Tag: indie
FIDLAR at The Observatory is STILL a Vibe
Janky Smooth Central Command
March 21, 2023
There is little more that’s as iconic in the last 10 years of the SoCal indie music scene than FIDLAR playing at The Observatory in Santa Ana. It brings back memories of the golden age of the now defunct label that shall not be mentioned- but it rhymes with “Zurger”. related: An Interview with Zac Carper from FIDLAR Ticket holders wasted no time filling up The Observatory for the opening acts. Fans flooded the pit, full of raw energy and not holding anything back for Reckling. The set came with fast, high energy that had the fans crowd surfing, singing along and of course, moshing. Reckling opened the night strong and set the bar high. Not to be outdone, Liily came out just as powerfully and kept that energy going, if not elevating it to the next level. From their catchy songs to the electric performance of frontman Dylan Nash and the nonstop, chaotic energy of bassist Charlie Anastasis, all combined to make for one hell of a show. The crowd was warmed up, stretched and sweaty for FIDLAR to come out and destroy and they did just that. FIDLAR came out firing on all cylinders with “ Wake
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New Song Premier: Raj and the 100’s- ‘No Suicide’- Heartbreaking Beauty
Aria Silva-Espinosa
March 21, 2017
We don’t really know much about who Raj Sabhlok is or where he came from but when we were sent the opportunity to premiere the first song in a series of 100, most of which were recorded in a recording studio owned by John Vanderslice. When we heard “No Suicide”, we were in. If you’re a fan of The Growlers, Kevin Morby and Devendra Banhart, you should love Raj and the 100’s. Let us know what you think! We all process loss differently; self-imposed isolation, submitting to one’s vices or even complete disassociation are not uncommon coping methods particularly in the early stages of grieving. Raj Sabhlok instead sought solace through the creation of Raj and the 100’s, a project which came about following the sudden passing of his parents. He traded the comfort of his home for and RV and spent two years traveling the United States, reflecting, exploring internally and exploring the vast wilderness along the way. For the duration of the his musical pilgrimage, Raj composed an impressive collection of about 300 songs. Eventually his journey landed him at Tiny Telephone, the San Francisco-based analog recording studios owned by songwriter/producer John Vanderslice. Vanderslice has recorded with a
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Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Releasing 12 Solo Albums in 6 Months. For real.
Brent Smith
August 23, 2016
With a stoic stare through horn-rimmed wayfarers, framed with a short mane of dark, wild hair, sporting a button-down against a beaten brick wall on some street, Omar Rodríquez-López invokes Bob Dylan’s iconic 1966 visage—the most elusive and most possessed of Dylan personalities. López’s output is just as inexhaustible too; no doubt inspired. Never mind his work with Mars Volta or At the Drive-In, his solo work in the last decade is enough to make the likes of Ty Segall shake in his boots (mind the age gap), and apparently he’s nowhere near finished. His latest solo effort upholds the current indie dictum: be prolific or die. In an unprecedented move to release twelve (that’s 12) albums from now until the end of the year—one every two weeks—López, in collusion with Ipecac Recordings, looks to bombard us with his pure, unadulterated schizophrenia. Three of the twelve LP’s are already out (and streaming on Spotify, you broke motherfuckers), with the release of the fourth just days away. They very much speak to his forays in acid jazz, space rock, poetic-spitting vocals, and sentimental pop soundscapes. Sworn Virgins is experimental without being hardcore. It has a postpunk sheen, darkly textured with effects,
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Dirty Penni Fest: A Rock and Roll Romper Room For Young and Old
Paige Vreede
July 27, 2016
Los Angeles is a mecca for DIY events, especially in the Summer and this past Saturday Penniback Records and Dirty Laundry TV teamed up to put on hybrid “Dirty Penni Fest”, at you guessed it, The a Echo and The Echoplex. Teenagers would get nine hours of freedom and independence with headlining acts such as Cherry Glazerr, No Parents, and Guantanamo Baywatch. But it wasn’t just the youths who were permitted to have a good time… Mike Watt and the Missing Men were also on the bill. Whaaaaaat?! When I was first asked to cover it, I honestly approached my editor with great hesitancy in agreeing to spend an entire day drenched in 18-year-old sweat. Most of the aversion I have with these type of events is a bi-product of me getting older, music festivals increasing popularity and my progressively shortened temper to be around nihilistic teens. Alas, I agreed to it anyhow, and holy shit I am glad I did. Though there were some incredible bands that kicked off the shenanigans at noon, I knew if I had arrived early, by the time the headlining acts were to go on I would be too exhausted to care or too drunk
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The New S. A.- The New Sound Alliance Voter Registration Org
Danny Baraz
February 3, 2016
Janky Smooth is proud to launch The New S.A.- The New Sound Alliance. We endorse no candidates. We are Americans. We support a more responsible version of capitalism. Our only mission is to register first time voters to insure that only candidates that represent “the People” of The United States of America receive sufficient representation in US Government. Please; Register to Vote now and JOIN THE NEW SOUND ALLIANCE. Our first event will take place in late May, 2016. We will be well past Super Tuesday, with a much clearer picture of the General Election. Full lineup, location and special guests announced soon. Join our newsletter and you will be informed of everything we are involved in and it will act as your RSVP to all our free events. Please share this post if you are interested in registering first time voters. WE stand at a crossroads. We can no longer talk about how much we care about this issue or that issue and then say “Someone else will take up the fight but right now, we have to worry about our own thang”. Time to decide where we stand in all this before The United States of America is unlivable for
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Janky Smooth’s Top 20 Artists to Watch in 2016
Danny Baraz
January 15, 2016
In identifying Janky Smooth’s Artists to Watch in 2016, there were a number of factors to take into consideration. There are different levels and plateaus musicians can ascend to in their careers. There is the release of their first EP/7”. There is the release of their debut album and of course, the all-important sophomore LP. Any predicted success after those milestones is hardly a prediction unless it involves a comeback. When we define our artists to watch in 2016, it is using any and all of these criteria to identify buzz worthy bands. We want to help our readers get the jump on artists before corporate money corrupts their artistic process too much. While there are bands in this list based in cities other than Los Angeles, LA is our home base and seeing these bands live is a part of the process of selection. If you can’t do it live, you can’t do it! This is Janky Smooth’s List of Artists to Watch in 2016 20. Cavanaugh- Collaboration between Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti Time & Materials by Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle & Serengeti) 19. So Pitted- Punk/Post Punk Seattle Group on Sub Pop Records neo by
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LCD Soundsystem Release Xmas 7″- “Christmas Will Break Your Heart”
Danny Baraz
December 24, 2015
With all the back and forth about the possible LCD Soundsystem reunion that isn’t actually happening, the release of their first new song in 5 years suggests that the band might have a couple new year’s resolutions. Just over an hour ago James Murphy tweeted from the LCD Soundsystem Twitter account about a Christmas song he’s been singing in his head for the past 8 years, always forgetting to record it until another Xmas would pass. It appears that this year would not pass without the band not only recording the song but also releasing it on 7″ here via Murphy’s label, DFA Records. The song was also released today and posted to a YouTube account called LCD Xmas. This song is sure to become an anthem for sad bastards everywhere who are getting drunk alone on the most depressingly jolly day of the year. It seems to me that LCD Soundsystem have a ton of artistic expression that has been bottled up too long. The back and forth surrounding the reunion is prologue to a busy 2016. I have no doubt we will be seeing the LCD Soundsystem name in big print on a Coachella announcement, soon. To me
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Year In Review: Top 10 Concerts of 2015 Rated by Contributors
Danny Baraz
December 18, 2015
Since the beginning of time, mankind grabbed whatever it could find to tap out and amplify the rhythm in our souls. From the most tribal roots of humanity, those rhythms brought us to our feet and inspired us into spastic soliloquies and baby making motions. Before the advent of the recording studio, there was only one way to hear music- LIVE. For true music snobs and purists, if you can’t do it live, you can’t do it. That is my segway into Janky Smooth’s Top 10 Concerts of 2015. Janky Smooth contributors attended 100’s of shows this year. Selecting the top 10 concerts of 2015 was quite a challenge. Most of the concerts we attended were in Los Angeles so while new labels, venues and promoters are taking advantage of the music explosion taking place all over the globe, Los Angeles continues to be it’s music capital. I often complain about the low energy of concert attendees in the city of my birth and while a handful of bands have been skipping Los Angeles on their tour schedules for this reason and opt for Pomona or Orange County, there’s no denying that if you hype up a Los Angeles crowd, you
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Year in Review: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Rated by Contributors
Danny Baraz
December 15, 2015
Every year has a song or songs that define it. That song that will always remind you of the best summer ever, the worst summer ever, the year your child was born, the year you graduated high school, the year you dropped out of high school. A song that paints a picture in your mind. Songs you love. Songs you hate. Both can be just as powerful. This is Janky Smooth’s list of the Top 10 Songs of 2015 as rated by our regular contributors. Rating the Top 10 Songs of 2015 is much more difficult than rating the Top 10 Albums of 2015. Masterpiece albums are much more rare than the single flash of inspiration required to create one, catchy 3-5 minute arrangement. Top 10 Songs of 2015 Justin Cornwall- Author: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Beck- Dreams Tame Impala- Let it Happen Chemical Brothers ft. Beck- Wide Open Robert DeLong- Long Way Down RATATAT- Cream on Chrome Bob Moses- Tearing Me Up Best Coast- California Nights Romare- Love Song Kendrick Lamar- King Kunta Disclosure ft Lorde- Magnets Top Post: Sylvan Esso Moves the Fonda for Day 3 of 30 Days in L.A. David Evanko- Photographer: Top 10 Songs
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Year in Review: Top 10 Albums of 2015 Rated by Contributors
Danny Baraz
December 14, 2015
10 years from now, we might look back at the Top 10 Albums of 2015 as the year the “new music industry” became a viable business model. As the battle rages to fine tune some of the sticky points around streaming services, vinyl sales soar at the same time bands and artists offer free downloads, surrendering the traditional model and entrusting their legacy to future generations. With so many different ways to deliver musical products to consumers, our Top 10 Albums of 2015 list will include LP’s, EP’s and Mixtapes. We are not a hive mind at Janky Smooth so you will find albums we didn’t publish favorable reviews on in our contributors top 10 list. We here at Janky Smooth feel blessed to stand on the precipice with you and gaze upon the vast landscape of music that is exploding from all corners of the world. Top 10 Albums/EP’s/Mixtapes of 2015 Johnny Ramos- Photographer: Top 10 Albums of 2015 Tame Impala – Currents Beach House – Depression Cherry Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color Death Grips – The Powers That B Toro Y Moi – What For? Turnover – Peripheral Vision Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love Hot Chip –
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Video Premiere: The Slippery Lips- Someone You Love
Danny Baraz
November 11, 2015
Janky Smooth would like to present to you, the worldwide premiere of the “Someone You Love” music video by The Slippery Lips. It’s rare that a virtually unknown band from the mid west gets on the Janky Smooth radar but The Slippery Lips from Cincinnati are hard to miss. With their new video for Someone You Love, The Slippery Lips join the “party band” circuit. In a sea of melodic discontent, they are a wave that washes away the mundane and repetitive flood of music emanating from countless American garages. Having opened for the likes of White Reaper and Twin Peaks and also FIDLAR and Dune Rats on their latest tour, Janky Smooth are not the first to discover this mid western gem but we hope to expose our readers to the raw power of this band. Their motto is “Punch Life in the Dick”. With lead singer, Jesse Fox, The Slippery Lips have an ambassador that is deeply entrenched in the American garage rock music scene. As an editorial and concert photographer, artist and musician, she gives to the scene just as much as she takes but leaves all of it on stage, including her liver and her pride.
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Timmy’s Organism at The Satellite- Fuzz, Fireworks and Fun
Alfonso Contreras
November 10, 2015
So I end up in the land of the hipster, the trickster, and the club going fiend Friday Nov the 6th – Where did this adventure take me do you ask? The good old Satellite, a longtime LA hotspot that has been hosting killer acts across many genres for many years now. On this fine evening, my next assignment was to be a band by the name of Timmy’s Organism– A three piece hard rocking machine, full of earth shattering fuzz guitars, growling bass tones, and superb, technically heavy drums. If you dig on explosive bands that deliver with authority then Timmy’s Organism would’ve been the perfect stop for an exciting start to a weekend. If not, then I don’t know what to prescribe to you, my friends. I arrive ready to take on the night armed with a camera, a set of hungry ears, and a close friend to help me battle the evening with an endless and unstoppable tank of energy (thanks Katie). I stepped into the Satellite right at the beginning of the Timmy’s Organism set and prepared myself for the gorgeous noise that was to come. The vibe reminded me of the old punk shows from my
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