Tag: the echo

Earth’s Crust: CY Fest 2024 at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer November 6, 2024

What does a typical LA punk want out of a festival? Given that Los Angeles is the most prominent live music hub in the USA, and the world, the average LA punk attends enough shows to make any given concert, no matter how badass, still leaving something to be desired. From my personal experience, that thing LA punks are left desiring from their scene is to have their minds, tastes, and boundaries expanded. I want to see something different, new. I want a band to show me something I didn’t think was possible. The best way to do this is by assembling bills with bands of various styles from various parts of the globe, and no festival has gathered more international acts in Los Angeles than CY Fest 2024. It was the World Cup of punk, with heavy representation from Sweden, Spain, Japan, Italy, Mexico, and so many more countries. Topping off the festivities, the USA’s contribution to the lineup came in the form of a rare Dropdead co-headlining performance before the reunion of Portland’s female-fronted crusties, Detestation. related content: Set The Animals Free: Wolfbrigade and Dropdead at 1720 With a few bands of the upcoming CY Fest 2025 already

Ringleaders of the Underground: Teenage Wrist at the Echo

Danny Ryan June 22, 2022

Words and Photos by: Danny Ryan Teenage Wrist’s range of influence is incredibly wide with their embrace of grunge-era angst seamlessly blending into moments of blissful shoegaze breakdowns. With how large and atmospheric the band’s sound is, the modest stage presence rooted in their DIY background complimented the small venue atmosphere of The Echo amazingly. Their newest album “Earth is a Black Hole” signifies a drastic shift in the band’s sound, with a new vocalist and a much more punk-influenced sound than the emo roots of their previous works. Teenage Wrist has consistently been dedicated to their evolution with exploration of incorporating new genres throughout their career, which was clearly represented with the contrasting musical styles of each opener. The exciting feeling of seeing promising up-and-coming bands that could eventually take over the world was felt throughout The Echo that night, and Teenage Wrist came across as ringleaders of the underground with how much unique charisma that could be felt in each performance. Equally important to the blend of genres in Teenage Wrist’s headlining set at The Echo, the band curated an excellent lineup of diverse sounds from different underground backgrounds with the 90’s college rock influence of Soft Blue

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Teenage Wrist at The Echo

Janky Smooth Central Command June 3, 2022

Teenage Wrist is one of few young bands leading the way for shoegaze and alternative music for a new generation. They bring a harder, more capturing element to the music than other bands of the same ilk. It’s no wonder hardcore kids and punks gravitate to the band. Their Sound and Fury set from years ago still sticks in my mind as one of the greatest alternative sets to ever transpire at that festival. We’re giving away two tickets to their show but also a cherry bomb vinyl record of their latest release, 2021’s Earth is a Black Hole. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS‍ HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO TEENAGE WRIST + EARTH IS A BLACK HOLE CHERRY BOMB VINYL JUNE 8TH AT ECHOPLEX 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 TEENAGE WRIST Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JUNE 7TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Your Baroness’ Majesty: Baroness at The Echo

Dillon Vaughn April 20, 2022

John Baizley and co. rolled through Echo Park recently for “An Evening with Baroness.” Pitched as a special “by request” tour, the Your Baroness run has given fans in each city the opportunity to vote and select ten songs from the band’s rich catalogue to form the first half of the extended setlist each night. related content: Hell or High Roller: Psycho Las Vegas 2021 John’s work as an illustrator has always given an interesting picture of how his brain perceives the world around him. The Appalachian roars of Baroness’ earlier days served as the defining framework of the “Savannah Sound” – something nearly inseparable from John’s contemporary art-nuveau cover art. Those lush depictions of flora and fauna drifting weightlessly across countless LP covers have seeped into the music more and more over the years as the songs themselves have become increasingly melodic, anthemic, and dare I say uplifting. On stage these days it’s clear Baizley and his bandmates take great pride and meaning in their music as they play every note with a balance of grace and heaviness. Their strength definitely lies in their range: skillful restraint as they perform sleeper tracks like “Cocainium” and “Little Things” versus palpable

Three One G Radiation: Deaf Club at the Echo

Rob Shepyer August 20, 2021

Three One G is a very special record label. With roots spreading across genres like DIY hardcore, anarcho politics and aesthetics, art rock, and noise, they’ve created a rich roster and a signature that ensures a few things out of their output–satirical high art extremity. With Three One G’s supergroup of underground West Coast heavyweights, Deaf Club, the label took over the Echo for a very special matinee. related content: Dominant Noise: Daughters at the Regent Secret Fan Club called this meeting to order with their bombastic rock assault. They sound was thick, jamming but also jeering, going in directions no one would expect but every body was somehow able to instinctively follow. Made up of only two members, Sal Gallegos on drums and John Rieder on bass, this demonic duo somehow achieves a maximal sound with a minimalist setup. There is no band made of just a drummer and bassist as raw and demented as this one. The music of Geronimo could not have been formulated in a sane mind. It’s the sonic interpretation of pure chemical imbalance. This chemical imbalance though, somehow perfectly balances musical pleasure and pain. I think it’s lovely. Almost like progressive noise rock, this

Sweat Therapy: Dumb Fucks and Niis at the Echo

Janky Smooth Central Command July 21, 2021

Words by Juan Perez Photos by Paula Jean On the night before the mask mandate went into effect, Pretty But Wicked put together a showcase for the ages, bringing together an eclectic crowd to witness some of the best acts Los Angeles has to offer. From young kids still in high school, to old heads who have been around, this last ditch effort to party before we’d be forced to wear masks showed how much power the love of music has. Playing their first live show ever, Smirk is a project formed by frontman Nick during the pandemic. What started off as something just for fun turned into one of the new best acts in the scene. Old school punk, with something a little bit more obscure added into the mix. The crowd responded very well to the set, stage diving and circle pitting. It was a nice, little warm-up for the madness to come. Just hearing the conversations afterwards tells me how much of an impression the band made for their first time. Next up was Downside. Gaining a huge reputation in the LA punk scene for rowdy shows, the crowd really brought it for these guys. The fans were so

