Tag: featured

The New Grass Sniffers: GrassFed and The Art Of Edibles Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band with Ganja

Janky Smooth Central Command September 27, 2017

At a pop-up gathering in Downtown Los Angeles, GrassFed and the Art of Edibles cosponsored an event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The two boutique collectives displayed their cannabis finery from vape options and CBD oil elixirs to confectionery. The downtown space had the feeling of a large personal art studio and was filled like a convention with many offerings and samples. The upstairs stage on one side was approached by a narrow spiral staircase, while a second upstairs space served as more of a meeting area. The dimly lit atmosphere was vibrant with Beatles inspired art, including a huge chrome submarine that the loft owner built specifically for the production of “Love” by Cirque Du Soleil. A 3D rendition of the yellow submarine was projected across the vaulted ceilings met with The Beatles’ Catalog playing its theme. The attendees looked like a combination of Silicon Valley’s alternative geniuses (the John McAfees of the world) rubbing shoulders with venture capitalists, and sophisticated commercial artists and musicians. The purpose of this gathering was to have a unique cultural experience that combined the classical sounds of the Beatles with the finest cannabis products. related content: Weedeater

Psychic TV Experiment With Auditory Alchemy At The Echoplex

Rob Shepyer September 27, 2017

After Rebellion is Over‘s atrocious Regent performance for the Dais Records 10 year anniversary show, I felt that Genesis P-Orridge needed to redeem herself in my eyes. Up until that show, I had regarded her as a soothsayer, a psychic siren of sorts, a mystic… but that show, was fatally pretentious. So many classic artists still touring in their golden years seem like a shadow of their former selves. They don’t move as much on stage. The singer can’t hit the same notes. And fans never remember the band at their best, they remember the band how they left the building, either riding into the sunset or falling flat on their face. That said, I’d wait to see Psychic TV before making my verdict. related content: Dais’ Records 10 Year Anniversary Party: The Dark Fruits Of Persistence I became a fan of Psychic TV after I saw them headline night 1 of Berserktown 2016 by playing their debut album “Force The Hand Of Chance” in its entirety. They were marvelous. It’s hard not to stun an audience when you get to perform songs as beautiful as those. Songs like “Just Drifting” and “Stolen Kisses“. Psychic TV is not just a

Janky Exclusive: Rudy De Anda Premieres New 7″ “Abrasive” w/ Interview

Janky Smooth Central Command September 22, 2017

Janky Smooth is proud to premiere two new tracks from the forthcoming 7″ ABRASIVE by the incomparable, Rudy De Anda and FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE TITLE TRACK- “Abrasive” (limited time only) “Think of Rudy De Anda as a lost diary. I learn secrets and private thoughts of this person but somehow they’re still a stranger- there’s more to learn but only if he wants you to. I don’t feel like it was coincidence that we arrived in a bookstore to sit down and chat with the man with the stories.” – Jonathan Reyes Check out Jonathan’s Interview w/ Rudy De Anda embedded in this post The new 7″ “Abrasive” by Rudy De Anda will be released digitally on Jazzcat Records on Friday, October 6th 2017, with a limited edition, lathe cut 7″ to follow soon after. The title track/ a-side is called “Abrasive” and is sure to lift your spirits, chill you out, and have you feeling the groove. The b-side is called “Helado” and uses the kind of unique, latin inspired instrumentation that makes Rudy De Anda and his band worth following. Janky Smooth has been following Rudy’s career for quite some time now and featured De Anda as one of Janky

Jawbreaker At Riot Fest: The Moment I Stopped Hating Pop Punk

Danny Baraz September 21, 2017

Sometimes, a live music moment catches you off guard and hits you so hard that you are overcome with the feels- a band or a song that summons a moment in time, a relationship, a victory or a defeat- you are instantly transported to that time and place with a chord, or a riff or a melody. As a reliable concert crier, I typically have a pretty good idea when that moment is coming. Before the show starts, before I get to the venue and even before tickets go on sale, as soon as a show is announced, I know. But The Misfits as the marquee headliners of Riot Fest 2016 and up to this past Sunday when Jawbreaker were the belles of the ball known as Riot Fest 2017, it redefined the criteria for the eligibility of what makes those moments and what don’t and redefined how I reconciled my musical identity- yeah, Jawbreaker were that good. related content: The Misfits At Riot Fest Chicago 2016: Bats In The Press Tent I was 14 In 1990 when Jawbreaker’s first album, Unfun was released. It was the same year the *greatest speed metal album of all time was unleashed and

