Tag: the observatory

Take This: Win 2 Tickets To The Melvins At The Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command May 17, 2018

Fathers of sludge and elder-statesman of rock and roll, The Melvins are returning to the OC Observatory on July 12th and Janky Smooth is giving a pair of tickets away to one lucky fan. If you haven’t seen the Melvins live before than I don’t feel like you can call yourself a real LA music head. They’re essential viewing. See for yourself what it would be like if Captain Beefheart played metal on July 12th at The Observatory. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR. ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS FOR THE MELVINS JULY 12TH 2018, THE OC OBSERVATORY Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up everytime you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2- Share or RT this post on FB or Twitter or Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM Melvins Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON FRIDAY JUNE 1st AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

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

Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Godspeed You! Black Emperor at The Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command May 15, 2018

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a landmark band in the history of music with the innovations they’ve made in the world of post-rock. With their latest release, Luciferian Towers, the band has only intensified the mark they’ve made. Be ready to be thrilled, chilled, and find perfect lucidity in the dramatic instrumental highs and lows of the sonic and emotional roller coaster this band takes you on at every performance. Janky Smooth is proud to to give you the chance to win 2 tickets to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the OC Observatory on Thursday, May 24th. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS FOR GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR MAY 24th 2018, THE OC OBSERVATORY Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up everytime you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2- Share or RT this post on FB or Twitter or Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM Godspeed You! Black Emperor Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY, MAY 21st AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Crusty Anthems and Salty Sing-alongs: The Distillers Return to Orange County

Rob Shepyer May 1, 2018

I remember The Distillers as a band on the periphery of my hesher upbringing in the early 2000’s. They were on MTV back when pop-punk was still sweeping the airwaves and amassed a large following even though their music wasn’t your run-of-the-mall, American Pie movie soundtrack drek. The Distillers were dirtier, more raw, in both sound and image. Like if Hole was supped up with a hotrod engine and covered in prison tatts. And Brody Homme, then and still Brody Dalle, was a role-model for punks and normies, men and women, simply based on the merits of her talent. That was then. And close to 10 years later, seemingly everything, sans the band, has changed. MTV is long-past relevant, pop punk is almost shameful to enjoy, and nostalgia for what came out of that decade is often laughed at. And yet, after only seeing them once, I know that The Distillers are not part of that bygone decade. It became quite obvious to me and virtually everyone in attendance at this particular show, that the band and music were timeless. Distillers songs still sound fresh, with songwriting so good, that it could only come from a time before we all

Millennial Matchmaking: Gary Numan & Ugly God At The Observatory

Rob Shepyer November 22, 2017

Two artists from very different times and scenes played two different shows on the same Observatory stage. Gary Numan and Ugly God- rarely do you get that much musical diversity out of a night and I was interested to see how my brain would react to absorbing the contrast. Anyone that knows me would think I was more interested in seeing Numan and though I’m a fan, I came to see what all this trap hype was about. For you see, music has become for me a divining rod which one can use to understand where society is going and if Trap’s popularity is any indication, I think we’ll all be celebrating ourselves stupid in times to come. The Gary Numan show was first with Me Not You as his only support on the bill. They’re a band from New York City that played an amazing and cathartic set with electronic post-punk vibes that kept building and building, pulling the tears out of your eyes while cramming the noise down your ears. They reminded me a bit of Health but with female vocals and a pinch of mellow, alternative vibes comparable to older bands like The Breeders or The Cranberries or

Take This: Win 2 Tix To See Quicksand at The Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command September 8, 2017

After announcing their first album in 22 years, Interiors, 90’s NYC post hardcore kings Quicksand have been selling out shows all around the country on this tour. You don’t want to miss out on their two Southern California dates and seeing as Saturday’s show is already sold out, we at Janky Smooth are happy to be your hook up at The Observatory tomorrow, Sunday 9/10 Quicksand consists of all its original members: Drummer Alan Cage, vocalist/guitarist Walter Schreifels, bassist Sergio Vega, and guitarist Tom Capone. Interiors will be released November 10th on Epitaph. Canadian Shoegazers No Joy are opening for the band. Janky Smooth is giving away 2 Tickets to see Quicksand this Sunday, Sept 10th at The Observatory in Orange County. You can BUY TICKETS NOW or Just Share/Retweet our Quicksand Ticket Giveaway posts, Tag A Friend on said post on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. That’s It! Winner will be announced on social media at noon pacific time on Saturday 9/9. GOOD LUCK! note: if you make a post private then we won’t be able to see it or consider you.

When We Were Young Festival’s Most Dominant Demographic: Mine

Janky Smooth Central Command April 19, 2017

When We Were Young- We Became Experts at Sneaking In & Cutting Lines I was still hungover from Choking Victim’s secret set in Long Beach at Freebirds Salon twelve hours before, and already running forty minutes late to the festival, when I remembered that I needed to stop at Target and pick up sunscreen and vitamin C. These are the indicators I observe as I age year to year. Chalk it up to experience but the last thing I wanted was to be sun burned and hungover for day two of a very long weekend. My urgency for arrival was based solely on watching The Getup Kids play the soundtrack to my early adolescence and I was not going to let the naivety of Orange County’s ‘Surf Goth’ youth hold me up. I waited in the main entrance line for the When We Were Young festival and watched cigarette packs get emptied out onto the wooden tables, and a barrage of drug paraphernalia get confiscated and disposed of while the newly minted team of hired security guards emptied pockets. It became apparent within minutes that I was going to have to find an alternative entry if I wanted to get in

