Category: SHOWS

Sacred Vibration: Guided by Voices at Teragram

Rob Shepyer April 9, 2022

Monty bar was popping off long before Guided by Voices hit the stage at the Teragram a few doors down. The band were busy downing Miller Lights and rubbing shoulders with the fans that keep the GBV legend strong. At first, my understanding of Guided by Voices’ cult status was merely a reflection of their prolificness. Having recorded 35 albums, one expects every show to last at least three hours, with a setlist spanning decades. Such was the case for this night where for 50 songs, Robert Pollard and company pulled out all the stops and gave fans the full GBV experience. After getting acquainted with the fans of Guided by Voices, it became much clearer to me why this band is so beloved that people will travel from different continents just to follow them around on tour or go to one show in Los Angeles. There were fans from New York, Seattle, Wales and Australia in our circle as we waited for the band to go on. Everyone was so incredibly welcoming and excited about seeing their favorite band that their enthusiasm made me want to join the family myself, in an admittedly poser move. I was curious though,

Pixel Grip at Das Bunker by Rossellini Rogel

Pixel Grip, Spike Hellis and Black Light Odyssey find refuge at Das Bunker

Danny Baraz April 2, 2022

Two words: Das Bunker. Yes, it was that time again for your most militant music mixer. Catch One was the vessel- the living, breathing historic Los Angeles structure acting like a Viet Cong tunnel bunker, hiding nooks and crannies of DJ’s and bands dropping bombs from behind velvet ropes on the various multitudes of creatures of the night. It has been awhile since my last Das Bunker and as a result, my mental health has suffered but the combination of Pixel Grip and Spike Hellis on the line up had me fucked up. Adorning myself in the blackest of the black, I traveled toward the lights. A Yang looking for it’s Yin and all the stunning mutants littered through this character filled venue were beautiful, aloof and might’ve been searching for connection, sex and/or cocaine and other substances to fuel whatever was going to happen on this night. Das Bunker archives at Janky Smooth And what happened was significant. First off, I was here to see Pixel Grip. Their early evening performance at Substance in December was understated in the line-up but revelatory and I dove into them head first after that show. Unwillingly born into the defunct but never

Defenders of the Underground: AFI at the Palladium

Rob Shepyer March 31, 2022

Everyone wants to see an old school AFI set. The band tries to appease these pleas by giving fans a few crumbs from the latter part of this era, with songs like the anthemic opener, “Strength Through Wounding” off Black Sails in the Sunset, or “The Lost Souls” off Sing the Sorrow‘s precursor, The Art of Drowning, or their closing song, which had the Palladium screaming with joy, “Totalimmortal” off the All Hallow’s Eve EP. I would like to join my underground brethren in demanding only the most punk and hardcore output of this legendary band, however, I can’t. After seeing AFI’s Hollywood Palladium stop on their Bodies tour last week, I think their show is perfectly astounding as is. There is no going backward for AFI. They realize this and instead of sinking back into their roots, they choose to raise up the bands in the same position they once were. Whether in the worlds of hardcore or post punk, those who’ve been around LA know Davey Havok frequents our underground scenes with a sage’s watchful eye. He takes many young bands under his wing to mentor or tour with. That’s why, whether we’re talking about the punk, hardcore,

Eating Yourself to Live: Cannibal Corpse at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer March 26, 2022

Cannibal Corpse‘s return to Los Angeles at the Belsasco wasn’t just a showcase of one of the most brutal and punishing death metal bands of all time, this was a breakthrough tour where the band created a much larger impact than most people realize. This tour came at the heels of a heated debate about the journey the death metal has gone since its origins in Florida to its current state and sound. Cannibal Corpse was at the center of this debate as former singer Chris Barnes butted horns with current singer Corpsegrinder in a battle for which era reigns over all. The lineup for this tour featured Deathcore label mates Whitechapel and Revocation, bridging two scenes that are worlds apart even though they sound incredibly similar to the untrained ear. In many ways, this was a tour that gave deathcore fans an education in true metal, so even though Whitechapel and Revocation aren’t quite my cup of tea, this tour served a greater purpose I have to approve of. related content: Photo Recap: Decibel Magazine Tour With Cannibal Corpse At The Fonda Prior to this show, I was on the Chris Barnes side of the debate. Listening to The

Photo Recap: Yob and True Widow at 1720

Janky Smooth Central Command March 25, 2022

Yob is doom metal’s most powerful trio. The motto “Yob is Love” is something you feel anytime you feel the warmth within their kinetic synergy onstage, as their bombastic doom sounds pass between each player. Love is what you feel as you blast through walls of sound and come out the other side feeling no pain, but pleasure instead. They played 1720 with True Widow and gave the city another taste of doom metal redefined through their transcendental lens. Yob True Widow

The Final Piece: Puzzle at The Vermont

Dillon Vaughn March 23, 2022

As usual, Minty Boi has been killing it with their bookings, maintaining the crown of the most forward thinking promoter in LA. Catching a rare set by Fletcher Shears’ solo endeavor Puzzle at the recently opened Vermont Hollywood truly felt like a leap into a new era thanks to both the music and the venue itself. related content: The Growlers Reclaim Castle Beach Goth And All Is Right With The World Again The Garden have a unique reputation because they’ve managed to become increasingly accessible while simultaneously cramming more dissonant and challenging elements into their music. The frequently mentioned 20+ solo records released over the years by Fletcher is absolutely a noteworthy feat, but even more impressive is how varied those releases manage to be while clearly maintaining their creator’s fingerprints. Throughout most of the night the entire crowd in the Vermont bounced in unison and collectively lost their shit while screaming along with the lyrics to every single song on the setlist – something you hardly ever see in the city with the biggest reputation for low attendance and an abundance of crossed arms and bored gazes. related content: … And We’ll Pretend It’s Christmas Day At The Roxy