Perturbator, Author & Punisher: Using Devices To Debase Regent Theater

Rob Shepyer September 19, 2017

Electronic music allows a single artist to take on all the working parts of a band because those parts become synthesized in their machines. The electronic revolution has opened up new opportunities and avenues for artists who might not have ever been interested in picking up a guitar- and that’s no slight against EDM artists (up until this night I was under the impression that EDM was the Pop style of electronic music, at large). The point of music isn’t just to wow you and me with virtuosic and technical playing- it’s to express ones soul and if electronics help an artist do that more purely and directly then it’s a good thing. In this sense, Jim Morrison was right when he predicted the future of music would consist largely of one person and an arsenal of components. So if in Morrison’s mind’s eye he had an image of what that future would actually LOOK like, I doubt it would’ve differed too much from what I saw at The Regent Theater when Perturbator, Author & Punisher and Whiteqube were booked to showcase a different kind of electronic music than what you might imagine when you see the letters E D

Chameleons Vox At The Echoplex: Sorrow Never Sounded So Sweet

Rob Shepyer September 14, 2017

I’ve been fiending HARD for death rock ever since I read this bandcamp article exposing me to the bigger bands in the small dark punk revival scene. One of those bands I discovered was The Wraith and they were playing in support of Theatre of Hate at Part Time Punks. It was one of those rare occasions where I was just as stoked for the opening band as the headliner. Fast forward to a few weeks later, and Theatre of Hate gets stricken with visa issues, stranding the band in Europe so Chameleons Vox gets added to the bill after their show the night before sells out. Now with two British goth bands from the 80’s playing, this booking became an accidental powerhouse bill. Part Time Punks did it yet again, Michael Stock might just be the best promoter in this town for this whole, “rare vinyl come to life” thing Part Time Punks has going on. I waited for The Wraith as the fog machine’s outpour of haze consumed me and the stage. The Wraith is led by East Los Punk turned death rocker Davey Bales, who started the set by polishing off a plastic bottle of TAAKA vodka,

It’s Not Dead Fest 2: New Hope For Punks w/ Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, OFF!

Janky Smooth Central Command September 13, 2017

It had been two years since the first It’s Not Dead festival (which boasted punk rock legends such as The Descendents, Pennywise and Bad Religion) and the bar was set pretty high for its return. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get off work until 2 pm on that day but even by that morning nobody knew what the set times were going to be as the festival’s curators refused to release them until the minute doors were open at noon. A decision that I found somewhat annoying but I understood it encouraged people to arrive early to see as many bands as possible. As soon as I was able to see the schedule I was disappointed to discover that there was no way I was going to make it to the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino in time to catch The Flatliners’ 3 pm start time. Cutting my losses, I hit the road after swinging by my house to grab my gear and change into more festival friendly clothes in hopes of arriving before The Buzzcocks took the stage later in the afternoon. related content: Punk Rock Bowling 2017: You Can’t Be What You Were

Hurricanes in Florida, Earthquakes in Mexico & Quicksand in L.A. At Teragram

Rob Shepyer September 12, 2017

The Teragram Ballroom was sold out for NYC post hardcore band Quicksand’s return to Los Angeles. Filled with old hardcore heads, I was confident the slam-dance-worthy music wouldn’t be able to draw violence out of these gen-x’ers but boy was I wrong. All it takes is one pit psycho to reintroduce danger into rock and roll and force you to put up your dukes or feel like a bitch. related content: Thee Oh Sees And The Practical Applications Of Quantum Physics It began with an album announcement, their first in 22 years. The first single off Interiors, “Illuminant“, sounds just as heavy and groovy and hardcore as anything Quicksand has ever put out and after seeing them live, you really get the sense that bands just can’t make music this good anymore. Montreal’s No Joy opened the night as the only supporting act. They’re a shoegaze three-piece with minimalist vocals, if any during songs. Their rapid drumming and twin six string attack fosters a lunatic lucidity which is different than the rest of the shoegaze flock. No Joy sounds best when they play fast unlike most gaze acts that keep it slow. That said, I wish No Joy dabbled more in the

Take This: Win 2 Tix To See Quicksand at The Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command September 8, 2017