Take This: Two Tickets To See The Orwells at The Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command March 20, 2017

The Orwells are coming to the Observatory in Orange County this Friday, March 24th. The Orwells are one of the most badass young live bands in rock n roll right now. Every element in authenticity is present in their live set. Air tight band and sloppy, blacked out dispositions that mouth whore around the venue on any given night. When their sophomore album, Disgraceland dropped in 2013, it solidified them the “real deal”- appealing to legions of discerning indie hipsters and vapid mainstream mass appealers alike. Now they are touring in support of their 3rd album, Terrible Human Beings. I’ve seen The Orwells play a handful of shows and two of the best were at The Observatory. Most recently was this time last year at Burger Records week long celebration of their partnership with the venue. The video embedded into this post should tell you everything you need to know about the set they played on the last night of a 7 day marathon celebration at the venue: “Mario Cuomo unleashed upon adoring fans of The Orwells a yeoman’s performance of drunken, sloppy but precise and sexual rock and roll frontmannery. The Orwells were fantastic. I hadn’t seen them since just

The Significance of Japandroids Unknown to The Observatory Security Staff

Janky Smooth Central Command March 17, 2017

A Hockey Game: An Acceptable Canadian Excuse to Be Late For Japandroids Set at The Observatory I arrived at the side of the Observatory stage for Japandroids at 10:11 pm, soaked in sweat from the glory of winning a hockey game that ended 20 minutes earlier, and dealing with the security guards at The Observatory. Despite proof of credentials, I still found myself waiting outside the venue in front of a closed box office until the staff of seven security guards at an empty door gave in and let me through. Nevertheless, I was reassured that none of the staff had any idea who I was, or why any publication would care to cover this show. Observatory Suggestion Box: Hand Out Press Releases To Security Guards Like Daily Specials to Waiters Yes, perhaps they were just doing their job which didn’t include taking note of the endless accolades Japandroids had garnered over their first ten years as a band. Were they truly oblivious to the fact that Spin Magazine had only five years earlier called them Band of the Year in 2012? Perhaps they had never known about Japandroids dominance on top ten lists for when their second studio album, Celebration

How This Coverage of Adam Ant Made ME King of the Wild Frontier

Taylor Wong February 24, 2017

Ever since I moved to Hollywood, getting me to go to a show anywhere outside of the city takes a real effort. The other night, I not only left Hollywood, but left during the worst storm of the year. What crazy artist got me to drive all the way to The Observatory in Santa Ana? Mother Fuckin’ Adam Ant, that’s who. The Trip Adam Ant had played the Fonda Theater the previous week. Unfortunately, due to a late request and strict press approval regulations, I was unable to attend that show. What should have been an easy walk down my street to the Fonda, turned into a Harold and Kumar-style adventure through the street-rivers of Long Beach (to pick up a pre paid purchase of Girl Scout Cookies) to Santa Ana. The drive from Hollywood to the OC Observatory took me a total of about 2 and a half hours (including my cookie stop). As I watched cars hydroplane down the freeway in choreographed disaster, I kept reminding myself: “It’s fucking Adam Ant, and all the reviews of his other shows have been phenomenal.” Although the show was spectacular, I am still debating if any concert is ever worth dying

Method Man & Redman: Observations in the Key of 90’s Nostalgia

Jessica Moncrief February 10, 2017

Southern California was blessed with a flurry of great Hip-Hop shows last week! With acts such as Run The Jewels, Warren G, Method Man & Redman, we were exposed to some of the best of what hip-hop has to offer. Redman and Method Man want you to know that they are still all about that 90’s shit. It seems to be their mantra. Talk about keeping it old school, legendary DJ Dice of Das EFX joined them on turntables along with DJ Allah Mathematics, the designer of the OG Wu-Tang logo. Inspectah Deck was once quoted saying “The logo shows how the group is now bigger than any of the individual members.” That sentiment seems to still run true as they paid homage to their loved ones passed and dropped some ODB in honorarium. The loyalty these guys show for their friends is part of what I love about them, they never forget where they’ve come from. Considering how dynamic the pair are as a unit, it would have been nice to see them more in the zone as the “Funk Doc and Mef Tical” duo rather than one part of Wu-Tang. As expected, they busted out plenty of Wu-Tang

Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine

Reverend Horton Heat & Jello Biafra: A Punk Rockabilly Freakout

Jessica Moncrief January 15, 2017

Last Saturday, The Reverend Horton Heat hosted the 2nd of a two night event at The Observatory. Friday night was “Psychobilly Night” and Saturday was dubbed “The Punk Night”. As much as the photo journalist in me wanted to come out and get the story on the contrasting evenings (and to people watch all the “Clicity Clackity” greasers with pomps and “rock-a-billy” girls with their adorably unrealistic concert attire), I couldn’t subject my ears to that for 5+ hours. Thankfully, there was more than enough great material at the “Punk Night” for a story in itself, and I wouldn’t even need that angle. related content: Reverend Horton Heat, The Adicts & Smut Peddlers at The Observatory The Reverend Horton Heat has been putting on this 2 night shindig at The Observatory for the past few years. The acts have included artists and bands such as 45 Grave, Deke Dickerson, Wanda Jackson, Lords of Altamont, The Adicts, Cadillac Tramps and many more well known names. However, many lesser known locals have been given a platform in which to show off their stuff to a large crowd thanks to good ol Jimbo and Co. Wild Records is a Los Angeles based label that specializes