Jessica Moncrief, Author at Jankysmooth

Jessica Moncrief

Voluntary Electrocution: Le Shok at Alex’s Bar

Jessica Moncrief July 9, 2018

Le Shok has sent shock waves along the California coast since playing a secret show at Zebulon, performing at their official reunion at Burger Boogaloo and most recently, with a home town show at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach last Friday. The show was announced in conjunction with the “We Are Electrocution” group art show at 4th Street Vine, as well as a Burger Records repressing of their seminal album. With an all-star support line-up of local favorites such as Terminal A, The Tissues, and Assquatch, it’s no wonder many fans, myself included, were left scrambling on social media event threads trying to get our grubby hands on a ticket after the show sold out in a cool 4 hours. Promises of blow jobs and death threats for tickets littered the event page in the days leading up to the show, proving the loyalty and lengths people were willing to go to relive the punk nostalgia of nearly 2 decades past. For all of you that were fortunate enough to cop a ticket, enjoy relieving the joy and insanity of the night and if you are one of the sad fucks that didn’t make it in (like I almost was), here are some photos of

Janky Meets Marty: The Dwarves at Marty’s on Newport

Jessica Moncrief June 21, 2018

If you frequently attend concerts in the Southern California area, you have likely received a barrage of promotional emails from a place called Marty’s and you may even recognize the name. The Observatory’s talent buyer Jeff Shuman & X’s manager Mike Rouse have bought out Marty’s, a dive bar gem smack dab in the heart of butt-fucked Tustin, California—in its past life, the bar was known as Marty’s Bar and Grill and hosted mostly karaoke nights and occasionally cover bands. Today, the pair have changed the name to Marty’s On Newport and are developing a business model for Marty’s similar to smaller independent music venues such as The Casbah in San Diego and The Redwood In DTLA. The location may not be as prime as the previously mentioned venues but a huge mailing list of dedicated music junkies, long standing relationships with legendary musicians, and the allure of seeing well known bands in an intimate setting (a max capacity of only around 150 guests) could be the key components that lead to the success of this endeavor. related content: A Bloody Reunion: Bleeding Through At The Observatory Last Monday, a free, secret, show at Marty’s, featuring The Dwarves and The Hurricanes was announced online. It was

Against Me! Stuns at The Observatory Before Punk Rock Bowling

Jessica Moncrief May 30, 2018

One of the great things about being a Punk living in Southern California, is Punk Rock Bowling season. A slew of legendary punk bands tend to make LA/OC area their official stop to kick off their weekend of debauchery and 2018 has proven to be no different than in past years. The copious amount of stellar line-ups that pop up all over SoCal the week leading up to Memorial Day Weekend each year often cause those of us who experience extreme cases of FOMO severe anxiety when deciding which shows to pick. Performances by Against Me! along with tour mates Chris Farren and Sharp Shock last Monday at The Observatory were the prefect way for many to kick off PRB season. related content: Punk Rock Bowling 2017: You Can’t Be What You Were Words and Photos by: Jessica Moncrief

Angelyne: Billboard Queen, Punk Diva & Archetype Of The L.A. Dream

Jessica Moncrief June 19, 2017

One great thing about living in Southern California is that seemingly everyone you meet is here with specific creative goals in mind- that experience MAY be magnified if you yourself have your own dreams of creative success or recognition since, obviously there are MILLIONS of people who live here that are just living their lives everyday just like any other city in the world. All things being equal, you may randomly end up befriending a transplant swedish waitress, only to find out she’s actually a screenwriter or even end up becoming friends with a famous local on any given day or night of the week. It’s part of the LA charm that I have come to love so much. I recently met billboard queen, Angelyne through a friend when I was invited to join them for dinner at El Coyote. Like many, she was instantly recognizable to me, even though I didn’t know much about her. But after meeting her, I was compelled to find out as much as I could. Over the course of the last month or so I have been able to get to know her more though our conversations. What I have learned has given me a

