Category: FEATURES

New Song Premiere: The Dividing Line – “Deadbeat”

Janky Smooth Central Command August 20, 2018

We all know that special someone that drags down the group and sometimes those people need to learn their lesson the hard way, or rather in this case, the hardcore way. if there was ever a song to get someone to reform there ways it would be The Dividing Line‘s “Deadbeat”. New Age Records’ The Dividing Line create some of the most aggressive and unhinged hardcore you can hear in 2018 and their latest banger “Deadbeat” brings the pain on every level. The slam dance part is crushing and filled with plenty of bounce for you to get those punches and kicks flying. This is the kind of confrontational songwriting that gave hardcore it’s reputation as both music with balls and music for the people by the people about real shit. The Dividing Line just finished recording their 7″ to be released on New Age Records in late summer 2018 called Turn my Back on the World.

Janky Smooth Exclusive: A Scene from The Icarus Line Must Die

Janky Smooth Central Command July 25, 2018

The Icarus Line were an unique and quintessential Los Angeles band filled with much internal conflict and turmoil that inspired the creation of great rock and roll. Filmmaker Michael Grodner set out to capture the band’s history and its member’s personal journeys of death and taxes through Los Angeles in his film The Icarus Line Must Die. In this exclusive scene, Icarus Line lead singer Joe Cardomone finds himself in a struggle that every musician must be familiar with and that’s trying to make good money making music. It feels like a conversation we’ve all had, in a place we’ve all been, only Joe seems totally original. The Icarus Line Must Die is now available on VOD from Google Play, Youtube, iTunes, and Amazon. You can watch the film’s trailer here: Joe Cardamone released his first album as a solo artist this year. Holy War delves into the world of dark electronics to make what some people are calling “industrial soul”. Utilizing a powerful array of symbols and a dangerous singing style, the mystery to this artist seems to thicken the more we learn about him. You can check out Joe Cardamone’s solo album Holy War here:

Smokin’ Grooves Spotlight Artist: Lion Babe

Aria Silva-Espinosa June 29, 2018

One of the first and most anticipated acts we caught was Lion Babe, comprised of vocalist Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman. Since the success of their 2012 hit ‘Treat Me Like Fire’, the NYC-based duo has developed a unique formula for creating music together. We caught up with Jillian and Lucas right on the waterfront for a quick interview later in the afternoon following their performance. related content: Black Is Beautiful: Smokin’ Grooves Festival At The Queen Mary “Post-Coachella, we’ve just been getting into the festival season so we have a couple shows coming up but they’re all kind of spread out,” says Jillian of their next two scheduled stops on the East Coast. Lion Babe will be playing the Merriweather Post Pavillion along with Nas, Anderson .Paak and Method Man in the beginning of August before circling back up to New York for a show in Brooklyn at the end of August. After their collaboration with international chart-topping U.K. artists Disclosure, Lion Babe found themselves on the U.K. top 100 charts with their song ‘Hour Glass’. Since they’ve been so well received overseas, I was interested to see if Lion Babe would be aiming to play more shows

Video Premiere: Plasmic “Validation Nation” Janky Smooth Exclusive

Janky Smooth Central Command April 17, 2018

Ever since she tore the house down at El Rey for Sex Cells’ Divine Ball, we here at Janky Smooth have developed a deep fondness for the Orange County sparkle-queen known as Plasmic. Her take on pop brings to mind greats from Cyndi Lauper to Ariel Pink to Devo and by the sound of her latest music video for “Validation Nation” it seems she’s got just as much style as those greats but perhaps even more substance and depth. It’s so damn refreshing to hear good pop songwriting in 2018. related content: Sex Cells’ Divine Ball At El Rey: The Filthiest People On Earth With imagery that harkens the upbringings of so many American girls, the video feels like if Harmony Korine directed a Tonya Harding movie. With music that has just as much jazzy swagger in the vocals as dream pop and electro-glitter-punk trash in the production, the song feels like a beautiful monster of sorts and from the song’s main lyric: “I don’t want to be a person anymore“, this might be exactly what Plasmic’s going for. The image of her swiveling on one figure skate while holding her keyboard in slow motion, as her hot-pink hair flows

Video Premiere: Baronen & Satan “Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth” Janky Smooth Exclusive

