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French Outfit AIR Takes Us On A Moon Safari in San Diego
Grace Dunn
October 15, 2025
San Diego, California was in for an ethereal experience transitioning from summer to fall with legendary French band Air on their stunning North American tour. Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel have been on the road for a significant stretch of time earlier this year enchanting crowds with their compositions flowing out of their iconic white cinemascope ratio spaceship. I have been in grand anticipation to catch their clean, nouvelle architectural stage design celebrating their 25th anniversary of “Moon Safari” since I missed their set last year at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. related: Sensory Interference – Thom Yorke At The Orpheum Theatre Once the tour was announced, I originally sought out to photograph their set. To my delightful surprise, I was granted the sumptuous opportunity to capture Air in the written word; like lightning in a bottle. Venturing on a road trip midweek was a blissful escape from Los Angeles to San Diego in preparation for ascension into the cosmos by way of “Moon Safari”. Nestled in an intimate, open air venue, built 1941 into an existing canyon on Montezuma mesa, CalCoast Credit Union Amphitheater greeted patrons with a cozy and alluring aura on this brisk Autumn evening. Walking
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L7 Celebrate 40 Years w/ Lunachicks and Friends at The Belasco
Danny Baraz
October 7, 2025
The Belasco’s air was sticky, buzzing, electric- like static before a tornado on Friday Oct 3rd. L7 and Lunachicks had a gig in Downtown Los Angeles. Those bands shared the stage again, for the first time in decades, in what felt like a life event for everyone involved for L7’s Fast and Frightening 40 Years Anniversary show. As much as I love Riot grrrl scene, the L7 legacy always stood on it’s own and I never appreciated pundits who would lump every hardcore girl under the Riot grrrl label. L7 had their own brand of feminism which included the Rock For Choice festivals that spanned over a decade and I include the times I saw them perform on the lawn of the Federal building in Westwood for causes that varied from saving rainforests, to legalizing cannabis at a time when people were still doing long prison sentences for the plant. But what I appreciated most about L7 was that they fucking shred. Say everything and anything else you want about them, every single one of them, at the top of their craft amongst their peers. And that was still the case as of October 3rd. related: L7 Stop Pretending They’re Dead
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Music Video Premiere: Human Issue-INSIDE ft. Crow Jane (Director’s Cut)
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 3, 2025
We are proud to premier the new music video for “Inside featuring Crow Jane” from California peace punk band, Human Issue. Human Issue is a politically charged punk band that formed in 2021, uniting musicians from across California and Texas. Fronted by drummer and songwriter Hunter Martinez from the San Francisco Bay Area, the group also features members hailing from San Antonio, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Their diverse backgrounds and shared ethos give Human Issue a raw, urgent sound rooted in the tradition of peace punk while pushing forward with modern urgency. related: Circle Jerks Throw Party For Keith’s Birthday at Hollywood Palladium Though relatively new, Human Issue has quickly gained attention in underground circles for their uncompromising message and relentless live performances. Embracing the DIY ethic, they’ve carved out their place as a vital voice in modern punk, proudly accepting the label of “peace punks” as both identity and mission. Human Issue – Q&A with Hunter Martinez Q: Where do Human Issue originate from, both geographically and culturally? Hunter Martinez: I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area. One member’s from San Antonio, Texas, and the others are from Orange County and the Inland Empire. Some people call
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Avant-Garde Headbanging with The Armed at The Roxy
Rob Shepyer
September 24, 2025
Seeing The Armed at The Roxy on September 20, 2025 was not just a whim- for me it was a necessity. Whenever the Armed play in Los Angeles, I make it a point to attend. Their concerts feel like rare glimpses into a future world. With their latest tour stop supported by Prostitute, another heavy and unpredictable band, I wanted to break down not only the performance but also why The Armed matter so deeply and why their most recent album, THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED, truly rules. related: One Friday Night In Hell- Show Me The Body and Twitching Tongues at The Regent The Armed have become my favorite modern band. I am not sure how it happened; I can’t always control what I gravitate toward. Perhaps they filled the vacuum left by The Dillinger Escape Plan, a band whose live shows once stood as the gold standard for ferocity and unpredictability. Perhaps they were the only group writing anthems with lyrics powerful enough to resonate like “Sport of Form” off Perfect Saviors, my favorite album of 2023. That track, which ends with a peaking sing-along verse of “Doesn’t Anyone Even Know You? Does
