Tag: featured
Flowers and Oysters: Yasiin Bey at the Observatory
Jessica Moncrief
January 9, 2019
I missed Yasiin Bey‘s set at Smokin’ Grooves over the summer and deeply regretted it, so when the opportunity arose to see him perform in an intimate setting like The Observatory, I was elated to redeem myself for one of my biggest FOMO moments of 2018. related content: Black Is Beautiful: Smokin’ Grooves Festival At The Queen Mary Before Yasiin made his way out, his DJ spun iconic songs that have since been sampled in modern day hip hop, Joe Simons “Before The Night Is Over”, which you may remember was sampled in Outkast’s “So Fresh So Clean”, was one of many. Perhaps to signify love and his soul’s active presence in creation, Yasiin prepared the stage by sprinkling rose petals all around it, he then spray painted the word “Oysters” on a white sheet as he began his set. During his first song, Yasiin Bey took one look at the two of us in the photo pit and requested for the house to dim the lights. The photo journalist in me accepted the challenge to “get the story” regardless of the lighting situation, however the human part of me struggled with the inherently dirty feeling of photographing someone who
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Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Mattson 2 at The Lodge Room
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 8, 2019
One of the brightest and most dynamic duos in music right now is returning to the Lodge Room and this time it’s at the top of the bill, a place they very much deserve because talent like this is rare. I’m talking about the Mattson 2, brothers that are musically connected but also each their own beast on their instruments. Come to the show and you will see some of the greatest jazz drumming of your life. Opening for the Mattson 2 are Mapache, a band that plays good old rock and roll through a Los Angeles psych rock filter. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO MATTSON 2 JANUARY 11TH AT THE LODGE ROOM Step 1- Follow/Like us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter Step 2- Tag a Friend in the comment section of our Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Mattson 2 Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON THURSDAY JANUARY 10TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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The Legend of Magic Sword at the Echo
Dillon Vaughn
January 7, 2019
Los Angeles has no shortage of synth-wave acts rolling through the city: venue calendars are littered with events hosting artists both well known and up and coming, but the quality is sometimes questionable in a genre that so easily falls into one-note nostalgia. Not too long ago, I didn’t care for the sub-genre much but I’ve since seen the light and witnessed quite a few acts that truly blew me away. I’d heard quite a bit about Magic Sword from (mostly metalhead) friends who praised their intense live show and use of live instruments and knew this would be an event I had to see for myself. related content: The Protomen: Mega Men on a Mission at the Echoplex The night began with a set by one of the most surprising acts I’d seen all year: the local one woman project Death Hags. Self described as “hypnotic art-pop,” Lola Jean’s act beautifully mixed elements of trip-hop with synth-wave through a gentle minimalist lens. Shifting from synths to bass guitar and more all while singing in both english and french, it’s hard to believe Death Hags isn’t yet a household name in the city. related content: Decibel Metal & Beet Fest After Party: Ghoul At El
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Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Judas Priestess at Catch One
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 7, 2019
The future is female because and the past is priest, so Judas Priestess is the present. I don’t think there’s a more fun cover band playing today, so if you want to get in on the party this is your chance to walk right in through the door at Catch One. The whole night will be filled with all girl cover bands including 2Hot2Handle, a tribute to UFO, and Cowgirls From Hell, a tribute to Pantera. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO JUDAS PRIESTESS JANUARY 17TH AT CATCH ONE Step 1- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter Step 2- Tag a Friend in the comment section of our Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Judas Priestess Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY JANUARY 14TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Show Your Scars Fest at the Regent
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 1, 2019
