Category: SHOWS

The Fonda Shines a Light for Spiritualized on 4/20

Grace Dunn April 29, 2022

Driving down Hollywood Blvd, doing my best to find parking as the line continued to grow outside the venue, I could feel my anticipation for that elusive Spiritualized brand of euphoria mounting. There were swarms of people just like me, thrilled attendees patiently awaiting the grandiose rock ‘n roll gospel trip bubbling inside the Fonda Theatre. This wasn’t just any show, this was a Coachella off-shoot for those grounded in good ol’ Los Angeles for the weekend, Spiritualized purists only. related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma At The Roxy A Spiritualized set is a healing affair. J Spaceman has a unique way of reminding us of a deep pain inside we thought was healed or slowly forgotten, only to be recovered in the effervescent melancholy of his psych rock church. Digging deep into the shadow side of the Jungian caverns in your mind, this special 4/20 set paved the way for true soul healing not yet manifested. ‘Shine A Light’ (off of Lazer Guided Melodies) bathed the crowd in forgiveness, feeling like you hit the colorful stained-glass chapel, harmonizing vocals rising up, slide guitar stretching the soul, and organ sounds soothing your weary spirit from life’s highs

Something Old and Something New: Ceremony at the Constellation Room

Danny Ryan April 28, 2022

Words by: Danny Ryan Photos by: Albert Licano Ceremony has had the most drastic shift in sound and style out of any band that I have witnessed in my lifetime, especially within the modern hardcore punk genre. While this growth has been controversial during many periods of their career, their performance in the Constellation Room of the OC Observatory has demonstrated their success in bridging the divisions between these fanbases. This is a goal that is quite difficult to achieve in the rabid following of hardcore, but the crowd’s explosive reactions to their post-punk influenced songs such as the newest single “Vanity Spawned by Fear” prove how successful they are breaking down these boundaries. The Constellation Room shifted from a battleground of flailing bodies to a lively disco dancefloor throughout the night, never losing momentum throughout their long and expansive set. Blasting into classic tracks that would please anyone in their crowd with a specific preference, they certainly attracted skeptical fans into falling in love with their vast discography over the years. As the band has grown rapidly in their visions throughout their history, their fans are growing alongside them throughout this journey. related content: When Quant Gets Core: Home

Drugs Music: The Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Wiltern

Rob Shepyer April 27, 2022

“Drugs Music” is the umbrella term for the sounds created by The Brian Jonestown Massacre in Anton Newcombe’s own words. He didn’t specify whether this meant the music was the drug or that the music was meant to be enjoyed on drugs, but both are true. Seeing the Brian Jonestown Massacre live is like barreling down a tunnel of infinite and psychedelic love with kaleidoscope colors changing like LSD-friendly chameleons as flower petals shower you in hippie kisses. They’ve harnessed some kind of psych rock induced hypnosis that transports you back in time (or rather through dimensions) to a place sorta like the 60’s where there’s boundless amounts of free love and exquisite weed, friendly vagabonds and outlaws roam about and warmly say hello to everyone they encounter, but it’s a 60’s without all the bloated pontification, the vibe here is much more real. Just go with the flow, that’s the mantra of the music. This show made me feel loose and always connected to that Godly flow instead of being caught in a mental web by useless thoughts that restrict one’s actions and worldview. Someone who just lets the flow dictate their actions all the time without the weight

Two Nights of Emotional Body Music: Boy Harsher at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer April 26, 2022

Boy Harsher‘s rise from underground dance music phenoms to one of the most in-demand goth duos in music, is not just a tale of triumph over cookie-cutter culture, but also a testament to the power of pure emotion and sensuality over pop, glamour, and the mainstream. Boy Harsher’s music is coined Emotional Body Music, a play on Nitzer Ebb’s Electronic Body Music which is a play on Electronic Dance Music. The three of these acronyms dance around each other in a story that has Boy Harsher, Jae Matthews and Augustus Miller, as its protagonists. On the softer side of taste that industrial and goth fans usually enjoy, Boy Harsher appeals to everyone that wants to spend the night losing themselves to irrational movement. To become a total extension of your emotions, to let your body lose control for the sake of release and resurrection by the end of a set, it’s hard not to care how you appear but if you can start moving incrementally harder, you may be able to redefine yourself as the person thats surpassed your previous self’s problems. related content: The Sound Of Sex: Boy Harsher Seduces The Echoplex I remember seeing Boy Harsher at Substance

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Prayers at El Rey

Janky Smooth Central Command April 26, 2022

Brand new world, brand new Prayers. Leafer Seyer is the king of Cholo Goth so it only makes sense he’d be performing all the hits at El Rey. We’re giving away two tickets to the show so you can join all the other children of the night. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO PRAYERS APRIL 29TH AT EL REY 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 PRAYERS Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 28TH AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Manic Fever Dream: Drug Church at the Lodge Room

