angeles Flat Worms were the first band to open up this can of worms. They were a speedy and fun power punk trio but as their set progressed their performance started feeling droll- not because of the small early turnout, but because the vocals lacked dynamism and they didn’t move with as much spirit

FYF Presents: The Glorious Return Of CaP’n Jazz at the Echo

Dave Unbuckled July 27, 2017

It was 6:45 when I checked the time on my phone, as the clock in my car is no longer functioning. The chances of finding a parking spot on Sunset Blvd at the seven O’clock hour is nearly an impossible feat, but I had given myself a healthy amount of fuck-around time. To my surprise, I managed to squeak into a spot, right then, as the hipster coffee shop flipped their signs to ‘Closed’. I walked up the street as the sun began setting, and stopped in front of Permanent Records. This was not a night to get distracted with digging for vinyl, but like most addicts, I gave in and checked it out. Forty-nine minutes later, I was carrying a large box of records back to my car, ignoring the glares of the residents of Echo Park, who likely assumed I had robbed the store. RELATED CONTENT: DID THE MELVINS PLAY A FREE SHOW AT PERMANENT RECORDS TO SUPPORT BUZZ’S VINYL HABIT? When I entered the Echo, I was told The Cairo Gang was set to open in thirty-seven minutes, and CaP’n Jazz wouldn’t be taking the stage for several hours. I limped to the smoking patio, having rolled

Thou Demonstrate The Blackest Doom At The Echo For FYF Club Show

Rob Shepyer July 18, 2017

Doom metal only keeps evolving and engrossing the current metal scene, drowning all the lesser genres in the tar pit of its sound and forcing the future icon bands to rise up to the surface. Thou are the inheritors of Louisiana’s rich sludge-metal heritage and they take that sound to a place no doom band has ever taken it before. With ten minute songs that feel like hell itself, Thou blends doom and black metal into a sound that brings together doom and stoner fans, black metal fans, noise fans, and grindcore fans. When a promoter like FYF Presents gives you the blessing of playing a show under their banner, you know you’re part of a brewing musical storm, if not the whole storm. But for a band as brutal and against the grain as Thou to be awarded that blessing at The Echo just 5 days before their annual festival, it’s indicative of how mainstream tastes are being pushed into a very extreme corner and FYF, at the center of it all has helped to move the status quo- even while being criticized for softening and being “less punk” themselves in the way that they book the festival. Poppycock.

Janky Smooth Presents: FYF Janky Mixtape III & Download for 2017

Justin Cornwall July 7, 2017

It’s hard to believe FYF is just around the corner- again. It feels like yesterday I was stumbling out of the downtown Metrolink station, asking a stranger with a festival wristband on for a ride home (gas money included, of course) because my phone was completely dead. After getting enough power in my phone from home, proceeding to the Lyft waiting outside my door to the filthy Overpass where I watched Father John Misty saucily put moves on any girl who would look at him… oh, and of course, THREE YEARS SINCE MY FIRST FYF MIXTAPE FOR JANKY SMOOTH? Jesus fuckin Christ, where does the time go? Stream The Janky Smooth FYF Mixtape III Now related content: Janky Smooth Presents- FYF 2016 Preview & Mixtape FYF has always been one of my favorite parties of the year and I’ve been attending for almost 10 years in a row. I’ve worked the festival, snuck in, bought tickets an hour before deciding to go – it’s a world class event in our own backyard. The recurring acts on the lineup are like distant relatives I get to reconnect with every year. The headliners jump out of my old iTunes library and onto

Punk Rock Bowling 2017: You Can’t Be What You Were…

Danny Baraz June 9, 2017

Looking out into the sea of people in the expanses that sprawl out from the upgraded festival stage at Punk Rock Bowling’s virgin location in the booming district of Downtown Las Vegas was a seismic life experience. Not just because of how fucking rad Punk Rock Bowling was this year but because all the events of the weekend set to the music of the festival served as a soundtrack to life’s highlight reel in my head. A series of events culminated into the bitter-sweetest regression of lonerism one could ever celebrate, as I stood alone, backstage, watching The Adicts play the best set I’d ever seen from them. Being 2 months out of knee surgery, that familiar human turbine engine of 7,k people dancing and swirling in front of the stage like a pack of bats taking flight at sun down or a school of fish changing direction in unison was unfamiliar from this vantage point- I’ve always preferred being IN the engine instead of being a spectator. Because when you’re in the pit, you’re dealing directly with any physical manifestation of frustration or anger that might have built up through the grind of life and you aren’t really thinking

When We Were Young Festival’s Most Dominant Demographic: Mine

Janky Smooth Central Command April 19, 2017

When We Were Young- We Became Experts at Sneaking In & Cutting Lines I was still hungover from Choking Victim’s secret set in Long Beach at Freebirds Salon twelve hours before, and already running forty minutes late to the festival, when I remembered that I needed to stop at Target and pick up sunscreen and vitamin C. These are the indicators I observe as I age year to year. Chalk it up to experience but the last thing I wanted was to be sun burned and hungover for day two of a very long weekend. My urgency for arrival was based solely on watching The Getup Kids play the soundtrack to my early adolescence and I was not going to let the naivety of Orange County’s ‘Surf Goth’ youth hold me up. I waited in the main entrance line for the When We Were Young festival and watched cigarette packs get emptied out onto the wooden tables, and a barrage of drug paraphernalia get confiscated and disposed of while the newly minted team of hired security guards emptied pockets. It became apparent within minutes that I was going to have to find an alternative entry if I wanted to get in

