Category: FEATURES

I’m In An Abusive Relationship With Death Grips

Danny Baraz August 28, 2015

By Danny Baraz Death Grips are like that beautiful woman that won’t fuck you. The more she says no, the more you want her. At some point, (if you have any self respect at all), you must decide you can’t love a girl who won’t love you back. You stop texting her. You stop calling her. You stop liking all her posts on IG. When that happens, she has to decide how she really feels about you and lay all games aside. This is a defining moment in the relationship between two people. I personally prefer crazy women but not too crazy- intellectual, complicated and unpredictable women who aren’t like anyone else. Those also happen to be my criteria for musicians and artists. Death Grips were the perfect girl. I had never met anyone like her. Her relationship with the world was almost satirical. Over the years, I have watched her stand other guys up with bemusement and curiosity. I have seen her defy her bosses at work. I have seen her “give away the milk for free”. I have seen her thumb her nose at fame. Sure, she seemed crazier than most but I’m not the trophy wife type.

No Parents pose at Echo Park Rising by Taylor Wong

Echo Park Rising 2015: Rising and Rising and Rising…

Taylor Wong August 20, 2015

In it’s 5th year, Echo Park Rising has become a barometer of culture in Eastern Los Angeles. 20 years ago, the music scene in L.A. was way further west on Sunset Blvd on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Most of the music lovers that attended Echo Park Rising 2015 this past weekend wouldn’t have felt safe crossing the street in this part of L.A. 20 years ago. 20 years ago, the club now called The Satellite was purchased by a man named Mitchell Frank (and partners) and transformed from a gay disco called Dreams of L.A. and rebranded into an alternative music club they named, Dreams and Spaceland. That one event proved to be one of the most important events in the history and future of the city of Los Angeles. That one event was a catalyst to the complete transformation of everything between Los Feliz to Downtown L.A. Significant events like the building of Staples Center in 1998 and the collapse of the music industry at the turn of the century contributed to the transformation but Mitchell Frank might just go down as one of the most important figures of modern history in L.A. There aren’t many examples of gentrification

Thee Oh Sees at Berserktown II by David Evanko

Berserktown II: Music Fringe Binge at The Observatory

Danny Baraz August 18, 2015

Last year at around this same time, the first annual Berserktown Festival was in the midst of a filthy, sweaty, hardcore but successful mess at club Los Globos in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles. A harder edged alternative to Echo Park Rising, Berserktown was successful enough for a sequel this year. With ambition in his heart and dollar signs in his eyes, Church on York captain, Graeme Flegenheimer decided to take some risks in an attempt to expand and grow his vision. The result was one of the most interesting festival lineups I have seen in quite some time. It was a buffet of musical delicacies and rarities such as Dead Moon, Royal Trux, Lust for Youth, No Hope for the Kids, Destruction Unit and Total fucking Control. When it was announced that the second annual Berserktown would be held at The Observatory in Orange County I thought to myself, this could either be genius or it could be a disaster- like a football coach deciding to go for it on 4th and inches, late in the game, backed up deep in their end zone. The Church on York venture has been disturbing the music scene’s status quo in

Runaway Festival Rewind and Music Video w/ Death Hymn Number 9

Danny Baraz July 21, 2015

Left in the wake and aftermath of the first installment of the Runaway Festival at Los Globos is a slue of sound and imagery. While it would’ve been impossible to capture the entire vibe of the festival, Sunshine Mind drummer and Janky Smooth’s very own, Travis Moore has put together this edit which features a live track of the Death Hymn Number 9 performance of their song “Swamp $”. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more exclusive content. Cut together with performances by Retox, The Garden, Part Time and No Age, Death Hymn Number 9’s song “Swamp $” is the perfect, psychedelic soundtrack to capture the high energy of the Runaway Festival. Did you see yourself in the pit? Did you see Kim House throwing elbows and spinning around the circle with glamorous aggression? Our entire recap of the day features two reviews and an incredible photo gallery. Are you in any of the photos? Full Review and Photo Gallery of Runaway Festival 2015

