Category: FEATURES

11 Must See Artists at Primavera Sound LA

Janky Smooth Central Command July 25, 2022

Somebody pinch us, Los Angeles must be dreaming. It seems too good to be true, that we’re getting our own version of Primavera Sound, one of the most eclectic music festivals in all the world. Primavera is known for its unique and top-notch curation, with a taste for exotic artists that range from all over the musical and geographic map. You can catch Mayhem or Kim Gordon or Girl in Red. There is something for everyone at Primavera Sound LA, but knowing their audience, everyone going is pretty much into everything. They might not listen to black metal, but they’re down for the vibe, at least for an hour. Primavera Sound is about capturing the wide spectrum of fun there is to be had in the name of music, sweet music. We’ve chosen 11 artists we’d rather die than miss at the festival for you to check out. You can buy tickets to Primavera Sound LA here. Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor’s festival return to Los Angeles sees him headlining once again in a slot that ensures he will get the platform he needs to let his art make a powerful statement about the world we’re living in. There’s so

Preview: Fleet Foxes at Santa Barbara Bowl

Janky Smooth Central Command July 7, 2022

On Saturday, one of modern folk’s most beautiful bands, Fleet Foxes is coming to the Santa Barbara Bowl to perform classics as well as songs off their soul-stirring and critically acclaimed fourth studio album Shore. Released on Anti- in 2020 and nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Music Album category, this is the second time they’ve been up for Grammy gold since Helplessness Blues in 2012. Everybody loves Helplessness Blues, I for one might cry upon hearing those songs, and Shore is able to hit the same sort of beautiful peaks. You can find Shore in the top 5 of a few 2020 year-end lists like those published by Uncut, 6Music, Mojo, and Uproxx. Then on lists by The New Yorker, NPR, Pitchfork, USA Today, Stereogum, and Rolling Stone, as well. This tour marks Fleet Foxes’ return to shows since 2018. The live show will feature Robin Pecknold joined by Skyler Skjelset, Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo, and Morgan Henderson. December 2021 saw the digital release of A Very Lonely Solstice, a 13-track collection with limited edition colored vinyl & CD slated to ship in Spring of this year. On November 22, 2022, Fleet Foxes will release Wading in Waist-High Water: The

Top Five Lodge Room Shows Ever as Chosen by Staff

Janky Smooth Central Command June 25, 2022

Jankysmooth has always held the Lodge Room Highland Park in the highest regard, of all the spaces on can experience music in Los Angeles, not only does it hold a special place in our heart but it has been the conduit of far too many moments that have brought us closer to our higher power. We thought we would take an accounting of the best shows we’ve experienced at the Lodge Room by not only listing our favorite concerts we’ve witnessed there but by asking the staff at Lodge Room about their fondest memories. So without further ado, here are the top five concerts ever at the Lodge Room as chosen by members of the beautiful, treasured venue’s staff. Dalton Gerlach, Owner Low Black Moth Super Rainbow Mdou Moctar Ata Kak DIIV related content: Slowhand of the Sahara: Mdou Moctar at Lodge Room Stephen Kaplan, General Manager Mndsgn Surfbort Kiefer Ata Kak GZA related content: Trash as a Virtue: Surfbort at the Lodge Room Raul Recendez, Audio Engineer Shigeto (3.07.20) – A memorable show due to the fact the world shut down a week later. Shigeto slayed the stage with his live presence in jazz/electronic music. Jazz Esta Morto x Arthur

TOM’s Bar: Tom of Finland Foundation Celebrates 29 Years of Commemorating Tom With Orville Peck and Mareux

Janky Smooth Central Command June 17, 2022

Tom of Finland’s legacy lives on stronger and with more cultural relevance than ever. Few artists have a collection so iconic that it touched and altered lives the world over. The Tom of Finland Foundation proudly carries the torch to ensure new generations are constantly learning about Tom of Finland’s life and being exposed to his artwork. His art is part of what sculpts our modern understanding of masculinity, so to celebrate him, every leather daddy is coming out to Avalon on Sunday in full force. For the Foundation’s 29th anniversary, two of modern music’s hottest artists, Orville Peck and Mareux have joined forces to take the Avalon stage and offer a lineup that no concert in Los Angeles can possibly compete with. Expect just as much hard and heavy dancing as sweet and tender swaying in your Daddy’s arms for this one. Alongside these musical geniuses from completely different genres will be a slew of performers and scene icons prepared to give this evening every ounce of soul in celebration of Tom. There are few moments of essential participation for members of the LGBTQ community, this one is the most monumental in years. Love and leather will fill the air,

Preview: Bright Eyes Rolls into Los Angeles to Play the Greek Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command June 13, 2022

The early 2000’s was filled with a wellspring of emo music that each helped teenagers expand their own emotional intelligence to depths that no one else could take them. Neither their family, friends, nor mentors had the ability to make people feel the range of emotions these bands did. Then, in comes one boy, Conor Oberst with a vision all his own, to be an emo troubadour and take the sound to more emotional and vulnerable depths than anyone had imagined. Before Conor, you never heard men be so vulnerable on record. Conor then found two friends and created the band known as Bright Eyes. It was almost a guilty pleasure for boys to listen to, while the more enlightened sex gravitated toward the heartbreaking sound. Now, decades later, everyone celebrates the music of Bright Eyes, making these reunion shows highly anticipated. We all want to cry our eyes out and hold our loved ones close. There is no better show to do these two things at. So yes, after a 9 year hiatus, Bright Eyes has returned and been touring the states and are coming to Los Angeles on June 23rd to play the Greek Theatre. This isn’t just

