Tag: punk

Scowl At 1720 Sell Out The Venue But Not Their Souls

Danny Ryan September 22, 2023

One of the biggest Catch 22’s of being a punk rock fan is wanting the artists you love to succeed and reach a larger audience, while also wanting them to avoid selling out and the inevitable softening of their edge that comes with popularity. While bands that maintain a consistent sound are often doomed to become dull and uninteresting after a couple of releases, there’s always a lingering fear of bringing in new audiences that don’t “get it” when an artist experiments with new aesthetics or explores other genres. Scowl and Militarie Gun have both had some of the most talked about punk releases of the year, and their recent show at 1720 proved that neither artist has sacrificed their unruly hardcore spirits in the evolution of their sounds. While tough-guy hardcore purists may be complaining online about the alternative direction that these artists have been taking, it’s clear that they haven’t witnessed the chaotic party that Scowl creates up close in-person for themselves yet and it’s only a matter of time before everybody starts to embrace the “Psychic Dance Routine”. related: Scowl Interview- Talking Limp Bizkit, Kevin Smith and Hardcore 1720 has established itself as one of the best

Sound and Fury Fest 2023: The Stage Dive Will Never Die

Danny Ryan August 30, 2023

Sound and Fury is easily my favorite music festival, and consistently takes the spot as the best weekend of the year for me without fail. Returning again to Exposition Park for the second year in a row, the controversial choice to move the festival outdoors has proven again to succeed as a hardcore experience exclusive to Sound and Fury. The overwhelming heat and dust clouds were absolutely brutal this year compared to 2022, but passionate fans were not going to let anything stop them from hardcore dancing all weekend long. This was also the second year with involvement from art collective and fashion brand Brain Dead, and their influence could be seen everywhere from the stage backdrops to exclusive merch designs. Sound and Fury is absolutely unmatched when it comes to finding the best collaborators and vendors to help with making their vision come alive, something that more music festivals should take note of in the goal of creating an unforgettable experience that everybody in attendance feels a need to come back to. related: Risks Make Better Memories than Nostalgia – Sound and Fury 2022 One of the biggest draws to Sound and Fury’s 2023 lineup for me was the

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

Ben Lives!: Ben is Dead Zine 30th Anniversary with Jawbreaker at Catch One

Janky Smooth Central Command November 21, 2018

Legendary Los Angeles punk rock magazine Ben is Dead celebrated their 30 year anniversary since first being published in 1988. As a punk rock blog ourselves, we give all due respect and praise to Ben is Dead for what they’ve done for punk rock and Los Angeles journalism and this contribution didn’t go unnoticed by bands as well. The artists that this event was able to assemble was rather remarkable considering how rare they were to see, not just at any show, but in a club like Catch One. Hot off headlining Riot Fest and selling out the Hollywood Palladium for numerous dates, Jawbreaker was set to headline the anniversary show. Also billed to play were the extremely rarely seen Skatenigs and Kieth Morris’ Midget Handjob. Those that were in attendance were treated to a show they will never forget and those that didn’t go are mostly likely never going to experience anything like this. Photos by: Jessica Moncrief Jawbreaker Midget Handjob Skatenigs Savage Republic

F*ck Feelings: Lagwagon Performs “Lets Talk About Feelings” at El Rey

Rob Shepyer September 27, 2018

Are we, as a society, officially retiring the adage “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”? For a minute there, I thought this was the case but after seeing Lagwagon‘s degenerate onstage horseplay shit on the importance we put on feelings, now I can officially say, we as a society still think feelings are bull shit. Also bullshit: Joey Cape, lead singer of Lagwagon. Ask him yourself, he put it on a T shirt and the damn thing sold out. Fat Wreck Chords is still flying the punk flag proudly. That doesn’t necessarily require being ass holes but it doesn’t hurt, especially when it’s toward your bandmates, not the audience. In all seriousness though, Lagwagon and all its members fucking killed that stage. Lets Talk About Feelings was released twenty years ago on the same night as this show at El Rey. Even back then, Lagwagon’s music was teaching people to be worse human beings, whether they were kids playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater or adults skating in real life. related content: Me First & The Gimme Gimmes Inter-Review At The Fonda Theater A Vulture Wake began the night with one of the tightest,

Surfbort Shake-Up Dave’s Shit Show At Resident

Rob Shepyer August 8, 2018

Hot off the heels of a successful gallery opening and Zine release, iconic black and white rock photographer, Shit Show Dave, put on a Beach Goth after party at Resident that will not be soon forgotten. Shit… the show featured performances by Vaguess, Die Group, and Surfbort and the Resident was completely packed with rockers, groupies and all sorts of crazy fuckers, drinking, laughing and moshing hard. Costa Mesa’s Vaguess opened up the show with a sound that was undisputed garage punk and gets any human’s gears turning and heads banging. They provide an especially electric party feel that goes well with drinks, cigarettes, and whatever lubricant you need to get the job done. What job would that be you ask? Straight partying hard and punking out… ever heard of it!? Die Group were next, a band off Sex Tape records, they’re an OC and LA underground favorite. I had only heard good things about the band but none of their music until this point and having met the members, it was a pleasure to see them do what they do best. I was impressed and moved by their haunting and rhythmic garage rock. Their guitars are sonic and noisy, their

Huntington Beach Gets Weird: The Weirdos at Gallagher’s Pub

Audrey Kemp August 1, 2018

The renowned Los Angeles punk band The Weirdos played Gallagher’s Pub in Huntington Beach on Saturday with the same tenacity as their first gig in the area 40 years ago at The Golden Bear.

