Rob Shepyer
Eyehategod and Crowbar at Ventura Music Hall: Sludge for the Social Media Age
Rob Shepyer
April 6, 2026
On March 27, 2026, I witnessed a rare performance by Crowbar at Ventura Music Hall opening for the almighty Eyehategod and it made me ask the question- how well do social media and heavy metal truly mesh? It’s nice to see our favorite bands gain exposure and release content for us all to enjoy, but is anything lost in the transaction when a band subjects themselves to tap dancing for mass media? In the case of Crowbar, they’ve gained quite a bit of notoriety from TikTok after their song “Repulsive in Its Splendid Beauty” went viral and meme-ified the band into music made for big boys who ride hogs and take no shit. The virality of the band didn’t just lead to exposure, though. It translated into ticket and merchandise sales that are noticeable to everyone in the know. related: Fresh Fridays: Neurosis, ADULT., Këkht Aräkh, Flea, and King Tuff Crowbar is a legendary band, and the song was a classic off a sludge metal masterpiece long before TikTok was developed. They didn’t need this bump in fame to cement their status as heroes in the worlds of sludge metal or their hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. related: Acid Bath
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Fresh Fridays: Neurosis, ADULT., Këkht Aräkh, Flea, and King Tuff
Rob Shepyer
March 27, 2026
Welcome back to another Fresh Friday! Today we cover the incredibly unexpected return of Neurosis, as well as new releases from Këkht Aräkh, ADULT., Flea and King Tuff. All of these albums experiment with similar genre-bending wild experimentation to create some grandiose masterpieces; each taking you on their own journey that you really want to lock into. While all across different scenes and sounds, all of these albums do share a similar goal in bringing a more ambitious and artistic experience to the listener than we are used to. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Dropkick Murphys/Haywire split EP and more Neurosis: An Undying Love For A Burning World (released March 20, 2026): Neurot Recordings related: Acid Bath at Hollywood Palladium The return of Neurosis was wholly unexpected in the music world. After the band’s leader, Scott Kelly, committed professional hara-kiri, cancelling himself as a means of confronting his demons as an abuser, people just assumed that was the last they would be hearing of the band. I was lucky enough to catch Neurosis’ last Los Angeles performance at the short-lived Power of the Riff festival, taking place at The Regent Theater in 2016. For those not fortunate enough to
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Spectrums of Psyche: Brian Jonestown Massacre at Ventura Music Hall
Rob Shepyer
March 24, 2026
The fact that two bands as sonically distant as ÖLÜM and Brian Jonestown Massacre could share a bill this past March 4, 2026 itself would go down in Ventura Music Hall’s history books is a testament to Psych Rock splendors. Psych Rock is the least monolithic subgenre you can find. That’s part of the sound’s psychedelic nature, that it encapsulates all the weirdness the world has to offer. That said, when a person thinks psych rock, the words come with sonic baggage. Psych Rock isn’t just an umbrella term for anything trippy, it’s a style and structure of music that is loose, vibey, wild, unhinged, dreamy, and more. related: BJM in Los Angeles- Music Snobs and Fentanyl Lolipops related: How To Humanize An Alien – Parliament Funkadelic at Ventura Music Hall ÖLÜM represents the sort of psych rock you imagine at a completely unchained house party in Silverlake circa-2015. They sounded like the best Turkish rock and roll the Middle East has to offer. It goes to show you, one man’s psychedelic is another man’s culture. That is to say, some cultures are more inherently psychedelic than others. With histories steeped in shamanism or mysticism, non Western cultures feel more psychedelic. Sure,
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Hardcore’s Enfant Terrible: Kickback at 1720
Rob Shepyer
March 7, 2026
Dedicated to bringing Los Angeles the most exclusive, and sometimes most dangerous bands in all of hardcore; SOS Booking outdid themselves once again by bringing one of France’s most infamous bands, Kickback, to 1720 Warehouse on February 22, 2026 after their recent headlining performance at Hellfest West. As is tradition in the genre, an uproar followed but the genre I’m referring to isn’t hardcore. If you were to ask most people about the origins of punk, they might say The Ramones or the Sex Pistols, but those who know transgressive art is rooted in literature, know that punk’s origins are in France. Arthur Rimbaud’s literature and cultural persona were the original enfant terrible that inspired the Beats, who went on to inspire the punks and it is certainly present in the mouthpiece of the hardcore band, Kickback, There have been many French enfant terribles from Rimbaud, to Comte de Lautréamont, to modern day torchbearers of the artistic tradition like Gaspar Noé in cinema, Michel Houellebecq in literature, and Kickback’s Stephen Bessac in hardcore. *The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Janky Smooth” related:
