Janky Smooth Central Command
Take This! Win 2 Tickets To See Swing Kids at the Lodge Room
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 25, 2025
Swing Kids, the iconic post-hardcore band from San Diego, California, are making a highly anticipated return to the stage with an upcoming show at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles on Monday, May 5th. Janky Smooth is giving away a pair of tickets to one winner to see Swing Kids. You can Buy Tickets Now or see below for instructions on entering our giveaway Originally formed in the mid-1990s, Swing Kids made a powerful impact on the underground music scene with their intense live performances, emotionally charged lyrics, and a unique blend of hardcore punk, jazz, and noise rock. Led by frontman Justin Pearson—also known for his work with his label ThreeOneG and his other projects- The Locust, Retox and Dead Cross—Swing Kids stood out with their raw energy and unapologetic political edge. Though their original run was brief, their self-titled EP and the influential “Situation on Mars” release helped define a new era of art-damaged punk and laid the groundwork for future experimental hardcore bands. After disbanding in 1997, Swing Kids’ cult status only grew. Their sound influenced a generation of musicians and earned them a lasting place in post-hardcore history. The band reunited periodically for special benefit shows, always
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Sex Cells Returns to Los Angeles: A Night of Subversive Glamour and Sonic Mayhem
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 24, 2025
After an extended hiatus, Sex Cells is making its highly anticipated return to The Dragonfly in the heart of Los Angeles on May 3rd, 2025. Known for its decadent fusion of underground music, avant-garde fashion, and unapologetically provocative aesthetics, this cult-favorite club night is more than just a party—it’s a cultural statement. Founded by creative provocateur Danny Fuentes, the res-Erection of Sex Cells promises a surreal collision of art, music, and provocation that only LA could birth. At the core of the Sex Cells ethos is Danny Fuentes himself, a driving force behind some of LA’s most boundary-pushing art and nightlife. He is the visionary behind Lethal Amounts, an iconic art gallery and brand known for celebrating counterculture, queerness, punk, fetish, and the underground. Located in downtown Los Angeles, Lethal Amounts has exhibited works by transgressive legends like Genesis P-Orridge, Lydia Lunch, and Rick Castro, creating a platform for voices and visuals too raw for the mainstream. related: Pink Flamingos and Peaches- 2nd Annual John Waters Easter at The Madonna Inn Sex Cells emerged as a natural extension of Fuentes’ world—bringing the spirit of the gallery to the dance floor. Originally launched in 2016, the party quickly gained notoriety for
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Top Ten SHOWS of 2024 Rated by Contributors
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 31, 2024
Shows have always been Janky Smooth’s bread and butter. Our contributors are willing travel far and wide for the right show, willing to abandon their families and face every obstacle to get there in time to see a compelling opener with any legit hype. This list will feature shows all across Los Angeles, California, and the whole of the United States. It will feature festival sets and intimate evenings with. It’ll list out shows with mosh pits and intimiate seating. Every musical experience under the sun, our contributors have seen it and are using their expert curation skills to give you the best of the best of 2o24. Publisher, Danny Baraz Ministry at Cruel World Ceremony and Infest at The Hollywood Palladium The Original Misfits at No Values Power Trip at The Fonda HEALTH, Panther Modern, Pixel Grip at The Music Box Tyler, the Creator at Camp Flog Gnaw Boy Harsher at The Glass House Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle at Hollywood bowl The Black Angels at The Lodge Room Front 242 at The Mayan Editor, Rob Shepyer Trash Talk at Echoplex Ceremony at Hollywood Palladium Swans at Lodge Room Ministry at Cruel World Tool at Crypto.com Arena Queens of
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Janky Smooth Top 10 ALBUMS of 2024 Rated by Contributors
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 31, 2024
2024 came and went with some of the most dramatic and tense moments in the country’s political and cultural history. As any true music head knows, great shifts are predicted in a culture’s music first, so if there’s anything the music of 2024 can tell us about the state of art and the future, we should be very excited for all things to come.Just as entire status quos of thought went challenged and overturned in 2024, many bands changed the dynamics of entire genres will releases that blew our contributors away. Here are the top ten albums of 2024, ranging from every category, from the underground to the mainstream. You will see the Janky signature in these lists with our selections that show appreciation for a huge range of music so unique that you’ll need to listen to these albums yourself to truly understand why 2024 was so monumental for music. Publisher, Danny Baraz Nox Novacula – Feed the Fire Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere Amyl and the Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven Hong Kong Fuck You – 1978-1981 Kendrick Lamar – GNX Tyler The Creator – Chromakopia The Cure – Songs of a Lost
