Tag: featured

Return to Reign: Sound and Fury Presents Terror and Strife at 1720

Rob Shepyer May 4, 2022

How crazy is it that it’s been three years since the last Sound and Fury? Here was this festival that acted as a living metaphor for eternal youth and summer love, and then it got suspended by lockdowns that in essence froze people’s minds from maturing while their bodies very much got three or five or ten years older over the pandemic. Still though, the relevance of the bands that made Sound and Fury so special haven’t been diminished one bit since they demolished the Belasco. Mindforce and Dead Heat are still the young princes in this kingdom. Meanwhile, Terror and Strife are still kings. related content: L.A.’s Best Festival is Sound And Fury (imo). Here’s Why: Dead Heat opening a hardcore show must mean there’s some kind of killer lineup ahead. Usually, this band is either the closer or direct support, brought out as some kind of secret weapon to really get the festivities popping off, but this show was almost a mini-festival, and the pits needed to be wild right from the jump, so who better than Ventura County’s own nardcore royalty, Dead Heat? Nobody’s better, that’s who. related content: Boston Calling: Sound And Fury 2019 Legendary New

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Adult. at Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command May 4, 2022

Electro-punk legends, Adult. are bringing their off-the-wall beats and hypnotic vocals to the Lodge Room for what is sure to be an unforgettable performance. Few bands are as beloved by Jankysmooth as this iconic duo, so bet your ass we’ll be shaking our booty at the show. Joining them will be Kontravoid and Spike Hellis, making for the industrial/goth tour of the year. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO ADULT. MAY 6TH AT LODGE ROOM 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 ADULT. Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON MAY 5TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Long Live the New Flesh: Ho99o9 and N8 NOFACE at Echoplex

Aria Silva-Espinosa May 3, 2022

The span of Ho99o9’s 5-year siege of the hip hop punk crossover scene isn’t nearly enough time to digest the expansive and complex body of work. In March, the group released their second studio album SKIN following a few EP’s and mixtapes since their debut album United States of Ho99o9 that absolutely broke necks back in 2017. That seems long ago and far away now, almost like a fever dream in the wake of live music’s seemingly untimely demise. A few years back when it felt like shit had really hit the fan, I found myself revisiting tracks like War is Hell and Knuckle Up, finding confirmation in the vengeful, acerbic lyricism and concordant rhythm. It’s the kind of music made by and for those of us who have simply had enough of the bullshit, certainly. Ho99o9’s hot-blooded and unbridled grit invigorates the disdain felt for false authority, inequity and the general state of affairs – as relatable today as it was in 2015 if not increasingly moreso. related content: House of Ho99o9 Halloween at The Roxy The full-length studio album is something of a dream/nightmare blunt rotation of collaborators. SKIN was produced by current Kardashian Kaptive and former pop

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Dance With The Dead at Echoplex

Janky Smooth Central Command May 3, 2022

We’re giving away tickets to the darksynth rave of the year with Dance With The Dead bombing into the Echoplex for a night of ripping, hard beats. If you dance to the death, you’ll be dancing with yourself, at Dance With The Dead….see what I did there? Joining them will be Magic Sword, only adding to the retro trip. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DANCE WITH THE DEAD MAY 5TH AT 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 DANCE WITH THE DEAD Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON MAY 4TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Love, Pain, Sorrow, Joy: An Evening with Dakhabrakha at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel

Rob Shepyer May 2, 2022

It’s not often that world music becomes popular among the LA indie scene to the point a band can sell out the majestic Theatre at the Ace Hotel. This hallowed space, made sacred by the art decorating its interior up to the heavenly portal in the ceiling, has hosted many special moments in LA music history. Dakhabrakha, the Ukrainian psychedelic band, performing here to aid their countrymen during a brutal war, was unforgettable. What made it so memorable was the grandiosity of the show. A massive stage with giant screens inside a huge theatre all for this one foreign quartet. In this space, the complexity of the music could deliver its message simply and perfectly, all for the sake of saving Ukraine and Ukrainians. Dakhabrakha plays in so many musical and thematic spaces, with songs about everything from love, to war, to tragedy, and to spring time. They sing in numerous languages form Ukrainian to Italian or to pantomiming the sounds of nature itself. related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma at The Roxy As a half-Russian/half-Ukrainian, I could feel the Eastern European hearts beating around me. There were also a large psych scene presence there, needing to

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Amyl and the Sniffers at Teragram

Janky Smooth Central Command May 2, 2022

One of the most desired pack of Aussie retro punks, Amyl and the Sniffers, has returned to Los Angeles to pack the Teragram ballroom with a bunch of wild blokes ready to drink, pogo, pit and stage dive the whole night long. Who’s going to drink a beer out their shoe this time? Any takers? We’re giving away two tickets to the show, get in out now! YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS MAY 4TH AT TERAGRAM 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 AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON MAY 3RD AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

