Tag: featured

PHOTO RECAP: Serpentwithfeet at The Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command March 13, 2022

One of the brightest, most unique and spellbinding voices in alternative R&B, Serpentwithfeet, brought his boundary-pushing show to The Fonda Theatre and gave Los Angeles a taste of romance, tragedy, drama and comedy all through the vehicle of rhythm and blues music. Supporting him for this unforgettable show was Devin Tracy. Here are some incredible pics from the show. Photos by: Erika Reinsel Serpentwithfeet Devin Tracy

Love at the Lodge Room: Habibi in Highland Park

Rob Shepyer March 12, 2022

There was a time in the early 2010’s when the worlds of garage rock and psychedelic indie music were still male dominated arenas. Of the few bands that broke the gender mold in garage rock and made fans want to see more women in the spotlight at these low lit shows, New York’s Habibi is both one of the most important and under-recognized outfits. Combining Iranian romance and cool with lo-fi East Coast indie rock was always a recipe for uniqueness and trendsetting. related content: Dream James: Arooj Aftab at Lodge Room The word Habibi, which means “My Love”, signals warmth and acceptance. Just the vibes their shows emanate, especially this one at the Lodge Room, which showed a chiller, more laid back side to garage rock than many in Los Angeles are accustomed to. Our garage rock is heavy and fuzzy while New York’s is more atmospheric. Habibi’s realness felt like New York, the music had no inclination to rush anywhere and was firmly grounded in the moment. They’re much more The Velvet Underground than The Doors. The Lodge Room was the perfect venue to host this event. Something about the sacred imagery and architecture becomes very beatnik under

Turnstile “Shake it Up” at the Novo

Danny Baraz March 11, 2022

As I stood in the Novo vaxx card checkpoint line that wrapped around the block and took an hour to traverse, I found myself wondering what it would be like to see Turnstile in such a controlled environment, with a barrier and many different obstacles blocking the way between the stage and the floor. While I was waiting outside lamenting, I missed openers Citizen, Coco and Clair Clair. Sorry guys. It’s hard to believe Turnstile released Pressure to Succeed 11 years ago. While Turnstile have ruled the hardcore scene, to a large degree, to simply call Turnstile a hardcore band would be missing the mark on the massive mutt of music that spawned them. But even with the hints of hardcore punk and most recently, emo (don’t hate me) laced into their songs and albums, make no mistake, they are a hardcore band. Related Content: The Most Complete Sound and Fury 2017 Review on Earth It had been a few years since I saw Turnstile live at Nature World Night Out and the first time since their album, Glow On hit most hipster top 10 albums of 2021- no small feat for a hardcore band from Baltimore. And with that

PHOTO RECAP: Drain at 1720

Janky Smooth Central Command March 8, 2022

SOS Productions should stand for Sold Out Shows because they are on fire with their recent events, most notably Drain‘s appearance at 1720 which brought every kid and their boogie board out of the wood work to surf the crowds all night during this hardcore banger for the history books. If you’re not familiar with Drain by now, they’re one of the dopest sounding hardcore bands with a crossover edge at the moment. Their Sound and Fury set is so legendary, crowds keep trying to recreate the magic. Along with No Pressure and Ingrown, this was a night LAHC won’t soon forget. We stan for Drain here at Jankysmooth, so here are a bunch of photos from the night. Photos by: Manuel Arredondo Drain No Pressure Ingrown

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Lookout Fest at Hollywood Palladium

Janky Smooth Central Command March 8, 2022

One of the dopest lineups to hit Los Angeles has got to be the hip hop/punk mashup of Lookout Fest. You can get your fix of the wildest trap with Ski mask The Slump God and $not, or you can headbang to the punk riffage of Trash Talk and Show Me The Body. If we know anything about LA shows, it’s that bills like these are bound to bring out the most ape-shit, fun crowds. We want you to be a part of that chaos so please, enter our giveaway for chance to party at the Palladium at Lookout Fest. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO LOOKOUT FEST APRIL 2ND AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM 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 LOOKOUT FEST Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON MARCH 31ST AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

ShadowMANcer: Dorian Electra’s Hyper Pop Pandemonium at El Rey

Rob Shepyer March 7, 2022

Dorian Electra has been one of the hottest tickets in town ever since their 2019 album Flamboyant introduced them to the world as a satirical songstress, non-binary clown, voice for voiceless misfits, and hyper pop visionary. Between then and now, the pandemic severed any chance to see them perform live but for a small handful of shows that I kept on missing. Dorian then released My Agenda in 2020 and all bets were off. Dorian was no longer an underground sensation, they were a pop icon in the making. Canoodling with the likes of Charli XCX, The Village People, The Garden, Grimes and Pussy Riot on tracks and live, they sticking to their roots as they ascend the ladder. In other words, if Dorian wins and goes all the way, they’re taking the underground up with them. For this, the My Agenda Tour, Dorian was playing a parody of a villain that embodied in them the right wing’s biggest boogie man, some kind of hidden puppeteer hellbent on turning the world gay. Dorian, who’s purpose as an artist is to challenge comfort zones and expand boundaries, was ready to wage war. As a music blogger delving into the many undergrounds of