Janky Smooth Central Command March 9, 2018

Calling all garage punks, psych rockers, and Luciferian Satanists, we have a band from you straight out of the gothic darkness of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedish have always given the world some of the most insane music, think Brainbombs and Bathroy, and Baronen & Satan are no exception. Melding psych rock and garage punk with ear-splitting distortion and reverb that harkens bands like Destruction Unit, this band’s latest video for the single “Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth” is sure to make you sharpen your fangs. related content: Berserktown 3: The Craziest Festival On Earth This quartet led by Phillippe Sainz and Linda Rydellius is signed to Dirty Water Records and is ready to invade the divide consciousness of the United States. With music produced by Detroit Legend Jim Diamond, the buzz on this band is only beginning. Check out the video, if you Kenneth Anger films, liquid light, and altered states of mind you’re sure to like the visuals. If you like heavy rock with soul then you’re sure to like the music.

Janky Exclusive: Rudy De Anda Premieres New 7″ “Abrasive” w/ Interview

Janky Smooth Central Command September 22, 2017

Janky Smooth is proud to premiere two new tracks from the forthcoming 7″ ABRASIVE by the incomparable, Rudy De Anda and FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE TITLE TRACK- “Abrasive” (limited time only) “Think of Rudy De Anda as a lost diary. I learn secrets and private thoughts of this person but somehow they’re still a stranger- there’s more to learn but only if he wants you to. I don’t feel like it was coincidence that we arrived in a bookstore to sit down and chat with the man with the stories.” – Jonathan Reyes Check out Jonathan’s Interview w/ Rudy De Anda embedded in this post The new 7″ “Abrasive” by Rudy De Anda will be released digitally on Jazzcat Records on Friday, October 6th 2017, with a limited edition, lathe cut 7″ to follow soon after. The title track/ a-side is called “Abrasive” and is sure to lift your spirits, chill you out, and have you feeling the groove. The b-side is called “Helado” and uses the kind of unique, latin inspired instrumentation that makes Rudy De Anda and his band worth following. Janky Smooth has been following Rudy’s career for quite some time now and featured De Anda as one of Janky

Thee Oh Sees And The Practical Applications of Quantum Physics

Danny Baraz September 7, 2017

John Dwyer is a man living the dream- at least from the outside looking in. From that view he embodies a stereotypical but rarely achieved archetype of success as an independent artist. Every fledgling rocker that ever existed since Sid Vicious has sketched out a similar blueprint for themselves on how they would make the music they want, on their terms, on their own label, with an increasingly popular side project to keep themselves artistically satisfied THEIR way. Well, the latest Thee Oh Sees, or Oh Sees, or OCS release on Castle Face Records paired well with a concurrent release of Dwyer solo side project, Damaged Bug, creating a full bodied bouquet of screeching fuzz, juxtaposed with thunderous synth analogs for your ear holes. As is becoming tradition in these moments, Oh Sees played a gig at the Teragram Ballroom with the usual slate of opening acts that would make any headliner have to rise to the challenge of having to follow a band like Zig Zags, to get the double drummer dynamic chops in post season form as they embark on a headlining tour of clubs packed with the most rabid fans in independent music- John Dwyer, along with

Echo Park Rising (Five Pointed) Stars: Twin Temple

Brent Smith August 28, 2017

The vast miasma of artists at Echo Park Rising 2017 was an elating reminder of the fact that we’re drowning in a sea of stellar underground rock n’ roll. In today’s L.A. scene, it’s not easy to stand out, though many manage. Luciferian doo-woppers, Twin Temple, is one such act. In the twilight air of Saturday evening, just days before a historic solar eclipse, the human and spirit worlds brushed each other in a mesmerizing set. Veiled frontwoman Alexandra James and her axman husband Zachary James—swords in hand—wasted no time initiating a proper Satanic baptism to cleanse the soul of humanity. Invoking our old friend, Lucifer: In Nomine Dei Nostri Satanas Luciferi Excelsi On this alter, we consecrate the chalice representing Lilith’s womb And containing the blood of Satan -Swords- To banish hypocrisy and direct the fire of our unholy will In the name of Lucifer, ruler of Earth, I command the forces of darkness to bestow their infernal power upon us. I bid you rise. Will you all give the sign of the horns. O hear thy name. Repeat after me: Hail Satan! Hail Satan! Hail Satan! The seven-piece bluesy murder ballad band then bursted into