Runaway Fest: Double Reviewed & Fiercely Photographed

Janky Smooth Central Command July 14, 2015

Runaway Fest Review 1: Paige Vreede When I was 18 years old I thought I was cool drinking cheap vodka out of a plastic bottle at a friends house whose parents were out of town. However, the dudes at Danger Collective Records are actually the epitome of “cool kids.” This past weekend I faced a sad reality upon realizing I have now become “old as fuck,” among the new emerging music scene stemming from teenagers in Los Angeles. In collaboration with Michael Morin of &? Productions, Danger Collective hosted Runaway 2015. Even after being plagued with a last minute venue change at Los Globos, this group of High schoolers presented a show with over 35 acts including some of L.A.’s most impressive bands. Though I saw more “Xs’” on hands here than I would have at a vegan hardcore show; half a personal pizza and 17 shots of tequila later, I felt cool enough to hang with the kiddos. As I sat in a corner completely exhausted, I felt a very confrontational moment of “you look like a fucking chaperone” and realized, given the contagiously rousing environment, I needed to get my ass up. While there were many noteworthy acts

Friday Night Shows in Los Angeles- Suck it Brooklyn

Danny Baraz June 15, 2015

I jumped in my car and just started driving west. It was a weird week of muggy, rainy weather. The type of weather that simultaneously collects rain drops and sweat beads on the forehead. I drove by a man in a clown suit as I made a right onto the 10 freeway west off of La Cienega. Was I in L.A. or Florida? No matter how many bad neighborhoods they turn into good neighborhoods, Los Angeles will always let it’s freak flag fly on a Friday night. “I’m going to go for a quick skate in Venice then head over to Touch Vinyl. What time you going to be there?” “I’m getting there around 7pm and we go on at 9:15. Come check out French Vanilla, they’re rad.” “Cool dude, I’ll try and make it for that but I’m stoked that I’m finally going to get to see you guys live. Don’t suck, ok?” “Hahaha. We’ll try our best” I got off the phone with Travis, pulled my deck out of my trunk and skated over to the park. When my skate was over, I headed over to Touch Vinyl for their “June Untouched Music Series” presented by Dirty Laundry

Desert Daze Video Recap- Dazed in the Daylight/Evening Shade

Danny Baraz June 4, 2015

Janky Smooth presents a video collage from the Desert Daze Festival this past May. This two part series let’s the music and imagery speak for itself. Shot and edited by Travis Moore. Part 1, Dazed in the Daylight features the music of Kim and the Created and beautifully captures the sights and sounds of the day time hours of Desert Daze in the unrelenting Desert sun. Along with KATC, Part 1 features footage of White Lung, Plague Vendor, Wyatt Blair and Feels. Part 2, Evening Shade features the music of DIIV and captures the relief and freedom from the punishing solar onslaught of the cruel desert daylight. Along with DIIV, Travis captured footage of Warpaint, Deap Vally, Chelsea Wolfe and Mr Elevator and the Brain Hotel. Check out our complete review of Desert Daze 2015 Desert Daze 2015: Festival for the 21st Century Check out our intimate interview with the founders of Desert Daze/Moon Block and the founders of the bands Deap Vally and JJUUJJUU Janky Smooth Sessions: Deap Vally and Moon Block Family Photo gallery shot by Taylor Wong

Jello Biafra & GSOM at Punk Rock Bowling

Punk Rock Bowling 2015 and What Is Punk Rock, Poser?

Danny Baraz May 28, 2015

Words: Danny Baraz Photos: Taylor Wong The word punk is one that is thrown around and has many different uses. It can be used as an adjective or a verb. There has been much discussion around it’s usage as an adjective to describe music and people. It has sparked passionate and sometimes violent debate. The spirit behind what the word actually means has existed since time itself and once the word became marketable and defined by a specific sound, the word changed from describing a frame of mind and into describing a genre… or… a product, if you will. And there are very few individuals or businessmen that handle the legacy of this product better than Mark and Shawn Stern at BYO Records, specifically through their record label and of course, the annual summit called Punk Rock Bowling. Very few statements sound sillier than someone stating “That’s not punk”. Because once punk has been defined through a specific paradigm, it ceases to be the thing that it was when Iggy first bent over backwards or Darby first watched people move in a circle or Joey put on his first leather jacket. The cultural resistance that spawned the punk scene stops