FYF Presents: Two Nights of Fucked Up at The Echo in Los Angeles

Jesse Fox April 6, 2017

My lifelong battle with debilitating migraines has held me back from many things, but I could not allow the Fucked Up March 12th FYF Presents show at The Echo be one of them. Because of this affliction, I arrived to The Echo a bit out of sorts, but the energy filling the sold out venue quickly replaced the brain fog with excitement to finally watch this amazing Canadian punk band after years of wanting to. The crowd surfing began nearly as soon as Fucked Up hit the stage with “Crusades” off their 2006 album Hidden World and never really died down from there. The crowd and the band increasingly fed off each other’s energy and only a couple songs into the set, singer Damian Abraham disappeared into the center of the mosh pit for the duration of the song. Once he returned front and center, he shared the mic with many of those in the front row throughout the rest of the set, stopping only to thrash a bit on the floor and do some backwards somersaults. There are few times I attend a show wishing I had left my camera gear at home, but watching the mosh pit from

Best Coast, HEALTH, No Age, Ty & Bleached Help To Save The Smell

Danny Baraz January 20, 2017

As yet another one of 4,397th “Save the Smell” benefits is in the books and we prepare to present to you the review of all the extraordinary talent that agreed to perform at the cavernous Belasco Theater, the throwback Los Angeles venue that cost more to restore and renovate than even the $1.4 million The Smell custodian, Jim Smith is trying to raise to secure a permanent location for the iconic, All Ages L.A. clubhouse for music. We wanted to remind The Smell cynics that Smith has run the multi generational art incubator for 19 years without any apparent profit motive in sight. So as the hum of jaded hipster whispers asking rhetorical questions about where all the money is going grows louder, it’s important to remember what the Smell has given 4 generations of burgeoning, pre-ID, DIY kids whose parents felt curiously comfortable dropping off at a location that 19 years ago was surrounded by the swarming transient citizen population of the Downtown L.A. hopeless and the homeless. Some of the most iconic cult music heroes that were born within the very walls that make what the kids of today would refer to as a “safe space”… The Smell.

Your Senses Will Collide at Upcoming Day For Night Festival, Houston

Lindsay Krause December 7, 2016

“…We can be certain that the military, the B corporate world, the government and so on are going to use tech and I feel it is important that the artist helps define it and mold it. Because who else is going to put humanity and soul into it?” – Bjork via Creative Review related content: Headliners Rule at Outside Lands 2016 We are entering the end times for the traditional music festival model, and Houston’s Day for Night is leading the evolution toward curated immersive digital experiences. Festival titans like Coachella and Bonnaroo rose to infamy over the years by building bigger stages, pulling bigger headliners, and being taken over by big money; sticking with the traditional format which events throughout the world have replicated since the original Woodstock. However, the modern cultural connoisseur is looking to have their perceptions cleansed not only through sound, but through the merging of art, light and technology. Welcome to the future of festivals. related content: 2016 is the Year Coachella Jumped the Shark related content: Coachella: No History in Your Hate Leading this year’s lineup of electronic provocateurs, Day for Night will feature a 5-room digital experience and DJ set by experimental pop

Red Fang at Teragram Ballroom- Josh Allen

The Rise of Red Fang, The Hard Rock Resurgence & The Death of Nu Metal

Danny Baraz December 4, 2016

I went to see Red Fang at The Teragram Ballroom a couple of Sunday’s ago and all I can say is… Dayum! Red Fang, along with Torche and Whores lit up the best sounding venue in town like a Xmas tree. Both by inciting attendees to engage each others arms and elbows in a way that I’ve never seen at the young but formidable Teragram Ballroom and also, dialing in the sound to a miraculous display of live audio that was unprecedented to my ear holes. Every note, fret harmonic, hi hat hit and distorted gumbo of string rakes and 1/16th notes and drum rolls building to a fever pitch- a build up of sonic rhythms synonymous with that crash, chord, combo of controlled catastrophe that defines the end of every great rock song. That thing. That thing was as clear and defined to the naked ear as the most finely produced studio album I’ve ever heard. Clearer, in fact. I mean, without making this review about the sound at The Teragram Ballroom, it not only needs to be said but it needs to be over exaggerated, so as to relay just how perfect that room sounds. And… since I

Janky Fest w/ The Dwarves & 15 Bands Celebrating 2 Years of Jankiness

Danny Baraz October 25, 2016

It ain’t easy standing out in the sea of L.A. music blogs all looking for ad dollars, access and an invite to the after party. Janky Smooth doesn’t post ads on our website and we’re still not sure what the end game is here but what we do know is that it’s been a hell of a ride so far. As a thank you to Los Angeles for bringing us into it’s cold embrace, we bring you Janky Fest, November 19th in Outer Space from 3pm- Midnight. To attend Janky Fest with the Dwarves, The Birth Defects, Death Hymn Number 9, Sloppy Jane, Wild Wing and so many other bands, just RSVP by joining our newsletter at www.newsoundalliance.com and we’ll get back to you on instructions for making your $10 donation to fund Janky Fest. Special thanks to Pabst Blue Ribbon for donating all the $2 Tall Boys. RSVP now before we make an announcement on our super secret special guest band that we can’t publicize due to contractual obligations. For the past 2 years, Janky Smooth has attempted to give our readers an honest take on the independent music scene that is exploding, both in Los Angeles and all

Cosmonauts Interview with Paige Vreede of Janky Smooth

Janky Smooth Sessions: Cosmonauts Interview By The Lake

Paige Vreede October 5, 2016

It’s 4pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon and I’m running amuck at Echo Park Lake trying to track down Cosmonauts, Derek Cowart and Alex Ahmadi after all of our phones died at the exact same time. I saw the boys at a gig the night before so I figured if they were anywhere nearly as hung over as I was, I could probably find them lounging in the shadiest part of the park. Past zooming Pokémon goers on skateboards, beyond the tempting smell of corn on the grill, towards a playground full of screaming children, I spotted two dudes in space-age, senior citizen style sunglasses amongst a group of a dozen 20-something year olds enjoying a picnic. We eventually find a quiet spot of our own to sit down and enjoy a couple of beers and homemade brownies, (no, unfortunately they were not the “special” kind) and discuss weird fan experiences, their recent album release of A-OK! and why having accordions for legs is better than having a ten inch belly-button. Their fourth full-length album A-OK! was released in August, via Burger Records, and it is everything the Cosmonauts have always promised their fans. Its shoe-gaze, its psychedelic, its

Ty Segall and The Smell Founder Jim Smith

The Rally To Save The Smell And The Horrid History of DIY Venues in L.A.

