Tag: the birth defects

Ty Segall & The Freedom Band Blow Minds at Secret Show at The Griffin

Aria Silva-Espinosa January 16, 2017

Wednesday night was standing-room only at The Griffin in Los Feliz, an unusual bar scene for a weeknight but a flyer posted to @grifinbarla on instagram yielded heavy traffic for the venue early in the night for yet another, little publicized Ty Segall, “secret show.” (check out the video of the unreleased song “We Know?” set to be released at the end of the year) According to the guys working the door, people got there as early at 6:30 to ensure entry. Although regarded as a secret, it’s safe to say social media circulation does a lot for show publicity even on short notice. As this becomes increasingly common, music fans are well-advised to show up early to gigs like this unless you wanna be the sad late arrival begging your friends via text to help get you past the line. From the entry way, you couldn’t see any of the four walls of the low-lit venue. It was next to impossible to work the room for lack of passing space, the bar was stacked three deep at each well and forget about trying to smoke a cigarette because the patio was laden with so much secondhand smoke you

Janky Fest I- A Review and Self Inflicted Wound

Janky Smooth Central Command November 28, 2016

The first installment of Janky Fest on November 19th in Outer Space celebrating the Janky Smooth 2 Year Anniversary featured OG punks The Dwarves last week was super lame. Only a retarded music critic could throw an 18 and over event as a thank you to his all ages readership. Where does this dad rock douche bag Danny Baraz get off booking a large lineup of bands whose local fans couldn’t even attend the event, all because some anxious reactionary in a pseudo DIY venue was scared of pissed off punks in a recently Post-election, President elect, Donald Trump world? Sources tell me that’s literally the initial reason given by the venue for the switch, even though it changed to something a bit less ridiculous in the following days. Clearly, young punks of helicopter parents would breathe fire, shit on the floor and not buy enough beer and liquor because they’re pissed Trump won an election they didn’t even vote in. Zing. I don’t know Danny Baraz at all but he seems like just another privileged “straight white male” (even though Baraz doesn’t sound “white”) mansplaining and curating the injustice in the world through his pseudo intellectual political leanings, which he forces

Snapshot of a New Music Industry: White Fang, No Parents & The Birth Defects

Danny Baraz November 18, 2016

Catching a band you love play live as they emerge from the fear and loathing of a 2 month tour insures that you will witness them at the height of their powers. Ever since the Janky team helped White Fang, No Parents and The Birth Defects send themselves off on the road in a 3 vehicle caravan of knuckleheads and thrashers, I’ve had my eye on this date to check in with the guys about how the tour went- partly because I had visions of all these guys trying to outdo each other with bad personal decisions and partly because I knew they would be as tight as the Clinton’s and Trump’s at Thanksgiving dinner. I find the dynamic of the independent DIY music scene to be fascinating. The way a wave of buzz washes over the internet and indie record stores for a band like White Fang but then gets swept away in the mountain of music being produced and released on a weekly basis, is a snapshot of how young people consume new music. Funkle said it himself in our pre- tour interview, “I want to see if we even still have a national following.” In this new

White Fang & No Parents Escape from L.A.

Janky Smooth Sessions: Beers, Buds & GnarBurgers w/ White Fang, No Parents

Danny Baraz October 14, 2016

White Fang, No Parents and the Birth Defects have embarked on a tour for one of the first lineups of L.A. based bands that has made sense to me in quite a long time. We’ve seen No Parents play with Mystic Braves, we’ve seen The Birth Defects play with Fuzz and while I like all of those bands, having them play together is like having Donald Trump and Martin Luther King follow each other in speaking engagement. My fellow Janksters, Paige, Travis and I went to kick it with the bands at GnarBurger as they made their pre tour preparations that included beef, beer and buds as they got ready to hit a nationwide tour in a caravan of sin and friendship. That brings us to the latest installment of Janky Smooth Sessions with White Fang, No Parents, The Birth Defects and friends hanging at GnarBurger before they shoved off on their Escape From L.A. tour. Sunday 16 October 2016 White Fang The Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL, US BUY TICKETS TRACK EVENT I’M GOING Monday 17 October 2016 White Fangwith No Parents The Majestic Café, Detroit, MI, US BUY TICKETS TRACK EVENT I’M GOING Tuesday 18 October 2016 White Fangwith No Parents The Basement, Columbus, OH,

