
Tag: death hymn number 9

The Sonics, The Sloths & Death Hymn Number 9 w/ Green Slime L.A.
Hot off the heels of the 750,000 person Women’s March…Los Angeles was on fire. The vibe was positive, respectful, and proud…also…we were ready to rock n fucking roll with The Sonics at The Echoplex. Openers and LA natives, Death Hymn Number 9 were ready to take us on their satanic hayride. We had to force ourselves to get past the collective band’s awkward hair (yes it’s distracting enough to mention) and get into their demonized garage-rock replete with breakdowns like a thunderstorm tearing through the deep south. They’ve got a “Static Age” Misfits meets Minor Threat meets a doomsday death dance. I can dig it. America’s “great lost garage band”, The Sloths (who first formed in 1964), surprised us next…not only with the ferocity of their set but quite literally…with magic tricks. Singer, Tommy McLoughlin, razzled and dazzled us with gimmicks galore for each and every song. For their opener, he employed a popular sideshow stunt, turning his mic into an erupting display of firey angle grinder sparks. The Sloths were indeed back from the grave. They threw out blow up dolls for their song “Never Enough Girls” written by Holly Beth Vincent (originally meant for Joey Ramone), there was

Janky Fest I- A Review and Self Inflicted Wound
The first installment of Janky Fest on November 19th in Outer Space celebrating the Janky Smooth 2 Year Anniversary featured OG punks The Dwarves last week was super lame. Only a retarded music critic could throw an 18 and over event as a thank you to his all ages readership. Where does this dad rock douche bag Danny Baraz get off booking a large lineup of bands whose local fans couldn’t even attend the event, all because some anxious reactionary in a pseudo DIY venue was scared of pissed off punks in a recently Post-election, President elect, Donald Trump world? Sources tell me that’s literally the initial reason given by the venue for the switch, even though it changed to something a bit less ridiculous in the following days. Clearly, young punks of helicopter parents would breathe fire, shit on the floor and not buy enough beer and liquor because they’re pissed Trump won an election they didn’t even vote in. Zing. I don’t know Danny Baraz at all but he seems like just another privileged “straight white male” (even though Baraz doesn’t sound “white”) mansplaining and curating the injustice in the world through his pseudo intellectual political leanings, which he forces

NSA Fundraiser and Launch w/ The Garden & Punk Rock Karaoke
On Wednesday, May 18th, the New Sound Alliance held it’s very first event at The Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles; A Fundraiser for Senator Bernie Sanders. And while raising funds for Sanders to insure a significant showing in the California Primary to make legitimate claims to storm the floor at the DNC Convention in Philly this July was the primary purpose of our party, introducing the New Sound Alliance to the Los Angeles music community was just as important. There is always a fear in art, business and activism when attempting to launch a new project. While there is always a risk of bearing your heart to attract like minded people to join you in a quest for understanding and action, there is little more exhilarating in life when your passion is validated by sparking the passion in others. Young and old fans and key figures in the L.A. music scene turned out in droves to support Senator Sanders and check out some of the best, young talent in L.A., as well as to sing live Karaoke with legends of punk rock like Greg Hetson, Stan Lee, Steve Soto and Darryn Pheiffer aka Punk Rock Karaoke. We only had

The NSA Announces May 18th Sanders Fundraiser at Regent Theater
New Sound Alliance and Janky Smooth are proud to announce A Fundraiser for Bernie Sanders on May 18th at The Regent Theater. The show will take place just a couple weeks prior to the California primary on June 7th. This is the first event by the newly launched political action group, The New Sound Alliance. The NSA seeks to unite the music community in organizing bands, labels, promoters, managers and publicists to organize our voices in an effort to engage young voters and activists. The fundraiser for Senator Sanders will feature The Garden, Kim and the Created, Death Hymn Number 9, The Birth Defects and all star punk rock legends, Punk Rock Karaoke that features members of Circle Jerks/Bad Religion, The Dickies and Adolescents as YOUR backing band while you sing punk rock classics on the stage of The Regent Theater in Downtown L.A. There is also a super special secret guest that we can’t announce until the beginning of May! All profits will be donated to the Sanders campaign. Purchase Tickets Here It is sure to be a fun and meaningful night as we raise money for Bernie Sanders in his quest for a political revolution just weeks before the

