Rob Shepyer, Author at Jankysmooth

Rob Shepyer

Sacred Vibration: Guided by Voices at Teragram

Rob Shepyer April 9, 2022

Monty bar was popping off long before Guided by Voices hit the stage at the Teragram a few doors down. The band were busy downing Miller Lights and rubbing shoulders with the fans that keep the GBV legend strong. At first, my understanding of Guided by Voices’ cult status was merely a reflection of their prolificness. Having recorded 35 albums, one expects every show to last at least three hours, with a setlist spanning decades. Such was the case for this night where for 50 songs, Robert Pollard and company pulled out all the stops and gave fans the full GBV experience. After getting acquainted with the fans of Guided by Voices, it became much clearer to me why this band is so beloved that people will travel from different continents just to follow them around on tour or go to one show in Los Angeles. There were fans from New York, Seattle, Wales and Australia in our circle as we waited for the band to go on. Everyone was so incredibly welcoming and excited about seeing their favorite band that their enthusiasm made me want to join the family myself, in an admittedly poser move. I was curious though,

Take This: Win Two Tickets to DOA at The Roxy

Rob Shepyer April 7, 2022

Canada has produced a lot of great punk music, but no other band from the great white north has created hardcore punk that ripped quite as hard as DOA. That’s why we’re giving away two tickets to their show at The Roxy. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DOA APRIL 12TH AT THE ROXY Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK DOA Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 11TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Defenders of the Underground: AFI at the Palladium

Rob Shepyer March 31, 2022

Everyone wants to see an old school AFI set. The band tries to appease these pleas by giving fans a few crumbs from the latter part of this era, with songs like the anthemic opener, “Strength Through Wounding” off Black Sails in the Sunset, or “The Lost Souls” off Sing the Sorrow‘s precursor, The Art of Drowning, or their closing song, which had the Palladium screaming with joy, “Totalimmortal” off the All Hallow’s Eve EP. I would like to join my underground brethren in demanding only the most punk and hardcore output of this legendary band, however, I can’t. After seeing AFI’s Hollywood Palladium stop on their Bodies tour last week, I think their show is perfectly astounding as is. There is no going backward for AFI. They realize this and instead of sinking back into their roots, they choose to raise up the bands in the same position they once were. Whether in the worlds of hardcore or post punk, those who’ve been around LA know Davey Havok frequents our underground scenes with a sage’s watchful eye. He takes many young bands under his wing to mentor or tour with. That’s why, whether we’re talking about the punk, hardcore,

Eating Yourself to Live: Cannibal Corpse at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer March 26, 2022

Cannibal Corpse‘s return to Los Angeles at the Belsasco wasn’t just a showcase of one of the most brutal and punishing death metal bands of all time, this was a breakthrough tour where the band created a much larger impact than most people realize. This tour came at the heels of a heated debate about the journey the death metal has gone since its origins in Florida to its current state and sound. Cannibal Corpse was at the center of this debate as former singer Chris Barnes butted horns with current singer Corpsegrinder in a battle for which era reigns over all. The lineup for this tour featured Deathcore label mates Whitechapel and Revocation, bridging two scenes that are worlds apart even though they sound incredibly similar to the untrained ear. In many ways, this was a tour that gave deathcore fans an education in true metal, so even though Whitechapel and Revocation aren’t quite my cup of tea, this tour served a greater purpose I have to approve of. related content: Photo Recap: Decibel Magazine Tour With Cannibal Corpse At The Fonda Prior to this show, I was on the Chris Barnes side of the debate. Listening to The

Art’s Spirit Animal: Yves Tumor at the OC Observatory

Rob Shepyer March 22, 2022

Attempting to describe Yves Tumor to a stranger on an elevator, I told them the band was like a psychedelic Prince. This is a bit reductive, but a compliment to all parties nonetheless. Yves Tumor is much more than an artist to be compared to anyone in such definitive terms. Yves Tumor deals in abstracts and pushing boundaries beyond definitions and comparisons. Yes, there’s elements of sunshine psych and vintage hard rock riffage; yes, they broke out into an ode to Faith No More’s “Be Aggressive” at one moment of their OC Observatory set; and yes, they’ve cultivated all the murky plummets of the Jungian shadow to make themselves much more than a band of humans, they’re something transcendent when they take a stage. Yves’ singer, a mystery man conspicuously named Sean Bowie, created music to escape from his dull, conservative surroundings as a young adult. With so much art pouring out of him, the last two signifiers that come to mind when staring at him onstage are “dull” or “conservative”. Sean Bowie is a living enigma, transcending categories to exist simply as art itself. Or more colloquially, Sean Bowie is art’s spirit animal. related content: Desert Daze 2021: Music,