New Sound Alliance Bernie Sanders Fundraiser at Regent Theater

NSA Fundraiser and Launch w/ The Garden & Punk Rock Karaoke

Danny Baraz May 25, 2016

On Wednesday, May 18th, the New Sound Alliance held it’s very first event at The Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles; A Fundraiser for Senator Bernie Sanders. And while raising funds for Sanders to insure a significant showing in the California Primary to make legitimate claims to storm the floor at the DNC Convention in Philly this July was the primary purpose of our party, introducing the New Sound Alliance to the Los Angeles music community was just as important. There is always a fear in art, business and activism when attempting to launch a new project. While there is always a risk of bearing your heart to attract like minded people to join you in a quest for understanding and action, there is little more exhilarating in life when your passion is validated by sparking the passion in others. Young and old fans and key figures in the L.A. music scene turned out in droves to support Senator Sanders and check out some of the best, young talent in L.A., as well as to sing live Karaoke with legends of punk rock like Greg Hetson, Stan Lee, Steve Soto and Darryn Pheiffer aka Punk Rock Karaoke. We only had

The NSA Announces May 18th Sanders Fundraiser at Regent Theater

Danny Baraz April 21, 2016

New Sound Alliance and Janky Smooth are proud to announce A Fundraiser for Bernie Sanders on May 18th at The Regent Theater. The show will take place just a couple weeks prior to the California primary on June 7th. This is the first event by the newly launched political action group, The New Sound Alliance. The NSA seeks to unite the music community in organizing bands, labels, promoters, managers and publicists to organize our voices in an effort to engage young voters and activists. The fundraiser for Senator Sanders will feature The Garden, Kim and the Created, Death Hymn Number 9, The Birth Defects and all star punk rock legends, Punk Rock Karaoke that features members of Circle Jerks/Bad Religion, The Dickies and Adolescents as YOUR backing band while you sing punk rock classics on the stage of The Regent Theater in Downtown L.A. There is also a super special secret guest that we can’t announce until the beginning of May! All profits will be donated to the Sanders campaign. Purchase Tickets Here It is sure to be a fun and meaningful night as we raise money for Bernie Sanders in his quest for a political revolution just weeks before the

Zig Zags, The Birth Defects and Mind Meld Murder The Smell

Brent Smith March 15, 2016

The Smell, a non-profit, volunteer-driven, all-ages back alley venue is a diamond in downtown’s gentrified rough. In the wake of some electric rainfall, it played host to a bill of heavy rock psychsters whose blown out amplifiers literally have my ears still ringing. The rare rainfall we get has the ability to dispel the sun’s enchantment, it reveals the hololand that L.A. actually is—reeling in that weird interzone between paradise and dystopia. Or, more simply, the rare rainfall we get makes us feel like Roy Batty at the end of Blade Runner—The moments in our lives are just teeears in the raaain, man! (And yes, only in L.A. can Deckard’s dingy, smoke-filled apartment actually be a Frank Lloyd Wright work of Mayan-inspired art that you can never own, or even rent). No better way to quell (or magnify?) such fleeting existential funks than by seeing Zig Zags and The Birth Defects shake the walls of this defunct coffee shop, or fitness chain, or whatever stupid shit our crypto-fascist social engineers fancy as bankable retail prospects (the legal world calls ‘em “developers”). The opening acts were on fucking point. I love when that happens. If you’ve never heard of Rearranged Face

The Coathangers at Riot Fest Chicago 2015

The Coathangers and Birth Defects End Tour in Southern California

Danny Baraz September 25, 2015

The first time I saw The Coathangers was at Burgerama in March. Some bands just stand out and you know when you see them for the first time, that you’ll be seeing a lot more of them. Thursday night at Los Globos was the second to last stop on the current leg of their tour with the Birth Defects. L.A. promoter, Blundertown added Feels to the bill. All three bands were in prime form. I was able to catch up with The Coathangers at Riot Fest in Chicago. They were the first band that played on Day 1 and we spoke to Crook Kid and Minnie Coathanger just after their set. I got a little tongue tied and at the time, I blamed it on the lack of notes and not enough preparation but after saying hello to them just before their set last night, I realized that I get a little tongue tied around bad ass women who can play the fuck out of their instruments and write kick ass songs. I tried to relay some information and ended up coming off like a total dick!!! It’s true. I’m a male groupie but since I don’t put out so I’m

