Tag: featured

Photo Recap: Viagra Boys at the Roxy

Janky Smooth Central Command April 23, 2022

One of Coachella’s most anticipated imports has to be Viagra Boys. All the way from Sweden, these tattooed and beer-bellied punk freaks turn any show into a wild affair. There was sweat, booze, and probably other human fluids all over the Roxy by the time this chaotic banger of a show was finished. Southern California had been waiting for awhile to see these guys again, the last time they showed up around these parts was for Desert Daze 2019. This time, as they take their punk rodeo around the country, they brought local bright youngsters Kills Birds along for the ride. We’ve got amazing picture documenting the whole affair. Check these babies out. Photos by: Albert Licano Viagra Boys Kills Birds

Photo Recap: Molchat Doma at the Music Box

Janky Smooth Central Command April 22, 2022

Molchat Doma‘s reign as the kings of goth music continues across Southern California as they played their 2nd Coachella side-show after a sold out Roxy performance, following it up with another sold out Music Box show. This one was a bigger venue with bigger production value, a testament to the band’s potential which still hasn’t been reached. Though they don’t sing in English, American audiences seem completely onboard and in-touch with everything their music stands for. This trio has simply mastered what happens to be one of the most potent goth sounds around right now. Check out our coverage of their Roxy performance as well as these glorious pics from the Music Box by Rebecca DiGiglio. Photos by: Rebecca DiGiglio related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma at The Roxy

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Terror at 1720

Janky Smooth Central Command April 22, 2022

God I miss Sound and Fury. It’s been gone two years now but finally, 2022 is the year it’s returning and we don’t even have to wait till summer because along with SOS Booking, they’re putting on one of the best hardcore shows this far this year with Terror, Strife, Mindforce, Dead Heat, and Outburst. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO TERROR APRIL 28TH AT 1720 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 TERROR Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 27TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees Tour Rolls up to the Wiltern

Janky Smooth Central Command April 21, 2022

One of the world’s most iconic modern psychedelic rock bands, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are returning to Los Angeles for a tour stop at the Wiltern meant to melt their audience only after they’re tripping too hard to stop it from happening. That’s right, Anton Newcombe and his wild bunch are bringing retro psychedelia back with a vengeance. Having released two new singles, “The Real” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” earlier this year off their upcoming album titled Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees, the band is geared up and ready to deliver all the best elements of BJM from hazy grooves, explosive rhythms, walls of sound, face melting fuzz, and drone for daze. With support from Mercury Rev, Friday night at the Wiltern is set to bring the LA psyche community out in droves and leave them totally wasted but happy.

Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma at the Roxy

Rob Shepyer April 21, 2022

It is my personal mission to spread the creed of Molchat Doma far and wide across the So-Cal internet airwaves. I feel so compelled because like me, these three men are of Slavic descent, them from Belarus and myself, the child of Russian-Ukrainian immigrants. More than that though, my father was a Ukrainian musician that immigrated to America, hoping to make it in the music industry. He never accomplished this dream but Molchat Doma’s success is a vicarious victory. If they can break out through the (former) iron curtain and into the international mainstream to play Coachella then it’s almost like they fulfilled my father’s dream and so, I will do whatever I can to uplift these three dreamers. related content: Super Saiyan Sasami At The Teragram Ballroom My background doesn’t just make me empathize with and root for this band, it helps me understand them. I understand what elements make a Slavic heart and the textures of Slavic emotion. Much of this is hard to put into words but for the length of this article, I will do my best. Eastern Europeans feel melodrama in a way Americans simply don’t, at least not on the surface. We might be

Your Baroness’ Majesty: Baroness at The Echo

Dillon Vaughn April 20, 2022

John Baizley and co. rolled through Echo Park recently for “An Evening with Baroness.” Pitched as a special “by request” tour, the Your Baroness run has given fans in each city the opportunity to vote and select ten songs from the band’s rich catalogue to form the first half of the extended setlist each night. related content: Hell or High Roller: Psycho Las Vegas 2021 John’s work as an illustrator has always given an interesting picture of how his brain perceives the world around him. The Appalachian roars of Baroness’ earlier days served as the defining framework of the “Savannah Sound” – something nearly inseparable from John’s contemporary art-nuveau cover art. Those lush depictions of flora and fauna drifting weightlessly across countless LP covers have seeped into the music more and more over the years as the songs themselves have become increasingly melodic, anthemic, and dare I say uplifting. On stage these days it’s clear Baizley and his bandmates take great pride and meaning in their music as they play every note with a balance of grace and heaviness. Their strength definitely lies in their range: skillful restraint as they perform sleeper tracks like “Cocainium” and “Little Things” versus palpable

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Parquet Courts at the Wiltern

