Tag: featured
When A Band’s Lyrics Become Real: Megadeth at Fivepoint Amphitheatre
Rob Shepyer
September 5, 2021
I wanted a headline that didn’t beat around the bush. In a world where politics and corruption are the biggest dialogues of the day but people are still subjected to constant propaganda, the lyrics of Megadeth seem uncannily relevant and useful. When you hear the opening verse of “Symphony of Destruction”, you know exactly what Dave Mustaine means when he says “You take a mortal man and put him in control, watch him become a God, what people’s heads a-roll.” Our leadership class are men with competing God complexes and people die every fucking day as a result of their decadent decision-making. This tour was hailed as the biggest metal tour of the year with Hatebreed, Trivium and Lamb of God opening the show. Because we were commuting from Los Angeles and the show started early, we missed Hatebreed and the majority of Trivium, the latter I wanted to see purely out of curiosity to know if they should be lumped in with every other metalcore or New Wave of American metal band that danced with the scene/emo movement in the early 2000’s. Many of these bands don’t deserve this label and the reflexive snobbery against them, Trivium however, probably
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Croons and Growls at the Greek Theatre with Future Islands
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 4, 2021
Words and Photos by: Justin Scholz Whether you’re ready or not, live shows are (generally) back. Although there is ongoing daily uncertainty of how long this pandemic will last, with more and more cancellations creeping up, being back in the thick of it brought a strange mix of comfort and anxiety. Strangely enough, the comfort came from the inane banter of a crowd that just wanna get back into feeling good, and dare I say, normal. Future Islands is just the band to welcome you with open arms and make sure you know that things will be better. related content: King Crimsons At The Greek: Prog Prophets Of A Schizoid 21st Century The minimalistic angular backdrop and singular pedestal for the band left a long, wide runway for Sam Herring to display his signature non-stop aerobic dancing. Rockettes style kicking and solo mosh-pitting keeps a smile on everyone’s face through the entirety of every song and even in-between. Couple that with vocals that run the gamut of guttural growling to powerful crooning about love gained, sought, or lost, everyone delved into feelings they never knew they had. At no time during the 1-1/2 hour set was there space to wonder
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A Comprehensive Guide to Glowing On: Turnstile at Garden Amp and OPAC
Rob Shepyer
September 3, 2021
Words by: Rob Shepyer Photos at Garden Amp by: Dillon Vaughn Photos at OPAC by: Taylor Wong For my money, Turnstile‘s latest album, Glow On, has more PMA than any hardcore record ever released. Beating out Hara Krishna and Rastafarian hardcore bands to achieve some kind of secular, light-hearted connection to “the supreme” and win this medal I’ve made-up, Turnstile brought their tribe out to Garden Amp and OPAC for two shows that will go down in LAHC history. With the band making recent headlines for the craziness of their stage show, rest assured, although there wasn’t any human fecal matter on the stage for either of these efforts, fans certainly went ape-shit at these certified shit-shows. related content: For Every Season Turn, Turn, Turn: Turnover And Turnstile At El Rey The album was released song by song until almost half the tracks came out as singles. One by one, we realized this was an evolution of the band’s sound and vibe. Songs like “Holiday” and “Blackout” felt like elevated but classic Turnstile while songs like “Alien Love Call” and “Underwater Boi” gave us a taste of a Turnstile moving into the realm of alternative indie music. It’s a very
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Ty Segall at the Teragram Ballroom on 9/6
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 3, 2021
Two ticket giveaways to Ty at Teragram back to back. Ty Segall‘s residency is sweeping the city with a fever. Get down with the sickness and join him at Teragram for the 2nd show of the residency. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO TY SEGALL SEPTEMBER 6TH AT THE TERAGRAM BALLROOM 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 TY SEGALL Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 4TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Ty Segall at the Teragram Ballroom on 9/5
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 2, 2021
The Teragram is back! Ty is back! Ty Segall is doing a fucking residency at Teragram! We are giving away tickets to every night of that residency! This giveaway is for the first of four shows on the 5th! Ahhhhh! YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO TY SEGALL SEPTEMBER 5TH AT THE TERAGRAM BALLROOM 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 TY SEGALL Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 4TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Desert Daze
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 1, 2021
The mystery has been revealed. The pandemic was not only the first year without a Desert Daze since the festival’s inception but hell, it was the first year without a Janky Smooth Desert Daze giveaway. Back from the dead, we are here with a pair of tickets awaiting some lucky winner to this giveaway. related content: Silver Lake Perris: Desert Daze 2019 YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DESERT DAZE NOVEMBER 12TH TO 14TH AT LAKE PERRIS Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Follow us and Desert Daze on Instagram and Facebook Step 3 – Tag a Friend and the artist you want to see at Desert Daze most in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK DESERT DAZE Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON NOVEMBER 1ST AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION related content: Virtually No Dust: Desert Daze 2018 But first, a few things that lucky winner might expect out of their three day weekend trip to the dreamscape Desert Daze manifests, where each note played by each artist is a building block, there is no pain, let alone pandemic.
