Tag: featured
Gene Loves Jezebel Play Immigrant in Entirety at Part Time Punks Gig
Rob Shepyer
February 7, 2017
There was a time in pre-smells-like-teen-spirit Los Angeles when the goth music scene was second only to glam rock. New romantics, death rockers or whatever you want to call them, made their presence known on the Sunset Strip and beyond. Teasing their hair, wearing dark eye makeup and clad in lace and silk, these creatures of the night chiseled out an undeniable chink in the old concrete understanding of gender roles and Gene Loves Jezebel were one of those bands. It wasn’t that these guys wanted to be women or were in any sort of gender crisis. They just had a different idea of what it meant to look good and in manifesting this, received an onslaught of attention from chicks offering to share makeup and hair products with the tortured souls of this music scene. Yes, I often think I might’ve joined them had I been alive in goth’s heyday. I would’ve pierced my ear with an Egyptian Ankh and worn rose-colored shades at night, seen Christian Death play the Roxy while Rozz Williams made out with strangers on stage. Gene Loves Jezebel, still very much alive and still singing songs about love and death, announced their participation in KXLU’s
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Smashing More Teeth With Youth Code Orange at Union Los Angeles
Danny Baraz
February 2, 2017
On January 28th in the year of our lord, 2017, I was initiated into the Youth Code and Code Orange live shows when the front of my bottom row of teeth were smashed through the space between my bottom lip and my chin in a live show that literally left an ounce of my blood on the floor of Union nightclub in Los Angeles when the heavy industrial tech duo, Youth Code opened for Code Orange this past Saturday night. Moments before my injury was sustained, I was lamenting the sad reality of a stagnant audience standing still as they witnessed the heaviest band in electronic music since Front 242 and before Ministry went full metal on the masses of the New World Order. Singer, Sara Taylor handled the sad reality well until about 5 songs in when me and a couple of other kids took matters into our own hands and gently convinced the audience standing directly in front of the stage to dance. Shortly thereafter, I experienced a momentary blackness and disorientation and a mysterious numbness in my mouth and aching in my jaw. A bit confused, I put my hand to my mouth and it was instantly
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Ascending the Holy Mountain: Sleep at the Fonda Theater
Rob Shepyer
February 1, 2017
The greatest experience one could have at a concert is that moment of total release when the band taps into that one elusive hook that grabs you, doesn’t let you go, and makes you travel inner and outer space while standing in one spot. Seeing the legendary stoner metal band, Sleep at The Fonda Theater allowed me to fondly remember that electric feeling when I saw Mastodon at Coachella and lost myself to the song “Quintessence”, who’s chorus goes “Let it go! Let it go! LET IT GO!“ That letting go is a spiritual experience, the same transformative, depersonalizing process one might have at a Mega Church. For a moment, one becomes the universe entire and that whole universe only exists to rock out. Sleep is thematically a stoner metal band with doom metal licks, so why do I feel like their sound taps directly into the marrow of religiosity? Why does a band that sings about fantasy themes and marijuana name their album Jerusalem? Why at the end of that concert did I feel somehow enlightened or spiritually full? I didn’t know when I bought my ticket to their show with The Melvins and I don’t know now as I
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Video Premiere: Sunshine Mind- Synchronize
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 31, 2017
Janky Smooth is proud to premiere the video for Los Angeles Psych Rock outfit Sunshine Mind and their single, “Synchronize” from Sunshine Mind’s forthcoming debut EP on Lolipop Records. In a sea of psych rock in Los Angeles, Sunshine Mind have that raw, born of the garage, unmanufactured feel of authenticity that takes you from a morning surf session and into band practice. Synchronize shot and directed by MJ Wat Edited by Chris Mares & MJ Wat Sunshine Mind is: Travis Moore– Drums and Percussion Henry Lopez-Guitar and Vocals Sonia Hernandez– keys Edgar Barrios– Bass Stanlee Sigala– Guitar Sunshine Mind started when Henry Lopez hooked up with Travis Moore and began jamming the riffs that were the building blocks of Sunshine Mind. Through minor speed bumps such as a life threatening motorcycle crashes with brain injury, Sunshine Mind lives. Come explore the possibility that the insane might see something out of sight for our dimension and that brain damage opens the doorway to second sight. Sunshine Mind are planning an official release show in April at Lolipop Records Headquarters in Echo Park. Stay tuned. Sunshine Mind on: Facebook Bandcamp
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The Sonics, The Sloths & Death Hymn Number 9 w/ Green Slime L.A.