Down the Rabbit Hole: Bad Rabbits at the Echo

Rob Shepyer February 9, 2020

I’m gonna go out on a limb and state very matter-of-factly that Boston’s power funk band, Bad Rabbits, are the best concert you could ever see in a club. This opinion isn’t based on the high that I’m still running on since their Echo performance for the 10 year anniversary of “Stick Up Kids”, my favorite of their albums, it’s based on simple addition. Their style, energy, songs, vibe, feel, audience, looseness, tightness, synergy, chemistry, the artists they booked as support, the venue they chose, everything added up to make this show incredible. They sounded so good, in a way that tickled your nerve endings to dance and vibe along, because this music was undisputedly cool. Bad Rabbits’ recorded material has so much swagger and substance and live it translated to a crisp, clean sonic experience that down right SLAPPED. The live versions of these songs were not far departures from the records but in the best way, it still felt spontaneous and present, with the freshest vocals and riffs. Bad Rabbits chose the supporting acts to represent the different sides of their own music. The night began with Chicago singer Nikki Hayes injecting the evening with some R&B. Nikki’s

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Bad Rabbits at the Echo

Janky Smooth Central Command January 20, 2020

Bad Rabbits are an incredible band. Their mix of funk, R&B and hardcore make for some of the most passionate performances you could ever see. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their EP Stick Up Kids, the Band is playing only a few select dates including The Echo with straight edge LAHC band Dare. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO BAD RABBITS JANUARY 31ST AT THE ECHO 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 Bad Rabbits Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JANUARY 27TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

The Preacher Man Cometh: Wovenhand at the Echo

Rob Shepyer November 9, 2019

David Eugene Edwards has always struck me as a maverick in the current musical landscape. Not just in his current band, Wovenhand, but in every project he’s been a part of. I first discovered him from watching a 16 Horsepower video where I saw him play the accordion with more soul stirring spirit than I’ve ever seen anyone. With that band and with Wovenhand, he’s found a way to make music that incorporates so many different sounds and ideas from across the world and across time periods while maintaining a quality that is positively American. His music and presence is ripe with beautiful contradiction, the good kind, symbols that are often considered in conflict find harmony within Wovenhand. Americana and Native American imagery and culture, East vs West, Christianity and glam, David Eugene Edwards paints his face and nails like a Native American warrior but with silvery colors as if he’s also the reincarnation of David Bowie. related content: A High And Beautiful Wave: Psycho Las Vegas 2019 Perhaps the strangest thing about Wovenhand is David’s stage presence. If he wasn’t onstage, perhaps you’d think he was schizophrenic with his wild gestures to invisible characters and his speaking in tongues. What

Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Dirty Penni Fest IV at the Echo/Echoplex

Janky Smooth Central Command July 2, 2019

Dirty Penni Fest is back for it’s fourth installment and Dirty Laundry TV and Penniback Records are collaborating once against o bring you one of the best garage punk lineups your young bodies can pogo to. This year, legendary surf guitarist and rock and roll innovator, Dick Dale, will be commemorated with a tribute by the Buttertones. Make sure to catch Perfection too! YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DIRTY PENNI FEST IV JULY 6TH AT THE ECHO/ECHOPLEX 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 Dirty Penni Fest IV Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JULY 4TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Garage Guitar God, Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds Melts the Echo

Rob Shepyer June 17, 2019

La Puente’s own, Kid Congo Powers is one of punk rock’s most venerated and legendary guitarists. With stints in the Cramps, the Gun Club, and Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, some of rock and roll’s most important and influential bands, Kid Congo not only infused their sound into his but he infused his sound, personality, and energy into those bands. With Echo Park being garage rock’s ultimate So-Cal hub and stomping ground, where bands like the Cramps and Gun Club still influence the music, attitude and fashion, Kid Congo Powers gracing the stage at the Echo is like a patron saint blessing a church, this church though, is the church of Southern California punk. related content: Forty Years Of Youth: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds At The Forum Perhaps the most understated part of Kid Congo’s career is his solo work with the Pink Monkey Birds and their albums on In The Red Records. In fact, during this performance the work off those albums stood out and felt more riveting than Cramps or Gun Club songs he played. For this performance in particular, Kid Congo was celebrating 10 years of the album Dracula Boots, an album which encapsulates the themes

84 Ways to Die: Horrendous at the Echo

Dillon Vaughn April 28, 2019

Eighty-Four has quickly become a brand indicating quality booking of local, national, and international acts alike and the recent Horrendous + Of Feather and Bone mini-tour kickoff at the Echo showed no signs of that changing any time soon. Local support acts for the evening were some of LA’s top up and coming underground acts including the buzz-worthy Mortal Wound, mean as hell two piece Encoffinized, and the pummeling rifflords Kommand. Of Feather and Bone are an excellent introduction to the Denver scene and a perfect example of the difference in style between the mile high city and LA. Their set at the Echo was concise and crushing: a clear result of a well refined act marking their place by giving the uninitiated a no holds barred beating. In a genre so focused on being the most extreme, bands like Horrendous stand out as a breath of fresh air. There’s a clear progression in style and complexity in their recorded material that’s allowed them to reach their current pinnacle with 2018’s Idol. In a live setting the songs are fully realized with an added layer of infections excitement; it’s clear they’re truly having fun performing. Without a doubt these guys are