Love at the Lodge Room: Habibi in Highland Park

Rob Shepyer March 12, 2022

There was a time in the early 2010’s when the worlds of garage rock and psychedelic indie music were still male dominated arenas. Of the few bands that broke the gender mold in garage rock and made fans want to see more women in the spotlight at these low lit shows, New York’s Habibi is both one of the most important and under-recognized outfits. Combining Iranian romance and cool with lo-fi East Coast indie rock was always a recipe for uniqueness and trendsetting. related content: Dream James: Arooj Aftab at Lodge Room The word Habibi, which means “My Love”, signals warmth and acceptance. Just the vibes their shows emanate, especially this one at the Lodge Room, which showed a chiller, more laid back side to garage rock than many in Los Angeles are accustomed to. Our garage rock is heavy and fuzzy while New York’s is more atmospheric. Habibi’s realness felt like New York, the music had no inclination to rush anywhere and was firmly grounded in the moment. They’re much more The Velvet Underground than The Doors. The Lodge Room was the perfect venue to host this event. Something about the sacred imagery and architecture becomes very beatnik under

ShadowMANcer: Dorian Electra’s Hyper Pop Pandemonium at El Rey

Rob Shepyer March 7, 2022

Dorian Electra has been one of the hottest tickets in town ever since their 2019 album Flamboyant introduced them to the world as a satirical songstress, non-binary clown, voice for voiceless misfits, and hyper pop visionary. Between then and now, the pandemic severed any chance to see them perform live but for a small handful of shows that I kept on missing. Dorian then released My Agenda in 2020 and all bets were off. Dorian was no longer an underground sensation, they were a pop icon in the making. Canoodling with the likes of Charli XCX, The Village People, The Garden, Grimes and Pussy Riot on tracks and live, they sticking to their roots as they ascend the ladder. In other words, if Dorian wins and goes all the way, they’re taking the underground up with them. For this, the My Agenda Tour, Dorian was playing a parody of a villain that embodied in them the right wing’s biggest boogie man, some kind of hidden puppeteer hellbent on turning the world gay. Dorian, who’s purpose as an artist is to challenge comfort zones and expand boundaries, was ready to wage war. As a music blogger delving into the many undergrounds of

The Pharaoh’s Favorite Death Metal Bands: Nile and Incantation at 1720

Rob Shepyer March 2, 2022

Lineup changes, signing to Napalm Records, taking Sanguisugabogg on tour, and combining forces with the almighty Incantation were just a few reasons I had to check out Nile‘s Los Angeles show at 1720. Nile is one of my favorite death metal bands, not just because they’re brutal, crushing and technically awesome, but with their use of Egyptian imagery, I’m able to bite into a more cohesive, fuller vision that harnesses a whole world of brutality beyond death metal–history and mythos. related content: Soulfly And Nile: From The Amazon To The Whiskey A guy dressed as King Tut, touting an Egyptian staff romped around the pit during each band, cursing the mosh pit to higher levels of violence it would’ve never reached otherwise. This made my first viewing of Sanguisugabogg all the more intriguing. What I appreciated most about this band, currently stirring up a bunch of hype in underground circles, was how dirty their sound was. I was just reminiscing the other day on how Chris Barnes era Cannibal Corpse created the superior death metal sound as every instrument added to a more rotten, decayed atmosphere. Sanguisugabogg doesn’t sound rotting as much as they sound filthy and gritty, but that’ll

