Justin Cornwall, Author at Jankysmooth

Justin Cornwall

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

The Lumineers Folk Off At Red Bull Sound Space

Justin Cornwall April 5, 2016

You probably know The Lumineers from their folk-rock singles “Hey Ho” or “Stubborn Love”, but what you probably don’t know is that in a live setting they put on an full on absolute barn burner of a performance. They put Mumford & Sons in the shadows, the trio accompanied by supporting backline members ensnare you with genuine storytelling and joyously rolling melodies. Folk rock has never been so prominent in mainstream culture and The Lumineers propel themselves into Top 40 lists effortlessly. We caught The Lumineers at the Red Bull Sound Space at The World Famous KROQ for a Monday afternoon encounter. They’re currently pushing their new album “Cleopatra” (due April 9th, 2016), which is a proper follow up to their self titled 2012 record. Almost exactly 4 years later, the Denver based group are ready to shine again. The brand new songs we heard from this upcoming record, “Ophelia” and “Cleopatra“, dove much deeper than their initial singles – more intricate stories told through honest lyrics and building upon instrumentation they know works. Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek – the base trio – explained their infinite gratitude to their initial tracks which broke them, and how happy they are to

Weezer at Red Bull Soundspace at KROQ studios

Weezer Plays Intimate Show in Red Bull Soundspace at KROQ Studios

Justin Cornwall March 25, 2016

This Tuesday afternoon was made infinitely better thanks to our friends at Red Bull and KROQ! The two household-name brands teamed up a while ago to put together the Red Bull Sound Space – a full-fledged performance venue nestled in the back of the KROQ studio, where performances are broadcasted worldwide via the internet. Bands large (usually large) and small stop through on the invitation of the station to treat industry and fans to an intimate performance. You either win your way in via KROQ, or get invited, so everyone there is in an amazing mood. This Tuesday, in line with promoting The White Album and an upcoming co-headline tour with Panic! At The Disco, Weezer blew the hinges off the tiny room with a festival worthy set. The age of the crowd ranged from 8 to greyed executive, everyone was completely thrilled to be there. Rivers, Brian, Scott and Patrick took the stage like they were casually settling in for a jam session – no banter with the crowd, comfortably timid nods to screaming fanatics in the packed crowd – and within the first heavy riffs of ‘Hash Pipe’, they slammed us all into action. Following up with full

Reel Big Fish and Suburban Legends: Ska Skank Redemption at The Observatory

Justin Cornwall January 21, 2016

The Observatory in Santa Ana had to have been built for local ska shows. The layout, the locals, everything about it fell perfectly into place for Reel Big Fish and Suburban Legends to absolutely kill at their hometown show. The all ages crowd was rowdy the whole night, feeding off the high speed energy the bands were channeling effortlessly. This was the perfect jolt back into my high school ska phase. Suburban Legends didn’t have any trouble getting the crowd moving. The part-time Disneyland resident band were able to be themselves and kick back, no Mouse watching over them. Every other time I’ve seen them has been at Tomorrowland in Disneyland, everything very G rated and kosher. However, on their home turf, without restriction, you could feel the change in energy Suburban Legends shifted into. They definitely weren’t ‘working’, they were having the time of their lives. The 6 piece had synchronized dance moves, Disney cover songs, and a devoted fanbase which enhanced the entire performance. A circle pit was moving the entire set and their young fans knew every word. They sang of the friend-zone, high-fiveing their friends and partying – exactly what ska should be about. Their frontman,

Moogfest Brings Dial Tones Event to Ace Hotel Los Angeles

Justin Cornwall December 29, 2015

Moogfest, Nosaj Thing and Dublab teamed up Sunday (12/20) night to bring LA “Dial-Tones”. The hour long presentation consisted of quick improvised performances by Nosaj Thing, Emily Kokal (Warpaint), DJ Dodger Stadium, Teebs, D Tiberio, Shlomo and many more. The event was partly to promote Moogfest 2016, who recently released their lineup, along with synthesizer building workshops that were held at the Ace Hotel during the day. Synthesizers (specifially Moog Werkstatt stations) built during the workshops were then later used as instruments for the performance. You may be familiar with the name Moog – but not many people know they were the FIRST to commercially manufacture modular analog synthesizers. And this all got started back in the 1960’s, far before dance music had any type of footing. Robert Moog (1934-2000), behind it all, is recognized as the pioneer of electronic music – his legacy is still in full swing today. Artists including Kraftwerk, Donna Summer, The Beach Boys and many others would not have cornerstones of their sound had it not been for Moog equipment. Nowadays, the Moog Music product lines include everything from bass synth keyboards, to an electric guitar and line of effects pedals, and plans to re-produce the original

Sylvan Esso Moves The Fonda for Day 3 of 30 Days in L.A.