Folk Sensibilities w/ Larry and His Flask & Flatfoot 56 at The Echo

Jessica Moncrief April 28, 2017

Larry and His Flask recently embarked on a tour with Chicago natives Flatfoot 56. While both bands differ stylistically, the light-hearted attitudes and instrumental diversity of both bands have served as key components in their compatibility. This is one of those line-ups where you aren’t sure who should be headlining because they both have an equal amount of talent and clout. I had the chance to catch them on the Southern California leg of their tour at The Echo and I am certainly glad that I did. The show was an early one, and even though Flatfoot 56 had some serious issues with their tour van the day before, the show started promptly at 6pm, as scheduled. Generally speaking (from personal experience), when a gig starts that early, one could expect a light crowd for the opening bands. However, that was not the case for this show. I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival to see the ample amount of people that turned out early to catch their set; it speaks volumes for the fan base that Flatfoot 56 has built over the years. Flatfoot 56 incorporates instruments like the mandolin and bagpipes, giving them a distinct Celtic sound with a serious

PRAYERS and Candy Prove That Sex Cells at Echoplex

Jessica Moncrief March 28, 2017

Sex Cells: The New Monthly Gathering From Lethal Amounts Lethal Amounts hosted what is becoming the baddest dance club night in L.A. this past Saturday. The Echoplex was brimming with activity- Party crews, fashionistas, fetishists and disco dollies came from all over California and abroad to show off their fashion sense, attitudes and dance moves at the new monthly residency, Sex Cells. Anyone who has attended a Lethal Amounts party knows that they are in for a good time. What helps set Danny Fuentes of Lethal Amounts Art Gallery apart from other promoters is that he doesn’t identify as one. First and foremost, Fuentes is a curator and gallery owner and thus, takes a completely organic approach when organizing an event. In doing so, his parties have an air of exclusivity that doesn’t come off as snobby and it attracts the kind of people he would consider good company. I had a chance to chat with him which led to a better understanding of his vision. “I throw myself into everything I do. I always ask myself first, ‘Would I like this? Would I go to this? Would I be impressed?’ If the answer is ‘maybe’ then it’s not good enough.

Dr Octagon: 20 Years Later, Kool Keith & Crew Play 1st L.A. Show

Jessica Moncrief March 14, 2017

Hip Hip lovers rejoiced when The Teragram Ballroom announced that Dr.Octagon would be playing the first ever live performance in LA with the original trio of masterminds that gave us “Dr. Octagonecologyst.” In 1996 Kool Keith’s alter ego Dr.Octagon along with Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and DJ Qbert brought forth one of the most epic cult classics in Hip Hop history, yet never once played a show together. More than 20 years later the elusive group surprised everyone with a handful of reunion shows. An Iconic Project from an Iconic M.C. Kool Keith took a different eccentric approach to hip-hop. While he always has maintained his roots from the The Ultramagnetic MCs days, his lyricism wasn’t what the typical hip hop artists of that time were on. He was on some bizarro lyrical shit, garnering him a huge cult like following of weirdos and freaks from every end of the spectrum. Witnessing Hip Hop History at The Teragram Ballroom Blogger, Cesareo Garasa’s online reaction to the news was totally on point, he wrote “This terrifies me. His music terrifies me on some unknown level. I can’t listen to it– even though I enjoy it– without being filled up

Celebrating Cheetah Chrome’s Birthday with Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll at Alex’s Bar

Jessica Moncrief February 26, 2017

The hand-picked line-up of locals supporting Cheetah Chrome and his band at Alex’s Bar was about as solid as it gets. So, cheers to the insane minds that made Cheetah Chrome’s Birthday Bash an unforgettable evening of beauty, brutality, and bruises. related content: Opening Bands Shine as OFF! Play Alex’s Bar 16 Year Anniversary Prologue For those of us in the trenches, going out night after night to document the music scene, each show is a dice roll. We painstakingly wade through mediocrity. Furthermore, we pay for overpriced drinks and parking and suffer from lack of sleep. So what pulls us away from the comfort of our home vinyl collection? For me, I seek those nights where everything comes together. Nights when parking is a breeze, the opening band rocks, the atmosphere is 100% party, the crowd is full of beautiful people, and the beer is reasonably priced. Every show serves as part of a never-ending quest to relive that first real high. That space in time where the music entered my soul like a needle piercing a vein, transporting me to another level of consciousness. Thankfully, this ended up being one of those nights that makes this music junky’s struggle worthwhile. The

