Category: SHOWS

JPEGMAFIA, Vince Staples, the Novo, the music blogger, liberals and the CIA ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Danny Baraz April 17, 2019

I’m worried about JPEGMAFIA. Not as a person but more as a concept. See, I’ve spent the last 2 years obsessing on the Black Ben Carson album, almost exclusively. His beats are terrifyingly delicious with almost never a single one of them achieving “banger” status. That would be too cute. No, his sound is one of political and social homicide, with techno kick drums that devour 808’s with distorted resonance, with even bigger promises than that of Bernie Sanders in both the horrifically ambient intros and outros, to single handedly promising to be the pied piper that leads hip hop out of the Drake era. The level of shit talking Peggy achieves on this album is unrivaled in any genre and any medium and even by other JPEGMAFIA albums EP’s or singles. Some have come close or even peaked somewhere near the same point but using his latest and most widely ingested release as an example, the first 4 tracks are straight throwaways that would’ve been better served being used hidden tracks or some other gimmick that allows the listener to focus on a message that seems to be contradicting what both he and critics claim is the meat of

Hell is a Laughing Matter: The Manx at the Hi Hat

Rob Shepyer April 12, 2019

If you remember the classic 80’s film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, you’ll know what it feels like to see cartoon characters walking among actual, real life people. That’s what seeing The Manx feels like, like an extreme band all the toons would go see and mosh to. They’re wacky, spontaneous, funny, and deliver a sound and performance like nothing else you could see in Los Angeles or otherwise. Only those versed in cartoon logic will understand the concept of the Manx and luckily every child worth a damn was raised on cartoons. related content: Janky Smooth Top 25 Artists To Watch In 2019 Opening this first night of The Manx’s Tuesday Hi Hat April residency was Drac and the Swamp Rats a band that portrays famous horror movie monsters onstage while playing powerful, groovy rock and roll. They have a garage rock sound and sensibility that the body cannot deny. Even the most cynical hipsters who might scoff at theatrics couldn’t deny music this good. This band doesn’t need to dress up but it definitely adds to the fun and Dracula, the band’s lead singer, plays his character with plenty of sass and irony. Drac’s eyes have witnessed an eternity

This too Shall Pass: Black Moth Super Rainbow at the Observatory

Dillon Vaughn April 10, 2019

There’s an emotional rollercoaster interwoven throughout the textures of Tom Fec’s musical output: Black Moth Super Rainbow and Tobacco are two vastly different entities with approaches to music that manage a balance between melancholic nostalgia and aggressive experimentation, all while composing a distinct musical language entirely unique to it’s creator. As the Panic Blooms tour cycle nears it’s end, Tobacco has revealed he’ll be shelving BMSR once again (at least until he feels compelled to revive the project once more.) With that news I knew I had to attend one of the final California dates at the Observatory in Santa Ana. related content: UFOs From Tokyo California Flashback At The Lodge Room With studio material so gently nuanced it’s hard to imagine how a band could translate the material in an amplified setting. Thankfully the group has always managed to present the material live in new ways with a sense of renewed energy – all while maintaining the sense of intimacy that is so crucial to these compositions. The setlist in rotation this time pulls from songs throughout their entire catalog and gives enough new material to keep anyone that saw them on the first leg of the tour last year entertained. One

UFOs From Tokyo: California Flashback at the Lodge Room

Dillon Vaughn April 8, 2019

Years ago while searching the web for specific sounds from mostly undiscovered bands (to me, at least) from places I’ve never been lead me to a treasure trove of material that’s remained unmatched: PSF records. A very finely curated label operating in Tokyo under direction of the late Hideo Ikeezumi, PSF amassed a catalog of Japan’s underground legends since the mid 80s and continued providing a home for psychedelic and experimental works until Ikeezumi’s death in 2017. Black Editions, a somewhat recently formed boutique label based in LA, began reissuing classic selections from this catalog just before Ikeezumi passed. Operating as a magnet for some of these performers that very rarely (if ever) perform outside of Japan, it feels as if Black Editions has been building toward a perfect show highlighting PSF and it’s contributions to the underground. With the recent reissue of the definitive compilation TOKYO FLASHBACK, it made perfect sense for the label to host a two city festival (appropriately titled) California Flashback. related content: L.A. Buffs Up: Angel Du$t At The Lodge Room With a lineup populated by PSF alumni and associates alike, the two nights occurring in LA at the Lodge Room guaranteed a face melting

