Tag: greek theatre

Music for Trees: PJ Harvey at the Greek Theatre

Rob Shepyer October 25, 2024

PJ Harvey’s return to North America saw her playing songs off 2023’s I Inside The Old Year Dying, her most recent album, which for those expecting the heavy, knock around sound of Steve Albini-produced Rid of Me, were in for a softer, more ambient and touching treat. The album cover of this 2023 effort visual communicates the sound, a slender twig made whole by its shadow, the image is minimalist and fragile, similar to the music but the music has a fuller element, as if you’re riding a wave from start to finish of every song. Hearing this in the heart of Griffith Park, surrounded by giant trees on either side which create a force field so that the music is for only those in the theatre’s arms, gave the evening a sort of contact high we’d feel with every song. related: Dangerously Artsy- Geneva Jacuzzi at The Lodge Room You felt in these songs a primal connection to nature, which PJ Harvey embodied this night with her long white dress. For those that were itching to hear her more punk rock material, like myself, we had to wait a little bit but it was well worth it to hear

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

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Heilung at the Greek Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command September 1, 2022

There are greater horrors, darker sounds and more mysterious images than anything heavy metal has ever had to offer. Heilung is more than just a black metal inspired musician, she is an artistic experience that connects us with the ancient. The sounds of spirits, tradition, bloodline, sorcery and evil all come to life to animate the instruments and players involved in a Heilung concert. Enter this world she creates and you will not leave the same. Join us for a ritual of cleansing and power, the voices of many ancient spirits will join you in dance at the Greek Theatre and we are giving away a pair of tickets to the evening. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS‍ HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO HEILUNG SEPTEMBER 27TH AT THE GREEK 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 HEILUNG Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 20TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Preview: Bright Eyes Rolls into Los Angeles to Play the Greek Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command June 13, 2022

The early 2000’s was filled with a wellspring of emo music that each helped teenagers expand their own emotional intelligence to depths that no one else could take them. Neither their family, friends, nor mentors had the ability to make people feel the range of emotions these bands did. Then, in comes one boy, Conor Oberst with a vision all his own, to be an emo troubadour and take the sound to more emotional and vulnerable depths than anyone had imagined. Before Conor, you never heard men be so vulnerable on record. Conor then found two friends and created the band known as Bright Eyes. It was almost a guilty pleasure for boys to listen to, while the more enlightened sex gravitated toward the heartbreaking sound. Now, decades later, everyone celebrates the music of Bright Eyes, making these reunion shows highly anticipated. We all want to cry our eyes out and hold our loved ones close. There is no better show to do these two things at. So yes, after a 9 year hiatus, Bright Eyes has returned and been touring the states and are coming to Los Angeles on June 23rd to play the Greek Theatre. This isn’t just

Sweet Existential Melancholy: Animal Collective at the Greek Theatre

Dillon Vaughn May 31, 2022

With a tour highlighting the recently released Time Skiffs record, Animal Collective seized the opportunity to bring the playful collage-esque themes of the record to life. There’s always been a level of sincerity and child-like wonder in the quartet’s output that’s sorely missed in the majority of music released by their contemporaries and it’s exactly what keeps AnCo fresh. Album after album they’ve managed to effectively bridge disorienting experimentation with pop-comfort; a feat that honestly astounds me when I consider how accessible and widely known they’ve been over the span of their career. related content: Silver Lake Perris: Desert Daze 2019 Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin, and Geologist have each grown so much in their craft and it’s a blast hearing some of my favorites from Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post Pavilion live again. The pure joy exuded by everyone on stage truly is infectious and a quick glance at the audience revealed nothing but the smiling faces of an adoring crowd. Avey’s shifting vocal style hits a perfect mark between catchy melody and abrasive frenzy while Panda Bear and Deakin’s vocal leads consistently shift perspective and tone at the perfect moment. Implied by the title of the new album, the idea of drifting across a

Photo Recap: Bikini Kill at the Greek Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command May 11, 2022

Ever since Bikini Kill‘s string of Hollywood Palladium reunion dates, Los Angeles has been hoping to see the Riot Grrrl legends take the stage in our fair city once again. That time finally came when they played the Greek Theatre on April 28th and at this show, every woman and man that entered were inspired. Given the recent Supreme Court leak revolving around Roe vs Wade, it’s important men start recognizing the shared humanity from art and sentiment expressed by women. See a woman’s outrage and let it make a real impact on you, stop relegating those emotions as something coming from an other. Bikini Kill at the Greek were phenomenal and we got the pics to prove it. Now please, behold Kathleen Hannah in all her genius and glory. Photos by: Michelle Corvino Bikini Kill