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The 4th Wave of Garage Rock in Los Angeles-A Retrospective
Brent Smith
September 3, 2025
Those of us lucky enough to be in L.A. for the 4th wave of garage rock in the 2010s suddenly find ourselves mourning the fact that it’s gone … long receded. We hardly even noticed. What the fuck happened? words: Brent Smith related: Ty Segall And The Secret Show- A New Tradition in Los Angeles I see them around- skulking the Zebulon smoking patio or pounding cheap beer at the Taix bar in motorcycle jackets and old band shirts (that their friends are in) and black denim and dirty Chucks. The weary look of defeat in their bloodshot eyes as we see each other (through the endless, bobbing sea of Benson Boone clones) and head-nod and ask if we met at that one Desert Daze when Iggy headlined. I see them around. The Echo Park refugees of the 2010s wave of garage rock. related: Over 10 Years of Desert Daze Archives And yes, this is my declaration that the 2010s merit a mention in the annals of American garage rock — ’60s, ’80s, ’00s … ’10s. The Fourth Wave. If you’re some music nerd who disagrees you can go fuck yourself. You couldn’t swing a dead cat on Sunset without
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Acid Bath at Hollywood Palladium: Venus Blues and Bayou Sludge
Rob Shepyer
August 29, 2025
Acid Bath was the one band no one thought would ever reunite. They were a flash in the pan at one point, considered a glitch in heavy metal history—yet simultaneously, they were the band everyone wanted to be and emulate, the band that inspired subgenres from the edges of extremity to the depths of doom and across the entire spectrum of stoner rock and roll. That’s why Acid Bath’s show at the Hollywood Palladium on August 22nd was charged with much more power and gravitas than a typical reunion. It was a moment written in stone, acknowledging that the kings of the New Orleans heavy music scene would one day return to their rightful thrones. The anticipation had been building for years among fans who never truly believed this day would come. The venue itself seemed to understand the weight of the occasion. The Hollywood Palladium, with its storied history of hosting legendary performances, provided the perfect backdrop for what would become a defining moment in heavy music. As fans filed into the historic theater, there was an electric tension in the air—a mixture of disbelief, excitement, and the kind of reverence typically reserved for religious experiences. related – Memoirs
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Glass Beams at Ventura Music Hall: Desert in a Bottle
Rob Shepyer
August 28, 2025
This has been a psychedelic week for me, still feeling the afterglow of seeing Pigs x7, so before I could enter this new trip closer to home, I needed to sober up off the lingering sonic buzz. I wanted to clear out the leftover distortion rattling in my head so I could step into the Ventura Music Hall with ears and mind ready to feel the pure, authentic high off the sound of Glass Beams. related: Pigs x7 Launch North American Tour At Lodge Room Glass Beams plays in the tradition of distorting and disrupting traditional, exotic world music into modernized, minimalist psychedelia. Their music doesn’t need to shout, roar, or crash like a doom riff to get you there; it works in repetition, mood, and layering. It works in space. They aren’t the first to attempt this blend and they won’t be the last, but at the moment, they feel like the only band making traditional world music vibrations consumable for folks interested in dancing on clouds, instead of just headbanging in basements. Shows like this are rare in Ventura, though they strike a nerve in both artist and audience that no other city quite can. Ventura has always
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Blood Incantation Live at The Wiltern, Los Angeles
Danny Baraz
August 19, 2025
The Los Angeles stop of the Blood Incantation 2025 Absolute Else Tour was more than just another date—it was the climactic finale of their North American run and one of the most unforgettable metal shows of the year. On August 7, 2025, The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles’ Koreatown transformed into a cosmic gateway as the Denver quartet delivered a marathon performance that fused progressive death metal, krautrock atmospherics, and spatial ambient noise. From the moment fans entered the art-deco grandeur of The Wiltern, the anticipation was electric. The show sold out weeks in advance, and the bill reflected Blood Incantation’s expansive vision. Krallice opened the night as the experimental black metal heir apparent. Prog-metal icons Cynic elevated the night with a career-spanning journey through tech metal and jazz-inflected experimentation. Last but not least, ambient pioneer Steve Roach offered a rare live set that immersed the crowd in soundscapes of drones and deep cosmic resonance. I thought the order of the bands was peculiar but I can’t say I’d complain. By the time Blood Incantation took the stage, the audience had already traveled through decades of extreme and progressive music and even an extended regenerative period during Steve Roach’s set.