Ty Segall Performs as Henry Rollins Observes

Ty Segall and The Birth Defects Play a Gig In a Tiny Room

Janky Smooth Central Command July 29, 2015

It was a real treat to attend a secret Ty Segall show this past Monday- you feel privileged to have stepped into some well-guarded party. The show was at The Griffin and I wondered how these other people knew about it? Are they personal friends of the bands? I could not find any information about the show on social media and I couldn’t help but wonder how long these Mondays at the Griffin are gonna stay a secret. Last night, The Birth Defects and Ty Segall performed in front of a few happy people. The last time Segall did a show at The Satellite, I was not fast enough to get a ticket. However, I managed to see him with his band, Fuzz at the Troubadour two weeks ago and now, this show at the Griffin! It was completely unexpected and a lot of fun. Birth Defects started the show a bit after 10 pm and, as they did when they opened for Fuzz at the Troubadour. They slaughtered the place, raising a monster at each song with their propulsive, raw and very loud sound. Their album ‘First 8 Mistakes’ was produced by Ty Segall, which explains the connection, and whatever they put

Jason Finazzo of The Birth Defects at The Troubadour

Birth Defects Unleash Debut Album at the Troubadour alongside Fuzz and Carletta Sue Kay

Brent Smith July 21, 2015

Sandwiched between killer sets by Carletta Sue Kay and Fuzz, The Birth Defects album release bash for “First 8 Mistakes” at the Troubadour was one for the books. Everyone who was in the sold-out, jam-packed, iconic venue got slapped with an array of musical talent many, or just I, wouldn’t expect from a West Hollywood show on another Thursday night. It’s an endangered time for relics of bygone eras like the Troubadour—an attic-like setting that incubated the legendary statuses of Jim Morrison and Axl Rose alike (even Cheech and Chong were discovered there by Lou Adler). Nudged between the border of Beverly Hills and where Ron Jeremy and Bret Easton Ellis were eating dinner next door at Dan Tana’s, the Troub stands like an old ruin among the gated anti-communities of WeHo; a stark juxtaposition to the Laurel Canyon days of magical hills, liquor corner store blues, and free-lovin’ gutter artists. If this were the 80s, I would’ve hated it for being such a glam rock establishment whore house (and I probably would’ve lived in New York anyway). But in 2015, I’m just happy the Troubadour is still around, and not yet in the hands of some ‘starchictect’ like Thom

Take This: Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest Giveaway

Danny Baraz June 16, 2015

Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest is taking place this weekend on Sunday, June 21st at The Satellite. Sponsored by HACHE Burger, Summer Fest features some of Janky Smooth’s favorite local bands like Mike Watt and The Missingmen, The Birth Defects, Death Hymn Number 9, The Abigails, Kera and the Lesbians, Colleen Green and sooo many more. Full list of Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest bands below. Dirty Laundry TV is famous for interviewing bands on tour as they do their laundry. They have given Janky Smooth an exclusive giveaway package for one lucky fan. The winner will receive two tickets to the festival and a free Dirty Laundry TV Comes Clean Cassette Compilation. To enter you must complete ALL the steps below. Winners will be selected on Saturday, June 20th at 10am. 1. Share or retweet our contest posts on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag @jankysmooth – You must share from our posts, not create your own. 2. Comment in the comment section of the post on our website stating you completed this step and give us a reason why we should pick you.. 3. Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, Follow us on Instagram Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest

Shannon and the Clams shot by Lester Guijarro

Shannon and the Clams: Case of the Mondays at The Griffin

Paige Vreede May 20, 2015

When mastermind Jason Finazzo (singer of The Birth Defects and manager of The Griffin) began brainstorming with musical genius, Ty Segall, they decided Monday nights will no longer serve as a night of post-weekend blues, but as a night of prodigious talent. With previous acts such as Thee Oh Sees, Wand and The Coathangers making appearances at The Griffin in Atwater Village, it was no surprise that the raw talent of Shannon And The Clams were invited to immerse us in their tasty tunes this past Monday. Upon entering The Griffin for the first time, I immediately felt as though I had stepped into a different era. With candle lit tables and exposed brick arches, I felt as though I was meeting me mate William Johnson for a few lagers at our favorite pub. I was extremely curious as to how the night would proceed given the context of the genre amongst the seemingly intimate backdrop that surrounded it. To my surprise the room presented itself as nearly empty – something that made absolutely no sense to me considering the extraordinary talent that was to come. In a state of boredom, I decided to walk to the neighboring liquor store