Tag: featured

Photo Recap: Citizen at The Regent

Janky Smooth Central Command October 18, 2022

For two sold out nights, Citizen treated Los Angeles’ softer side with post hardcore maladies and sweet serenades that left an eternal impression upon the Regent walls. Alongside Militarie Gun and Prince Daddy & The Hyena, this was a showcase that proved hardcore is for lovers, or at least fighters that fight for love. Photos by: Jason Murillo Citizen Militarie Gun Prince Daddy & The Hyena

Photo Recap: The Bronx, The Chats, Drug Church and Scowl at The Music Box

Janky Smooth Central Command October 18, 2022

There’s no better way to celebrate punk rock music than by bringing every flavor of the genre under the same roof. For their tour, The Bronx and The Chats took Drug Church and Scowl on the road making for a lineup that featured hardcore, post hardcore and punk. Stopping at San Diego’s Music Box for an epic show, we’ve got pictures from the evening. Photos by: Israel Perez The Bronx The Chats Drug Church Scowl

Nitzer Front: Cold Waves LA at The Mayan

Danny Ryan October 12, 2022

The number of different types of artists and sounds that fall under the banner of “industrial music” is incredibly wide, ranging from full bands with live instruments to solo artists with only a backing track behind them. While industrial influences can be found in scenes such as goth, noise, metalcore, psych rock and different forms of electronic music; the origins of the movement are not always credited as often as the artists who took these influences. Cold Waves Festival at The Mayan Theater focuses on bringing the roots of the industrial live experience to a modern audience, showcasing rare performances by international artists from all different eras and sounds within the genre. Cold Waves Festival is truly a one-of-a-kind event, as it’s rare to see a festival so dedicated in paying respect to a genre’s history while equally hosting upcoming artists that carry the torch for its future. Leathers was the first performer of the evening, being the solo project of Shannon Hemmett from the post-punk band Actors. The project has a lot of 80’s synthpop influence in its instrumentals, with the echo effects on Hemmett’s voice creating an element of distance in its sound to stand apart from these

Holiest of Holies: Om at the Lodge Room

Rob Shepyer October 11, 2022

What doth God have to do with doom metal? Is there a spiritual element to a musical genre so heavily associated with demonic and satanic imagery? In the eyes of Om, absolutely. At the heart of a riff, at the very core of that vibration, there is a spark of God in every note. There is no more sacred a space to explore such ideas as the holy Lodge Room in Highland Park, and there is no more appropriate a state of mind to discover the truth about the spiritual nature of doom metal than on a little bit of indica. In my younger years, I used to smoke a hefty amount of flower, in the hopes that derangement of the senses would allow for unique artistic output. What I discovered through marijuana was a spiritual space within myself, a sort of link to the collective unconscious, an information super highway for all human truth that connected every being on this planet to a warm and golden source. In other words, marijuana connected me to God, the same way it did Bob Marley and every other stoner that every smoked a doobie then put on Sleep’s Holy Mountain. Sleep was

Photo Recap: Clutch, Quicksand, and Helmet at the Regent

Janky Smooth Central Command October 11, 2022

Sometimes a tour comes around town that is so stacked it’s hard to believe when you first see the marquee. Such was the case when The Regent hosted Clutch, Quicksand, and Helmet. Each of these bands could headline a show and gather a crowd but all together, this has got to be one of the best alternative metal hardcore tours of the year. All three bands dabble in all three sounds and their audiences aren’t too far apart if you ask me. Although it’s a lineup that’s hard to believe this lineup makes a lot of damn sense. These bands come from different places and scenes, they all got different histories but it’s all rock and roll. We’ve got pics from the show that you gotta see. Photos by: Albert Licano Clutch Quicksand Helmet

Emo Never Dies: My Chemical Romance at T-Mobile Arena

Janky Smooth Central Command October 10, 2022

Las Vegas is normally known for its bright, flashy lights and vibrant colors, but on Friday night it was a little different. 20,000 fans dressed in black and red, representing the many stylings spanning My Chemical Romance’s career, took over the strip. Camped out from the early morning, it’s no surprise fans were anxious as ever. From the first announcement of MCR’s reunion tour after their 2013 breakup, the excitement quickly came to a halt after the band announced its postponement due the COVID-19 pandemic. But two years later, that excitement returned with even greater power. As the lights dimmed and red and white lights flashed throughout the arena, the sold-out crowd roared in anticipation with chants of “MCR, MCR!” The band finally took the stage and dove into their latest single, ‘The Foundations of Decay.’ From there, My Chemical Romance tore through some of their biggest hits from their extensive catalog. The crowd never stopped screaming and singing along. As the night drew to an end, the band closed out their set with ‘Helena’ before coming back out to perform the final two songs of the night, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and ‘Cancer.’ The night ended just as

Embracing ‘the blues’ with Crowjane’s Heather Galipo

Audrey Kemp October 10, 2022

While Heather Galipo is a musician in many now-legendary LA bands – including deathrock outfit Egrets on Ergot, no wave sensation Prissy Whip, and most recently, Cunts – she never planned to release her solo music. The songs she kept to herself were different. They comprised a sonic diary of sorts – a way of staying afloat when she was drowning in heartbreak. Known for her punk, noise and experimental music, she also felt that her fans wouldn’t understand her most personal project. “It hasn’t been that way, though,” she tells me. “And now I think it’s a cool practice to write whatever the heart wants. Sometimes that looks like an angry punk song. Sometimes that looks like indie, folk or blues.” Paul Roessler (of LA synthpunk band The Screamers) would eventually change her mind. During the pandemic, he encouraged her to turn years of work into a 10-track album on his label, Kitten Robot Records, at his studio of the same name. The album would be called Mater Dolorosa. Sorrowful Mother. Heather’s moniker, “Crowjane,” comes from an old blues song by Skip James. “There’s so much moody music in the world, but the blues is emotional,” she admits. “There’s