One Friday Night in Hell Part 3: Lethal Amounts Presents The Zeros at El Cid

Rob Shepyer July 13, 2018

Let me give you a bit of advice, when Pure Trash is booked, you attend. The bands start late, around midnight when most of the shows throughout the city have already ended. Then with bands like The Zeros playing, you’d have to be a fucking idiot to miss out. It’s the ultimate goto destination for nights you never want to end. That’s where I wound up on this especially hellish Friday last week. After Show Me The Body, Twitching Tongues, and Vein then after Das Bunker’s Das Ich show at Los Globos. related content: One Friday Night In Hell Part 1: Show Me The Body, Twitching Tongues, And Vein At The Regent I made Downtown and Echo Park my bitch that night, cruising for a bruising and testing myself to see how hard I can party. After hardcore and industrial, the Zeros were the relief I needed, loose, raw and most of all fun punk rock that didn’t take itself too serious. Perfect tunes for Pure Trash. related content: One Friday Night In Hell Part 2: Das Ich At Los Globos The Flytraps opened up the night, more happily unhinged than they usually are, like they had a license to

Voluntary Electrocution: Le Shok at Alex’s Bar

Jessica Moncrief July 9, 2018

Le Shok has sent shock waves along the California coast since playing a secret show at Zebulon, performing at their official reunion at Burger Boogaloo and most recently, with a home town show at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach last Friday. The show was announced in conjunction with the “We Are Electrocution” group art show at 4th Street Vine, as well as a Burger Records repressing of their seminal album. With an all-star support line-up of local favorites such as Terminal A, The Tissues, and Assquatch, it’s no wonder many fans, myself included, were left scrambling on social media event threads trying to get our grubby hands on a ticket after the show sold out in a cool 4 hours. Promises of blow jobs and death threats for tickets littered the event page in the days leading up to the show, proving the loyalty and lengths people were willing to go to relive the punk nostalgia of nearly 2 decades past. For all of you that were fortunate enough to cop a ticket, enjoy relieving the joy and insanity of the night and if you are one of the sad fucks that didn’t make it in (like I almost was), here are some photos of

Who Needs Pins When You’ve Got Spikes? GBH at the Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command May 31, 2018

It’s 8pm in Southern California, the night before Punk Rock Bowling kicks off in Las Vegas: do you know where the local punks are? You might assume they’re all somewhere between another vegan straight-edge food stop and pure Barstow bat country; in reality, a number of them are sticking close to home and swimming in the perks of perfect proximity. related content: Against Me! Stuns At The Observatory Before Punk Rock Bowling It’s this crowd I thoroughly appreciated sharing time with on a just right Friday night at Santa Ana’s OC Observatory. I haven’t nailed down my theory on why they stayed: maybe some got a late start and headed out after, maybe this is where the class lines are drawn (PRB ain’t cheap), maybe they just don’t fucking care about the festival. Either way, staying home didn’t mean losing out, as this lineup brought out a healthy and hyped crowd, ready to catch some PRB acts without having to dive into Las Vegas decadence, depravity, and possible debt. Unfortunately for the opener, Spain’s CRIM, who deserved a bigger audience, the crowd came out in a slow trickle. CRIM has a compelling, if confusing, take on Oi!—the influence is so

Take This: Show Us Your Scars: Win a Pair of Tickets to 3 Shows: GBH, Subhumans, and Fear

Janky Smooth Central Command May 16, 2018

Celebrate hump day with the highlight of Janky Smooth’s giveaway week: The Show Us Your Scars: OC Punk Ticket Package giveaway! This once in a lifetime opportunity offers you the chance to win A PAIR of tickets to not one, not two, BUT THREE shows at The Orange County Observatory. These shows include GBH on May 25th, The Subhumans on May 29th, and Fear on June 29th. And what did we at Janky Smooth think was the best way to find a winner to attend these three punk shows in Orange County? By showing us your battle scars. That’s right, punks that got a fist to the lip at a show or broke their legs skating, this is your opportunity to cash-in on your injury. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS TO GBH HERE TICKETS TO SUBHUMANS HERE AND TICKETS TO FEAR HERE OR ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO ALL 3 SHOWS IN OUR SHOW US YOUR SCARS GIVEAWAY MAY 25TH, 29TH AND JUNE 29TH, 2018, THE OC OBSERVATORY Step 1- Like one of our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram) Step 2- Direct Message us a picture of your gnarliest scar The gnarliest of the gnarly wins WINNER WILL

Shred And Sensitivity: The Smoking Popes At The Viper Room

Rob Shepyer May 2, 2018

The week leading up to The Smoking Popes‘ return to Los Angeles at the Viper Room was filled by my reacquainting myself with their music. I remember the first time I heard of the Popes, from a friend who described them as pop punk meets big band, which is a description I dispute after having seen them, but still it made me curious enough to investigate the band. I had been listening to their cover of Gene Wilder’s “Pure Imagination” nonstop and was willing to see them as many times as it would take to hear that cover live. The Smoking Popes had hung up their papal pipes for a few years but with the twenty year anniversary of their seminal album Destination Failure, the band decided to get back on the road to celebrate. The last time they were in Los Angeles was 2012, when they played the Knitting Room (RIP). related content: Heaven Or Coachella?: Django Django And Tank & The Bangas At The Fonda Entering the Viper Room, which was already filling up, I got to the front of the crowd to watch the opening band Bad Cop/Bad Cop, a band that I’ve been hearing and seeing