Punx With Junk: Club Scum 3 Year Anniversary at the Regent

Janky Smooth Central Command April 6, 2019

Photos by: Anthony Mehlhaff Club Scum turned 3 years old last week and we couldn’t be more proud of Los Angeles’ Latinx baby because with each year, every anniversary seems to be more epic, filthy, and unforgettable than the last. This year’s featured a special Hunx and his Punx reunion show and all the drag and punk rock you could swallow. related content: Fierce Fiesta: Club Scum’s 2 Year Anniversary W/Limp Wrist At The Echoplex Check out all the pix below: Club Scum Hunx and his Punx Drag Queens Trap Girl Remorseless Argument? Cremalleras

Two Times the Biscuit Power: Gorilla Biscuits at the Roxy

Rob Shepyer April 6, 2019

This was it. The big show. The one Los Angeles hardcore kids and old school punk mother fuckers had been seething, waiting for. Gorilla Biscuits in LA. Gorilla Biscuits in OC. Gorilla Biscuits from New York fucking City, who only come here once in a blue moon. And they didn’t come to the Roxy play a show and bounce, they stayed the day did an early and a late show and I had the pleasure of attending both. I could’ve seen them five more times before getting tired, because I know it’ll be a while until GB returns to the concrete jungle on this side of the country to stomp all over Sunset with those big ass Gorilla feet. related content: The Hardest So-Cal Has To Offer, Strife Plays “In This Defiance” At The Roxy GB played the night before in Orange County at Garden Amp and everybody who saw pics and videos from that show knew there’s nothing we could’ve done to top their insanity. The audience completely covered the stage until Civ had to sing standing on the drum riser. Why was the OC show substantially more hardcore? Was it the size of the venue and stage? Probably.

L.A. Buffs Up: Angel Du$t at the Lodge Room

Rob Shepyer April 4, 2019

This was one of the concerts I was anticipating most in 2019. As soon as the first couple singles off Angel Du$t‘s latest album dropped at the end of 2018, I knew this band would climb to new peaks while also changing the game around them. Once we entered 2019, the band released a four track preview of the album with Lil Buff, further forming this new image of what the band could transform into. Once “Bang my Drum” and Pretty Buff finally came out, Angel Du$t became my favorite band of 2019 and Pretty Buff my favorite album of 2019. related content: Nature World Night Out At The Regent: Building Bridges Between Hardcore And Hip Hop Since their inception, Angel Du$t was a hardcore band that had an affinity for melody, hooks, and clean vocals that other bands didn’t dare play with but because their hardcore cred was unquestionable, the hardcore kids fell in love with the songs. This was every hardcore kid’s outlet for enjoying music about fun and love while staying in this scene. Now, the band made what is basically a pop punk album but with more authentic feeling and style than any of the 90’s pop punk

Warbeast v Sent2Slaughter v The One Percent

PCW Ultra Wrestle Summit was Like Summer Camp for Wrestlers and Wrestling Fans

Jonathan Reyes April 3, 2019

PCW Ultra Wrestle Summit was like summer camp for wrestlers and wrestling fans. Greasy food, a guy carrying a gigantic foam hammer, beer, and sweaty men. This was something really unique that I truly hope people pick up on. So many different companies and independent wrestlers in one ring for one night. From the opening bell, there wasn’t a moment of insignificance. Storyline wise and behind the curtain, a lot of questions were answered that night. Wrestle Summit started with everyone’s new problematic bae Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, I looked around like are we all cool with this? Did you see Leaving Neverland? It looks like I’m the only one who saw it. related content: Rebels of Wrestling: PCW Ultra 3 Year Anniversary Trey Miguel vs Adam Brooks Taking the bullet are Impact Wrestling’s Trey Miguel and Defy Wrestling’s Adam Brooks. Sometimes you see a move you wish you could describe but how do you explain a backflip over a downed opponent that lands in a surgically precise drop kick to the back of Adam Brooks head. This was a great start to the night. Fast and to the point. Trey won a future shot at the ULW championship. For this

Gothboiclique Represent: Lil Tracy at the OC Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command April 3, 2019

