Category: SHOWS

Freak Parade: Halloween Freakout at Lodge Room

Alfredo Luna November 10, 2022

Seattle based Freakout Records brought down the house with an eclectic lineup to help kick off the holiday festivities with the carefully curated Halloween Freakout that featured LA noise duo No Age and the legendary Melvins. Night 1 brought an eccentric mix of artists that ranged from old fashioned punk and rock and roll, an interstellar lounge act and an all out pysch-inspired meltdown to end the night. This felt like a can’t miss lineup from it’s inception, personally just seeing No Age on the bill made this a must-go event for me. With the crowd roaring in dressed in their best costumes and the bands matching the energy, all the keys were there to make this a great night. Leading off the night were The Pistols who I feel are the living embodiment of old school rock n roll that aren’t afraid to show this off in spirit. With guitarist Mickey paying homage to Mick Jagger’s 1969 performance at Madison Square Garden and the rest of the band looking like they were plucked straight out of a venue from the same era, the look really set the stage for the energy they gave off from their performance. With a

Photo Recap: Gogol Bordello at The Observatory North Park

Janky Smooth Central Command November 9, 2022

Gogol Bordello‘s return to Southern California had been long-awaited as soon as The Solidaritine tour was announced. Their first stop in our neck of the woods was San Diego’s Observatory North Park where the band had the audience in the palm of their hand, taking them on a sweeping journey through Gogol’s catalogue, including songs off Solidaritine, and all the classics ranging from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike. It doesn’t feel like it but Gogol Bordello has been around for over two decades, spreading inclusivity through punk rock. Although originally constructed as a blend of Eastern European culture and punk, the band expanded to involve various forms of world music to make a truly gypsy vision. Those that experience a Gogol show come away with a more worldly sensibility. Eugene Hutz’s Ukrainian roots were never diluted upon the band’s expansion. With Ukraine under Russian attack in this hideous situation, the many stops and long performances of this tour are all an effort to support Ukraine and Eugene’s fellow countrymen. You could tell the band was going extra hard because you could feel lives hung in the balance of this musical effort. We got photos from their Observatory North Park show

Desert Daze 2022: 10 Years In The Evolution Of A Music Scene

Danny Baraz November 8, 2022

Walking into Lake Perris Recreational Center took on new meanings this year after last year’s Desert Daze served to exorcize the ghosts of a global pandemic, to teach us that “Nothing that has happened so far has been anything we could control” and heal our mind, body and souls with drum soul-os. While 2021’s pared down Desert Daze was a cautious delight in a sea of dreck on earth, Desert Daze 2022 was a perfectly curated reckless abandon of people having sex in the lake again and breathing all over each other- in through the nose, out through the mouth. The headliners captured 10 years in the evolution of a music scene, the ascent of previously buzzworthy bands into icons celebrating a decade of seminal albums and a new wave of artists that might also one day celebrate the recently released albums they are currently touring on. For some people, Iggy Pop pulling out of the festival before he could impregnate us with music was a deal breaker but luckily, I received so much Iggy sperm the last 6 years that I was ready to bear my Beach House baby. related: Desert Daze 2021- Music, Magick and Medicine 2022 was

30 years of “Bricks Are Heavy”: L7 at the Regent

Danny Ryan November 7, 2022

In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, L7 performed their groundbreaking 1992 album Bricks are Heavy in its entirety for two sold out nights at the Regent Theater. With the original lineup present, L7 brought the rage-filled attitude of 1992 to the modern day with the utmost passion as they played to a crowd of diehard fans of the classic album. With how fundamental L7 was in refining the grunge sound and empowering women artists of the early 90’s, the concert was a rare opportunity to experience one of the most important eras in music history up-close and intimately. It’s hard to imagine the album being 30 years old now, with L7 still generating the youthful punk-rock spirit that made them legends in the first place. One of the first things that could be noticed upon entering The Regent Theater that night was how wide the range of ages in the audience was. It was immediately apparent how inspirational L7 has been for younger feminism-focused music scenes, as they had been releasing albums before the Riot Grrrl movement and the mainstream explosion of female-fronted punk bands like No Doubt in the 90’s. Even though many of these younger fans may not

Photo Recap: Thursday at 1720

Janky Smooth Central Command November 3, 2022

Celebrating their epic album Full Collapse on a Thursday, post-hardcore kings Thursday brought the unforgettable, signature passion that made them a seminal band for millennial hardcore and emo kids. 1720 Warehouse bounced off the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs along with the band. We got photos to capture this special anniversary show. This wasn’t just a celebration of Thursday but of a golden age for hardcore music, a golden age that the people who lived through it will never forget. Photos by: Manuel Arredondo Thursday