A Backyard Interview with Deap Vally- Janky Smooth Sessions part 2

Danny Baraz April 8, 2015

Part 1 of our debut segment of Janky Smooth Sessions with Deap Vally/Moon Block explored the production and process of putting an event like Desert Daze together. Co-founders Phil and Julie Pirrone, along with Deap Vally vocal vixen Lindsey Troy, discussed the inner workings of the Moon Block family. Part 2 is all things Deap Vally as they put the finishing touches on their Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Head Wound City) produced, 2nd album. The ladies discuss the difference between recording their debut LP, Sistrionix and how that differed from working with Nick. It was refreshing and inspirational to see the independent spirit of Deap Vally and it’s easy to see how they Make Their Own Money. The ladies from Deap Vally are currently at the tail end of their tour with Marilyn Manson and getting geared up to play Desert Daze. If you haven’t entered our Desert Daze ticket giveaway then you can do so here: Win 2 tickets to Desert Daze 2015 and enter another dimension Shot by: Travis Moore Edited by: Fishscales Interview by: Danny Baraz Music by: Deap Vally Still Photos: David Evanko Date Venue Location Tickets Apr 09 MTS Centre w/ Marilyn Manson Winnipeg, Canada Tickets

Jello Biafra Talks Politics, Music and The Music Business

Danny Baraz April 7, 2015

Interview and intro by Danny Baraz Getting some people to open up in an interview is like pulling teeth. That is not the case with Jello Biafra. It was about 20 minutes into our conversation before I even asked one of my pre-planned questions. That made the nerves I had before interviewing one of my ideological heroes dissipate instantly, so that our conversation about politics, music, the music business and the upcoming gig for Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine at Punk Rock Bowling feel like a casual conversation with a friend. I realized quickly why Jello has become such an icon of dissent. His ability to verbalize, crystalize and satirize pre-meditated confusion surrounding pop-culture, popular disinformation and the status quo make you feel sane in an insane world. One thing that surprised me was that he’s not buying into any far-reaching conspiracy theories that involve a small group of people controlling the world stage, either. He is an honest, intelligent and steadfast beacon of integrity and a lexicon of information. (Jello Biafra portraits shot by Elizabeth Sloan. Guantanamo school of medicine photo by Curtis Stankalis) “I was informed that I should be spending my high school years

Janky Smooth Sessions- Deap Vally & Moon Block Family part 1

Danny Baraz March 26, 2015

Welcome to our first installment of Janky Smooth Sessions. Janky Smooth was invited to the home of Julie and Phil Pirrone, the father and mother of the Moon Block collective. Moon Block is a group of musicians and artists that are responsible for events like Desert Daze and Moon Block Party, amongst others. We were also joined by Lindsey Troy, who along with Julie, make up the supremely talented rock and roll duo called Deap Vally. Deap Vally vibrated the world with the buzz they generated through their 2013 album, Sistrionix. It was a lovely day sitting in the Pirrone’s back yard and discussing Desert Daze, Deap Vally’s upcoming new record that was produced by Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Head Wound City) and the dynamics behind the love and friendship that fuels both Moon Block and Deap Vally. Part 1 of our interview features a behind the scenes look at what it takes to run Moon Block, the harsh reality’s/sweet victory’s of chasing your dreams and the logistics behind an event like Desert Daze which will take place on May 2nd, 2015 in Mecca California and will feature bands like Warpaint, Deap Vally, Failure, RJD2, Minus the Bear, DIIV, The Budos

The LA Art/Book Fair with Thurston Moore and Ho99o9

Danny Baraz February 4, 2015

Los Angeles- our Art, Literature, Music, Culture and Tacos Can No Longer Be Easily Dismissed L.A. is in the midst of a renaissance. While most might call it gentrification, those people are not in the trenches that are being filled with artists, students, activists, authors and poets. While Manhattan and even Brooklyn are becoming more inaccessible to artists without extensive investment portfolios, the geography of Los Angeles allows those with small bank accounts and big ideas to fan out east and still be within the city and county limits of L.A. While the former glory, grit, angst, junkies, music scenes and yes, stank of Hollywood and The Sunset Strip have been replaced with chain night clubs, over priced eateries, spruced up sceneries and former botox beauty queens, Echo and Highland Park, East L.A., Boyle Heights and even the former toilet bowl known as Downtown Los Angeles are overflowing with housing, lockout rehearsal studios and concrete, commercial structures that house painters and nihilistic youth. Idealism abounds and there is even more real estate further east that can support small budgets and big dreams, at least until the day that LA is swallowed by the Pacific Ocean. Los Angeles has always gotten a bad