Three Nights of Bjork CORNUCOPIA at the Shrine

Rob Shepyer January 12, 2022

It’s been years since the last time I saw Bjork perform in Los Angeles. I’ll never forget it, it was FYF fest 2017, the most stacked lineup this city has seen in years, with Frank Ocean’s last LA performance headlining one night, Nine Inch Nails closing out the fest, but Bjork and Missy Elliot reigning supreme on the opening Friday night festivities. Simply hearing “Joga” live was a life altering musical experience. Bjork’s vocals cut right through to people’s hearts so after two years of living in a covid hellscape, I have no doubt she will make every audience of her upcoming three night stint at the Shrine Auditorium cry their eyes out. related content: FYF Fest 2017 Steals Coachella’s Throne As So-Cal’s Premiere Festival These three Shrine performances won’t simply be Bjork shows, these are CORNUCOPIA shows, some of the avant-garde and inspiring live music you could ever experience, especially if you’re a creative yourself. Fantasy becomes a force for change with visuals co-directed by Bjork and Argentine genius, Lucrecia Marartel and co-creative directed by James Merry. You’ll see images of foreign worlds straight out of the queen’s mind. The visuals are so animated and vibrant they feel like

Top 10 ALBUMS of 2021 as Rated by Contributors

Rob Shepyer December 21, 2021

Across every known genre in the musicverse, 2021 saw incredible releases from artists new and old proving that pressure really does create diamonds. The pandemic certainly put a strain on every performer’s bottom line but the real bottom line behind every dollar is the artistic inspiration that drives people’s ears to your art. We saw game changing albums in 2021, from Turnstile’s Glow On which may just be the first “dreamcore” album, to Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg which reinvigorated British post punk with cool feminine ennui. Plenty of Jankysmooth favorites came out with new albums like Viagra Boys’ Welfare Jazz, Shannon and the Clams’ Year of the Spider, Surfbort’s Keep on Truckin’, Angel Du$t’s Yak, and so many more. We discovered new favorites along the way too, like Pixel Grip’s Arena, Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World, Squid’s Bright Green Field, and so many more. Icons were created in 2021, like Japanese Breakfast after their album Jubilee, Idles after Crawler, and King Woman after Celestial Blues. The list goes on and on, so to make things more concise, our contributors rated their top ten favorite albums of the year. Check it out. Publisher, Danny Baraz Turnstile – Glow On Black Midi –

Creatures of the Night: Substance LA 2021

Rob Shepyer December 15, 2021

Substance has always been Los Angeles’ premiere post-punk festival. Celebrating all things goth and clad in black, the scene wouldn’t be quite the same without it. No festival embodies the true spirit of “LA” more than Substance. There’s something urban and dreamy about the whole episode. You get such a range of feels, some bands appeal to your heart then others purely to the body. Spanning all night, the fest goes late into the evening to make you feel like the real nightcrawler that LA is supposed to make you feel like. I came to see Nitzer Ebb but my greatest takeaways were the smaller bands who’s performances left a mark. Here are my five favorites from each day. Day 1 Pixel Grip Chicago-based industrial dance music is a beast of its own breed. Pixel Grip began the festival for my gang and might’ve left the biggest impression of any band for the entire three nights. They commanded their audience with so much attitude, mystique and power, they could’ve headlined the day purely based on the merits of their charismatic performing. Listening to them on records, many of the songs expanded my idea of what an industrial band ought to

One Hundred Trillion Gecs: 100 Gecs at the Shrine

Rob Shepyer November 27, 2021

100 Gecs, the duo of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, are the most polarizing group in all of contemporary music. People either love them or hate them. I rarely hear an indifferent reaction after playing their music for someone. Frankly, that’s the way I like it. A band that can summon immediate love or deep hatred at the same time means they’re a band made for the weirdos that even the normies can grow to appreciate. I personally love the band’s music and don’t care what anyone thinks of me for loving it. After all, since the beginning of 100 Gecs, it’s always been them against the world. related content: Alien Boys And Girls: George Clanton And Magdalena Bay At 1720 I was so incredibly stoked to cover 100 Gecs’ concert at the Shrine and wasn’t one bit surprised they packed the house with what might’ve been the biggest crowd they’ve performed in front of that wasn’t in a festival setting. You can say 100 Gecs is music for nerds because it attracts gamers, dweebs and outsiders but at the same time, there were plenty of jocks and cheerleaders in that audience, raging harder than anyone for the mysterious duo.