Danny Ryan
Janky Fresh Friday: Kim Gordon, Health, Lamb Of God, and James Blake
Danny Ryan
March 13, 2026
Happy Janky Fresh Friday! Today we have impactful new releases from Kim Gordon, Health, Lamb Of God and James Blake- four incredibly experimental albums that represent a shift in sound and soul for these artists. In a constantly changing world that becomes more and more confusing to understand sometimes, it’s only appropriate that legendary artists such as these are constantly changing as well. The future landscape of music in an algorithm run world may look bleak, so it’s more important than ever that we have artists pushing boundaries and fighting for art to once again belong to humanity. related: Janky Fresh Friday – Peaches, Gorillaz, Rob Zombie, and Nothing Kim Gordon: PLAY ME (released March 13, 2026): Matador Records related: Tonic Trouble And Collective Consciousness – Kim Gordon at Ventura Music Hall Kim Gordon is easily one of the most influential figures in all of alternative music in the past 50 years, with her previous works in Sonic Youth marking a clear shift in the way that audiences engaged with experimental music. Rather than being a part of the more drug-addled psychedelic avant-garde of the past like The Velvet Underground or Patti Smith, Sonic Youth took a more punk rock
Read More
Reunions You Never Expected-The Spirit Of Versailles at Teragram
Danny Ryan
February 16, 2026
After over 20 years and against all odds; both The Spirit of Versailles and In Loving Memory played The Teragram Ballroom on February 8, 2026- These once obscure midwestern emo bands played to an audience that, ironically enough, consisted mostly of attendees that weren’t even born yet when both bands were active. All in attendance were witness to the live show birth of a cult resurgence. With how popular Midwestern Emotional Hardcore (Emo) and Screamo/Skramz have become in online music circles in recent years, it’s almost unfathomable to imagine just how niche the genre was up until not too long ago. Especially in the late 1990’s and early 00’s, history about these smaller scenes within emotional hardcore were not very well documented, and many of these bands have been lost to time or may not even be aware of their newfound success amongst younger generations finding their music later on. The Spirit of Versailles and In Loving Memory are two late 90’s bands that could not fit this description more accurately, with very little footage even existing of either band performing in their short-term original runs. Southern California promoter Your Renaissance specializes in the more emotional sides of the hardcore
Read More
Cavalera’s Elusive ‘Nailbomb’ Comes to 1720 For A Rare U.S. Performance
Danny Ryan
February 12, 2026
While Nailbomb may be a heavy metal associated band due to vocalist Max Cavalera also being the original frontman of legendary Brazilian extreme metal band Sepultura, their unique signature blend of industrial, groove metal, and hardcore punk makes them an absolute anomaly in the genre; being equally as popular within industrial and hardcore punk circles as they are with the metalheads. Considering how widespread Nailbomb’s influence is across these different scenes, they couldn’t have picked a more appropriate lineup for their 1720 Warehouse performance on January 20, 2026; consisting of the Inland Empire’s biggest hardcore band Big Ass Truck I.E., the gruesome sounding death metal of San Fernando Valley’s Greenwitch, Arizona darkwave act Meldamor, and OC industrial punk group Purest Form. The selection of openers not only felt like a curation of artists that Nailbomb themselves are fond of, but a celebration of all of the different scenes that played a part in creating the band’s distinct sound. related: Cold As Life Play First SoCal Show – Death Or Glory at 1720 This was an exclusive one-off Los Angeles performance and only Nailbomb’s third US performance, which only made the night that much more unforgettable for anybody who was lucky enough
Read More
Punk Rock Should Be Weird: Snõõper at The Regent
Danny Ryan
February 9, 2026
On January 30, 2026, The Regent Theater in Los Angeles was packed with sweaty, young punks ready to take part in this historical new movement of experimental punk music; and they were as big of a part in creating the atmosphere as Snõõper- the Nashville based headliners making their Los Angeles tour stop. Worldwide by Snõõper was one of the most talked about albums in 2025 alternative music for very good reason; it’s futuristic, bizarre brand of punk rock with laser-pointed quirky synthesizers is a huge breath of fresh air in the modern world where trends reign supreme. Hardcore legends Ceremony certainly agreed with this, hosting Snõõper at their Home Sick festivals in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo. In anticipation for the festival, Home Sick also hosted a mini tour for Snõõper and friends: Diode, Happy Death Men, and Ezcodylee. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Albums from AFI and Snõõper Diode was actually my favorite act of the evening by far. They seemed to have had the most genuine approach to taking on this Devo-influenced freak-punk sound that many online are referring to as “egg punk”. While both Snõõper and Happy Death Men were too gratuitous with using noise and