Photo Recap: Khruangbin at the Greek Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command November 9, 2021

Photos by: Manuel Arredondo Khruangbin has been a topic of contention at Jankysmooth. Most contributors love them, some just don’t get it. Some just don’t know how to dance. Regardless of critical opinion, the band’s ticket sales and cultural impact speak for themselves. They sold out three nights at the Greek Theatre and are more or less the psychedelic rock scene’s single top attraction at this time. They’re leading the charge in music of a movement that hasn’t even been fully defined yet. Classifying their sound makes most critics come up with plenty of nebulous terms when a colloquialism like jive will suffice. Joining the power trio on this night of their sell out spree at the Greek was Japanese psych heroes Kikagaku Moyo. Check out these incredible photos from the show: Khruanbin Kikagaku Moyo

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

King Crimson at the Greek: Prog Prophets of a Schizoid 21st Century

Rob Shepyer August 12, 2021

For an outsider looking in to Los Angeles’ music scene, psychedelic rock is of the utmost importance in this underground, cultural moment. Here and now, there are many bands that ought to come to mind as the root inspirations to artists like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, OSEES or Kikagaku Moyo. You could think The Doors or Velvet Underground, and you’d be right but if you turn back the hand of time even further and cross the pond, you’d pay witness to the first true frontiersman of musical exploration, King Crimson. They stand out as the progenitors of the sonic and lyrical landscapes that pervade Los Angeles’ scene till this very day. Some fans and even musicians today might not be aware of the connection, they might just naively rock out to Fuzz’s cover of “21st Century Schizoid Man” thinking it’s an original, but those in the know not only recognize the debt they owe to King Crimson, they carry their awe with them on stage anytime they play guitar and try to breach the same headspace as Robert Fripp. There are a few tenants to the King Crimson musical philosophy, that act as bedrock for modern psychedelic music, the most

Under From Down Thunder: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the Greek Theatre

Rob Shepyer August 20, 2019

The ascent of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard from Australian psych rock darlings to Greek Theatre headlining Los Angeles phenomenon has been a journey that has not only pleasured our psych rock scene but developed it to be passed down to a younger generation. In many ways, we in Los Angeles feel like King Gizz is our band. And so, to celebrate their reaching a new steppe in the hierarchy of rock and a new album, the band played an epic set that thrilled, chilled, and gave everyone the full King Gizz experience. My prediction that 2019 would be the year of the Australian takeover might not be as evident as with this concert seeing as all three bands hail from the continent. I’m not sure what the charm is exactly, perhaps we consider them exotic. I think it’s the terrain though, surrealist desert, plenty of surf, oddball nature, cultured metropolis, and hard drinking would inspire great psychedelic music. related content: Unheavenly Skies Above Los Feliz: Coheed & Cambria And Mastodon At The Greek Opening the evening was ORB, a psych rock session of Sabbath worship and we’re talking early Sabbath. Self-titled. Down-tuned riffs that harken ominous imagery and make

Unheavenly Skies Above Los Feliz: Coheed & Cambria and Mastodon at the Greek

Rob Shepyer July 3, 2019

I could’ve gone to see the Misfits but seeing how it would’ve been my fourth time, I felt like I had a pass to miss a fiend club meet up for the chance to catch Coheed and Cambria’s Unheavenly Skye tour with Mastodon and Every Time I Die at the Greek Theatre. The sweeping, virtuosic, narrative-driven, poppy, metallic music of Coheed and Cambria has always intrigued me. They captured a different sound and concept than any other band within the progressive genre, which I suppose is the only one you can fit them into. And so, this sweet summer night saw the clouds gather over Los Feliz to rumble with thunder and lightning because tonight, the Rock Gods were out to play. Every Time I Die began the night with some of the best metalcore on the market today. I had been trying to catch them for awhile and was blown away by their intensity, fun, catchiness, and just how jagged their riffs were. Following them was one of the most important progressive metal bands of all time, Mastodon. I wouldn’t leave their accolades at prog metal though, they will have a lasting impact on all heavy music. It’s amazing