Danny Baraz September 15, 2016

This past Saturday night Ty Segall headlined a sold out benefit show at The Teragram Ballroom. Save the Smell was organized by the two 19 year old musical entrepreneurs of Penniback Records. Penniback represents the 3rd wave of scene kids that have had their DIY awakening at The Smell and with the help of Julian Montano and Luis Ho and so many others, it MIGHT just ensure that the legend of the humble but vital venue continue to be written. But even with the outpouring of support that recently extended an extra year for The Smell community to save itself from being demolished, the ambitious strategy to do so is to raise $1.4 million to buy a permanent home somewhere in a close proximity to it’s current iconic Main Street location. Some scoff, some scowl, some cry foul but The Smell has such few haters for a DIY venue of it’s kind. The kind that always seems to spawn legions of outsiders that feel scorned or slighted. Because those folks are so few and far between, maybe that can explain why the Smell is in the midst of an unprecedented run. If history has taught us anything it’s that DIY

FYF 2016: Everything You Never Wanted to Know And More

Danny Baraz August 31, 2016

If art imitates life then isn’t a local music or art scene the most accurate reflection of life in that city? The sound of the music and the meaning of the lyrics, the images created by the brush and the musings, whether etched in pencil or poked in on a keyboard, all are inspired by an artists’ surroundings- and the crowd that supports it represents that the artist has connected with the collective experience; something true and authentic. And if you can accept that premise then you can also accept that Sean Carlson’s once fledgling music festival, Fuck Yeah Fest, continues to represent and imitate life in Los Angeles. FYF 2016 has gone from the twinkle in the eye of a dreamer to the crown jewel of Goldenvoice in Los Angeles. Wait, what’s that you say? You hate festivals? Oh, you hate on Los Angeles too? How original. I understand you spent those 6 months living in Chatsworth and Ubering to auditions and that spending all your time around low level industry wannabes has skewed your perception of the landscape and the denizens of my city. People often project all their shortcomings, failures and low self esteem onto the city

Radiohead shot by Johann Ramos at Outside Lands 2016

The Headliners Rule at Outside Lands 2016

Danny Baraz August 12, 2016

In the year of our lord, 2016, I attended my first Outside Lands inside the crunchy granola confines of Golden Gate Park. I have been experiencing much Bay Area festival envy in the preceding years so I rectified it by attending this year’s Burger Boogaloo in Oakland and I attended my very first Outside Lands last week . Even though this year’s Outside Lands lineup didn’t blow me away, I decided that I needed a change of scenery, a change from the jaded, L.A. crowds and… of course… RADIOHEAD! No Live Nation or Goldenvoice. No 100 degree weather. No rubber necking, celebrity duck sicking or friends plus 1 on the guest listing. No Native American Head Dressing anywhere to be seen. Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing but love for my birthplace in the mecca of entertainment but sometimes familiarity brings comfort and sometimes, it breeds contempt. Aside from the persistence of seeing San Francisco Giants apparel everywhere I looked, I’ve always loved the folks I’ve met and become fast friends with in San Fran and Oakland. Just wondering if it’s coincidence that the only real jerk offs I’ve met up there happen to be rocking VaGiants gear. Someone

Janky Smooth Presents: FYF 2016 Preview And Janky Mixtape

Brent Smith August 10, 2016

It’s that time of year again in L.A. FYF is OUR festival and the evolution of a fledgling, independent, local event in Echo Park called Fuck Yeah Fest organized by some local scene kid named Sean Carlson, has transformed into a world class festival with world class talent in a world class setting in Exposition Park. To all our faithful fans and haters; please enjoy streaming or downloading our annual FYF 2016 mixtape by DJ Justin Cornwall and festival preview by our very own wordsmith, Brent Smith. Love, The Jankiest, Danny Baraz It’s 2016. Bowie and Prince are dead. Reality T.V. has assimilated the political sphere, summer fires are stoked and well-fed, and trigger fingers seem itchier than ever. This is Fuck Yeah Fest’s moment. On August 27 and 28, FYF looks to put on a hell of a clinic, going with moxie over showmanship. Headliners feature Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem and Grace Jones—four acts that inhabit a paradoxical interzone between indie and mainstream. FYF has all the cred of Coachella or EDC without the obnoxious baggage or neon-gaudy self-importance. FYF’s reputation now is one of coveted, cunning formidability; like a million-person kill count it’s almost too big

Ty Segall And The Secret Show: A New Tradition in Los Angeles

Brent Smith June 1, 2016

I caught wind of the secret—and free—Ty Segall and the Muggers show at the Griffin from a Mikal Cronin tweet around 10pm. It turned out being a hushed triumph for the community, the local scene—now largely represented in the hip enclave of working class L.A. artists that arches across Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, and Mt. Washington. Luckily I don’t live too far, otherwise I would’ve just as easily succumbed to the old Angeleno proverb of “I’m staying in tonight.” I’m glad I decided to go, it provided some much needed reenergizing, and highlighted our special moment of L.A. music history. Even L.A. Weekly (that old, tired whore of a culture rag) was sage enough (however contrived) to dub Segall “L.A.’s most prolific and enigmatic rock star”—which would put him in the running for such a tag worldwide—and he doesn’t need ticket sales to prove it. I showed up to the Griffin maybe 5 or 10 minutes late, tops, sauntering to the back of a line that was definitely sizeable for a Wednesday night, and the Muggers were already wellinto their set. This was my view for a good portion of it. As it turned out, never