Read More
Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases From Joyce Manor and (Young) GUV
Danny Ryan
January 30, 2026
Today’s Janky Fresh Friday for January 30, 2026 brings us two of the most anticipated returns in alternative punk music: The undisputed kings of garage emo, Joyce Manor, and the return of Ben Cook from No Warning’s ambitious rebranding of his jangle-pop folk project Young Guv into simply GUV (very Prince-esque on its surface, but actually makes a lot more sense upon hearing his new album). Both artists delivered us ambitious explorations into new terrains while also being tested in how to stay authentic to their original sounds. Joyce Manor: I Used To Go To This Bar (released January 30, 2026): Epitaph Records Joyce Manor has one of the most signature pop-punk sounds out of any band of the post 2010’s, and that aspect alone made them one of the most significant alternative bands that were active throughout my high school years. Sure, Barry Johnson’s strained vocals can sound a bit whiny as he belts about depression and awkward hook-ups during their verses – and I even felt that they had their moments of cringe when I was at the age they were catering to. However Joyce Manor have always been raw and vulnerable at their core, and even these more
Read More
Cold As Life Play First SoCal Show-Death Or Glory at 1720
Danny Ryan
January 29, 2026
Death Or Glory Fest has one of the most interesting histories out of any festival in it’s first year- having history is not necessarily the best thing to start off with. Being moved from San Diego to 1720 Warehouse and losing half of the lineup was quite the drastic change-up. Regardless all of the artists who performed gave it their all, and it’s important to the scene that Death Or Glory stayed committed to hosting Detroit’s legendary Cold As Life for their first SoCal performance ever while maintaining a solid enough lineup to justify carrying on. The lineup featured a hodgepodge of fanbases with LA legends Strife, Orange County’s much more melodic Ignite, Los Angeles’ Section H8 performing their first show in over a year, and the brutal OC powerviolence of Scalp. related: Earth’s Crust- CY Fest 2024 at The Belasco While many bands who played fit in with the tough-as-nails final bill for the fest, there were definitely outliers who probably would have had better crowds at the original San Diego iteration. The original SD lineup had more classic punk and Oi artists with a much brighter sound like TSOL and Rixe, so some variety was definitely lost when
Read More
Danny Brown And Friends at The Bellwether: HyperRap Revolution
Danny Ryan
December 4, 2025
Danny Brown has always been one of the most innovative and genre-bending rappers since the day he arrived on the scene, bringing hip-hop to avant-garde territories that had never been explored or even thought about. Even if he were to retire today, he would go down in history as one of the most imaginative and pioneering rappers of all time. Yet he keeps finding more and more new ways of surprising his fans (and detractors), with his recent performance at The Bellwether on November 26, 2025 being absolute concrete proof that he has no plans of slowing down this innovation anytime soon. Rather than having other rappers or hip-hop DJs open, Danny Brown made the genius and risky choice of recruiting recent hyperpop collaborators femtanyl and underscores. The Bellwether could not have been a more suitable venue for this experimental hodge podge of a lineup with its futuristic club-like atmosphere, especially considering how the entire night felt like experiencing a performance straight from outer space in the visual setting, but more importantly in the hyper-electronic music that filled the venue all night. click to expand truncated photos One of the first things that one would notice upon entering The Bellweather
Read More
Oi My God: Cock Sparrer at The Palladium
Danny Ryan
November 28, 2025
On November 22nd and 23rd 2025, legendary Oi band, Cock Sparrer played two sold out shows at the Hollywood Palladium. Have you ever experienced something that you felt you “weren’t supposed to”? Whether it’s something paranormal, shocking, surreal, from another dimension, or like you accidentally found yourself having traveled back in time? While there is a rising scene of newer Oi bands like The New York Hounds and The Chisel, seeing an original band from the 1970’s movement is nearly unheard of nowadays with legends from founding groups like Angelic Upstarts and The Business unfortunately passing away in recent years. related: LA Still Believes In Anarchy – The Exploited at The Regent Of all the original boot-boy skinhead Oi bands from 1970’s England; few have even come close to reaching the cult status that Cock Sparrer has in modern times. Hell at this point, the term “Oi” is almost unanimous with Cock Sparrer nowadays and especially their 1983 no-skips masterpiece of an album Shock Troops. Returning to Los Angeles for the first time in 25 years to completely take over The Hollywood Palladium on November 22nd and 23rd like it was a coup run by unruly ‘77 Rude Boys, this