The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees Tour Rolls up to the Wiltern

Janky Smooth Central Command April 21, 2022

One of the world’s most iconic modern psychedelic rock bands, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are returning to Los Angeles for a tour stop at the Wiltern meant to melt their audience only after they’re tripping too hard to stop it from happening. That’s right, Anton Newcombe and his wild bunch are bringing retro psychedelia back with a vengeance. Having released two new singles, “The Real” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” earlier this year off their upcoming album titled Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees, the band is geared up and ready to deliver all the best elements of BJM from hazy grooves, explosive rhythms, walls of sound, face melting fuzz, and drone for daze. With support from Mercury Rev, Friday night at the Wiltern is set to bring the LA psyche community out in droves and leave them totally wasted but happy.

Pixel Grip at Das Bunker by Rossellini Rogel

Pixel Grip, Spike Hellis and Black Light Odyssey find refuge at Das Bunker

Danny Baraz April 2, 2022

Two words: Das Bunker. Yes, it was that time again for your most militant music mixer. Catch One was the vessel- the living, breathing historic Los Angeles structure acting like a Viet Cong tunnel bunker, hiding nooks and crannies of DJ’s and bands dropping bombs from behind velvet ropes on the various multitudes of creatures of the night. It has been awhile since my last Das Bunker and as a result, my mental health has suffered but the combination of Pixel Grip and Spike Hellis on the line up had me fucked up. Adorning myself in the blackest of the black, I traveled toward the lights. A Yang looking for it’s Yin and all the stunning mutants littered through this character filled venue were beautiful, aloof and might’ve been searching for connection, sex and/or cocaine and other substances to fuel whatever was going to happen on this night. Das Bunker archives at Janky Smooth And what happened was significant. First off, I was here to see Pixel Grip. Their early evening performance at Substance in December was understated in the line-up but revelatory and I dove into them head first after that show. Unwillingly born into the defunct but never

A Place To Bury Strangers Interview at Levitation 2021- Janky Smooth Sessions

Grace Dunn February 11, 2022

Janky Smooth Sessions sat down with A Place To Bury Strangers for an interview at Levitation 2021. Among the topics Grace Dunn and Scott Urian discussed with Oliver Ackermann, John Fedowitz and Sandra Fedowitz were the new APTBS album, “See Through You” released by Dedstrange in 2022, the creative process and both the moral and practical challenges of touring during a global pandemic. Related Content: A Place to Bury Strangers Make Ears Bleed at The Echoplex Video and Editing: Grace Dunn Interview: Grace Dunn and Scott Urian

Homesick 2022: Let the Ceremony Begin Anew at The Glass House

Janky Smooth Central Command February 8, 2022

Homesick Festival returned to the Glass House last Friday night with a killer lineup including headliner Ceremony, Touche Amore, Show Me The Body, and more. Early on in the show the crowd was loosely scattered throughout the 800-capacity space when bands Laughing Matter and The Umbrellas opened the show. The energy picked up immensely with up-and-coming hardcore group Militarie Gun. Lead singer Ian Shelton got the band moving — jumping around on stage to crowd-favorite songs “Ain’t No Flowers” and “Big Disappointment.” The vibe drastically changed as the noisy-electronic Special Interest took the stage with singer Alli Logout getting up close and personal with fans at the barricade. Her brooding and aggressive stage-presence was hypnotic and I really enjoyed their performance even though their sound stood out on an otherwise punk and hardcore lineup. I was most excited to see Show Me The Body, who are known for their sludgy hardcore sound while incorporating elements of hip-hop and the electric banjo. The crowd had finally fully filled in the venue — leading to a huge pit for the final three sets. Their set was electric, but I was especially impressed by bass player Harlan Steed who was absolutely shredding on

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 –

Music Video Premiere: The Manx – Before She Was A Moth

Janky Smooth Central Command November 2, 2021

As we all collectively wash away the rubbery layers of grease makeup, corn syrup infused fake blood, and half digested liquor soaked gummy worms we have a brief moment to prepare ourselves for the reality of the coming weeks. True horror rapidly approaches – not in the form of a drugstore Dracula or an obnoxiously ironic pop culture reference – but as a siren’s call perfectly crafted for our capitalist hellscape. The malignant abomination that is Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You will soon be here to soil the crisp fall air and drain away whatever sliver of hope we’ve regained as we’ve begun crawling from the depths of our COVID depression bunkers. Thankfully for you, dear readers/freaks/devotees, Janky Central Command is here with the last line of defense against the smoothing of our brains: we’re talking about a new video premiere from our boys in The Manx! Handcrafted by the artist Monstark, this one is an equally beautiful and grotesque delight and a reminder that refreshing mind melters will always pop up and surprise you when you least expect it. A little note about the video from Sweatband Records: The puppet world of Before She Was a