I can’t wait to see Carcass, can’t you? What? you can’t afford tickets? You spent all your money boozing on New Years!? Alright, alright, we got you this time. Show Your Scars Festival is bringing together another amazing lineup to the Regent with Carcass, Low Life featuring members of Cryptic Slaughter, Iron Reagan, Excel, Final Conflict, and Yidhra. Start 2019 off right with some broken bones in the mosh pit. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO SHOW YOUR SCARS FEST JANUARY 5TH AT THE REGENT 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 Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Show Your Scars Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON THURSDAY JANUARY 3rd AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Los Angeles on Mushrooms: Infected Mushroom at Exchange LA
Rob Shepyer
December 30, 2018
I have a long history following Infected Mushroom as a fan. I used to see them all the time, from EDC back when it was in L.A., to New Years Eve at the Hollywood Palladium, to Christmas Eve at Avalon, to Vegoose music festival watching them against a glossy Las Vegas desert background. Most of these shows were a decade ago and at that moment in music, EDM was taking over America. Infected Mushroom, with their live band component and Israeli sensibility, offered a unique style of trance that was exciting, metallic, and electrifying to inspire more than just dancing. Infected Mushroom was like the musical realization of the greatest video game ever that has yet to be made, it’s like Castlevania meets Zelda meets Mario meets Final Fantasy… on mushrooms. related content: The Protomen: Mega Men On A Mission At The Echoplex Most Jews I know hold a special place in their heart for Infected Mushroom, the most successful Israeli group of all time. When you travel to Israel and come to know the people, you can see how Infected’s sound could’ve only come from that culture. It’s a sound that has an appreciation for all others cultures, whether
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Janky Smooth Top 25 Artists to Watch in 2019
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 29, 2018
Ah, the much anticipated and revered artists to watch article, how we’ve awaited you. The artists on this list vary in genre, age, ethnicity, region, and popularity. What they all have in common though, is that between January and December of 2019, something special is expected to happen to each of them. This list is not just to identify the smaller bands you need to know about but also to point out the bands you know and should be watching closely. Think of these artists and bands as heroes in their own stories, in the year 2019, a pivotal narrative moment will occur in each story. The Manx The Manx put on a show you couldn’t forget if you tried. Combining all sorts of styles from rock, to zydeco and polka, The Manx stir this musical stew until its reduction doesn’t resemble any of the ingredients used to create it, winding up with a mutant sound that’s totally original and shocking. With oddball instrumentation that utilizes banjo and accordion, the Manx don’t have any problem getting nude and covering themselves in multi-colored slime so that the show is a off-the-wall as the sound. This band is so strange that the
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Janky Smooth Top 10 SHOWS of 2018 Rated by Contributors
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 27, 2018
What a year for shows in Los Angeles 2018 was. This is undoubtably the best city in the world for live music, so consider each list by our contributors 10 reasons why. Reunion shows alone were off the chain, Burger Boogaloo featured two comeback sets, Devo and Le Shok. Both performances were wild and unforgettable, making much deserved appearances below. Lets not forget about Stray Cats reuniting at Viva Las Vegas or Helloween’s epic Pumpkins United at the Palladium or Bleeding Through at the Observatory or My Bloody Valentine at The Shrine either. related content: The De-Evolution of Burger Boogaloo So many promoters delivered the goods in 2018. Das Bunker brought Covenant to 1720, Part Time Punks gave us Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel at the Echoplex, Church of the 8th Day sold out the Teragram with Napalm Death, and Lethal Amounts sold sex at Sex Cells with Hercules and Love Affair. Each of these shows are among the many these promoters held that were rare highlights of the year. related content: Groveling Before The Gods Of Grind: Napalm Death At The Teragram Punk rock represented hard, especially out of the Latin sector of Angelino culture. Club Scum held an
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Janky Smooth Top 10 ALBUMS of 2018 Rated by Contributors
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 26, 2018