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Gorillaz Invade Los Angeles With An Arsenal of Media For New Album ‘The Mountain’
Rob Shepyer
February 28, 2026
Gorillaz don’t just release new albums, they release new worlds. From Demon Days to their upcoming latest, The Mountain, each album has its own story, its own physics, its own ensemble cast, and in the case of The Mountain, its own spirituality. Blending eastern traditions and sounds from Hinduism to Islam into their traditional funky alternative sound, Gorillaz’s intention with The Mountain is to put their fans on a spirit quest. They brought this quest to The Hollywood Palladium for 2 nights on February 22 and February 23, 2026; but also through their current interactive exhibit House Of Kong at the Rolling Greens nursery, which we will cover in the second part in this article. related: Gorillaz, The Most Human Band at Youtube Theater Around the world and across time, mountains have always been significant as metaphorical obstacles meant to test believers and help them rediscover their true essence. In a time of much confusion, where the human soul is routinely compromised by what we consume, we are each called to climb our personal mountains and meditate on their peaks to find new meanings for the new world in its new age. As the world changes, so do the animated
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases from Peaches, Gorillaz, Rob Zombie and Nothing
Rob Shepyer
February 27, 2026
Happy Janky Fresh Friday! We hope you are transcending the societal madness today. We’d like to present to you 4 tools to do so. Today we have new releases from Peaches, Gorillaz, Rob Zombie and Nothing- four albums from iconic artists who have already established themselves well as weapons of mass destruction in fighting facism and repression. related: Janky Fresh Friday – Angel Du$t, Converge, Charli XCX and femtanyl Peaches: No Lube So Rude (released February 27, 2026): Kill Rock Stars related: Photo Recap – The Teaches Of Peaches at Observatory North Park Peaches is an electroclash institution, a pillar of feminist punk in the 90s, a Canadian. Peaches is still going strong, still putting on the most spirited shows in any genre, still releasing albums that are relevant additions to her discography and to the culture at large. No Lube So Rude may not be her most lyrically profound album, it may not be the densest with singles that will explode on the radio, but it is full of sex anthems that will assuredly pop off live and inspire sexual experiences across the spectrum. I remember the last time I saw Peaches live. I recall thinking, some artists age
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Janky Fresh Friday: Angel Du$t, Converge, Charli XCX and femtanyl
Rob Shepyer
February 13, 2026
Happy Valentine’s Day to all Janky Smooth readers! Today is an absolutely unhinged day for new releases; with alternative power-pop Angel Du$t bringing us their newest album COLD 2 THE TOUCH right before their upcoming 1720 Warehouse show on 3/21. Angel Du$t is collectively one of Janky Smooth’s favorite bands and they have been for years; but we also have the highly anticipated return of Boston metalcore legends Converge, an unexpected dramatic shift in tone from Charli XCX in her original soundtrack for the Wuthering Heights film also released today, and our favorite current hyperpop outfit femtanyl finally releasing their debut album after bringing us such a great year with their Danny Brown collaborations. While many of you are out celebrating Valentine’s Day with your lovers, today is not a day to be slept on for new music releases. related: Janky Fresh Friday – She Past Away, KMFDM, Mayhem, and Puscifer Angel Du$t: COLD 2 THE TOUCH (released February 13, 2026): Run For Cover Records related: L.A. Buffs Up – Angel Du$t at The Lodge Room Angel Du$t is an anomaly of hardcore history. Created by Justice Tripp to explore another side of his creativity apart from his efforts in
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Janky Fresh Friday: She Past Away, KMFDM, Mayhem and Puscifer
Rob Shepyer
February 6, 2026
The new year for music is finally starting to kick up again with anticipated new releases and exciting new shows already stacking the first quarter of 2026. Today is no exception with Turkish goth group She Past Away dropping their new album Mizantrop right before their upcoming show at the NOVO in Los Angeles on 2/7. To celebrate the year starting to pick up more steam, Janky Smooth is reviewing four albums today instead of just two; with anticipated new releases from black metal founders Mayhem, Maynard James Keenan’s freaky side project Puscifer, and kings of industrial dance KMFDM as well. No matter what your taste in the darker side of music is; February 6, 2026 has you covered from every angle. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Releases From Joyce Manor and (Young) GUV She Past Away: Mizantrop (released February 6, 2026): Creature Comfort Turkey’s She Past Away has long led the resurgence of true goth and death rock music. The tones and vibes of the soundscapes utilized by the duo feel like updated versions of the infectious, moody, macabre, and danceable tracks of the 80s. Now, many years into She Past Away’s career, long after the ripples of the initial