Judas Priest at Knotfest by Alfonso Contreras

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Judas Priest at The Shrine

Janky Smooth Central Command March 7, 2022

PHOTO RECAP: Provoker and Boan at The Regent

Janky Smooth Central Command March 3, 2022

Two stand out heavyweights of modern post punk have shown audiences new peaks of emotional pleasure and pain through their music. San Francisco’s Provoker and Los Angeles’ Boan put on one hell of a show for their fellow statesmen at The Regent. Formed by Jonathan Lopez to created scores to imaged horror movies, Provoker’s debut album Body Jumper let LA drown in synths and delicious depression. Our city’s goth scene is no stranger to Boan and they brought it too with powerful, retro cascades into emotional landscapes only empaths dare tread. Check out the photos from the show below. Photos by: Pedro Carrera Provoker Boan

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Habibi at Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command March 3, 2022

The original garage/indie/psych band of badass women, Habibi makes their highly-anticipated return to Los Angeles with a banger at Lodge Room this city won’t soon forget. Win this giveaway and you’ll be swept up in a whirlwind of rock ‘n roll feels and garage drip. Low key a grip of ya’ll owe everything to Habibi. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO HABIBI MARCH 5TH 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 HABIBI Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON MARCH 4TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

The Pharaoh’s Favorite Death Metal Bands: Nile and Incantation at 1720

Rob Shepyer March 2, 2022

Lineup changes, signing to Napalm Records, taking Sanguisugabogg on tour, and combining forces with the almighty Incantation were just a few reasons I had to check out Nile‘s Los Angeles show at 1720. Nile is one of my favorite death metal bands, not just because they’re brutal, crushing and technically awesome, but with their use of Egyptian imagery, I’m able to bite into a more cohesive, fuller vision that harnesses a whole world of brutality beyond death metal–history and mythos. related content: Soulfly And Nile: From The Amazon To The Whiskey A guy dressed as King Tut, touting an Egyptian staff romped around the pit during each band, cursing the mosh pit to higher levels of violence it would’ve never reached otherwise. This made my first viewing of Sanguisugabogg all the more intriguing. What I appreciated most about this band, currently stirring up a bunch of hype in underground circles, was how dirty their sound was. I was just reminiscing the other day on how Chris Barnes era Cannibal Corpse created the superior death metal sound as every instrument added to a more rotten, decayed atmosphere. Sanguisugabogg doesn’t sound rotting as much as they sound filthy and gritty, but that’ll

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Dorian Electra at El Rey

Janky Smooth Central Command March 1, 2022

Neither plague nor war stopped Dorian Electra‘s ascent to stardom and as we enter a new age, Dorian is set to perform two shows at El Rey to usher us into this new world led by their agenda. Hyper pop’s non-binary clown and master of ceremonies will play all their best jams from 2019’s Flamboyant to 2020’s My Agenda. To be up on the next breed of rock star requires you know Dorian Electra’s music on record and live. So we’re giving you the chance to get in the know and see Dorian Electra on March 3rd at El Rey in front of a packed crowd of young, hot people. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DORIAN ELECTRA MARCH 3RD 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 DORIAN ELECTRA Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON MARCH 2ND AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Homesick 2022: Let the Ceremony Begin Anew at The Glass House

Janky Smooth Central Command February 8, 2022

Homesick Festival returned to the Glass House last Friday night with a killer lineup including headliner Ceremony, Touche Amore, Show Me The Body, and more. Early on in the show the crowd was loosely scattered throughout the 800-capacity space when bands Laughing Matter and The Umbrellas opened the show. The energy picked up immensely with up-and-coming hardcore group Militarie Gun. Lead singer Ian Shelton got the band moving — jumping around on stage to crowd-favorite songs “Ain’t No Flowers” and “Big Disappointment.” The vibe drastically changed as the noisy-electronic Special Interest took the stage with singer Alli Logout getting up close and personal with fans at the barricade. Her brooding and aggressive stage-presence was hypnotic and I really enjoyed their performance even though their sound stood out on an otherwise punk and hardcore lineup. I was most excited to see Show Me The Body, who are known for their sludgy hardcore sound while incorporating elements of hip-hop and the electric banjo. The crowd had finally fully filled in the venue — leading to a huge pit for the final three sets. Their set was electric, but I was especially impressed by bass player Harlan Steed who was absolutely shredding on