Wild Nothing At The Regent: Tight Jams And Tantrums Abound

Johann A. Ramos June 1, 2016

Wild Nothing sold out The Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles Friday night along side dream-pop queen Charlie Hilton on their Life Of Pause world tour. Both are very special acts with consistent demographics that have been getting a lot buzz in the media lately, particularly Wild Nothing after their new record “The Life Of Pause” (No, not the life of pablo) dropped. Frontman Jack Tatum carries a bag-full of influence with every record he puts out – krautrock, shoe gaze, post rock – not unusual for indie rock acts now a days. What sets him apart from other dream pop acts in the market (see: diiv, blouse, beach fossils, etc) is his singing versatility and his blisteringly catchy, lush, modulated guitar progressions that’ll have the crowd spending $70 on Stub Hub resold GA pit tickets. Damn you ticket scalpers! “Nocturne”, released in 2012 paved the way for many indie rockers yet to come. Charlie Hilton opened up the gig at a much slower pace than I expected and I mean that in a good way. She set the vibe of the show and chilled me out with her whispy, quiet vocals – which I appreciated because I drank one

New Album Review: Death Grips- Bottomless Pit

Danny Baraz May 13, 2016

It seems that Death Grips have finally made it through the other side of their artistic adolescence. They have spent their entire careers rejecting and rebelling against “basic bitch-dom” in their relationship with fans, labels and music critics and up to this point, they’ve been as erratic as a pubescent teenager. Not unlike an adolescent Jesus in the lost books of the bible, Death Grips are using their power and influence to blind the bullies, even as their artistic output is as regular as a sensible diet that is high in fiber. While Death Grips toyed with unorthodox styles of music and career choices, there was no drop off in output. Their latest release, “Bottomless Pit” is their 5th, full length studio album and 9th release altogether and between the release of JennyDeath and BP, Death Grips have been showing up for every show as well as maintaining a regular tour schedule. Are Death Grips assimilating into a more traditional career path? That remains to be seen but being a Death Grips fan continues to be an interactive scavenger hunt for sound and imagery, as fans are always an integral part of their artistic output. In the past, they have

Savages at FYF 2015 by Taylor Wong-Top 10 Concerts of 2015

Year In Review: Top 10 Concerts of 2015 Rated by Contributors

Danny Baraz December 18, 2015

Since the beginning of time, mankind grabbed whatever it could find to tap out and amplify the rhythm in our souls. From the most tribal roots of humanity, those rhythms brought us to our feet and inspired us into spastic soliloquies and baby making motions. Before the advent of the recording studio, there was only one way to hear music- LIVE. For true music snobs and purists, if you can’t do it live, you can’t do it. That is my segway into Janky Smooth’s Top 10 Concerts of 2015. Janky Smooth contributors attended 100’s of shows this year. Selecting the top 10 concerts of 2015 was quite a challenge. Most of the concerts we attended were in Los Angeles so while new labels, venues and promoters are taking advantage of the music explosion taking place all over the globe, Los Angeles continues to be it’s music capital. I often complain about the low energy of concert attendees in the city of my birth and while a handful of bands have been skipping Los Angeles on their tour schedules for this reason and opt for Pomona or Orange County, there’s no denying that if you hype up a Los Angeles crowd, you

Kevin Parker Shredding at Hollywood Forever Cemetery- Top 10 Concerts of 2015 shot by David Evanko

Year in Review: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Rated by Contributors

Danny Baraz December 15, 2015

Every year has a song or songs that define it. That song that will always remind you of the best summer ever, the worst summer ever, the year your child was born, the year you graduated high school, the year you dropped out of high school. A song that paints a picture in your mind. Songs you love. Songs you hate. Both can be just as powerful. This is Janky Smooth’s list of the Top 10 Songs of 2015 as rated by our regular contributors. Rating the Top 10 Songs of 2015 is much more difficult than rating the Top 10 Albums of 2015. Masterpiece albums are much more rare than the single flash of inspiration required to create one, catchy 3-5 minute arrangement. Top 10 Songs of 2015 Justin Cornwall- Author: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Beck- Dreams Tame Impala- Let it Happen Chemical Brothers ft. Beck- Wide Open Robert DeLong- Long Way Down RATATAT- Cream on Chrome Bob Moses- Tearing Me Up Best Coast- California Nights Romare- Love Song Kendrick Lamar- King Kunta Disclosure ft Lorde- Magnets Top Post: Sylvan Esso Moves the Fonda for Day 3 of 30 Days in L.A. David Evanko- Photographer: Top 10 Songs

The People, Bands and Fashion of Beach Goth 4

Paige Vreede October 30, 2015

With an incredibly diverse lineup including Juicy J, Mac Demarco, The Adicts, Grimes, and Parliament Funkadelic, it is no surprise that the crowd Beach Goth 4 attracted was nothing but a circus of ghouls, goblins and fashion. In this environment anything goes. During FIDLAR’s set on day two, the heterogeneity of this eclectic crowd was seemingly apparent. Mia Wallace’s and Wednesday Adams encircled a pit in which every character imaginable was welcome to. Two grown men in sunhats and summer dresses shamelessly cavorted about tossing trash cans at one another. A gal adorned in full raver gear stomped around the pits edge, right next to a 20-something year old in 90’s attire who was helping a painfully obvious drunk brosef who had fallen down amongst the madness. As the name suggests, beach kids and angsty goths were both welcomed. Walking amongst the Beach Goth 4 crowd was like being on a drug trip in some far away land that doesn’t actually exist. One could easily spot Hunter S. Thompson exchanging words with a petite girl sporting a penis costume on her head, and the quintessential good-looking woman dressed as “a mouse duh” could be caught hanging with that one weird

