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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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South Gate Superstars: Cypress Hill at the Wiltern
Janky Smooth Central Command
March 29, 2019
Words and Photos by: Abraham Preciado The West Coast High Tour rolled through the largest and one the most spectacular theater in Los Angeles, The Wiltern, last weekend. Headlining the tour were rap icons from South Gate, Cypress Hill. The legends were accompanied on tour by Demrick, Xzibit, and Hollywood Undead. related content: Make America Green Again: The Great American Smoke Out Demrick and Xzibit took the stage first and ignited the crowd with their respective hits. The artist’s also dropped songs from their collaborative project, Serial Killers, which were definite hits with everyone in attendance. It was exciting to see Xzibit live and still be at the top of his game. LA’s rap/rock band Hollywood Undead also brought their “A” game to The Wiltern and performed hits from their entire catalog of music. Hollywood Undead’s set was an adrenaline rush to the crowd. related content: Black Baptism: Prayers At The Fonda In anticipation to Cypress Hill’s set, smoke filled the Wiltern as the crowd prepared for the group’s entry on stage. As soon as the intro to “Band of Gypsies” played the crowd erupted. It was lit! Cypress Hill came ready to blaze with their fans and we were ready!
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Surf & Sniff: Amyl & the Sniffers at Soda Bar
Janky Smooth Central Command
March 27, 2019
Words and Photos by: Rebecca DiGiglio Richard Rose is a new band lead by vocalist Chris Shaw, who also sings with Ty Segall in GØGGS, as well as Ex Cult. Don’t try looking them up on YouTube for a listen just yet, as you will only find videos from the mystic philosopher of the same name– or, perhaps look it up if you’re interested in hearing some esoteric theorizing which, I can only assume, influenced the band in some important way. Their garage rocky aesthetic layered with saxophone was a solid start to the night; their set felt more fluid and laid back than what was to come, yet still punctuated by heavy moments and high energy. The band has an upcoming four song EP coming out via In the Red Records. related content: GØGGS a-go-go at the Teragram Ballroom While waiting for Amyl & The Sniffers‘ set to start, I’ll admit that I questioned the San Diego audience’s ability to really show up and make the set as wild and raucous as I had heard A&TS live performances typically were. Sometimes I feel like everyone is a bit more laid back here in SD. And for the first few
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Gothic Interiors: Cold Cave at the Ace Hotel
Rob Shepyer
March 26, 2019
Name something more goth than the Cure, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie combined… shouldn’t be too hard, how about Chartres Cathedral? When goth music and Gothic architecture combine for a concert set under light penetrating through stained glass, it becomes a catharsis similar to that of a good cry. I’ve always been curious about the connection between the aesthetics of Christ worship in the Gothic and sadness in Goth. Have goths been weeping for Christ this whole time or just been looking for someone to hear their prayers, someone who’s there? related content: Your Peace Is Our Peace: David Lynch’s Festival Of Disruption At The Ace Hotel The interior of the theatre at Ace hotel, formerly United Artists theatre, acts as a mirror and conduit to any act on stage, from the purple portal in the ceiling emanating energy to the lobby’s glorious murals which depict scenes too puzzling to be of no biblical significance. The theatre’s stones shifts with the music. Don’t believe me? Pay closer attention, stare long enough and see solids melt before your very eyes! related content: Cloak & Dagger Fest: The Heart Of Los Angeles Bled From Dusk Till Dawn Wesley Eisold of Cold Cave, who recently turned
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Saint Patrick’s Day With Flogging Molly at the Hollywood Palladium
Rob Shepyer
March 21, 2019
I love Saint Patrick’s Day. There’s no other holiday like it. For a day, booze culture is king and the streets are filled with drunk, pinching masses, green oozing down the streets of Hollywood toward the Palladium which hosts the Saint Paddy’s party of the year every year with Flogging Molly. Of all the Celtic punk bands, Dropkick Murphy’s and the Pogues included, none know how to celebrate like Molly. It’s a party of epic proportion that would make James Joyce proud, the kind of stuff Finnegan’s Wake was made of. related content: It’s Not Dead Fest 2: New Hope For Punks w/Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Off My tailgate began in the Palladium parking lot watching a line of bagpipers toot that sweet Scottish sound. It may not be Irish, but after a few stouts, shit was close enough. World War 2 veteran Sidney Walton was celebrating his 100th birthday on stage and was praised by the crowd. With the kind of wild cheers that only a few drinks could inspire. Heading to the Guinness tent to make sure I wouldn’t get thirsty, I saw Sidney being treated to a very special birthday brewski as we all sung happy birthday for the guy
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Versed in Virtuosity: Jacob Collier at the Fonda
Rob Shepyer
March 19, 2019
Jacob Collier is such a bright and shinning talent, any performance of his inspires awe, fun, and connection in people. I saw one clip of him covering “Close to You” by Burt Bacharach and absolutely murdered that bass in jazz style. I missed him on his last tour through Los Angeles when he was still performing solo, bouncing between instruments like drums, piano, double bass, bass guitar, ukulele and vocals. At the age of 25, Jacob is one in a few of the self-made musical geniuses that took it upon themselves to produce their own albums, playing every instrument, and recording it themselves. This is what Jacob did with In My Room in 2015 but now, four albums later, Jacob is back in Los Angeles with a band of three other members and an entirely new show. related content: Shrine To A Goddess: Tash Sultana Sells Out The Shrine Expo Hall In Los Angeles With totems of light standing around the stage, the ambiance would change with the music’s texture as Jacob went from funk to jazz to folk. I was amazed from start to finish and I knew I would be the moment I was allowed to review this show.
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