Read More
Emo is Hot Mulligan at The Hollywood Palladium
Danny Ryan
November 25, 2025
Hot Mulligan headlined the Hollywood Palladium on Nov 19th 2025 and that’s important. I’ll tell you why. What qualifies as “Emo” has shifted dramatically in many waves throughout the years. There are some that consider 90’s Midwestern Emo like American Football to be the pinnacle of the genre, while others look all the way back to the 1980’s melodic hardcore projects like Embrace and Jawbreaker as the roots of the scene. Regardless, true up-and-coming Emo artists have been relegated to the underground again in the post-Hot Topic and MCR years of pop culture, with many of them choosing to take influence from all waves of Emo rather than wasting time with arguing about “what real Emo music truly is”. related: Emo Never Dies – My Chemical Romance at T Mobile Arena Hot Mulligan are one of the few Emo bands in more recent years to transcend out of the underground and into more mainstream status, as evidenced by their Hollywood Palladium headlining show on November 19, 2025. Just because they have reached the status of headlining a venue as massive as The Palladium doesn’t mean they have forgotten their underground punk roots however. Hot Mulligan wants to emphasize that they
Read More
Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases From Oneohtrix Point Never and Home Front
Danny Ryan
November 21, 2025
Today’s new albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are two releases that may come from genres known for their simplicity, but both completely throw all preconceived notions about said genres out the window with how innovative and forward thinking each of these artists have consistently been throughout their careers. Oneohtrix Point Never almost needs no introduction in the conversation of avant-garde experimental music, being a trailblazer for Warp Records and arguably taking Aphex Twin’s place as King of IDM over the past few years. On the flipside, Home Front has been making waves in Oi punk since they first stepped on the scene with their ambitiously insane incorporations of new-wave, post-punk, and arena rock elements to the normally barebones genre. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Releases from Orville Peck and FKA Twigs OPN’s album is a return to form in a lot of ways, shoving every element of his artistic identity in your face and sticking a flag in the sand of his place in experimental electronic music. Being a much newer artist, Home Front, is conversely finding their identity more and more with each release and creating their own brand of destroying genre-limiting boundaries. Both of these albums
Read More
Powerviolence is Back: Nothing Less Mini Fest w/ Hong Kong F*ck You at 1720
Danny Ryan
November 19, 2025
Most JankySmooth readers are likely familiar with the recent “hardcore renaissance” that music outlets have been raving about post-Covid with the rise of bands like Turnstile, Drain, Scowl, and Knocked Loose; but less talked about are the current revivals of punk subgenres that have not quite yet received the same level of media attention. LA’s underground is deeply familiar with the excitement surrounding the rising popularity in Oi, street punk, and more recently: powerviolence. During the 2010’s powerviolence and the incorporations of genres like noise and power-electronics were much more common than you see in the hardcore scene nowadays, but there is a rising scene of artists hoping to bring the avant-garde abrasive elements of anarcho-punk back to the forefront. related: Sound And Fury 2025 – Everybody Spinkick! Hong Kong Fuck You (HFKY for short) are among the leaders in blazing this trail, and their dedication to the art of noise is so unique in the modern landscape that LA’s staple promoter for the rare vinyl side of hardcore punk, Nothingless Booking, decided to host a mini-festival at 1720 Warehouse on November 7, 2025 around this concept. It was an absolutely stacked bill including Azusa’s powerviolence legends ACxDC, the recent
Read More
Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases by Orville Peck and FKA Twigs
Danny Ryan
November 14, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Releases by Drain and Danny Brown Today’s albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are releases from two of the most forward-thinking and strongest personalities in music pop culture at the moment, Orville Peck for country music and FKA Twigs for art-pop music. While Orville Peck’s release Appaloosa is just an EP and FKA Twigs’ newest album Eusexua Afterglow appears to be a sister album to her previous release, both of these releases are more groundbreaking staples in these artists’ discographies than you would expect. Orville Peck: Appaloosa (released November 14, 2025):
Read More