Run The Jewels Release Meow The Jewels. Cat Ladies Rejoice

Danny Baraz September 25, 2015

You know when you’re really high and you have this “great idea” that seems so genius that the world may never be the same? The next day, you open the Notes section of your phone that you used to remind you of said idea and you just stare at it and laugh and say to yourself, “What the fuck was I thinking?”. Enter Meow The Jewels, RTJ’s remix of Run the Jewels 2 made up entirely of cat sounds and samples. One fan. One dab. One kickstarter goal of $45k and 2,828 donations later and the total donations for the project have peaked at over $65k. The end is surely nigh. I’m sure El-P and Killer Mike never thought with all the need for altruism in this fucked up world, that people would come together and organize to insure this very important album get made. I take comfort in the fact that all the limited edition vinyl that is sold will go to various charity’s benefiting those who have been victims of police brutality. El-P took to Twitter “we did it for you, Mike Brown and Eric garner.” You can download the album here Meow The Jewels: 01 Meowpurrdy [ft. Lil Bub,

Radkey Play The Echo and Make Me a Believer

Taylor Wong September 23, 2015

It has been about a month since I have been out to cover any thing and I was jonesin’ for a good show. FYF was my last assignment and that is entirely too long. I was sent out to The Echo, one of my most frequented and favorite venues to check out the brothers, Radkey. I got there right when the doors opened like a freshman at Junior Prom. The month away from shows had me acting like a newbie. Since I got there early, I grabbed a beer and sat down as I took in my surroundings. As I sat there I took a deep breath of the musty venue air. The venue was quite empty, “but that’s ok since it’s still early”, I thought to myself. Gentle Pony took the stage first. This duo had a sound that I would describe as a grown up Cherry Glazerr. This band was the perfect start to the evening as Steve and Lena both thrashed around the stage from start to end of their set. The odd thing was that this was probably the largest the crowd ever got during the course of the entire show. The next band up was Prettiest Eyes. A 3-piece band that had its own horny cowboy. This

Savages Ravage the Roxy Theater

Brent Smith August 29, 2015

On a muggy L.A. summer night, Savages fans crammed into an even muggier sold-out Roxy Theatre to bear witness to yet another phenomenal west coast performance by the all-female postpunk band from across the pond. Just last weekend, Savages took over Exposition Park at FYF, and gave Angelenos something to remember them by. Last night’s performance at The Roxy sealed the deal, and at the same time, got us excited about the promises of their new album. It’s true, kids. Despite Beverly Hills’ attempt at annexing West Hollywood, awesome shows are still going off in WeHo. I entered and the floor, VIP area, and bar were already packed. Crowded and hot—the smell of B.O. and spilt beer growing exponentially by the minute—an army of black shirts and neon drink bracelets waited in hushed elation under the smoky blue lights of the famed venue on the even more famed Sunset Blvd. (Which only seems real after being so uncannily rendered in GTA V). Needless to say, the smell of ganja in the bathroom (and whoever shared it with me) was a godsend. As we heard the instruments being tested in the pitch dark of the stage, the guest DJ spun some

I’m In An Abusive Relationship With Death Grips

Danny Baraz August 28, 2015

By Danny Baraz Death Grips are like that beautiful woman that won’t fuck you. The more she says no, the more you want her. At some point, (if you have any self respect at all), you must decide you can’t love a girl who won’t love you back. You stop texting her. You stop calling her. You stop liking all her posts on IG. When that happens, she has to decide how she really feels about you and lay all games aside. This is a defining moment in the relationship between two people. I personally prefer crazy women but not too crazy- intellectual, complicated and unpredictable women who aren’t like anyone else. Those also happen to be my criteria for musicians and artists. Death Grips were the perfect girl. I had never met anyone like her. Her relationship with the world was almost satirical. Over the years, I have watched her stand other guys up with bemusement and curiosity. I have seen her defy her bosses at work. I have seen her “give away the milk for free”. I have seen her thumb her nose at fame. Sure, she seemed crazier than most but I’m not the trophy wife type.

FYF 2015: Surviving Their Own Legacy

Danny Baraz August 26, 2015

When people refer to FYF Fest as the “Urban Coachella”, it’s not a compliment. After last years move to Exposition Park from LA Historic Park, I was inclined to agree with them. There were some SERIOUS growing pains in the move to Expo Park. The main problem was that FYF 2013 was one of the best festivals I had ever been to. There was a stretch that year where Thee Oh Sees, Black Flag and Death Grips played consecutively, on the same stage, with a metro train passing every 15 minutes that was so surreal and incredible, that no amount of drugs, liquor or sexual release could ever compare to it. Flash forward to 2014- It took some people 2 hours to get into the festival on the first day. It was almost impossible to get into the Sports Arena. There was quite a sizeable new amount of land to get from the “Lawn Stage” to the “Main Stage”. It was quite the comedown from the year before. Would FYF Fest 2015 be able to recover from greatness of it’s own legacy and the logistical nightmares that plagued FYF 2014 with it’s move to Exposition Park? Even with all

Metz at destroying ear drums at The Echo

Melee at The Echo with Metz, Retox and Obliterations

Danny Baraz August 22, 2015

Metz, Retox and Obliterations on the same bill at The Echo is a hardcore lovers dream. It’s a testament to Metz and the confidence they have in their material and live show. Both of the opening bands are capable of headlining their own gigs and potentially shaming headliners into reevaluating their life’s purpose. But the latest Sub Pop Records anti heroes delivered a high energy set which sent fans into an unstoppable frenzy. Their sophomore album, Metz II is a progressive step that delivers more chaos and aggression along with a BIT more commercial appeal- a difficult task, to say the least. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen Obliterations. Poison Everything was one of my favorite albums of 2014. They’ve been touring almost non stop since that time but there was no fatigue apparent. Frontman, Sam James Velde has the look of madness and ill intent in his eyes when performing. It appeared he took the low energy, opening act audience as a challenge. He continuously leaned over the threshold of the stage, hovering over people and screaming in their face, particularly the audience members who weren’t completely engaged. By the time a pit finally exploded on the