Perfection Does Exist: Porcupine Tree at the Greek Theatre

Rob Shepyer October 7, 2022

Prog rock is a guilty pleasure for me. When no one is around on a lonely drive, speeding down a highway late at night through the desert, I roll the windows down and blast prog. Something about the perfection of the sound rings through the night and motivates my ride with a more epic quality. If there were someone else in the car though, I’m not so sure the music would hit right. These are personal anthems I keep somewhere close inside. Times I’ve tried to share prog music with others, most people seem not to get it. They don’t see what I see. Which is that prog musicians are some of the most courageous artists around, not just for pushing the boundaries of craftsmanship but for their songwriting and lyrical content which touches upon subjects rock and roll usually strays from, more heady, authentic themes like psychology and philosophy find a home in prog rock. Straight forward rock and roll thinks its too cool for these themes which feel on the surface a bit “bookwormish”. Porcupine Tree‘s absence may not have been felt by the punks, or even most of the metalheads, but to the prog rockers, there was

The Golden Coast: Portola Festival 2022

Danny Ryan October 6, 2022

Electronic dance music festivals have been controversial amongst live music enthusiasts for quite some time. It’s clear to see why due to the emphasis on drug use, tendency to attract rowdy youth that are more focused on partying than the love for the music, massive and potentially dangerous crowds, and lack of genre diversity in the lineups. The Portola Festival at Pier 80 in San Francisco was Goldenvoice and Non Plus Ultra’s answer to these criticisms, returning the pure love for different forms of electronic music and visual art to the raving experience. Portola hosted a massive lineup of DJs and artists ranging from the 90’s rave roots of Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers, to modern DJ legends Jamie XX and Flume, and even to electronic-influenced pop stars with Charli XCX and Caroline Polachek. No matter what your flavor of raving is, Portola Festival had you covered with all forms of non-stop dancing the entire weekend. Portola Festival’s setting was incredibly industrial to match the energy of the warehouse shows that electronic dance music is rooted in, with the Pier 80 location being in a parking lot surrounded by enormous ships on the dock and a tranquil view of

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Substance LA 2022

Janky Smooth Central Command October 6, 2022

Many of our followers consider themselves goth. The majority of our followers, whether they know it or not, are nightcrawlers. Whether you’re goth or just feel at home living it up late into the night, Substance LA is the place a vampire like you will feel at home. While you shun the light, hiding from the robotic world out there, Substance will offer you two stages filled with bands, DJs, and electro-beats ranging from cold and nightmarish to romantic and hot. It all takes place at the hallowed Los Angeles Theatre where Los Angeles’ soul will be on full display because goth is this city’s calling card genre. Rare international imports both young and old will be present at Substance, as will some of the country’s most iconic acts like Boy Harsher and Pixel Grip. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS‍ HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO SUBSTANCE LA 2022 OCTOBER 20TH-21ST AT THE LOS ANGELES THEATRE 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 SUBSTANCE LA Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON OCTOBER 18TH AT 1PM

8 Essential Artists of Substance Festival 2022

Rob Shepyer October 5, 2022

Substance is more than a festival. Substance is a showcase of the past, present and future of goth, post-punk and industrial music, bringing together the best artists and promoters in the greatest live music city in the world. There is no better place to get a sense of goth music today and tomorrow than at Substance. Every attendee gets a glimpse of the current musical landscape and leaves with stronger, more expansive goth sensibilities and knowledge. Sets that define and launch an artist’s trajectory happen at Substance. I will never forget Pixel Grip’s opening set in 2021 and since then, the band has become a major act inside the American goth underground. All these elements combined, make Substance an essential Los Angeles festival. If you think you know music, but don’t go to Substance, then you don’t know shit. It seems every year since the festival’s inception, Restless Nites collaborates with all of LA’s greatest goth minds to put on a festival that exceeds the expectations set by the previous installment. From Boy Harsher’s wild goth rave in 2019, to Geneva Jacuzzi’s future pop, to this year’s acquisition of legends, exotic imports and the next wave of brilliant goth acts,

Welcome to Hell, Black Country, New Road and Black Midi at The Wiltern

Alfredo Luna October 3, 2022

This was definitely a night of two emerging heavyweights, in Black Country, New Road and Black Midi. Both bands have similarly exploded into the scene and have been at the forefront of the Post-Brexit New Wave movement, representing two sides of that same coin. Each has a unique and dynamic sound that’s amassed a cult-like following and together they packed in every square inch of The Wiltern. With this being the first time BCNR have played LA after a last minute cancellation of their US tour earlier this year due to the departure of Isaac Wood from the band, this felt like it was a must see show just to see them make their LA debut. Add into the mix that Black Midi would be headlining this leg of the tour after their release of the latest album, Hellfire and you just knew this would be a gig for the ages. Getting to the gig, you could see the excitement and restlessness of everyone that showed up, with people lining the street, anxious to get in so they didn’t miss opener BCNR. Seeing people run in the theater as soon as they stepped in was indicative of how sought after