After announcing their first album in 22 years, Interiors, 90’s NYC post hardcore kings Quicksand have been selling out shows all around the country on this tour. You don’t want to miss out on their two Southern California dates and seeing as Saturday’s show is already sold out, we at Janky Smooth are happy to be your hook up at The Observatory tomorrow, Sunday 9/10 Quicksand consists of all its original members: Drummer Alan Cage, vocalist/guitarist Walter Schreifels, bassist Sergio Vega, and guitarist Tom Capone. Interiors will be released November 10th on Epitaph. Canadian Shoegazers No Joy are opening for the band. Janky Smooth is giving away 2 Tickets to see Quicksand this Sunday, Sept 10th at The Observatory in Orange County. You can BUY TICKETS NOW or Just Share/Retweet our Quicksand Ticket Giveaway posts, Tag A Friend on said post on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. That’s It! Winner will be announced on social media at noon pacific time on Saturday 9/9. GOOD LUCK! note: if you make a post private then we won’t be able to see it or consider you.

Thee Oh Sees And The Practical Applications of Quantum Physics

Danny Baraz September 7, 2017

John Dwyer is a man living the dream- at least from the outside looking in. From that view he embodies a stereotypical but rarely achieved archetype of success as an independent artist. Every fledgling rocker that ever existed since Sid Vicious has sketched out a similar blueprint for themselves on how they would make the music they want, on their terms, on their own label, with an increasingly popular side project to keep themselves artistically satisfied THEIR way. Well, the latest Thee Oh Sees, or Oh Sees, or OCS release on Castle Face Records paired well with a concurrent release of Dwyer solo side project, Damaged Bug, creating a full bodied bouquet of screeching fuzz, juxtaposed with thunderous synth analogs for your ear holes. As is becoming tradition in these moments, Oh Sees played a gig at the Teragram Ballroom with the usual slate of opening acts that would make any headliner have to rise to the challenge of having to follow a band like Zig Zags, to get the double drummer dynamic chops in post season form as they embark on a headlining tour of clubs packed with the most rabid fans in independent music- John Dwyer, along with

Dais Records’ 10 Year Anniversary Party: The Dark Fruits Of Persistence

Rob Shepyer September 5, 2017

Persistence is All. Those were the words projected over Drew Mcdowall, former member of Coil, as he wrapped up Dais Records‘ 10 year anniversary at the Regent. Prior to this, the night had been filled with dancing, disaffected swaying, and sweating buckets from the sub-tropic-humidity-zone hovering over Downtown Los Angeles like a specter. Ten years in the making, this night celebrated a fever dream that came into fruition. It was only until 2017 that the local success of Drab Majesty and High-Functioning Flesh and the global success of Youth Code made Dais Records’ sound and name instantly recognizable in L.A. With Drew McDowall, Drab Majesty, High-Functioning Flesh, Body of Light, and Cold Showers performing, Dais planned on celebrating this milestone of a decade by bringing in the next one with a bang. Hot weather is best remedied with cold music and no music sounds colder than goth and industrial. When I stepped into the Regent, Youth Code were standing behind the turntables DJ’ing all sorts of glitchy, dark, German sounding industrial music, shit like Laibach. The first band to offer their musical relief was Highland Park’s Cold Showers, a crisp sounding goth band, thick with 80’s and Depeche Mode feels.

Take This: Win Two Weekend Passes to Desert Daze 2017

Janky Smooth Central Command August 29, 2017

Janky Smooth is proud to announce our Desert Daze 2017 ticket giveaway for the 3rd year in a row. Have you already gotten tickets for our favorite annual festival in one of the most magickal and mysterious places in the world? Desert Daze returns to the Institute of Mentalphysics for it’s second year stationed in this location. Almost a year since the last DD, it rules supreme as the most meaningful interactive live music experience for all Janks that attended in 2016. related content: Desert Daze 2016- Quantifying the Physics of a Good Time The latest additions to the festival such as Iggy Pop, Ty Segall, Sleep performing the Holy Mountain album in it’s entirety and more have elevated the 2017 lineup to the 2016 roster of performers. One can only assume that the sense that you were at a party in the massive living room of your favorite friend that possesses immaculate taste will only be enhanced by the comfort the folks at Moonblock and Spaceland Presents now have with the Institute designed by Frank Lloyd

Tag: featured

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