Janky Smooth Central Command April 24, 2022

Drug Church brought their US tour to its penultimate stop at The Lodge Room in Highland Park in support of their new album Hygiene. The night was stacked top to bottom with incredible support that brought out an explosive energy from the crowd that continued to snowball until the very end. Openers LURK started off the night strong, pulling no punches and launching into some heavy hitting tracks and getting the energy set up for the rest of the night. The Chicago outfit had a memorable set in their first LA gig, with personal favorite parts of the set being the high energy psych-inspired “Sterilizer” melting off the faces off many in the crowd and their cover of The Ramones’ “Judy is a Punk” that had me pumped up from the get go. Most of their set featured songs off their latest album Around the Sun which is definitely a must listen after their set. Up next we had Hudson Valley’s own Soul Blind who was on their first full US tour following their newest album Third Chain. Right off the bat the crowd was mesmerized with the heavy and sludgy sound that felt almost like something you would feel

Photo Recap: Viagra Boys at the Roxy

Janky Smooth Central Command April 23, 2022

One of Coachella’s most anticipated imports has to be Viagra Boys. All the way from Sweden, these tattooed and beer-bellied punk freaks turn any show into a wild affair. There was sweat, booze, and probably other human fluids all over the Roxy by the time this chaotic banger of a show was finished. Southern California had been waiting for awhile to see these guys again, the last time they showed up around these parts was for Desert Daze 2019. This time, as they take their punk rodeo around the country, they brought local bright youngsters Kills Birds along for the ride. We’ve got amazing picture documenting the whole affair. Check these babies out. Photos by: Albert Licano Viagra Boys Kills Birds

Photo Recap: Molchat Doma at the Music Box

Janky Smooth Central Command April 22, 2022

Molchat Doma‘s reign as the kings of goth music continues across Southern California as they played their 2nd Coachella side-show after a sold out Roxy performance, following it up with another sold out Music Box show. This one was a bigger venue with bigger production value, a testament to the band’s potential which still hasn’t been reached. Though they don’t sing in English, American audiences seem completely onboard and in-touch with everything their music stands for. This trio has simply mastered what happens to be one of the most potent goth sounds around right now. Check out our coverage of their Roxy performance as well as these glorious pics from the Music Box by Rebecca DiGiglio. Photos by: Rebecca DiGiglio related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma at The Roxy

Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma at the Roxy

Rob Shepyer April 21, 2022

It is my personal mission to spread the creed of Molchat Doma far and wide across the So-Cal internet airwaves. I feel so compelled because like me, these three men are of Slavic descent, them from Belarus and myself, the child of Russian-Ukrainian immigrants. More than that though, my father was a Ukrainian musician that immigrated to America, hoping to make it in the music industry. He never accomplished this dream but Molchat Doma’s success is a vicarious victory. If they can break out through the (former) iron curtain and into the international mainstream to play Coachella then it’s almost like they fulfilled my father’s dream and so, I will do whatever I can to uplift these three dreamers. related content: Super Saiyan Sasami At The Teragram Ballroom My background doesn’t just make me empathize with and root for this band, it helps me understand them. I understand what elements make a Slavic heart and the textures of Slavic emotion. Much of this is hard to put into words but for the length of this article, I will do my best. Eastern Europeans feel melodrama in a way Americans simply don’t, at least not on the surface. We might be

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

Super Saiyan Sasami at the Teragram Ballroom

Rob Shepyer April 19, 2022

Those who attended Desert Daze’s legendary 2019 installment will never forget Sasami‘s set. It was sweet, tender and psychedelic. Sprinkled with her signature screeches, the band separated themselves into a different league than the rest of the lineup. It was clear to me that Sasami Ashworth was willing to take risks the rest of the LA indie scenesters weren’t dabbling with. That was in a different world though, now, after so much global turmoil, Sasami has evolved into a different artist altogether. Her latest album, Squeeze, has heavy metal, industrial and hardcore moments that are so potent, that instead of being the outlier of the LA indie scene, the scene changes to the music. The Nagas serpent woman that adorns the cover represents Sasami’s anime-esque character arc where a hero or villain needs to show their true form to stand a chance in battle. Slithering, coiling, and constricting with four arms on each side of her serpentine tail, Sasami reminds me of the light version of Naruto’s Orochimaru mixed with a bit of Takashi Miike cinema. related content: Silver Lake Perris: Desert Daze 2019 The concert in question at the Teragram Ballroom was the last stop on Sasami’s tour. This

How to Wage Class Warfare: D.O.A. at the Roxy

Rob Shepyer April 17, 2022

“Listen to your elders”, though punk rock is eternally young, the timeless adage applies to this rebel art form. Since D.O.A.‘s groundbreaking 2nd album, Hardcore ’81, the genre they helped create has gone through many evolutions and branching-offs until it doesn’t quite resemble its original sonic or thematic mold. Hardcore doesn’t need to change their sounds, but it wouldn’t hurt to listen to Godfather punk bands like D.O.A. more, not just to be inspired by that original, tested and proven sound, but to relearn what the true ethos and political/existential stance punk is supposed to stand for. related content: Sacred Vibration: Guided By Voices At Teragram The moment D.O.A. broke into “Class War”, off the band’s third album, War on 45, introducing the song by saying “the only war worth fighting is a class war” I knew all bets were off. D.O.A. and bands from their era never failed to mince words, opting to make songs with straight forward messaging, striking metaphor, ruthless aggression and artistic bravery that also get the party and pit going full speed. Hardcore these days is much more interested in brutality. There’s nothing wrong with that but in times like these when we can’t quite