The Fonda Shines a Light for Spiritualized on 4/20

Grace Dunn April 29, 2022

Driving down Hollywood Blvd, doing my best to find parking as the line continued to grow outside the venue, I could feel my anticipation for that elusive Spiritualized brand of euphoria mounting. There were swarms of people just like me, thrilled attendees patiently awaiting the grandiose rock ‘n roll gospel trip bubbling inside the Fonda Theatre. This wasn’t just any show, this was a Coachella off-shoot for those grounded in good ol’ Los Angeles for the weekend, Spiritualized purists only. related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma At The Roxy A Spiritualized set is a healing affair. J Spaceman has a unique way of reminding us of a deep pain inside we thought was healed or slowly forgotten, only to be recovered in the effervescent melancholy of his psych rock church. Digging deep into the shadow side of the Jungian caverns in your mind, this special 4/20 set paved the way for true soul healing not yet manifested. ‘Shine A Light’ (off of Lazer Guided Melodies) bathed the crowd in forgiveness, feeling like you hit the colorful stained-glass chapel, harmonizing vocals rising up, slide guitar stretching the soul, and organ sounds soothing your weary spirit from life’s highs

Something Old and Something New: Ceremony at the Constellation Room

Danny Ryan April 28, 2022

Words by: Danny Ryan Photos by: Albert Licano Ceremony has had the most drastic shift in sound and style out of any band that I have witnessed in my lifetime, especially within the modern hardcore punk genre. While this growth has been controversial during many periods of their career, their performance in the Constellation Room of the OC Observatory has demonstrated their success in bridging the divisions between these fanbases. This is a goal that is quite difficult to achieve in the rabid following of hardcore, but the crowd’s explosive reactions to their post-punk influenced songs such as the newest single “Vanity Spawned by Fear” prove how successful they are breaking down these boundaries. The Constellation Room shifted from a battleground of flailing bodies to a lively disco dancefloor throughout the night, never losing momentum throughout their long and expansive set. Blasting into classic tracks that would please anyone in their crowd with a specific preference, they certainly attracted skeptical fans into falling in love with their vast discography over the years. As the band has grown rapidly in their visions throughout their history, their fans are growing alongside them throughout this journey. related content: When Quant Gets Core: Home

Drugs Music: The Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Wiltern

Rob Shepyer April 27, 2022

“Drugs Music” is the umbrella term for the sounds created by The Brian Jonestown Massacre in Anton Newcombe’s own words. He didn’t specify whether this meant the music was the drug or that the music was meant to be enjoyed on drugs, but both are true. Seeing the Brian Jonestown Massacre live is like barreling down a tunnel of infinite and psychedelic love with kaleidoscope colors changing like LSD-friendly chameleons as flower petals shower you in hippie kisses. They’ve harnessed some kind of psych rock induced hypnosis that transports you back in time (or rather through dimensions) to a place sorta like the 60’s where there’s boundless amounts of free love and exquisite weed, friendly vagabonds and outlaws roam about and warmly say hello to everyone they encounter, but it’s a 60’s without all the bloated pontification, the vibe here is much more real. Just go with the flow, that’s the mantra of the music. This show made me feel loose and always connected to that Godly flow instead of being caught in a mental web by useless thoughts that restrict one’s actions and worldview. Someone who just lets the flow dictate their actions all the time without the weight

Two Nights of Emotional Body Music: Boy Harsher at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer April 26, 2022

Boy Harsher‘s rise from underground dance music phenoms to one of the most in-demand goth duos in music, is not just a tale of triumph over cookie-cutter culture, but also a testament to the power of pure emotion and sensuality over pop, glamour, and the mainstream. Boy Harsher’s music is coined Emotional Body Music, a play on Nitzer Ebb’s Electronic Body Music which is a play on Electronic Dance Music. The three of these acronyms dance around each other in a story that has Boy Harsher, Jae Matthews and Augustus Miller, as its protagonists. On the softer side of taste that industrial and goth fans usually enjoy, Boy Harsher appeals to everyone that wants to spend the night losing themselves to irrational movement. To become a total extension of your emotions, to let your body lose control for the sake of release and resurrection by the end of a set, it’s hard not to care how you appear but if you can start moving incrementally harder, you may be able to redefine yourself as the person thats surpassed your previous self’s problems. related content: The Sound Of Sex: Boy Harsher Seduces The Echoplex I remember seeing Boy Harsher at Substance

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Prayers at El Rey

Janky Smooth Central Command April 26, 2022

Brand new world, brand new Prayers. Leafer Seyer is the king of Cholo Goth so it only makes sense he’d be performing all the hits at El Rey. We’re giving away two tickets to the show so you can join all the other children of the night. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO PRAYERS APRIL 29TH AT EL REY 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 PRAYERS Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 28TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Manic Fever Dream: Drug Church at the Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command April 24, 2022

Drug Church brought their US tour to its penultimate stop at The Lodge Room in Highland Park in support of their new album Hygiene. The night was stacked top to bottom with incredible support that brought out an explosive energy from the crowd that continued to snowball until the very end. Openers LURK started off the night strong, pulling no punches and launching into some heavy hitting tracks and getting the energy set up for the rest of the night. The Chicago outfit had a memorable set in their first LA gig, with personal favorite parts of the set being the high energy psych-inspired “Sterilizer” melting off the faces off many in the crowd and their cover of The Ramones’ “Judy is a Punk” that had me pumped up from the get go. Most of their set featured songs off their latest album Around the Sun which is definitely a must listen after their set. Up next we had Hudson Valley’s own Soul Blind who was on their first full US tour following their newest album Third Chain. Right off the bat the crowd was mesmerized with the heavy and sludgy sound that felt almost like something you would feel