Tag: spiritual cramp

Deafheaven at Psycho

Deafheaven at Lodge Room- A Perfect Marriage Of Time

Deafheaven astonishingly achieved fitting their enormous, atmospheric sound into the intimate setting of The Lodge Room for 2 sold out nights, hosting different lineups and playing different setlists for each of them. As heavy metal further evolves with its experimentation and hardcore punk is currently seeing a revival in its popularity, artists that were early to adopt this innovative nature, like Deafheaven, are now seeing the respect that they deserve for breaking ground within these movements. With the environment of Night 2 shifting from their classic black metal influenced material to the shoegaze and emo sounds of their newest album Infinite Granite, Deafheaven showcased the importance for legendary bands within modern heavy music scenes, to continue to explore and evolve as these genres do alongside them. While Deafheaven is known for bringing a massive and theatrical presence to the audience with their live performances, Spiritual Cramp creates a completely different atmosphere with their upbeat, groovy sound that inspires pogo dancing in all directions within any room that they play. Spiritual Cramp is one of the most distinctively unique bands to come out of the punk genre in recent years, having the spirit of classic ‘77 punk rather than the hardcore

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The Sound of Summer, the Fury of Fall: Fiddlehead at 1720

It’s been two years since the last Sound and Fury festival and without it, the Los Angeles hardcore scene lost its vital summer summit. The scene is still alive and strong but without Sound and Fury, it seems to be less alive, less self-aware. LAHC’s growth was stunted in a sense but now with the first Sound and Fury show since 2019 happening at 1720, the scene picked up right where it left off, with bands like Fiddlehead and Spiritual Cramp killing it as if we didn’t just lose two years of our youth. Sound and Fury was always the perfect encapsulation of youth culture and music. It illustrated the peak of summer–the sun’s heat against the downtown concrete–youthful style combinations of shorts, tattoos and band tees–easily healed bodies being destroyed in the pit only to stride out and rejoin the party as if nothing happened. So, with all these things missing for two years, it was only right that Sound and Fury returned with the catharsis of melodic post-hardcore. related content: Boston Calling: Sound And Fury 2019 I entered the building as Object of Affection was wrapping up but the tail end of their set I witnessed was riveting

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Spiritual Cramp

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Spiritual Cramp at Zebulon

One of our favorite artists, Spiritual Cramp are returning to Los Angeles to tear up the stage at Zebulon, with new material ready to go, this show is sure to be a banger. Along with the boys in SC, are Spice, Dais records’ own band comprised of members of Ceremony. Punk, poetry, and spiritual rebellion all converge in the music of this night at Zebulon. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO SPIRITUAL CRAMP SEPTEMBER 17TH AT ZEBULON 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 SPIRITUAL CRAMP Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 16TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION  

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Old Firm Casuals

Bay Area Blitzkrieg: Old Firm Casuals at 1720

The Bay Area is such a special place. The art, specifically the punk, that came from that golden strip of California, has had such a profound impact on my life that not only compares to Los Angeles but in many ways it surpasses it. Whether it be the boys in Rancid that called 924 Gilman Street home or the Dead Kennedys, CRIME, and this young band called Spiritual Cramp, I see so much truth organically coming from those bands. A Hard Times tour with these two bands, rounded out with Section H8, made for a show that brought together so many flavors of music and spellbound 1720 Warehouse. related content: A Tsunami Of Hardcore Kids: Fury’s “Failed Entertainment” Record Release At The Observatory I don’t miss a Spiritual Cramp show. Every time I see them, I find something new to love about their sound and performance. The energy is the first thing you notice, Michael Bingham’s kinetic stage antics, his jumping and swinging arms are the perfectly-paced cardio routine that leaves him drenched, pouring out all the anger and revolutionary spirit we need. This time around, I found the guitar and bass work absolutely incredibly, the tone is so reminiscent

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Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Old Firm Casuals at 1720

Lars Frederiksen of Rancid’s other band Old Firm Casuals are fucking amazing. Throwing back to Oi! and various older forms of punk rock, the Old Firm Casuals put on thrilling performances and this 1720 show will be no exception. Especially with the likes of Section H8 and Spiritual Cramp opening up for them. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO OLD FIRM CASUALS JULY 7TH AT 1720 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, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Old Firm Casuals Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JULY 5TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION    

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Artists to Watch 2019

Janky Smooth Top 25 Artists to Watch in 2019

Ah, the much anticipated and revered artists to watch article, how we’ve awaited you. The artists on this list vary in genre, age, ethnicity, region, and popularity. What they all have in common though, is that between January and December of 2019, something special is expected to happen to each of them. This list is not just to identify the smaller bands you need to know about but also to point out the bands you know and should be watching closely. Think of these artists and bands as heroes in their own stories, in the year 2019, a pivotal narrative moment will occur in each story. The Manx The Manx put on a show you couldn’t forget if you tried. Combining all sorts of styles from rock, to zydeco and polka, The Manx stir this musical stew until its reduction doesn’t resemble any of the ingredients used to create it, winding up with a mutant sound that’s totally original and shocking. With oddball instrumentation that utilizes banjo and accordion, the Manx don’t have any problem getting nude and covering themselves in multi-colored slime so that the show is a off-the-wall as the sound. This band is so strange that the

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Ceremony

L.A.’s Best Festival is Sound and Fury (imo). Here’s Why:

There are many qualities that make Sound and Fury Los Angeles’ best festival. I will try to touch upon them all in this article and also review every band that played the festival and after shows. You will want to attend the festival after reading this and not because I’m novelizing the experience but rather, what actually takes place at Sound and Fury is so uniquely incredible that the only reason a fan of heavy music wouldn’t want to attend is because they don’t know the festival exists. So, consider this your introduction: Sound and Fury is a hardcore music festival that began in 2006 in Ventura, California. Hosting legendary sets by underground hardcore artists whether they be in warehouses or the back of a U-haul like for Trash Talk in 2009, the festival’s momentum kept growing and growing until moving to the Regent Theater in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, the festival had expanded to the point that it could upgrade to the Belasco Theater. related content: The Most Complete Sound And Fury 2017 Review On Earth Gathering bands from all around North America (and one from Finland) to perform on two stages in the Belasco or at various

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American Nightmare

Midnight Massacre: American Nightmare At The Echoplex

Like a long, dooming swing of the reaper’s scythe, death rock and hardcore rained down upon us as if by the hand of Death itself. Since the headliner was hardcore, one might not expect two death rock bands opening up the show but when you consider the history of American Nightmare, it’s not so strange at all. American Nightmare has always highlighted the darker, more gothic side of the human experience to the point that Wesley Eisold, the band’s singer, evolved into Cold Cave, a goth, dark wave sensation. Never straying too far from his roots though, Eisold always kept American Nightmare in his back pocket. Perhaps now he’s wearing those pants back-side front. It’s too sides of the same coin, anyway. A sad, depressed crooner making music you can dance your sorrow away to and a rage-filled banshee that inspires blood-lust, violence, and anarchy in mosh pits that flood onto the stage. American Nightmare was the first band in the hardcore scene to really delve into emotional, darker lyrics and tones while not straying from true hardcore and the scene. The first band to open up the evening was Death Bells, a young death rock outfit from Sydney, Australia that

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