Janky Smooth Central Command April 20, 2022

One of modern alternative’s most iconic and influential bands is back with t their first big LA show in years at the Wiltern. We’re talking about the boys in Parquet Courts, who put one of their best albums this year with Plant Life. We’re giving away two tickets to the show, so wake up and enter! YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO PARQUET COURTS APRIL 28TH AT THE WILTERN 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 PARQUET COURTS Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 27TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Super Saiyan Sasami at the Teragram Ballroom

Rob Shepyer April 19, 2022

Those who attended Desert Daze’s legendary 2019 installment will never forget Sasami‘s set. It was sweet, tender and psychedelic. Sprinkled with her signature screeches, the band separated themselves into a different league than the rest of the lineup. It was clear to me that Sasami Ashworth was willing to take risks the rest of the LA indie scenesters weren’t dabbling with. That was in a different world though, now, after so much global turmoil, Sasami has evolved into a different artist altogether. Her latest album, Squeeze, has heavy metal, industrial and hardcore moments that are so potent, that instead of being the outlier of the LA indie scene, the scene changes to the music. The Nagas serpent woman that adorns the cover represents Sasami’s anime-esque character arc where a hero or villain needs to show their true form to stand a chance in battle. Slithering, coiling, and constricting with four arms on each side of her serpentine tail, Sasami reminds me of the light version of Naruto’s Orochimaru mixed with a bit of Takashi Miike cinema. related content: Silver Lake Perris: Desert Daze 2019 The concert in question at the Teragram Ballroom was the last stop on Sasami’s tour. This

How to Wage Class Warfare: D.O.A. at the Roxy

Rob Shepyer April 17, 2022

“Listen to your elders”, though punk rock is eternally young, the timeless adage applies to this rebel art form. Since D.O.A.‘s groundbreaking 2nd album, Hardcore ’81, the genre they helped create has gone through many evolutions and branching-offs until it doesn’t quite resemble its original sonic or thematic mold. Hardcore doesn’t need to change their sounds, but it wouldn’t hurt to listen to Godfather punk bands like D.O.A. more, not just to be inspired by that original, tested and proven sound, but to relearn what the true ethos and political/existential stance punk is supposed to stand for. related content: Sacred Vibration: Guided By Voices At Teragram The moment D.O.A. broke into “Class War”, off the band’s third album, War on 45, introducing the song by saying “the only war worth fighting is a class war” I knew all bets were off. D.O.A. and bands from their era never failed to mince words, opting to make songs with straight forward messaging, striking metaphor, ruthless aggression and artistic bravery that also get the party and pit going full speed. Hardcore these days is much more interested in brutality. There’s nothing wrong with that but in times like these when we can’t quite

Dungeon Demon: Hulder at Don Quixote

Rob Shepyer April 16, 2022

Black metal is like black caviar, a rare and special treat not to be consumed everyday for every meal but on those much needed occasions when you need to feel truly alive. Grizzly, noisy, hazy, and atmospheric are the usual descriptors the mind shuffles through trying to synthesize the experience of listening to this purely underground genre. However, when seeing Hulder live, my mind was more consumed with the thought of power, in awe of how much she was able to harness when performing on stage. It’s not just in her demonic vocals or the way she wields a black guitar, or even a sword for that matter, it’s the entirety of her presence. You sense that this person has integrated the genre so deeply into their core, that they’ve become an actual warrior. As if there’s some kind of medieval mitochondria the black metal injected into her cells to give her the fortitude to be Hulder. related content: Satyricon’s Final Los Angeles Show At The Regent: A Night Too Blackened To Forget Women in black metal isn’t common. It’s not unheard of but it’s certainly not the reason Hulder is special. Hulder is special because she commands an audience,

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Drug Church at the Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command April 14, 2022

Hardcore meets alternative meets pop punk meets boy meets girl meets Lodge Room and everybody falls in love as Drug Church returns to LA with an axe to grind on a mission from God. We’re giving away two tickets to the show. Here’s what you gotta do….‏ YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DRUG CHURCH APRIL 16TH AT THE 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 DRUG CHURCH Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 15TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Hardcore Disco: HEALTH at 1720

Danny Ryan April 13, 2022

Words by: Danny Ryan Photos by: Manuel Arredondo Health’s record release show at 1720 Warehouse was an excellent demonstration of their ability to incorporate the widest-array of contrasting sounds and emotions into their artistic vision. Their dedication to breaking ground in the incorporation of these genres was on full display, from the diversity of the crowd to the band’s ambitious blend of industrial, noise, goth, synth, metal, hardcore punk and shoegaze influences blasting throughout the venue. With their new album “Disco4: Pt. 2” comprising of different guest features on every track, Health proves that their signature style can collaborate with any artist without straying away from sounding like themselves. This show was an ideal celebration for the release of this new album. Even with most of the set being comprised of their solo works, Health is presenting their fusion of these genres in a powerful manner. Health always distinctively sounds like Health, no matter which artists they are featuring or taking influence from. From an outsider’s perspective, it would have been very difficult to discern which genre of music they would be seeing that night. Mesh tops and leather outfits evoking industrial style could be seen throughout the venue, as