Justin Cornwall November 4, 2015

Day 3 of Red Bull Sound Select’s, #30DaysInLA featured performances by Sylvan Esso, Race Banyon and Akua at The Fonda. The evening was sold out, but Red Bull kept the crowd light rather than packing the room to capacity – which was a nice relief. I’ve experienced many sardine-packed nights at the Fonda, it was good to see the promoters give back in a conscious way to the fans. This Year’s Complete Calendar and A Look Back At Last Year’s 30 Days. This year the #30DaysInLA lineup is a bit lighter (headliner-wise) and even lighter on the support acts, most of who are relatively unknown in the Los Angeles market, but as the neon signs in the venue declare – Red Bull is here to BREAK MUSIC. The atmosphere during the opening acts has a battle of the bands like vibe to it, you can feel them fighting to make an impact on the crowd (who the majority of is there for the headliner). Sometimes they hit the mark and stick, sometimes they’re local and draw on their own, but sometimes they become a complete afterthought. Akua is a Montreal based one-woman band, gently crooning to the audience with even

A Hard Time at HARD Summer 2015

Justin Cornwall August 5, 2015

I have been a HARD Presents fan for a minute now. HARD Haunted Mansion 2011 at the Shrine was my first HARD event. HARD Summer 2012 was my first HARD Summer. Both events were top notch and helped forge my musical tastes as I grew into the LA being I’d one day become. Between then and now, I’ve been a part of about a dozen different HARD promoted shows and festivals. Over the weekend, on Sunday, I came upon the opportunity to head to the Pomona Fairplex to see what HARD Summer 2015 had to offer. As a fan of the brand, I had high hopes – as the lineup seemed eclectic enough in a plateauing ‘rave’ culture. We arrived later in the day, but there were still lines of barely dressed teens at the gate. It was an 18+ event but the security was barely holding the seams together with a very lax bag/ID check – there was definitely a <18 crowd at this event. We got through just fine and headed to meet some friends at the PINK Stage for some Jamie XX. There were 5 stages; 3 indoor and 2 outdoor. Pink, Yellow and 7Up (green) were

Beach Party Kickoff Rager for July Residency at The Echo

Justin Cornwall July 9, 2015

Monday nights in Los Angeles are perfect for catching live music. Up and coming acts are often given monthly residencies at one of several venues after paying some dues and climbing the musical ladder in LA. After a year or so of consistent work since their initial (Ty Segall produced) singles “Can’t Surf/Fun”, Beach Party has earned their slot every Monday this month at The Echoplex – joined by friends of their choosing. I made it to the venue just in time to catch The Buttertones open. They reminded me of The Aquabats + Misfits + Talking Heads. Some of their tunes were right out of a Dick Dale fever dream. They were a great choice for an opener; they fit in as Beach Party’s squeaky clean younger cousins. The live saxophone, which wasn’t overdone, filled in the gaps in their surfy low-fi vibes perfectly. The crowd was into it and seemingly grew as soon as they finished their set.. in preparation for Beach Party. The Beach Party residency is tethered to the incoming release of their EP “Ripper”, recorded by Sonny Diperri (involved w/ Portugal The Man, Hanni El Khatib,STRFKR), and is available for early physical purchase at these

Hanni El Khatib: The Last First Friday of 2015 at Natural History Museum

Justin Cornwall June 7, 2015

The last First Friday event at the Natural History Museum brought out in-the-know Los Angeles music lovers, young and old, together for an amazing summer kickoff. This lineup featured Hanni El Khatib, Chicano Batman, Avid Dancer and DJ’s Raul Campos (KCRW) + Captain Planet – all local talent. The evening was filled with different genres, hitting and missing different marks, but altogether the night smoothed out well. The Natural History Museum was PACKED, lines at pretty much every one of the 7 (there were more) bars that I counted and all tickets for the night were SOLD OUT. The weather cooled off quite a bit, but the crowds stuck it out for the performances on the new outdoor stage the museum had erected especially for this event. Food trucks, multiple full bars and the opened portions of the museum kept the crowds entertained till show time. Raul Campos played a radio friendly filler set leading up to Avid Dancer’s opening performance. I didn’t know much about Avid Dancer prior to the night, but I’m glad I was able to catch their set to build my own opinion on them. After some research, I discovered that the band was initially a

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

The Head and The Heart Draw a Dedicated Following at The Ace Hotel

Justin Cornwall November 23, 2014

The line wrapped down Broadway in DTLA in front of the Ace Hotel for the sold out The Head And The Heart concert. Many young and eager fans made way into the restored 1920’s theater – the headliners had a dedicated fan base. Much of the crowd seemed unaware and unimpressed by the #30DaysInLA program, but happily accepted the free flower crowns and pizza provided by the Red Bull team. Los Colognes of Nashville were the openers for the night. The six piece was reminiscent of a Disney produced incarnation of The Beach Boys. Their twangy sound was remarkably generic and very jammy. The songs seemed to wander where the band wanted them to, but surely they had some basic structure. The crowd was late for this set, distracting from the sound as people filed in all throughout the opening hour. The Head and The Heart proceeded to play to an enticed crowd. Each song was driven by a different key player – from vocals, to violin, to rancorous guitar. The captive audience kept time by tapping along and supported vocally with a hushed sing-a-long the entire set. The band did a good job of giving each member their time

Real Estate at The Belasco with special guest, Rivers Cuomo

Justin Cornwall November 20, 2014

Oh, Red Bull – you’re running us ragged with this month of shows. Luckily, last night provided a bit of a necessary lull in the energy of the month. Beach Party, Pure Bathing Culture and Real Estate brought their talents to The Belasco in Downtown Los Angeles, to a crowd of eager fans. Personally, I was very much looking forward to another set from LA locals Beach Party. I’ve gotten to know this band as friends over the last year and I’ve never had to fake being into their music. These guys always put forward a wave of high-energy surf/punk/rock that is exactly what you’d expect from a band called Beach Party. Their stage presence is as strong as their drinks and they didn’t skip a beat flowing through their set. They played a few newer tracks and teased they are currently wrapping up their full-length album. Their lyrics lament of bad decisions and debauchery, I believe the smart choruses played a big part in winning the crowd over. This was their last show of 2014 and they were well received by the mellower Real Estate crowd. Red Bull Sound Select has mismatched sounds on some of these lineups this