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Trash as a Virtue: Surfbort at the Lodge Room
Danny Baraz
August 31, 2021
Dani Miller, lead singer of the band Surfbort walked along the line to admit ticket holders into the Lodge Room moments before the doors opened and the words, “Rainbow Vampires” flashed in my mind. She walked the length of the line, glowing with gratitude, admiring and complimenting people’s mullets, liberty spikes and band t-shirts. A seemingly accidental but extremely willing ambassador to an underground garage/trash punk music scene that lives in venues, on vinyl and is powered by the internet. related content: Surfbort Shake-Up Dave’s Shit Show At Resident This was my second time seeing Surfbort. I knew what to expect and I was excited to see it at the Lodge Room. Not only did Surfbort exceed every expectation with a powerfully energetic, command performance but every band on the bill was well rehearsed and the energy in the room was kinetic, cathartic and joyful. First up was was Shamon Cassette, a departure from the punk vibes of the rest of the evening…or was it? The eccentric MC vibes of Shamon Cassette smacked of Kool Keith/Dr Octagon, both in vocal cadence and eccentricity. The band was more difficult to pigeonhole but no less formidable. People who came to slam dance began
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Bully at Lodge Room
Janky Smooth Central Command
August 30, 2021
Bully pack plenty of heavy and fuzz into their fun, poppy tunes. They sound like the best of punk having the best sex with the best of 90’s alternative music. We’re giving away two tickets to this show so you too can have the chance to let loose at Lodge Room. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO BULLY SEPTEMBER 10TH 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 BULLY Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 8TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Italians Do Actually Do It Better: Glüme at DNA Lounge
Janky Smooth Central Command
August 27, 2021
Words by: Gloria Velez Photos by: Raymond Ahner Indie label Italians Do It Better, famously known for their artists Glass Candy and Chromatics, which also got its name from the T-shirt Madonna wore in the “Papa don’t preach” video, hit the road in support of their newest talent, Glüme, with fellow record label acts, Orion and Desire (Dj set). San Francisco had the honor of being the second day out of this 3 day “Italians Do It Better” tour with this stellar lineup from the famed Synth-pop/Italo disco label. To circle back on the Madonna sound bite, “Italians Do It Better” have release their latest compilation, a tribute album of Madonna covers executive produced by the master mind and owner of Italians Do It Better, Johnny Jewel. In true celebration of the queen of pop, the label dropped their tribute compilation on the Material Girl’s birthday, August 16th, right at midnight on the night of this San Francisco show. related content: Technically, We’ve Always Been Sick: Sex Cells Returns To The Globe Theatre First up was a DJ set by Italians Do It Better sweetheart, Megan Louise of Desire. Desire is famously known for their track “Under Your Spell” featured in the
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Irvine Rising: Rise Against and Descendents at Five Point Amphitheatre
Taylor Wong
August 27, 2021
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything and that’s not due to the pandemic. I’ve mostly been staying behind the camera and keeping my judgement to myself. I’ve come to realize ‘who the fuck am I to say anything negative about a band when I can’t play a god damn thing?’ So anyways, I went down to Irvine. Let me tell you, even without traffic that’s a long drive if you live in LA. Unfortunately, this was the closest stop on the Rise Against and Descendents tour. Seriously though, it’s far. You get to Disneyland and then you’re all like, “oh, I got another 30 minutes left to drive”. The Menzingers opened the show right on time at 7:30. What an amazing band to have as an opener. They all played with giant smiles on their faces. The venue was filling in pretty decently before they played so clearly people were there to see The Menzingers. A small break between sets and then came Descendents. Milo cruised out on a bicycle with a camel pack around his shoulder. Some one asked me if Milo had an oxygen tank and that cracked me up. Descendents are one of
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40 Years of Fire of Love: Sex Beat at Zebulon
Janky Smooth Central Command
August 27, 2021
Words by: Juan Perez Photos by: Taylor Wong As we near closer & closer to the end of 2021 it is clear that Pretty But Wicked doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. Already responsible for so many great shows this year, Wednesday night was no different. Many talented musicians gathered at Zebulon, celebrating the re-release of Fire Of Love. Going back to 40 years ago, it was the debut album from legendary post-punk band The Gun Club. The main act, Sex Beat, are a group with one time drummer, Terry Graham. On this night they performed songs from the aforementioned record in it’s honor. But, more on that later. A new band being showcased at a PBW show is to be expected. Setting the tone for the night for their first show ever, Rugburn will be a name to know. This is a band that definitely could have played at CBGB’s in the late 70’s, early 80’s. Perfect blend of that early punk sound and modern post-hardcore. From the beginning, the vocalist brought a charismatic presence to the stage. Take bands like Jefferson Airplane, The B-52’s, Cat Scan and Shopping, mix them in a blender, you get Rugburn. Check out their
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Hell or High Roller: Psycho Las Vegas 2021
Rob Shepyer
August 26, 2021
There was a time when for me, going to Psycho Las Vegas meant budgeting only enough money to eat McDonalds for three days while I slept on a friend’s couch in some lawless Vegas neighborhood so far off the strip, Ubers wouldn’t dare travel to such unsavory corners. Now, in the post-pandemic world, I report on Psycho with new purpose. This year, I was staying in a Delano scenic suite high above the city and budgeted enough money to properly chase the American dream. Raoul Duke’s American dream in Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was a metaphor for the limits of human consciousness. With freedom as the central American covenant, what greater expression of patriotism is there than breaking free of reality’s chains by dosing yourself past every threshold? Now though, as I take that same trip as Duke in 2021, my search for the American Dream is a futile attempt to connect with a time long gone. You might assume I mean the world before the pandemic but I also mean that beautiful era in music history where rock and metal bands could draw crowds as far as the eye can see. How do we recover
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