Tag: echo

Earth’s Crust: CY Fest 2024 at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer November 6, 2024

What does a typical LA punk want out of a festival? Given that Los Angeles is the most prominent live music hub in the USA, and the world, the average LA punk attends enough shows to make any given concert, no matter how badass, still leaving something to be desired. From my personal experience, that thing LA punks are left desiring from their scene is to have their minds, tastes, and boundaries expanded. I want to see something different, new. I want a band to show me something I didn’t think was possible. The best way to do this is by assembling bills with bands of various styles from various parts of the globe, and no festival has gathered more international acts in Los Angeles than CY Fest 2024. It was the World Cup of punk, with heavy representation from Sweden, Spain, Japan, Italy, Mexico, and so many more countries. Topping off the festivities, the USA’s contribution to the lineup came in the form of a rare Dropdead co-headlining performance before the reunion of Portland’s female-fronted crusties, Detestation. related content: Set The Animals Free: Wolfbrigade and Dropdead at 1720 With a few bands of the upcoming CY Fest 2025 already

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

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Vein.FM at The Echoplex

Janky Smooth Central Command August 30, 2022

Vein.FM returns to Los Angeles to rip things up with the most jagged, visceral, noisy hardcore music you’ve ever heard. Joining them will be Candy, who know all about raising the stakes of heaviness in hardcore. We’ve got two tickets to their show at Echoplex and want you there to witness the madness. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS‍ HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO VEIN.FM SEPTEMBER 3RD AT THE ECHOPLEX Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK VEIN.FM Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 2ND AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Take This: Win Two Tickets to THICK at the Echo

Janky Smooth Central Command April 13, 2022

Real recognizes real here at Jankysmooth and Brooklyn pop punk band, THICK are real and ready to make big waves. These gals are only starting to take over and we want you in on the scoop before they blow up. That’s why we’re giving away two tickets to their upcoming show at the Echo. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO THICK APRIL 15TH AT THE ECHO Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK THICK Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 14TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

I Don’t Have a Curfew: Dirty Penni Fest IV at the Echo/Echoplex

Jonathan Reyes July 16, 2019

The kaleidoscope of sound heard at the fourth iteration of Dirty Laundry TV and Penniback Records‘ collaboration, Dirty Penni Fest, could best be described as pleasantly confounding. While there was a thread of teen angst sewn through every band, the final product being a disorderly quilt collaboratively sewn by neo-cumbia, acid metal, and traditional punk bands. Walking through this festival made of think of listening to the radio in one room and the TV in another while smoking weed in the bathroom so mom doesn’t smell it. related content: Dirty Penni Fest: A Rock And Roll Romper Room For Young And Old Can you describe something as walking through a sea of teenagers? The patio stage was constant and rowdy, Think “The Smell” without the scared straight element. When I wasn’t getting elbowed in the back I was enjoying Kuromi rip it up. What a band. I watched a lot of kids scream and thrash into instruments but they had something that was lacking in some of the other bands, a point to the fury, they screamed and they bashed and they captivated. Sabrina is Not in This Chat Sabrina is not playing loud enough, for the first couple songs

Down Home Ho Down: Roots Roadhouse 2019

Rob Shepyer April 2, 2019

Within moments of walking into Roots Roadhouse at the Echoplex and seeing BBQ pits, haystacks, cowboy hats and boots, I realized that this is one of the best festivals in Los Angeles, it’s a hidden gem. If you follow Janky Smooth, you certainly won’t see much country on our blog but for some reason, even though I was moshing at Gorilla Biscuits the night before, this music felt more like home than metal, punk, hardcore, or industrial to me. After listening to a few acts and thinking about why this is, I realized that the soundtrack to being a rocker would have plenty of country in it. The way outlaw country tales about being broke, losing love, chasing love, doing drugs, and getting drunk, relates to me more than other kinds of music. Part of the reason for this lack of country coverage is simply awareness. In Los Angeles, no one knows these artists but across the rest of the country, they all have huge followings, mostly because of relentless touring. With Roots Roadhouse, Los Angeles gets a taste of how the rest of America listens to music, whether it be Nashville, Texas, or Louisiana, the heart of America was

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Roots Roadhouse at the Echo & Echoplex

Janky Smooth Central Command March 18, 2019

We know that Los Angeles doesn’t do the best job of giving its people their country music fix. Every once in awhile there’ll be a show but there ain’t no scene for people to come and wear their cowboy hats and boots to. Roots Roadhouse is of course the exception in the room, turning the east side into the old west for a cool Sunday where patrons can walk between the Echo and Echoplex, beer and barbecue in hand, to catch some old country crooners on either stage. It’s a hoot and a half. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO ROOTS ROADHOUSE MARCH 31ST AT THE ECHO & ECHOPLEX Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2- Tag a Friend in the comment section of our Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Roots Roadhouse Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY MARCH 25TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Silver Linings to Sorrowful Tales: Laura Veirs at The Echo