Many truths bubbled up to the surface during 2018. The once hidden greatness of certain artists revealed itself in the work they released this year. With streaming services diminishing the significance of full albums with every year that goes by, these artists were able to fight the good fight on behalf of “the album” and prove some things never change. All the work listed below is worthy of your record collection. related content: Janky Smooth Top 10 SHOWS of 2018 Rated By Contributors Kanye West, for all the controversy and political ignorance he was a part of, produced 5 albums beginning with Pusha T’s Daytona and ending with Teyana’s K.T.S.E. All 5 albums featured 7 tracks, pushed boundaries, and were in this humble editor’s opinion, brilliant. Kanye produced Nas’ best album, Nasir, since God’s Son in 2002. Expect to see more than one Kanye produced album on any blog’s year-end lists. 2018 was one of the most dramatic years hip hop has had in awhile with beef between Pusha T and Drake reaching a fever pitch that culminated in Pusha T’s check-mate move, “The Story of Adidon”. Eminem resurrected Slim Shady and dropped Kamikazi, an album that reminded people he wasn’t just
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… And We’ll Pretend it’s Christmas Day at the Roxy with the Garden
Rob Shepyer
December 25, 2018
The Garden‘s popularity with Los Angeles’ young and woke is a phenomenon that cannot be understated. I had yet to see the band before this 2nd show they held at the Roxy to close out the venue’s Jingle Bell Roxy series. I knew though, that this was a band I had to see if I wanted to understand the scope of rock music in this decade. The line was thick, long, and underage, running down Sunset boulevard as I approached. They all dressed and dyed their hair within the subtle mythology ascribed to the woke philosophy. The way wokeness is a deconstruction of normalcy, the Garden’s music is a deconstruction of rock and roll. Twin brothers, Wyatt and Fletcher Shears play instruments but often find themselves rabble-rousing all over the stage, prancing around violently, dramatically, and without a care. The music doesn’t stop when the playing stops though, the band realizes grabbing onto true freedom on stage supersedes actually playing at any given moment. That’s not to devalue their instruments though, when Fletcher’s behind his kit, he’s an absolute beast. When Wyatt’s on strings, he grabs an audience and doesn’t let go. related content: NSA Fundraiser and Launch w/The Garden
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Return to the Land of Rape and Honey: Ministry at the Fonda
Rob Shepyer
December 25, 2018
Donald Trump is the subject of many musical endeavors, lyrics fling his way like shit, staining his image and legacy forever amongst fans of underground music. I imagine it’s hard being a Trump supporter and being a legitimate music fan, for the first few years, you couldn’t go to a heavy rock or hip hop show without seeing your president smeared and made a mockery of. If you’re not totally dogmatized by the Donald, you will most likely side with an artist over him or any politician. Ministry has been one of the most politically vocal bands of the Trump presidency. Bands that are young and angry seem to fall short of Al Jourgensen’s impressive political grumpiness and angst. In the world of metal, punk, and the genre he popularized, industrial, Al is a beacon of light and truth to look up to. He’s not polarized left or right but he unabashedly admires Antifa and also has a history of mingling with Alex Jones in the past. He’s a political maverick, in other words, so don’t try to pigeon hole him to give your side any extra points. related content: Ministry Make Bid To Be Official ANTIFA House Band AT
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Going Hard for 2019: Mickey Avalon at Gallagher’s Pub
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 24, 2018
Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas Rap star Yeshe Pearl better known around the globe as Mickey Avalon was made famous for lyrical themes about drug abuse, overdoses, glamorized bulimia, prostitution, suicide, and his dick on the notorious track “My Dick”. Mickey Avalon is half of pure Hollywood debauchery and half artistic genius. While one might try dismissing Mickey as a novelty act, his live shows are legendary, never predictable, and he always keeps it real. There is no in-between with Mickey, either you love him or you hate him, he speaks his mind with unflinching lyrical content and keeps his songs disturbingly poetic with catchy samples and beats. related content: Fullerton Vice City: A Flock Of Seagulls At Totally 80’s At Gallagher’s Pub on the coast of Surf City, USA, Mickey Avalon packed ’em in like sardines. Keeping with tradition, the evening’s set began with Toni Basil’s 1980’s hit “Hey Mickey” to start the show. Tapping into that deviant energy, Mickey Avalon strutted on stage with attitude, wearing tight blue jeans and a black t-shirt that read “I’m Mickey Blow Me”. His back up dancer Jillian Schmitz provided provocative and sultry moves with multiple costume changes including pom-poms for
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