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Habak Find Beauty In The Horrors Of Humanity At The Roxy
Rob Shepyer
December 5, 2025
The Habak show at the Roxy on November 29th, presented by Viva! was more than your typical winter punk rock invading West Hollywood. I first heard of Habak after seeing Lagrimas open for Soul Glo at Zebulon in 2022 and then following the band until their Teragram takeover with Habak- I knew Los Angeles was witnessing the formation of a new scene, subgenre, and phenomenon in punk music. Both Habak and Lagrimas represent a style known as melodic crust. related: Earth’s Crust- CY Fest 2024 at Belasco Sonically akin to a lovechild between Deafheaven and Doom, Habak represents the emotional interior of anarchism. With so much political activity both in underground and mainstream circles, we often get exposed to the surface of rebellion but never the glacier of emotionality underlying the action. We see the rallies, the chanting, the rioting, the rhetoric, but when anarchists go home, we rarely see the pain to empathize with. Habak gives the world a sonic synthesis of that pain so we don’t have to venture into every anarchist’s home to see it for ourselves. How does that pain feel? Like suffered screaming over the most beautiful, dissociative harmony. related: Avant Garde Headbanging w/ The
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Janky Fresh Black Friday: New Releases From Bad Brains and WITCH
Rob Shepyer
November 28, 2025
What are fans of rock and roll music thankful for this Janky Fresh Black Friday after Thanksgiving? They’re thankful for hardcore punk music and psychedelic rock, both genres owing debts to bands that released music today in the later eras of their iconic careers. The first is Bad Brains, out with Live at The Bayou, a lost recording from a Washington D.C. show on July 14th 1980, while the second is another lost recording in the form of legendary Zamrock band WITCH’s Fool’s Ride, released for the first time in the United States. Both were rediscovered as further evidence that the world is reaching some kind of spiritual completion on the other side of these turbulent birthing pains. related: Janky Fresh Friday- New Releases by Home Front and Oneohtrix Point Never For those unfamiliar with these bands, they have something in common besides the fact that both of these releases were once difficult to attain in America. There’s something that connects them beyond their positions as seminal bands in their genres, breaking new musical ground and inspiring numerous musical offspring. Whether you’re a pilgrim or an Indigenous native on this Black Friday after Thanksgiving, give thanks to our brothers from
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GBH at Ventura Music Hall- Street Punks In Paradise
Rob Shepyer
October 29, 2025
The scene was the Hi Hat. One of the most vibrant venues during its short life on York, a must attend space on Highland Park art-walk nights. I don’t remember who was playing, just that it was a punk show because Blaque Chris was DJ’ing between the bands that night. During his set, Blaque Chris spun a track that stood out to me as especially vibrant and danceable, but in that street punk way, like kicking up dirt in the discotheque. I didn’t know the song at the time and went on a long journey trying to find it. Before seeing GBH at Ventura Music Hall though, the planets aligned to tell me the song was Big Women by GBH off their “Leather, Bristles, Studs, and Acne” album. GBH is quintessential street punk- the exact sound and spirit of the punk genre and look. Songs like Big Women are exemplary of that vibe. Comical, crass, gritty, simple, rhythmic, and too much fun to stop your body from hopping up and down. It took me far too long to see them perform, but finally, I had my punk rock rite of passage on October 17, 2025 by seeing them with Slaughterhouse
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums from Tame Impala and Militarie Gun
Rob Shepyer
October 17, 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 Albums from Mobb Deep and Sanguisugabogg Today’s albums for Friday, October 17th, 2025, are two highly anticipated bangers, one from arguably the most vibrant and prevalent scene in Los Angeles and the other from one of the most iconic artists in psychedelic rock, the former pillar genre of LA’s underground music. First though, let’s define fresh or freshness. Before the term was ever appropriated for music, culture, or fashion, it was once a descriptor for food, something that replenishes us, quenches our hunger and thirst, and ultimately connects our bodies to
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