Art’s Spirit Animal: Yves Tumor at the OC Observatory

Rob Shepyer March 22, 2022

Attempting to describe Yves Tumor to a stranger on an elevator, I told them the band was like a psychedelic Prince. This is a bit reductive, but a compliment to all parties nonetheless. Yves Tumor is much more than an artist to be compared to anyone in such definitive terms. Yves Tumor deals in abstracts and pushing boundaries beyond definitions and comparisons. Yes, there’s elements of sunshine psych and vintage hard rock riffage; yes, they broke out into an ode to Faith No More’s “Be Aggressive” at one moment of their OC Observatory set; and yes, they’ve cultivated all the murky plummets of the Jungian shadow to make themselves much more than a band of humans, they’re something transcendent when they take a stage. Yves’ singer, a mystery man conspicuously named Sean Bowie, created music to escape from his dull, conservative surroundings as a young adult. With so much art pouring out of him, the last two signifiers that come to mind when staring at him onstage are “dull” or “conservative”. Sean Bowie is a living enigma, transcending categories to exist simply as art itself. Or more colloquially, Sean Bowie is art’s spirit animal. related content: Desert Daze 2021: Music,

PHOTO RECAP: Serpentwithfeet at The Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command March 13, 2022

One of the brightest, most unique and spellbinding voices in alternative R&B, Serpentwithfeet, brought his boundary-pushing show to The Fonda Theatre and gave Los Angeles a taste of romance, tragedy, drama and comedy all through the vehicle of rhythm and blues music. Supporting him for this unforgettable show was Devin Tracy. Here are some incredible pics from the show. Photos by: Erika Reinsel Serpentwithfeet Devin Tracy

Love at the Lodge Room: Habibi in Highland Park

Rob Shepyer March 12, 2022

There was a time in the early 2010’s when the worlds of garage rock and psychedelic indie music were still male dominated arenas. Of the few bands that broke the gender mold in garage rock and made fans want to see more women in the spotlight at these low lit shows, New York’s Habibi is both one of the most important and under-recognized outfits. Combining Iranian romance and cool with lo-fi East Coast indie rock was always a recipe for uniqueness and trendsetting. related content: Dream James: Arooj Aftab at Lodge Room The word Habibi, which means “My Love”, signals warmth and acceptance. Just the vibes their shows emanate, especially this one at the Lodge Room, which showed a chiller, more laid back side to garage rock than many in Los Angeles are accustomed to. Our garage rock is heavy and fuzzy while New York’s is more atmospheric. Habibi’s realness felt like New York, the music had no inclination to rush anywhere and was firmly grounded in the moment. They’re much more The Velvet Underground than The Doors. The Lodge Room was the perfect venue to host this event. Something about the sacred imagery and architecture becomes very beatnik under

Turnstile “Shake it Up” at the Novo

Danny Baraz March 11, 2022

As I stood in the Novo vaxx card checkpoint line that wrapped around the block and took an hour to traverse, I found myself wondering what it would be like to see Turnstile in such a controlled environment, with a barrier and many different obstacles blocking the way between the stage and the floor. While I was waiting outside lamenting, I missed openers Citizen, Coco and Clair Clair. Sorry guys. It’s hard to believe Turnstile released Pressure to Succeed 11 years ago. While Turnstile have ruled the hardcore scene, to a large degree, to simply call Turnstile a hardcore band would be missing the mark on the massive mutt of music that spawned them. But even with the hints of hardcore punk and most recently, emo (don’t hate me) laced into their songs and albums, make no mistake, they are a hardcore band. Related Content: The Most Complete Sound and Fury 2017 Review on Earth It had been a few years since I saw Turnstile live at Nature World Night Out and the first time since their album, Glow On hit most hipster top 10 albums of 2021- no small feat for a hardcore band from Baltimore. And with that

PHOTO RECAP: Drain at 1720

Janky Smooth Central Command March 8, 2022

SOS Productions should stand for Sold Out Shows because they are on fire with their recent events, most notably Drain‘s appearance at 1720 which brought every kid and their boogie board out of the wood work to surf the crowds all night during this hardcore banger for the history books. If you’re not familiar with Drain by now, they’re one of the dopest sounding hardcore bands with a crossover edge at the moment. Their Sound and Fury set is so legendary, crowds keep trying to recreate the magic. Along with No Pressure and Ingrown, this was a night LAHC won’t soon forget. We stan for Drain here at Jankysmooth, so here are a bunch of photos from the night. Photos by: Manuel Arredondo Drain No Pressure Ingrown

ShadowMANcer: Dorian Electra’s Hyper Pop Pandemonium at El Rey

Rob Shepyer March 7, 2022

Dorian Electra has been one of the hottest tickets in town ever since their 2019 album Flamboyant introduced them to the world as a satirical songstress, non-binary clown, voice for voiceless misfits, and hyper pop visionary. Between then and now, the pandemic severed any chance to see them perform live but for a small handful of shows that I kept on missing. Dorian then released My Agenda in 2020 and all bets were off. Dorian was no longer an underground sensation, they were a pop icon in the making. Canoodling with the likes of Charli XCX, The Village People, The Garden, Grimes and Pussy Riot on tracks and live, they sticking to their roots as they ascend the ladder. In other words, if Dorian wins and goes all the way, they’re taking the underground up with them. For this, the My Agenda Tour, Dorian was playing a parody of a villain that embodied in them the right wing’s biggest boogie man, some kind of hidden puppeteer hellbent on turning the world gay. Dorian, who’s purpose as an artist is to challenge comfort zones and expand boundaries, was ready to wage war. As a music blogger delving into the many undergrounds of

Category: SHOWS

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