Echo Park Rising 2017: Long Lines Couldn’t Slow Fresh Faces In All Places

Aria Silva-Espinosa August 27, 2017

The 2017 Echo Park Rising lineup generated quite a bit of buzz this year, as it was absolutely stacked with old favorites, over a dozen unmissable acts and a number of up-and-coming artists. EPR veterans Gold Star, The Paranoyds, and Meatbodies graced this year’s lineup along with a significant number of newcomers. Coming Soon: Echo Park Rising Five Pointed Stars Twin Temple … related content: Echo Park Rising 2015: Rising and Rising and Rising… Enjoying immense popularity in the last few years, it’s nice to see events like this take off and be embraced by the community. However, lineups like these are a source of frustration for me since I have yet to conquer my overwhelming fear of missing out. Despite my best efforts to be in multiple locations at once, I feel like I’ve slighted a number of talented and deserving artists on the bill solely based on my inability to run quickly, my fear of jaywalking on Sunset Boulevard and my fractured internal clock. That being said, I purposely blocked the entire third weekend in August off on my calendar in order to enjoy the festival to the fullest possible extent. I hoped to see some old friends

Janky Smooth Sessions Interview w/ The Side Eyes

Danny Baraz July 12, 2017

When you see The Side Eyes live or just sit down and talk to them for a spell, it becomes clear pretty quickly that their genealogy and punk rock pedigree have little to do with the rate in which their star is rising- but it certainly doesn’t hurt them, either. related content: Beach Goth Blackout- Janky Smooth Sessions We caught up w/ the band after they opened for Redd Kross at The Echo in our latest Janky Smooth Sessions Interview w/ The Side Eyes. Astrid McDonald, Kevin & Chris Devine and newest addition, drummer Sam Mankinen (Melted) seem to be quite loving- a supportive band of punks in a genre built on cynicism and frustration. Punk rock being just like any other microcosm, we explore the ways in which the world has changed by noting the ways punk rock and it’s faithful approach “the scene” and subsequently, the world. related content: Steve McDonald Assembles All of His Family and Paid Gigs to Commemorate Teen Babes from Monsanto We discuss what having Charlotte Caffey as your mom, Jeff McDonald as your dad and Steve McDonald playing in Melvins, OFF! and Redd Kross as your uncle does to a kid’s sense

Burger Boogaloo 2017: The Ballad of John and Iggy

Rob Shepyer July 10, 2017

This Burger Boogaloo 2017 review is X-rated, so if your kids are reading it, Janky Smooth apologizes if they develop a foot fetish. Like your baby sister’s pretty pink switchblade, the marriage of legendary filmmaker and filth peddler, John Waters and atomic boy, Iggy Pop, cut the Bay Area deep till it bled out all the outlaws, shrimp pimps, gamblers, hipsters, hippies, hyphys, crust punks, trust-fund punks, rockabillies, rockabetties, and freakazoids to gather at Burger Boogaloo 2017 at Mosswood Park. Two whole beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on an acid infused bun. The trip up the 5 freeway was long and arduous but upon entering the burger’s third eye vortex, the camaraderie of San Francis-folk mellowed me out as straight as a noodle. That’s just how us So-Cal kids see Bay Area babies: hella mellow. This year, the festival’s theme was Shrimpin’ which is fiend’s slang for toe sucking. Four giant legs kicking up from the stage to the sky were inflated behind the Gone Shrimpin’ stage, which became the alter of our collective foot worship. I’m talking about high heels and low-life, sweaty soles and pedicured puppies. related content: Burger Boogaloo 2016- Bringing Rare Vinyl Back To

Janky Smooth Presents: FYF Janky Mixtape III & Download for 2017

Justin Cornwall July 7, 2017

It’s hard to believe FYF is just around the corner- again. It feels like yesterday I was stumbling out of the downtown Metrolink station, asking a stranger with a festival wristband on for a ride home (gas money included, of course) because my phone was completely dead. After getting enough power in my phone from home, proceeding to the Lyft waiting outside my door to the filthy Overpass where I watched Father John Misty saucily put moves on any girl who would look at him… oh, and of course, THREE YEARS SINCE MY FIRST FYF MIXTAPE FOR JANKY SMOOTH? Jesus fuckin Christ, where does the time go? Stream The Janky Smooth FYF Mixtape III Now related content: Janky Smooth Presents- FYF 2016 Preview & Mixtape FYF has always been one of my favorite parties of the year and I’ve been attending for almost 10 years in a row. I’ve worked the festival, snuck in, bought tickets an hour before deciding to go – it’s a world class event in our own backyard. The recurring acts on the lineup are like distant relatives I get to reconnect with every year. The headliners jump out of my old iTunes library and onto