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MSPAINT and Lip Critic at Lodge Room- Disturbing The Peace
Danny Baraz
August 14, 2025
On an undersold Thursday night at the Lodge Room on a quiet night in Highland Park, MSPAINT made their tour stop in Los Angeles to support the No Separation EP. They brought with them Pat and the Pissers and a band that caught my attention at the end of 2024, Lip Critic. I really love MSPAINT but I traveled cross town to see what the fuck this weird, experimental band Lip Critic would sound like live and how the fuck they made the sounds that had been coming out of my speaker the last 6 months. I arrived in time for a REALLY great band out of Indianapolis- Pat and the Pissers. They are a interesting Descendents punk mix of confrontational, charismatic and borderline technical players. Bass player Kilmer stood out immediately but I quickly realized that the entire band was tight and lead singer Alex Beckman was born to sing at people. related: Model/Actriz- Pirouette New Album/Bend Bodies/Break Brains At the end of an extended schmoke break between sets, we heard strange rumblings and sounds coming from the venue. We rushed upstairs to find the 4 Lip Critic lunatics thrashing about the stage, 30 seconds into their set with
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Sound And Fury 2025: Everybody Spin Kick!
Danny Baraz
August 1, 2025
“Everybody spin kick!” was the order given in the first 4 bars of the first breakdown by Mindforce frontman Jay Petagine,Saturday headliners at the Cream Stage at Sound and Fury 2025. featured image- Basement: Joe Calixto It was the first time I was IN the pit at Sound and Fury 2025 on Saturday at Exposition Park and not backstage or out on the periphery- the difference between a nice view of the ocean or swimming in it. I use boxing’s “crab defense” during these explosions. I recommend it highly. It’s allowed me to play defense and even though the best defense is a good offense, I don’t like physically hurting people as much as I used to. It made me think of the meme about hardcore dudes in the pit past 40 and the tendency toward excessive violence toward children… and this feels like the perfect platform to explain this cultural phenomenon… related: Relive Every Sound and Fury for the Last 10 Years The first time I got hit in the head with an errant fist for fun and not fighting was in my late 30’s- not old for the world but certainly old in a music scene. Old enough
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Relive Every Sound And Fury Festival For The Last 10 Years
Janky Smooth Central Command
July 7, 2025
For almost two decades, Sound and Fury Festival has embodied the past, present, and future of most fast or heavy and especially fast AND heavy genres- particularly hardcore punk. Evolving from a grassroots DIY event into a world-renowned gathering of global talent, the festival has grown in scale and vision while staying true to its roots in chaos, catharsis, and community. No barriers- literally, to this day, almost nothing separates the bands and fans. Each year marks a new chapter—not just in the festival’s story but in the ongoing history of hardcore itself. Here’s a look back at the defining Sound and Fury Festival moments as covered by Janky Smooth, year by year (2016 on) from small rooms to massive fields, from secret side shows to legendary sets- followed by a complete schedule for Sound and Fury Festival 2025 Featured Image: Have Heart by Albert Licano Sound and Fury 2016: Coming of Age at The Regent Summary: 2016 was a defining year. After years of venue instability, Sound and Fury found a new home at The Regent Theater in Downtown L.A., marking a turning point in both professionalism and presentation. The lineup straddled eras and styles, and the atmosphere felt
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Peach Pit & Briston Maroney Spellbind The Greek Theater
Danny Baraz
June 17, 2025
June 11 2025 felt tailor-made for an outdoor indie double bill. Ticketmaster billed the evening as Peach Pit & Briston Maroney — Long Hair, Long Life Tour and promised an “all-ages indie celebration.” The sun slipped behind Griffith Park just as doors opened at 5:30 p.m., giving 5,800 fans plenty of time to explore merch, sip local brews, and admire the Greek Theatre’s art-deco façade before the 7 p.m. start time. Briston Maroney: Folk-grunge fireworks to start the night Knoxville-raised singer-songwriter Briston Lee Maroney cut his teeth on American Idol at 15, busked bluegrass tunes through Tennessee, and independently issued EPs before landing with Atlantic Records. His gold-certified single “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” paved the way for full-lengths Sunflower (2021), Ultrapure (2023) and the brand-new Jimmy (May 2025), a record that pairs confessional lyrics with grungy guitar crescendos. Stepping onstage beneath faux evergreens and twinkle lights, Knoxville native Briston Maroney treated L.A. like his own backyard campfire. He hurled himself into opener “Small Talk,” then immediately demanded a louder response: “Feel it tonight, Los Angeles—really feel it!” related: Music For Trees- P.J. Harvey at The Greek Theater Maroney’s nine-song set hopscotched through every era of his catalog: “Under My
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