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Off The 405: Summer Concert Series at The Getty
Janky Smooth Central Command
May 24, 2024
One of Los Angeles’ most beautiful places to see a concert is The Getty museum’s mountain top vista sitting Off The 405 freeway between the Valley and the West Side. Soak in the summer rays and bursts of colorful sunset while surrounding yourself with art from around the world and across the ages. The Getty is a setting that inspires artists to perform at their peak, join us and get inspired. Between June 1st and August 24th 2024, The Getty has blessed Los Angeles with concerts by incomparable artists like Julia Holter and Helado Negro. Each night serves as a reflection of LA culture, offering a diverse range of sounds and artists that LA has come to expect from The Getty’s Off The 405 Series. You can see the schedule of all shows this summer below: Hailu Mergia DJ set by Mark Maxwell Date: Saturday, June 1, 2024 Time: DJ set at 6 p.m.; Performance at 7:30 p.m. Location: Museum Courtyard Admission: Free, tickets required. Get Tickets here. Slauson Malone Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024 Time: DJ set at 6 p.m.; Performance at 7:30 p.m. Location: Museum Courtyard Admission: Free, tickets required. Tickets available May 23, 2024 Helado Negro Date: Saturday, July 20, 2024 Time: DJ set at 6 p.m.;
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Levitation 2023: The Catharsis of Heavy Music
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 11, 2024
Halloween weekend. Thickness in the air. Darkness in the world. I’m committed to a music festival far from home and it’s supposed to rain. Austin, Texas: despite having been there only 5 months prior for Austin Psych Fest, one of the most special community-based music experiences of my life, I felt anxiety leading up to Levitation 2023. So when I left LAX and landed at AUS Airport on Thursday afternoon before the music began, I begged the weight of the world to lighten, with hopes for a familiar outcome of levity, connection, and reclaimed freedom. I believe all of us lost festival goers are in search of an escape from our daily lives. We’re looking for something to feel, something to connect to, and to be amongst similarly yearning souls that are open to the ebb and flow of this world. An ebb and flow that gets the best of us sometimes, for better or for worse… But this weekend, we tried to make it for the better, in the live music capital of the world, together. Words: Michelle Schuman Photos: Grace Dunn related: Austin Shines On: Levitation 2022 Community, that’s what Levitation has to offer. Psychedelia, in all its
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JANKY SMOOTH Top 10 Shows of 2023 Rated By Contributors
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 31, 2023
Live musical entertainment is the lifeblood of Janky Smooth, that’s why we’re so blessed to be in the best concert city in all the world, bar-none. Los Angeles hosted so many of the year’s greatest bangers, it’s quite impossible to recall them all, however our contributors have compiled their top ten most incredible memories of 2023. For years to come, they will be able to say they were there in regard to so many moments that will live on much longer than the year. Whether it was Siouxsie performing in Los Angeles for the first time in decades at Cruel World, Skinny Puppy’s final shows, the return of Ladytron or Cynic or Saetia, or brand new festivals we won’t ever forget like Sick New World or Darker Waves. Take a moment to breeze through these lists and remember those shows if you were there. Publisher, Danny Baraz Siouxsie Sioux at Cruel World Iggy Pop at the Regent Obituary at the Fonda Run the Jewels playing RTJ2 at the Hollywood Palladium Angel Du$t at Echoplex Skinny Puppy at Belasco Depeche Mode at Crypto.com Arena Ladytron at Belasco Sparks at Hollywood Bowl The Adicts at Belasco Editor sometimes, Rob Shepyer System of
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JANKY SMOOTH Top 10 Albums of 2023 Rated By Contributors
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 31, 2023
2023 wasn’t just the year we saw many of our Janky favorites mature into their true selves, 2023 was the year these favorite bands put out the career defining material that will be pointed to years from today as the moment the band began creating the music they became iconic for. Some of these bands include groups we’ve followed for years, bands like Zulu, Spiritual Cramp, Scowl, and Angel Du$t. Yes, the hardcore scene provided the soundtrack for some of 2023’s most inspired and diverse jams, yet this was not the only underground providing the year’s best records. In the worlds of goth, synth, darkwave and beyond, artists like Model/Actriz, Madeline Goldstein, Nation of Language and Panther Modern made us dance, swoon and make-out harder than previous years. In metal, we see the same dynamism as Tomb Mold created one of the year’s most powerful and transcendent musical rollercoasters. Genre veterans Cannibal Corpse and Cavalera continued ripping, as did Liturgy, adding a new book to her musical gospel. Hip hop didn’t disappoint either with alternative and mainstream bangers galore be they the collaboration between JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown or grouptherapy’s latest brilliant record. Art pop female badasses stole the show