Vanessa Burgundy
January 30, 2017
Hot off the heels of the 750,000 person Women’s March…Los Angeles was on fire. The vibe was positive, respectful, and proud…also…we were ready to rock n fucking roll with The Sonics at The Echoplex. Openers and LA natives, Death Hymn Number 9 were ready to take us on their satanic hayride. We had to force ourselves to get past the collective band’s awkward hair (yes it’s distracting enough to mention) and get into their demonized garage-rock replete with breakdowns like a thunderstorm tearing through the deep south. They’ve got a “Static Age” Misfits meets Minor Threat meets a doomsday death dance. I can dig it. America’s “great lost garage band”, The Sloths (who first formed in 1964), surprised us next…not only with the ferocity of their set but quite literally…with magic tricks. Singer, Tommy McLoughlin, razzled and dazzled us with gimmicks galore for each and every song. For their opener, he employed a popular sideshow stunt, turning his mic into an erupting display of firey angle grinder sparks. The Sloths were indeed back from the grave. They threw out blow up dolls for their song “Never Enough Girls” written by Holly Beth Vincent (originally meant for Joey Ramone), there was
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Chiptune Leveling up at Freq. Fest: 8bitLA 6.0 at The Smell
Rob Shepyer
January 23, 2017
Video games, especially ones for the NES and SNES consoles, are near and dear to my heart. I even have the tri-force from The Legend of Zelda tattooed on my leg. And who could forget that game’s soundtrack? With its fuzz bleeps and boops and doo-doodle-ooo’s… not I, never. I first heard about 8BitLA long ago as a sort of collective of 8bit musical artists but it wasn’t until seeing their announcement for this year’s Freq. Fest at The Smell that I paid them a second glance. 8BitLA was created by Jesse Avila and Kevyn Martinez to spread the gospel of this genre of music. Bringing together fans and forum users from around the world, Freq Fest is the genre’s boss battle. Not having any experience listening to this music, I saw Freq. Fest as an opportunity to broaden my horizons and further (artistically) pervert my mind. Plus, I’ve always liked Horse The Band. There’s this old cliché that music scenes like this are a bunch of outsiders banding together in an “island of misfit toys” scenario but in this day and age, I totally disagree. The weirdo’s of our age are not the ones that go to events like
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Best Coast, HEALTH, No Age, Ty & Bleached Help To Save The Smell
Danny Baraz
January 20, 2017
As yet another one of 4,397th “Save the Smell” benefits is in the books and we prepare to present to you the review of all the extraordinary talent that agreed to perform at the cavernous Belasco Theater, the throwback Los Angeles venue that cost more to restore and renovate than even the $1.4 million The Smell custodian, Jim Smith is trying to raise to secure a permanent location for the iconic, All Ages L.A. clubhouse for music. We wanted to remind The Smell cynics that Smith has run the multi generational art incubator for 19 years without any apparent profit motive in sight. So as the hum of jaded hipster whispers asking rhetorical questions about where all the money is going grows louder, it’s important to remember what the Smell has given 4 generations of burgeoning, pre-ID, DIY kids whose parents felt curiously comfortable dropping off at a location that 19 years ago was surrounded by the swarming transient citizen population of the Downtown L.A. hopeless and the homeless. Some of the most iconic cult music heroes that were born within the very walls that make what the kids of today would refer to as a “safe space”… The Smell.