Method Man & Redman: Observations in the Key of 90’s Nostalgia

Jessica Moncrief February 10, 2017

Southern California was blessed with a flurry of great Hip-Hop shows last week! With acts such as Run The Jewels, Warren G, Method Man & Redman, we were exposed to some of the best of what hip-hop has to offer. Redman and Method Man want you to know that they are still all about that 90’s shit. It seems to be their mantra. Talk about keeping it old school, legendary DJ Dice of Das EFX joined them on turntables along with DJ Allah Mathematics, the designer of the OG Wu-Tang logo. Inspectah Deck was once quoted saying “The logo shows how the group is now bigger than any of the individual members.” That sentiment seems to still run true as they paid homage to their loved ones passed and dropped some ODB in honorarium. The loyalty these guys show for their friends is part of what I love about them, they never forget where they’ve come from. Considering how dynamic the pair are as a unit, it would have been nice to see them more in the zone as the “Funk Doc and Mef Tical” duo rather than one part of Wu-Tang. As expected, they busted out plenty of Wu-Tang

Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine

Reverend Horton Heat & Jello Biafra: A Punk Rockabilly Freakout

Jessica Moncrief January 15, 2017

Last Saturday, The Reverend Horton Heat hosted the 2nd of a two night event at The Observatory. Friday night was “Psychobilly Night” and Saturday was dubbed “The Punk Night”. As much as the photo journalist in me wanted to come out and get the story on the contrasting evenings (and to people watch all the “Clicity Clackity” greasers with pomps and “rock-a-billy” girls with their adorably unrealistic concert attire), I couldn’t subject my ears to that for 5+ hours. Thankfully, there was more than enough great material at the “Punk Night” for a story in itself, and I wouldn’t even need that angle. related content: Reverend Horton Heat, The Adicts & Smut Peddlers at The Observatory The Reverend Horton Heat has been putting on this 2 night shindig at The Observatory for the past few years. The acts have included artists and bands such as 45 Grave, Deke Dickerson, Wanda Jackson, Lords of Altamont, The Adicts, Cadillac Tramps and many more well known names. However, many lesser known locals have been given a platform in which to show off their stuff to a large crowd thanks to good ol Jimbo and Co. Wild Records is a Los Angeles based label that specializes

Floor of The Observatory in Orange County- Jessica Moncrief

The Adolescents & The Dickies: Peckerwoods Gone Wild in Orange County

Jessica Moncrief December 18, 2016

An All-Star Punk line up at The Observatory In Santa Ana included OG Punks The Adolescents, The Dickies, The Alley Cats, and The Crowd. A damn near perfect embodiment of late 70’s and early 80’s SoCal Punk Rock and a throwback to a territorial and cultural dynamic from not that long ago. related content: The Adicts, Reverend Horton Heat, Smut Peddlers at The Observatory Alley Cats were the openers and I was totally looking forward to their set but thanks to a horrible crash involving a big rig that had traffic backed up for 3 hours, I made it into the building right as they were ending their last song. Such a bummer but nothing compared to the carnage we passed on the way there. Alley Cats originally featured husband-and-wife team Randy Stodola (guitar and vocals) and Dianne Chai (bass and vocals), along with drummer John McCarthy, however the current line-up only includes one original member, frontman Randy Stodola. related content: Punk Rock Bowling 2015 and What Is Punk, Poser? Huntington Beach natives, The Crowd, are arguably one of the first and best bands of their genre and they’re well known for their brand of OC surf punk developed in

Peter Murphy’s Flawless “Stripped Down” Set at The Observatory

Jessica Moncrief December 8, 2016

Our adventure started at The Observatory in Santa Ana—no way could there be any better way to begin our shenanigans than with a “Stripped Down” set by the Bauhaus godfather of goth himself, Peter Murphy. When your Darkside homegirls come to town to catch an icon like Murphy, you prepare yourself for a slightly degenerate, mostly legal, goth girls night out on the town. After waiting for what seemed a lifetime, Peter Murphy made his way to the stage dressed completely in white with glowing, stark white hair to match. None of us have ever quite seem him like this and as if his appearance and voice weren’t enough, he commanded all eyes to the stage during a diva moment when he poured his bottle of water on some dudes head whilst sharply reprimanding him for “talking and drinking beer” during his set. Sorry Peter, if people wouldn’t have been drinking and listening to a DJ spin dance music for an hour and a half while waiting for you, they may have been less drunk and more likely to shoe gaze through your whole set. It’s always fun to see him lose it, though. It made us giggle remembering the