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas On Friday night, March 29th, in the Constellation Room at The Observatory in Santa Ana, rap artists Lil’ Raven and Lil’ Tracy headlined the much-anticipated show. Lil’ Raven, a rapper from Virginia, included “Channel Drip”, “You Might”, and “5 Bands” in his set. He was fun, alive, and gave lots of love to his fans –whether it was taking photographs with everyone after the show or shaking hands and giving love to the crowd while on stage during his set. After Lil’ Raven performed, Lil’ Tracy was introduced to a packed venue with everyone’s flashlights on their phones shining from the crowd. The stage was packed with Lil’ Tracy peeps and fans alike throughout his entire set. He opened up with “Your Favorite Dress”, which caused immediate frenzy among the entire crowd, and then went into “Pictures”. “Hands up, Everybody! Hands up!” he shouted as he hyped the entire crowd. He honored the memory of his late counterpart and friend, Lil’ Peep, whom he once shared that very stage with. Then, after kicking the DJ booth and slamming his microphone on the mixing table, he covered a few of Lil’ Peep’s songs, including “Witchblades”, and ended the night performing

Down Home Ho Down: Roots Roadhouse 2019

Rob Shepyer April 2, 2019

Within moments of walking into Roots Roadhouse at the Echoplex and seeing BBQ pits, haystacks, cowboy hats and boots, I realized that this is one of the best festivals in Los Angeles, it’s a hidden gem. If you follow Janky Smooth, you certainly won’t see much country on our blog but for some reason, even though I was moshing at Gorilla Biscuits the night before, this music felt more like home than metal, punk, hardcore, or industrial to me. After listening to a few acts and thinking about why this is, I realized that the soundtrack to being a rocker would have plenty of country in it. The way outlaw country tales about being broke, losing love, chasing love, doing drugs, and getting drunk, relates to me more than other kinds of music. Part of the reason for this lack of country coverage is simply awareness. In Los Angeles, no one knows these artists but across the rest of the country, they all have huge followings, mostly because of relentless touring. With Roots Roadhouse, Los Angeles gets a taste of how the rest of America listens to music, whether it be Nashville, Texas, or Louisiana, the heart of America was

Mr. & Ms. Machine: The Black Queen at the Regent

Rob Shepyer March 31, 2019

If you let yourself be vulnerable, close your eyes and hone in on a sound then take your time to interpret how that sound resonates in your soul and makes you feel, I think you can actually gender the sound. Whether you think gender is a social construction or natural state, there are abstract and physical attributes to maleness and femaleness. There are masculine elements to The Black Queen‘s music, a sort of epic, peaking feel to their hooks that give you the sense of a heroic narrative at play. There are feminine elements as well, a sensuality, vulnerability, and warmth to the music and delivery. Certainly, The Black Queen’s sound is a more feminine departure from Greg Puciato’s last band, the Dillinger Escape Plan but this new electronic three piece still retain some of the qualities that made Dillinger transcend metal. related content: Cold Waves LA: Heaven For Industrial Kids Beginning this diversified bill at the Regent was SRSQ, aka Kennedy Ashlyn, who has already been ingrained as an icon in my mind for how soul-stirring her voice is. The last time I spoke to Kennedy, I told her how spiritual her music made me feel. That’s not exactly

Salute The Troops Festival – A Hip Hop and Comedy Event for America’s Veterans

Janky Smooth Central Command March 29, 2019

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas Salute the Troops Festival was like a three-day party honoring active military and veterans. Hip-hop and comedy lovers came together at the dual-venue event at both The Glass House and the Fox Theatre in Pomona March 22-24. The weekend was filled with music, laughter, and lots of love acknowledging the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans. Snoop Dogg headlined the weekend’s events on Saturday, and all other artists on Friday and Sunday gave peak performances, whether they were standing before an audience of 40 or 400. This definitely made for Friday and Sunday nights’ vibes being more intimate between the artists and the crowd. Various artists included Cold War Kids, Capital Cities, The Dan Band, and Andre Cymone who plays a key part in contributing to the infamous Minnesota rock’n’roll-funkadelic-soul sound and is the former bass guitarist of Prince’s touring band pre-Revolution. related content: Smokin’ In The Rain: One Love Cali Reggae Fest At The Queen Mary Commanding a band of musicians behind him from center stage (like a pro), including tambourine and female backup vocals, Cymone took his audience on board an intergalactic journey of time and sound. “I was driving up the coast one day and heard Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s