Dillon Vaughn June 2, 2018

Touring in support of her new album The Lookout, Laura Veirs performed an intimate show at The Echo to a crowd composed of some of the most engaged fans I’ve seen for any artist at the venue; a level of energy not entirely surprising considering her previous performance in LA was with case/lang/veirs (the singer-songwriter supergroup consisting of Veirs, Neko Case, and K.D. Lang) at the Greek Theatre in 2016. Those in attendance this time around were treated to live performances of a bulk of the songs from The Lookout as well as fan favorites from July Flame, Year of Meteors and more. related content: Erika Wennerstrom Brings The Bootleg Closer To Nature A live setting for her work is an excellent opportunity to see how far Veirs’ strengths extend beyond her songwriting capabilities. Her vocal range easily exceeds the (already satisfying) levels reached in her recordings and viewers are given a glimpse of how technically proficient she is with both guitar and keys. Veirs can shred without hesitation but she knows what works for her music and how important the use of restraint really is. An additional highlight of the night was the performance by Alex Guy (of Led

Take This: 2 VIP Tickets & VIP Swag Bag For Dirty Penni Fest 3 At The Echo & Echoplex

Janky Smooth Central Command May 14, 2018

Dirty Laundry TV and Penniback records are joining forces once again to bring you the gnarliest, dirtiest, most insanely fun festival this side of Sunset Blvd, that’s right boys and girls, Dirty Penni Fest is back with its 3rd installment on July 1st and it’s taking over the Echo and the Echoplex again for you animals to crawl up and down between sets. related content: Dirty Penni Fest: A Rock And Roll Romper For Young And Old This year’s lineup hosts none other than LA noise rock hooligans No Age, surf punk trio Sad Girl, Oakland’s own Mt. Eddy, kings of LA psyche rock Frankie And The Witch Fingers, garage rock from the future: Feels, and much, much more including a special guest >_>. Underground legends get made at Dirty Penni Fest, so here’s your chance. Janky Smooth, Penniback Records, and Dirty Laundry TV are giving away 2 VIP tickets to Dirty Penni Fest 3 and a VIP swag bag that includes shirts, CD’s and cassettes to one winner. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP TICKETS AND SWAG BAG FOR DIRTY PENNI FEST 3 July 1st 2018, The Echo + Echoplex Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up everytime

Between Coachellas, Brazilian Boogarins At The Echo

Rob Shepyer April 24, 2018

As I continue my education in psych rock, I start seeing these shows as lectures and the artists as professors in preparation for my “thesis” at this year’s Desert Daze. That said, it was refreshing to get an international take on the genre with Boogarins, a band that hails from Brazil and played the Echo as an off-shoot show between their Coachella sets. They were actually the best psych band of the few I’ve seen and drew me closer to understanding and liking the genre more than the other shows I’ve been to. related content: Desert Daze 2016: Quantifying The Physics Of A Good Time The first band was another non-American band, Señor Kino, from Sonora, Mexico. Their songs are in Spanish, though that doesn’t deter anyone from reading the feel and joy and changes in tone in their songs. Señor Kino are a surf rock band with a pinch of 90’s alternative and I mean that as a total compliment, like the best kind of 90’s rock. Although the band is rather young, they seem to be emotionally intelligent beyond their years and I sense this solely from seeing them live and never talking to them or understanding their lyrics.

Hooliganism Trumps Hate: Pussy Riot At The Echo

Aria Silva-Espinosa April 10, 2018

In terms of global affairs, Pussy Riot came to us when we needed them most. Building political tensions between the United States and basically everyone else seem to be constantly in the foreground of conversations and news briefings.Gaining notoriety for activism in their home country of Russia, Pussy Riot made a name for themselves by speaking out against Vladimir Putin and his anti-LGBT, anti-Feminist agenda. Similarly, we seem to be struggling with our own self-important leader with a relatively corrupt agenda ourselves. Three founding members of the band were arrested, tried and convicted in 2012 for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”, including Nadya Tolokonnikova who actually served a sentence of over a year. The inciting incident for the arrest of the members of Pussy Riot came in the form of a demonstration held inside a Moscow church, the congregants of which did not take kindly to the women donning neon ski masks and dresses who stormed the altar to recite a “punk prayer” before being detained by relatively unenthusiastic authority figures. This was all caught on video and was widely distributed by media sources when news of the arrest spread and caught the attention of Amnesty International, who named the