Kanye and Tyler Backstage at Coachella shot by Grady Brannan

It’s Better Than Drake: Kanye West Becomes Filler at FYF Fest

Janky Smooth Central Command August 22, 2015

As you may have heard, Frank Ocean is no longer playing FYF. None other than the gawd, Yeezus, has filled the spot. My fervor for the church of Yeezus is well documented. Yet, I feel cheated by this turn of events. My malevolence is as much a shock to me as to many of my friends, “But you love Kanye,” they say, “Remember when you fell through the roof because you were jumping, singing “Touch The Sky” at that party?” They ask. “OMG, when Kanye came out with the Weeknd at Coachella? You were crying!” They remind. Do I love and have I done those things? Yes. Very much yes. But it doesn’t change how I feel. Am I over Kanye West? I don’t think so. I think it might just have to do with redundancy. A word I never thought would survive on a page discussing Kanye. (The fact that I wrote it and lightening hasn’t turned me to dust reminds me of the first time I texted a friend on the Sabbath) But, yea, it feels played out. “Kanye West: Have Mic, Will Headline.” “Need to add a price surge to your event? Hire Kanye West!” “It’s hard

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy and the Art of Noise at The Fonda

Johann A. Ramos August 21, 2015

The Jesus And Mary Chain and A Place To Bury Strangers (APTBS) shared the stage Wednesday night at The Fonda Theater in Hollyweird. The influencers of the first wave of the shoegaze movement made a wise choice picking APTBS as their support to mark the significance of this seminal album in rock history. When I arrived to the venue, I was delighted to be greeted by up and coming solo acoustic singer and songwriter Willow Robinson. Although I was a little late to his set, I enjoyed the songs I did manage to catch and recognize. While I do believe that the acoustic genre is saturated and that it is almost impossible to stand out, Willow Robinson is one of the few exceptions in the scene. Although the crowd was a little bare, the few spectators were having a good time. It was apparent in the way their eyes were glued to the stage. Willow Robinson closed his set by letting us know that he was very grateful to be sharing the stage with Jesus and The Mary Chain and A Place To Bury Strangers, a very humble move on his part. I was intrigued but not surprised by the

No Parents pose at Echo Park Rising by Taylor Wong

Echo Park Rising 2015: Rising and Rising and Rising…

Taylor Wong August 20, 2015

In it’s 5th year, Echo Park Rising has become a barometer of culture in Eastern Los Angeles. 20 years ago, the music scene in L.A. was way further west on Sunset Blvd on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Most of the music lovers that attended Echo Park Rising 2015 this past weekend wouldn’t have felt safe crossing the street in this part of L.A. 20 years ago. 20 years ago, the club now called The Satellite was purchased by a man named Mitchell Frank (and partners) and transformed from a gay disco called Dreams of L.A. and rebranded into an alternative music club they named, Dreams and Spaceland. That one event proved to be one of the most important events in the history and future of the city of Los Angeles. That one event was a catalyst to the complete transformation of everything between Los Feliz to Downtown L.A. Significant events like the building of Staples Center in 1998 and the collapse of the music industry at the turn of the century contributed to the transformation but Mitchell Frank might just go down as one of the most important figures of modern history in L.A. There aren’t many examples of gentrification

Earl Sweatshirt at Low End Theory Fest 2015

Low End Theory Festival Wobbles The Shrine Auditorium

Danny Baraz August 12, 2015

When The Gaslamp Killer commandeered the decks at The Shrine for his set at Low End Theory Festival, I instantly started peaking. The interesting thing about that is that I wasn’t on any drugs. Something about how the visuals on the screen behind him were synched to the music in his set wobbled my eyeballs and made me question reality. That is what good art is all about. When Low End Theory convened for the very first time at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights on a random Wednesday in 2006, there is no way founders could’ve predicted how far reaching it would become. Even as dreamers dream, the reality of the waking hours and empty rooms is a deterrent that slows most people into a “it wasn’t meant to be” mind frame. But even the inconceivable becomes a minor afterthought when all you care about is shaking walls and windows and the impulse to entertain yourself and your friends as much as entertaining strangers. The second annual Low End Theory Festival at The Shrine Auditorium this past Saturday was a far cry from the empty rooms of the Airliner 9 years ago. 5000 people packed The Shrine to pay homage

High on Fire: Metal Madness at The Echoplex

Danny Baraz August 4, 2015

With a massive swell of approval around the release of their 7th studio album, Luminiferous in June, High on Fire was booked by FYF Presents at The Echoplex this past Friday. It was the second stop on a headlining tour that stretches through to the end of August- Pallbearer, Lucifer and Venomous Maximus joined them. I was torn between this show and Stiff Little Fingers playing the last ever punk show at The House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. Ultimately, I never really liked the House of Blues and it’s corporate vibes and bad parking. Since I saw Stiff Little Fingers a couple times at the end of 2014, I decided I would go see a sick Metal lineup at an independent venue that has it’s finger on the pulse of music. Bye Bye, House of Blues. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out. I made it into the Echoplex with enough time to order a drink before Pallbearer took the stage. The venue was completely sold out. There were metal heads as far as the eye could see. I cruised by the merch booth, which was moved to a space in the back of the