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Ladytron Reverberate The Belasco In Their Return to Los Angeles
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 15, 2023
The long-awaited, electrifying and innovative live show of UK’s Ladytron finally returned to Los Angeles. Ladytron performed at Belasco Theater after their summer stop at the alt-rock “Just Like Heaven” 2023 festival. Historically still standing from LA’s silent era movie theater district, The Belasco has become the best tour stop in housing top acts in an intimate and impressive venue with plush styled lounges and an exquisite live sound. Live acts thrive here and Ladytron would prove themselves and pay tribute to that “Silent Era” history by producing an electrifying tech sound at its purest. The band’s current tour is the first in four year after a decade long hiatus. But the band hardly stood still and were busier than ever with production collaborations from Brian Eno to Christina Aguilera. Remixes were produced for a long list of artists such as Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Goldfrapp and Nine Inch Nails. Ladytron saw themselves with personal efforts outside of the band’s orb with singers Helen Marnie completing two solo LPs, and Mira Aroyo producing music, as well as some documentary filmmaking. The ladies’ co-conspirators/founding members Daniel Hunt and Ruben Wu are DJs and producers from Liverpool. Daniel Hunt with his expertise
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Take This: Spend Your Summer w/ Das Bunker Ticket Giveaway
Janky Smooth Central Command
June 20, 2023
Das Bunker is responsible for some of our favorite club nights, launching some of the freshest new bands and continuously resurrecting some of the rarest acts in dark, underground dance music. This summer, in the year of our Lord, 2023, Janky Smooth has teamed up with Das Bunker to give 2 lucky winners, 2 tickets each for all 6 of their summer events. You can buy tickets NOW or check the details on how to enter below Das Bunker has got your summer covered with 2 band nights, 2 club nights and two themed cruises floating on the Pacific Ocean. related: Pixel Grip, Spike Hellis and Black Light Odyssey Find Refuge at Das Bunker Calendar of Das Bunker Ticket Giveaway Events Spike Hellis, Gatekeeper and Feudal at Catch One- June 30th 2023 Creux Lies, Deceits and Hallows at Catch One- July 6th 2023 Sarin (DJ set), Milliken Chamber (live) and Cruel Kiss (live)at Catch One- July 8th 2023 MorrisSea: Morrissey/Smiths themed cruise on the Long Beach Harbor- July 29th 2023 Nine Inch Sails (Nine Inch Nails themed) cruise on the Long Beach Harbor- Aug 5th 2023 Summer Massive: 7 clubs join forces at Catch One- Aug 12th Goths,
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Photo Recap: Onyx at The Echoplex
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 11, 2023
If you’ve ever been in a mosh pit or slam danced at a hip hop show, you can thank Onyx for that type of singular release of tension. Something that is so common place now started with this group from South Jamaica, Queens in New York City. And regardless of Rick Rubin’s early rock influence in the beats he made for Run DMC and Beastie Boys, Onyx were one of the first to truly fuse metal and rap, ala the soundtrack for the movie Judgement Night . On March 29th, 2023 Onyx returned to play a show at The Echoplex in Los Angeles. Photographer Greg Flack was there to document the occasion.
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Take This: Win Two Tickets To John Waters Easter w/ Peaches by Lethal Amounts
Janky Smooth Central Command
March 22, 2023
This Easter Weekend, Lethal Amounts returns to the Madonna Inn with a performance by Peaches and John Waters to mark the 50th anniversary and restoration of Waters’ cult classic, Pink Flamingos at the iconic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. related: Burger Boogaloo 2017: The Ballad of John and Iggy Janky Smooth is giving away two tickets to this historic and delightfully filth laden event which includes: April 7th performance by Peaches April 8th PINK FLAMINGO movie screening with John Waters and Mink Stole conducting live commentary and a Q&A April 8th Janky Smooth EXCLUSIVE meet and greet with the man himself, John Waters To purchase tickets now, visit Lethal Amounts To be entered to win, simply go to our page on Instagram and/or Facebook, like the post and tag a friend. That’s it. Winner will be announced Monday April 3rd at high noon. related: Sex Cells Divine Ball at El Rey- The Filthiest People Alive
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