Tag: featured

The Spits Stain SoCal With Stops at Teragram and Alex’s Bar

Jonathan Reyes February 7, 2022

What was the allure for The Spits to perform at Alex’s Bar last week? Did they have a message? A new album is what they’re performing, But what, if anything, were we giving them; I heard it muffled under the crash of flesh punctuated by cheers and laughter from the web of limbs clambering over each other seeking the sound. What they find inside is their own; I like to watch wild smiles form on their faces. Does the band see it? Do they feel it? I guess I can only wonder, from what I gather, its preservation of legacy not tempted into glorification. The Spits are just doing the damn thing. Related Content: The Spits and Surfbort at Alex’s Bar Opening Bands Shine as OFF! Plays Alex’s Bar 16 Year Anniversary Relentless as their tour schedule has to be. I was not surprised to see them looking so virile as they pushed past the crowd on their way to the stage, onto their part of the court. They came in with considerable brother energy, which as if to set the tempo for the evening was how the vibe was. I was inspired to come closer to the center. I

20 Years of Background Music: American Nightmare at the Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command January 25, 2022

Words and Photos by: Veronika Reinert To kick off 2022, American Nightmare returned to Los Angeles to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their iconic debut record, Background Music. They brought along supporting up-and-comers from both coasts: Chemical Fix (Philadelphia), and Scowl (Santa Cruz). related content: Midnight Massacre: American Nightmare At The Echoplex American Nightmare’s long-anticipated return to Los Angeles was met with major enthusiasm, albeit sparse attendance. COVID rates had skyrocketed, leaving many laid up on the couch at home or wary of being in large, indoor crowds. Those who did make it to the show were respectful of the venue’s mask requirement, and the venue did offer a large outdoor lounge with the entire show projected onto a 20-ft wall. I’d been seeing Scowl’s name on a lot of big bills over the last several months and was excited to finally see them live. I’d have to wait a little longer though, as their start time kept getting pushed back that night. When the band finally took the stage, singer, Kat Moss, sauntered over to the mic fully glamorized in chic sunglasses and mid-length fur-lined coat. She crooned a slow, melodic introductory song to start the night off, then

Three Nights of Bjork CORNUCOPIA at the Shrine

Rob Shepyer January 12, 2022

It’s been years since the last time I saw Bjork perform in Los Angeles. I’ll never forget it, it was FYF fest 2017, the most stacked lineup this city has seen in years, with Frank Ocean’s last LA performance headlining one night, Nine Inch Nails closing out the fest, but Bjork and Missy Elliot reigning supreme on the opening Friday night festivities. Simply hearing “Joga” live was a life altering musical experience. Bjork’s vocals cut right through to people’s hearts so after two years of living in a covid hellscape, I have no doubt she will make every audience of her upcoming three night stint at the Shrine Auditorium cry their eyes out. related content: FYF Fest 2017 Steals Coachella’s Throne As So-Cal’s Premiere Festival These three Shrine performances won’t simply be Bjork shows, these are CORNUCOPIA shows, some of the avant-garde and inspiring live music you could ever experience, especially if you’re a creative yourself. Fantasy becomes a force for change with visuals co-directed by Bjork and Argentine genius, Lucrecia Marartel and co-creative directed by James Merry. You’ll see images of foreign worlds straight out of the queen’s mind. The visuals are so animated and vibrant they feel like

Take This: Win Two Tickets to LA Witch at Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command January 11, 2022

LA’s baddest coven of witches is going to take over the lodge room for a night of pure magick and garage rock drip. LA Witch will always represent the LA sound, this is essential listening to know the vibe of this city. That’s why we’re giving away two tickets to this power trio. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO L.A. WITCH JANUARY 14TH 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 L.A. WITCH Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JANUARY 13TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Take This: Win Two to American Nightmare at the Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command January 10, 2022

One of the most influential and trendsetting modern hardcore bands of all time has got to be Boston’s American Nightmare. These guys have elevated hardcore music to the level of rockstars and they’re coming to the Fonda to pummel you all with the classics and we’re giving away two tickets to the bloodbath. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO AMERICAN NIGHTMARE JANUARY 14TH AT THE FONDA 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 AMERICAN NIGHTMARE Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JANUARY 12TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Knower at Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command January 5, 2022

Brainfeeder’s Louis Cole is a musical genius whether he’s playing in clown core or his electronic duo, Knower. He’s played the Lodge Room before but this time the band’s insane visual show will bring the house down. You want to be there for this, that’s why we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the show. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO KNOWER JANUARY 8TH 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 KNOWER Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JANUARY 7TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Death Valley Girls at Lodge Room

Danny Baraz December 29, 2021

I discovered … and You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead from their Relative Ways EP less than 30 days after the attacks on the World Trade Center and subsequently their first 2 releases on Interscope Records, in a newly, Post 9/11 world. As hard as the Source Tags and Codes album hit me, it was dwarfed by 2005’s Worlds Apart in how close to my heart a record could be. So when Trail of Dead played “Will You Smile Again?” toward the end of their set at the Lodge Room, I had quite the mixed emotional response of crying and headbanging. On top of all this, Death Valley Girls were opening for Trail of Dead on this tour and their 2020 album, Under the Spell of Joy got me through the dystopian days of a post quarantine, pre vaccine landscape. Death Valley Girls Glow in the Dark at The Echo Record Release Party So here I was, at the Lodge Room, about to intersect past trauma and current disillusioned malaise with the magick that helped me through them both. It also happened to be the first time I was seeing Death Valley Girls with a new battery.