Photo Recap: Otoboke Beaver at The Echo

Janky Smooth Central Command October 27, 2022

Otoboke Beaver‘s first two concerts in LA took place at the Echo and over the course of these two performances, the band made LA music history, with their unique and original brand of Japanese power punk. We consider ourselves lucky enough to have a photographer there to document the evening of October 20th’s show. As you can see in these photos, the band is relentless and the audience reciprocates by giving them every ounce of energy. Otoboke Beaver is perhaps the most important punk band of this generation, transcending any status as a gimmick or an import or as a girl band. Photos by: Chris Molina Otoboke Beaver

Photo Recap: Otoboke Beaver at The Casbah

Janky Smooth Central Command October 26, 2022

Otoboke Beaver finally made their Southern California debut and Jankysmooth was present to see this Japanese Power-punk group redefine everything it means to be heavy, raw, and underground. At first what might’ve been considered a gimmick, punk rock through a J-pop lens, turned into an avant-garde rock and roll acid-trip, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in rock and roll. Otoboke Beaver began their tour de force through So-Cal at San Diego’s Casbah and we got the pictures to make them live forever on Jankysmooth. There is more to come as we had peeps at their Los Angeles shows as well. If you didn’t get the chance to see them this time around, don’t fret. They just extended their tour with more shows in Southern California to attend. You can buy tickets to those upcoming shows, including one at San Diego’s Music Box and another at Pappy and Harriet’s here. Photos by: Rebecca DiGiglio Otoboke Beaver

Photo Recap: Mars Volta at The Hollywood Palladium

Janky Smooth Central Command October 26, 2022

The Mars Volta‘s highly-anticipated comeback tour brought them to The Hollywood Palladium for a sold out show featuring a set of classics and new songs that made everyone recall how much they loved this band. Song after song made clear the memories of listening and singing along to these progressive, psyched out rock and roll adventures on wax. The more songs they played, the more the audience remembered that they knew every damn lyric. Though many years had gone by since the band took the stage before this tour, every member was in their element, showing mastery of both instrument and performance, with charisma that was just as other-worldly as the magic within every Mars Volta tune. This was one for the ages and we got the photos to prove it. Photos by: Grace Dunn The Mars Volta

A Cathedral of Hardcore: Ceremony at Echoplex

Alfredo Luna October 25, 2022

Ceremony has been a band that is ever-changing and in many cases prompts their fanbase to become very opinionated on their sound. Despite their evolution, and whatever people say they are or have become, the band has continually crafted a live set that is as raw and filled with emotion as it can get. After touring with Citizen and Turnstile, Ceremony harnessed the energy from that experience to power their “Vanity Spawned by Fear” tour. With support from Bay Area Hardcore Punk rising stars SPY and shoegaze bedroom pop laden Suzanne Kraft, Ceremony curated a perfect end to thee first leg of their tour. The night kicked off with Suzanne Kraft swooning the crowd with a set filled with jangly guitars and drowned out vocals to ease into the night. The ability to set a smooth tone and give a calmness to the crowd before the impending chaos worked extremely well. As they continued their set you could see a juxtaposed crowd of people swaying and feeling every hook as well as the pit taking shape and carving itself for the rest of the night. Forming itself like a drawback before a tsunami, the open space became ominous and as

Photo Recap: Citizen at The Regent

Janky Smooth Central Command October 18, 2022

For two sold out nights, Citizen treated Los Angeles’ softer side with post hardcore maladies and sweet serenades that left an eternal impression upon the Regent walls. Alongside Militarie Gun and Prince Daddy & The Hyena, this was a showcase that proved hardcore is for lovers, or at least fighters that fight for love. Photos by: Jason Murillo Citizen Militarie Gun Prince Daddy & The Hyena

Photo Recap: The Bronx, The Chats, Drug Church and Scowl at The Music Box

Janky Smooth Central Command October 18, 2022

There’s no better way to celebrate punk rock music than by bringing every flavor of the genre under the same roof. For their tour, The Bronx and The Chats took Drug Church and Scowl on the road making for a lineup that featured hardcore, post hardcore and punk. Stopping at San Diego’s Music Box for an epic show, we’ve got pictures from the evening. Photos by: Israel Perez The Bronx The Chats Drug Church Scowl

Nitzer Front: Cold Waves LA at The Mayan

Danny Ryan October 12, 2022

The number of different types of artists and sounds that fall under the banner of “industrial music” is incredibly wide, ranging from full bands with live instruments to solo artists with only a backing track behind them. While industrial influences can be found in scenes such as goth, noise, metalcore, psych rock and different forms of electronic music; the origins of the movement are not always credited as often as the artists who took these influences. Cold Waves Festival at The Mayan Theater focuses on bringing the roots of the industrial live experience to a modern audience, showcasing rare performances by international artists from all different eras and sounds within the genre. Cold Waves Festival is truly a one-of-a-kind event, as it’s rare to see a festival so dedicated in paying respect to a genre’s history while equally hosting upcoming artists that carry the torch for its future. Leathers was the first performer of the evening, being the solo project of Shannon Hemmett from the post-punk band Actors. The project has a lot of 80’s synthpop influence in its instrumentals, with the echo effects on Hemmett’s voice creating an element of distance in its sound to stand apart from these