Opening Bands Shine as OFF! Plays Alex’s Bar 16 Year Anniversary
Alex’s Bar in Long Beach knows how to celebrate their milestones.. In their 16th year, Alex’s Bar has managed to survive the early years of the many obstacles put in their path by the city of Long Beach to become the most important music venue in the city. Maybe it’s because of this that the celebrations they put together to mark their anniversaries are so notable. It’s always predicated on making sure it’s twice as fun by making it a two night affair. Last year, it was two nights of Rocket From The Crypt This year, for their 16 year anniversary, they booked Keith Morris’ OFF! to play two consecutive nights. Alex’s Bar: 15 Years of Punk Gratitude w/ Rocket from the Crypt What’s left to say about OFF!? I wrote about OFF! in great detail after their show at The Echo. Keith Morris, Dimitri Coats, Steven McDonald and Mario Rubalcaba deserve every word of praise they get for their achievement of making honest, hardcore punk music in this world of corporate numbers crunching. Please check out my piece on OFF! playing The Echo last year. OFF! Transform The Echo From Peaceful Indie Venue To House of Raw Aggression No.

Mike Watt & Dirty Laundry TV: South Bay Slam Fest at Harvard and Stone
It has been quite some time since I have been to Harvard and Stone specifically for music. Don’t get me wrong, I am there at least once a week because it is by far the best bar with the best bartenders in LA. But ever since Andrew Huggy stopped booking the shows, the nights have been kind of meh. Luckily, Adam Mayes took over the Thursday night bookings and has helped book some amazing shows like the New Years show with Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal. Tonight, we were graced with an epic Dirty Laundry TV show with Mid-Coitus, Mike Watt and the Missingmen, Death Hymn Number 9, and Zig Zags. I unfortunately did not make it for Mid-Coitus due to being misinformed on the start time of the show. I made it to Harvard and Stone and immediately was amazed by the size of the line. I get inside to Mike Watt and The Missingmen already playing and the house was packed to the brim. I fought my way to the front to grab some shots. Oh yeah, if you didn’t catch that, Mike Watt (headliner of the night) played second. Apparently he can do that and

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

Take This: Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest Giveaway
Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest is taking place this weekend on Sunday, June 21st at The Satellite. Sponsored by HACHE Burger, Summer Fest features some of Janky Smooth’s favorite local bands like Mike Watt and The Missingmen, The Birth Defects, Death Hymn Number 9, The Abigails, Kera and the Lesbians, Colleen Green and sooo many more. Full list of Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest bands below. Dirty Laundry TV is famous for interviewing bands on tour as they do their laundry. They have given Janky Smooth an exclusive giveaway package for one lucky fan. The winner will receive two tickets to the festival and a free Dirty Laundry TV Comes Clean Cassette Compilation. To enter you must complete ALL the steps below. Winners will be selected on Saturday, June 20th at 10am. 1. Share or retweet our contest posts on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag @jankysmooth – You must share from our posts, not create your own. 2. Comment in the comment section of the post on our website stating you completed this step and give us a reason why we should pick you.. 3. Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, Follow us on Instagram Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest

Alex’s Bar: 15 years of punk gratitude w/Rocket from the Crypt
Last night, Alex’s Bar in Long Beach celebrated the first of two nights dedicated to the amazing punk rock bar’s 15 year anniversary. It’s not just the extreme care and thoughtfulness that is taken when booking bands or the red light, burlesque vibe and the fact that they don’t murder your wallet at the bar that make Alex’s Bar special. It’s the people that run it and the regulars that insist that it’s their second home. Owner Alex Hernandez and his wife Paige treat everyone who works for them like family and everyone who walks in the bar like long lost friends and really are just amongst the nicest people I’ve met in Rock and Roll. In the end, it’s about the music. The owners of music venues who have long been established and enjoyed some success typically hire someone to do the booking after a period of time. But Alex loves music as much as his patrons and still hand picks the bands that play the venue. When I asked him why he picked Rocket from the Crypt to play the two consecutive nights marking the bar’s milestone, he simply said, “Rocket from the Crypt got me through the

An insane lineup for another Moon Block event at the Echo
The Echo is on a fuckin roll these days. Friday January 23, Moon Block put on one of the most amazing shows I have seen in a long time. Even though they were competing with the FIDLAR show at the Regent Theater, It seems Mitchell Frank is only competing against himself now because The Echo was a packed house also. The line up was made up of some amazing LA artists. The bill was L.A. Witch, Death Hymn Number 9, Plague Vendor, Kim And The Created, and last minute add on, Sad Girl. With a diverse line up came a diverse crowd, young and old, people of different ethnic origins, and people of different Cliques. Moon Block knows how to put a show together. L.A. Witch opened up the show with an already packed house. I had seen these ladies once before a year or two ago and I remember being blown away. This night at The Echo was no different from the last time. In fact they got even better with the new material that they have been coming out with. The band was very quiet between songs, and as much as I love banter, nothing beats a dark