HEALTH at The Echo: First L.A. Show in 3 Years Delivers

Danny Baraz July 23, 2015

By Danny Baraz HEALTH is the most original sounding bands in music today. Dissonant chords fed through filters and stomp box effects. Galloping tribal rhythms so succinct and steady that you could set a watch to them. Reverberated falsetto vocals that create a layer of tenderness through the violent rhythms. Piercing sound designs that wash over the listener in a rebirth of the senses. The dichotomy of sound that Los Angeles band HEALTH creates is extraordinary. It all amounts to a New Wave, Gothic, Punk stew of noise and melancholy melody that we have been deprived of for far too long. On Wednesday, July 22nd, the HEALTH hiatus in Los Angeles ended at The Echo with the first of three sold out shows, carefully crafted to promote their new album Death Magic. There has been a steady build up since April of this year to tease new songs from the new album. The video for the song “New Coke” was premiered on YouTube in April and has racked up over 180k views in the few months that it’s been live. Not bad for an indie band. Between the imagery of Alice Glass and Pictureplane partying in the first minute to

Runaway Fest: Double Reviewed & Fiercely Photographed

Janky Smooth Central Command July 14, 2015

Runaway Fest Review 1: Paige Vreede When I was 18 years old I thought I was cool drinking cheap vodka out of a plastic bottle at a friends house whose parents were out of town. However, the dudes at Danger Collective Records are actually the epitome of “cool kids.” This past weekend I faced a sad reality upon realizing I have now become “old as fuck,” among the new emerging music scene stemming from teenagers in Los Angeles. In collaboration with Michael Morin of &? Productions, Danger Collective hosted Runaway 2015. Even after being plagued with a last minute venue change at Los Globos, this group of High schoolers presented a show with over 35 acts including some of L.A.’s most impressive bands. Though I saw more “Xs’” on hands here than I would have at a vegan hardcore show; half a personal pizza and 17 shots of tequila later, I felt cool enough to hang with the kiddos. As I sat in a corner completely exhausted, I felt a very confrontational moment of “you look like a fucking chaperone” and realized, given the contagiously rousing environment, I needed to get my ass up. While there were many noteworthy acts

Head Wound City at Echoplex shot by David Evanko

FYF Presents Head Wound City at The Echoplex: Pretty Boy Hardcore

Danny Baraz June 29, 2015

When I think of metal bands I have loved throughout history, I think of mullets, Dungeons and Dragons, short busses, bad hygiene and full rooms, void of any feminine presence. My how times have changed. On Friday night, FYF Presents continued to display why they are one of the most diverse talent bookers in town when “super group”, Head Wound City played The Echoplex along with Loma Prieta and Crime Desire. Today’s Metal, no less intense in it’s impact, yet the crowd was filled with beautiful people and so was the stage when Head Wound City played their set. Grindcore, mathcore, thrashcore, noise rock, and noisegrind. Call it what you will but it all stems from Thrash/Speed Metal. There were no soccer moms wearing Slayer t-shirts in the 80’s and 90’s but now, H & M actually have a line of clothing that features bands like Slayer and Metallica on them. I wonder if those particular consumers know that Slayer stands for Satan Laughs As You Eternally Rot. Metal has evolved into many things, most of which I’m not a fan of but Justin Pearson along with his label, Three One G are one of the most creative group of musicians

Julian Casablancas Secret TIDAL Show at The Dragonfly

Justin Cornwall May 24, 2015

Dragonfly hasn’t popped up on my personal radar for a few years now. When Janky Smooth received a personal invite from the owner, Anthony Belanger to see JULIAN CASABLANCAS & THE VOIDZ perform on their stage, we did not hesitate whatsoever. Julian Casablancas, of The Strokes has moved past but not completely parting with his early 2000’s alt-rock alma mater. The Voidz were born out of Casablancas breaking a rut in 2013 and they have chugged along together to bass heavy riffs at a steady pace. I had seen them perform at FYF in 2014 and was left totally unimpressed (tons of their early live reviews were negative) – but that particular set was at a festival and festival sets can so easily be ruined by outside factors (production, poor sound, shitty people). I’m a Strokes fan and was eager to check out the private showcase – I had no issue in giving them another shot. This performance absolutely filled the empty void I’d felt between The Voidz and I. Before entering the venue, we were forced to turn in our cell phones at the order of staff and signs bearing the TIDAL logo. Yes, that TIDAL. The music illuminati (Jay

Ty Segall at The Smell shot by Julien Kelly

Ty Segall Unplugged at the Smell

Danny Baraz May 9, 2015

The sky was illuminated by a brilliant flash of light followed by a loud and ominous rumble. The rain was coming down on me as I walked down the alley behind Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles approaching The Smell. As I got closer to the entrance, I saw Jason Finnazo of The Birth Defects nervously smoking a cigarette in the rain. He had been the opening act of the evening in which the band Feels and Ty Segall were trading in their face melters for acoustic guitars. “Did you feel naked up there?” I asked him as he took a deep pull off of his smoke. “Yeah, everytime I do this, I always say that I’ll never do it again”. He proceeded to go through the inventory of issues he had and I kept thinking how musicians were like chef’s- always pointing out where the meal was too salty and never giving any credit to the deliciousness of their creation. I was bummed I missed his set because I love The Birth Defects and one thing that is hard to imagine is The Birth Defects unplugged. It’s exhilarating when artists go out on a limb. I did make it

FYF 2015 Mix and Free Download by DJ Justin Cornwall, Ya Heaarrd??