Top 10 ALBUMS of 2021 as Rated by Contributors

Rob Shepyer December 21, 2021

Across every known genre in the musicverse, 2021 saw incredible releases from artists new and old proving that pressure really does create diamonds. The pandemic certainly put a strain on every performer’s bottom line but the real bottom line behind every dollar is the artistic inspiration that drives people’s ears to your art. We saw game changing albums in 2021, from Turnstile’s Glow On which may just be the first “dreamcore” album, to Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg which reinvigorated British post punk with cool feminine ennui. Plenty of Jankysmooth favorites came out with new albums like Viagra Boys’ Welfare Jazz, Shannon and the Clams’ Year of the Spider, Surfbort’s Keep on Truckin’, Angel Du$t’s Yak, and so many more. We discovered new favorites along the way too, like Pixel Grip’s Arena, Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World, Squid’s Bright Green Field, and so many more. Icons were created in 2021, like Japanese Breakfast after their album Jubilee, Idles after Crawler, and King Woman after Celestial Blues. The list goes on and on, so to make things more concise, our contributors rated their top ten favorite albums of the year. Check it out. Publisher, Danny Baraz Turnstile – Glow On Black Midi –

Desert Daze 2021: Music, Magick and Medicine

Danny Baraz December 17, 2021

The road to Desert Daze 2021 was a long and winding way that spanned greater than the material distances of the 10, 60 and 215 highways between Lake Perris and Los Angeles. Everyone’s road was different, from festival organizers, Moonblock and co. and those in attendance. Not everyone’s road was paved with isolation and misery since the last installment of Desert Daze in 2019 but certainly everyone can agree that there has been a paradigm shift in the dynamic of living, or the collective consciousness, or whatever you want to call it, on Planet Earth. related content: Desert Daze 2016- Quantifying the Physics of a Good Time Music, Magick and Medicine beckoned far and wide but intimate attendance (low ticket sales) and a revamped vibe in the typical Desert Daze lineup brought only the most loyal and adventurous of past attendees and in my own conversations in the camp site, many first timers. It shrunk the festival grounds to a one stage operation on the banks of lovely lake Perris, in one of the most beautiful weekends to grace this Fall season in Southern California. Nevertheless, vibrations reverberated like signature sitar tones, like a butterflies wings, causing ripples across space

Creatures of the Night: Substance LA 2021

Rob Shepyer December 15, 2021

Substance has always been Los Angeles’ premiere post-punk festival. Celebrating all things goth and clad in black, the scene wouldn’t be quite the same without it. No festival embodies the true spirit of “LA” more than Substance. There’s something urban and dreamy about the whole episode. You get such a range of feels, some bands appeal to your heart then others purely to the body. Spanning all night, the fest goes late into the evening to make you feel like the real nightcrawler that LA is supposed to make you feel like. I came to see Nitzer Ebb but my greatest takeaways were the smaller bands who’s performances left a mark. Here are my five favorites from each day. Day 1 Pixel Grip Chicago-based industrial dance music is a beast of its own breed. Pixel Grip began the festival for my gang and might’ve left the biggest impression of any band for the entire three nights. They commanded their audience with so much attitude, mystique and power, they could’ve headlined the day purely based on the merits of their charismatic performing. Listening to them on records, many of the songs expanded my idea of what an industrial band ought to

The True Cutting Edge: A2B2 Night of Fire 2 w/Arca and Andy Morin at Catch One

Dillon Vaughn December 11, 2021

Initially founded as a blog by Andy Morin, A2B2 has morphed and grown into an online magnet attracting a vast pool of young outsider artists hungry for representation not found in the “alternative” appeal of contemporary publications like Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose. With limited print runs satisfying our tactile needs and a healthy online community providing a showcase for all things digital – Night of Fire 2 represents a first step into the physical realm for what I hope will continue to be an annual gathering + celebration of the true cutting edge. As the audio engineer of Death Grips there’s a certain (rabid) fanbase that follows Morin’s work – and anyone that’s ever seen any DG shitposting group knows that these people go absolutely apeshit for Kero Kero Bonito. Well worthy of sharing a bill (and surprisingly a perfect fit) Kero Kero Bonito set a high bar for the night and reminded me how exciting left field booking can be. The general public’s recent fascination with classic J-pop only furthered how stoked everyone in the crowd was to see someone carrying the torch and delivering near punishing positivity and -good vibes-, something the British trio was years ahead of the

Take This: Win Two Tickets to ….And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead at Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command December 8, 2021

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead are back to leave a fresh trail of bodies from the Lodge Room to prog post-hardcore heaven as they jam the night away with Death Valley Girls for another unforgettable show. We’ve got two tickets to give away to the show, you don’t want to miss this trip. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD DECEMBER 11TH 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 …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON DECEMBER 10TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION