Tag: off!

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

Keith Morris Speaks Freely On Lawsuits, Politics & Punk Rock

Danny Baraz April 25, 2017

Not a lot needs to be said about Keith Morris and his contributions, not only to punk rock music but to the entire culture of “art” itself. I could easily get too wordy in this intro, to this transcript, of a bucket list interview with Morris for the temporarily defunct Janky Smooth and the NSA radio show from this time last year, but why? Everything I could say is in the archives of this interview and in his biography, My Damage I imagine there aren’t too many icons in the world who have remained as authentic and right sized as Keith and the fact that he gave a smaller publication like Janky Smooth one of his first, post lawsuit gag order interviews just speaks volumes about what this man values as an artist. Authenticity can not be feigned in art as easily as it can be in life and it’s rare to talk to someone in any capacity and get the vibe that what you see is what you get- especially when they’re talking about themselves. Most Recent on topic: Redd Kross, OFF! & Melvins Commemorate Teen Babes From Monsanto This interview took place in April of 2016 as one of

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

Death Hymn Number 9 at Alex's Bar 16 Year Anniversary

Opening Bands Shine as OFF! Plays Alex’s Bar 16 Year Anniversary

Danny Baraz February 3, 2016

Alex’s Bar in Long Beach knows how to celebrate their milestones.. In their 16th year, Alex’s Bar has managed to survive the early years of the many obstacles put in their path by the city of Long Beach to become the most important music venue in the city. Maybe it’s because of this that the celebrations they put together to mark their anniversaries are so notable. It’s always predicated on making sure it’s twice as fun by making it a two night affair. Last year, it was two nights of Rocket From The Crypt This year, for their 16 year anniversary, they booked Keith Morris’ OFF! to play two consecutive nights. Alex’s Bar: 15 Years of Punk Gratitude w/ Rocket from the Crypt What’s left to say about OFF!? I wrote about OFF! in great detail after their show at The Echo. Keith Morris, Dimitri Coats, Steven McDonald and Mario Rubalcaba deserve every word of praise they get for their achievement of making honest, hardcore punk music in this world of corporate numbers crunching. Please check out my piece on OFF! playing The Echo last year. OFF! Transform The Echo From Peaceful Indie Venue To House of Raw Aggression No.

Take This: OFF! at Alex’s Bar 16 Year Anniversary Ticket Giveaway

Danny Baraz January 20, 2016

When I think about the state of punk rock, it’s strange to consider that Keith Morris is still the one leading punks to the promised land. Even at 60 years old, Keith Morris really has one of the only legitimate, new HARDCORE punk bands in America. OFF! has all the elements of aggression, commentary and legitimacy that are required to achieve respect in a genre that eats it’s own. It must be a strange thing to be a living icon. That’s not something you can retire from. OFF! is playing a two night stint at one of our favorite punk rock bars in the country; Alex’s Bar in Long Beach. These dates serve as a celebration of Alex’s Bar’s 16 year anniversary. Both nights are chock full of impressive opening acts that range from established legends to legit, up and coming, next wave punks. On Friday, Jan 29th OFF! will be joined by young guns, Kim and the Created, Death Hymn Number 9 and yet another solid and viable Matt Caughthran project, The Drips. On Saturday, Jan 30th, OFF! is joined by legend Mike Watt and his Missingmen as well as a second consecutive night of The Drips and

OFF! transform The Echo from a peaceful, Indie venue into a house of raw aggression

Danny Baraz November 30, 2014

Keith Morris stopped the band from playing. As The Echo went from bedlam to a virtual hush, Morris pointed to the right of the stage and asked, “What was that I heard? I heard someone say, ‘Over the hill’”. He deferred to guitarist and ex Burning Brides front man, Dimitri Coats who exclaimed, “Over the hill like you assholes from the Valley”. What separates veterans punkers like OFF! from everyone else is not only a vast ocean of experience and a belt that has more notches than holes but it’s also an intuitive set of reflexes that cannot be taught. Whether you are a punk, a composer, a visual artist or a chef, you are either born with “it” or you aren’t. At 60 years old, Keith Morris still commands the stage like a grizzled sea captain. He navigates the hurled projectiles and ambitious stage divers like a treacherous ocean whose waters he has crossed on many a voyage. I didn’t know quite what to expect as I entered The Echo early in the evening. I’ve never seen a real circle pit at The Echo. I’ve seen “mosh pits” made up of all ages crowds that were more affectionate than

Win tickets to OFF! and Nasa Space Universe at The Echo on Saturday 11/29

Janky Smooth Central Command November 25, 2014

Do we really need to go through the list of reasons why Keith Morris is so important to punk rock? Chances are, if you clicked on this post then, no. But maybe, if you aren’t aware that the ex Black Flag/Circle Jerks front man has a current project with other legends such as Dimitri Coats, Steven Shane McDonald and Mario Rubalcaba then this post might just improve your life… just a little bit. OFF! is playing The Echo with one of our favorite new bands, Nasa Space Universe this Saturday, 11/29. You can purchase tickets here or follow the instructions to win one of two pairs of tickets that Janky Smooth is giving away. Contest Rules: Make sure you like our Facebook page and are following Janky Smooth on Instagram and Twitter. Next, comment on this post with a unique or frothy reason why you should be considered to win. Lastly, send us a tweet or comment on our Facebook page that you have completed all the steps to win a pair of tickets to the OFF! and NSU show on Saturday. Only those who complete all steps will be considered. 2 Winners will be announced this Friday, Nov 28th