Danny Baraz May 7, 2015

What did you think about the FYF lineup announcement? Here is a free download and mix of all the artists that are playing FYF 2015 by Justin Cornwall and brought to you by Janky Smooth. n This will help you come to grips with your feelings about the lineup. I was already stoked when the lineup came out but after listening to this mix my stoke was put into context. Love, Janky Smooth BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – I WANT THE WORLD TO STOP DEERHUNTER – HELICOPTER LAURA MARLING – GHOSTS BLOC PARTY – RATCHET BATTLES – ATLAS DEATH GRIPS – I’VE SEEN FOOTAGE BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB – TO ARDENT FT. NANCY SINATRA (HORSE MEAT DISCO REMIX) DJ DODGER STADIUM – LOVE SONGS ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD – LOVE IN THE TIME OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS FKA TWIGS – WATER ME JOY ORBISON – DONELL NICOLAS JAAR – MI MUJER FRANK OCEAN – LOST HOP ALONG – TIBETAN POP STARS TOBIAS JESSO JR. – HOLLYWOOD THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – JUST LIKE HONEY LOVE OVER ENTROPY – TONII (DIXON RETOUCH) COLD CAVE – LIFE MAGAZINE CANYONS – SEE BLIND THROUGH (DJ HARVEY REMIX) NEON INDIAN – SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ACID WITH

FYF 2015 Lineup Announced and Yes, Death Grips Are On It

Danny Baraz May 6, 2015

Scheduled for August 22nd and 23rd at Exposition Park, The FYF 2015 lineup was revealed today. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 8 at 12pm pacific on the FYF Website. FYF 2015 is keepin it cool and still offering single day tickets unlike some of their competitors. This is year 2 of the festival taking place at Exposition Park instead of L.A. Historic Park and we FULLY expect the folks at FYF to complete the transition smoothly after last year’s hiccups. One thing is clear- Sean Carlson and the folks at FYF know how to throw a festival. Another thing is also clear- Festival bookers are once again trusting that Death Grips will actually show up this time after a no show last year and almost every date Death Grips have booked since the last show they ever played at FYF 2013 and Janky Smooth was there to bear witness and we can tell you this- If Death Grips show up and actually play the festival, they will steal the show like they did in 2013. See the footage we captured of that below. The little print bands are amazing this year including the return of HEALTH who have

Chet Faker, White People and Masturbation at Club Nokia

Taylor Wong April 16, 2015

Words and Photos: Taylor Wong The other night I got the chance to cover a show that I normally wouldn’t attend but I was blessed enough to witness Nicholas James Murphy aka, Chet Faker’s second show of two that were sandwiched between two performances at Coachella. Now i’m not saying I wouldn’t cover it because he sucks, because that’s just not true. I am just not that into electronic music. The only way I would be down to see something electronic is if it were something bass-y like Chet Faker or Flume. Those kinds of acts take the electronic production and mix it with live music in the most fascinating way. I am writing this review from the perspective of some one who had no expectations. Aside from listening to him briefly on Spotify the day of the show and stumbling upon him at Fyf Fest last year, I was in the dark. Even before arriving at the Club Nokia, I assumed Chet Faker had a predominantly white, female demographic- around the age of 20 to be specific. As soon as I entered the venue I took not of how empty it was for a sold out show. I’ve noticed over the course of this year that it seems like people

Caribou Does NOT Push Play at The Fonda Theater

Danny Baraz March 2, 2015

There is a difference between pushing “set” and pushing “play” and Dan Snaith of Caribou don’t push play. With all the fans of electronic music paying top dollar to dance to pre recorded tracks these days, Caribou comes armed with a show that is a digital jam session and a powerful arsenal of songs that possess an incredible amount of depth, sadness and redemption. Caribou and particularly the album Swim, go into that rare classification of music that has brought tears to my eyes. There is so much creativity in the musical arrangements and the level of intimacy in the lyrical content is rare. Prior to the 3 sold out dates at The Fonda Theater this past week in Hollywood, I had never seen Caribou live. FYF 2014 was going to be my first time and logistical issues on the first day of the festival’s first year at Exposition Park caused issues with getting into the Sports Arena for my first Caribou show. Between missing Caribou and yet another Death Grips no show, it almost ruined L.A’s best festival for me. Thank god for Run The Jewels. FYF Presents made up for it in spades on day 2 of the

Death From Above 1979 at The Regent Theater

Two Nights of Death From Above 1979 and MSTRKRFT in L.A. and The O.C.

Danny Baraz November 16, 2014

Death from Above 1979/MSTRKRFT: Night 2 in LA. Within the 20 minutes between opener, Hustle & Drone leaving the stage and Death From Above 1979 taking it, the house went from sparse to capacity. The night was filled with false fire alarms and a few sound issues of the newly opened and opulent Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles- A gorgeous venue that is still working out the kinks. The P.A. was filled with the sounds of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and other old country classics as a surprisingly eclectic and beautiful crowd filed in to witness a show by the experimental thrashers from Toronto. I myself discovered DFA in 2008- a good 2 years after they had already broken up. O.G. DFA fans love to separate their fan base into a B.C and A.D. category- a snobbishness I have been guilty of myself on many occasions. Now it appears there is a third category of fans that have discovered the band after their more, commercially friendly, reunion release of The Physical World in September of this year. This was my first time seeing DFA live after devouring the catalog for the past 6 years with no satisfaction or release

Warpaint at the Echoplex: Bringing Grown Men to Tears

Danny Baraz November 9, 2014

I need to write a review but I want to write a love letter. I can hardly think straight. My head is still spinning from Warpaint’s two hour set last night at The Echoplex. I am completely infatuated with the ladies of this band. Not just because they are all beautiful but because nothing is more attractive than women that are in command of their craft. Powerful, mesmerizing and unbearably sexy, Warpaint were coming off an extended tour and were effortlessly locked in with each other and their songs. Bass player, Jenny Lee Lindberg and Drummer, Stella Mozgawa start on the 1 with a just a quick look and one bar into the song, they smile and make eye contact, understandably proud of themselves. I’m not sure I witnessed Stella count in even once throughout the entire set and I never saw the band miss a beat the entire night. This is the best show I’ve seen the band play and I’ve seen them play quite a few times. Warpaint cannot simply be described as chick rockers because that would be minimizing the extent of their greatness. One cannot remove that aspect, though, because for women, they are an inspiration

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