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Janky Smooth Top 25 Bands & Artists To Watch in 2017
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 18, 2017
We take a fanboy/girl approach to music journalism in that most of us will gush over the artists we love and speak with a jaded cynicism about everyone else. That isn’t what this list of Top 25 Bands & Artists to Check Out in 2017 is about, though. (see disclaimer below) Luckily, there are more bands and little pockets of diverse music, art collectives and scenes all throughout the city right now than there ever has been. That’s not the weird part. The weird part is that, love ’em or hate them; SO MANY of these bands, DJ’s, sound designers and MC’s are in it for authentic and genuine artistic motives. Once, for all intents and purposes the music industry died, all the head shot, MI, blow dried Ken and Barbies that occupied a significant percentage of the “forever chasing the corporate art dollar” population in Los Angeles re-evaluated their lives, they scattered into television, movies and production and then… … the kids in the garages and practice spaces began their rule. Without the old worldwide distribution network and formulaic spreadsheets in place, the amount of time it takes for good bands to go from touring the west coast to touring
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Ty Segall & The Freedom Band Blow Minds at Secret Show at The Griffin
Aria Silva-Espinosa
January 16, 2017
Wednesday night was standing-room only at The Griffin in Los Feliz, an unusual bar scene for a weeknight but a flyer posted to @grifinbarla on instagram yielded heavy traffic for the venue early in the night for yet another, little publicized Ty Segall, “secret show.” (check out the video of the unreleased song “We Know?” set to be released at the end of the year) According to the guys working the door, people got there as early at 6:30 to ensure entry. Although regarded as a secret, it’s safe to say social media circulation does a lot for show publicity even on short notice. As this becomes increasingly common, music fans are well-advised to show up early to gigs like this unless you wanna be the sad late arrival begging your friends via text to help get you past the line. From the entry way, you couldn’t see any of the four walls of the low-lit venue. It was next to impossible to work the room for lack of passing space, the bar was stacked three deep at each well and forget about trying to smoke a cigarette because the patio was laden with so much secondhand smoke you
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Reverend Horton Heat & Jello Biafra: A Punk Rockabilly Freakout
Jessica Moncrief
January 15, 2017
Last Saturday, The Reverend Horton Heat hosted the 2nd of a two night event at The Observatory. Friday night was “Psychobilly Night” and Saturday was dubbed “The Punk Night”. As much as the photo journalist in me wanted to come out and get the story on the contrasting evenings (and to people watch all the “Clicity Clackity” greasers with pomps and “rock-a-billy” girls with their adorably unrealistic concert attire), I couldn’t subject my ears to that for 5+ hours. Thankfully, there was more than enough great material at the “Punk Night” for a story in itself, and I wouldn’t even need that angle. related content: Reverend Horton Heat, The Adicts & Smut Peddlers at The Observatory The Reverend Horton Heat has been putting on this 2 night shindig at The Observatory for the past few years. The acts have included artists and bands such as 45 Grave, Deke Dickerson, Wanda Jackson, Lords of Altamont, The Adicts, Cadillac Tramps and many more well known names. However, many lesser known locals have been given a platform in which to show off their stuff to a large crowd thanks to good ol Jimbo and Co. Wild Records is a Los Angeles based label that specializes
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Thee Oh Sees & Wand Back For Annual Holiday Food Drive at Teragram
Johann A. Ramos
January 13, 2017
Thee Oh Sees- AKA, the hardest working band in the global music underground in the past decade. I swear to punk rock gods that these guys are on a world tour 365 whilst simultaneously putting out consistently great records. How do they do it? The annual Panache Booking/LA Kitchen Holiday Homeless Food Drive took place in dirty Downtown Los Angeles at a very special venue that goes by the name Teragram Ballroom, we here at Janky Smooth have become familiar with over the last year or so. related content: Fuzz & Thee Oh Sees Bring Holiday Help To Homeless in L.A. Shannon Lay of the well established (and well ranked in Janky Smooth’s lists of Best of 2016’s) LA outfit, Feels opened the the show with a calm before the rage, as categorized by Lay herself. Lay coaxed the crowd with melodious chord progressions and beautiful melodies before the proverbial storm that was about to erupt, which juxtaposed the evening in the best way possible. I enjoyed the set, the atmosphere and the mildly depressing key of her music evoked some very strong emotions that challenged my fragile masculine intuition, and that’s a good thing. Wand did a fantastic fucking job at tying up the set
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Redd Kross, OFF! & Melvins Commemorate Teen Babes From Monsanto
Danny Baraz
January 9, 2017
Even though I’ve been averaging 3 or 4 shows a week, every week of every month since November of 2014, I still get jacked up on performances more often than not. I might not always be AS excited before I get to the venue from one night to the next but the Redd Kross anniversary party for Teen Babes From Monsanto along with a Steve “livin the dream” McDonald showcase with all his current active bands, including Melvins AND OFF! was impossible to not get wrapped up in. Unless you’re a kook. related content: OFF! Transform The Echo From Peaceful Indie Venue to House of Raw Aggression The truth is that Janky photographer, Jessica Moncrief hit me up to see if I could write about, so she could shoot, OFF! and Melvins at The Observatory. I didn’t find out until I was half way down to Santa Ana that Redd Kross was ALSO playing. I started to make the McDonald connection but still didn’t understand what was happening down there until I got inside the venue and the Melvins were already halfway through their set. The bummed out feeling at missing a major chunk of the Melvins didn’t last too long when I understood
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