Category: SHOWS

Photo Recap: Albert Hamond Jr. at the Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command March 15, 2019

Albert Hammond Jr. has no problem selling out big venues in Los Angeles. We love the Strokes. We love Albert’s style and swagger. Hot of the heels of his 2018 album Francis Trouble, Albert has kept making music in the same kind of cool that the Strokes were always known for. Opening for Albert Hammond Jr. was In the Valley Below. Pedro Carerra was there to shoot the show and you can look at his pictures and see exactly what makes Albert Hammond Jr. such a compelling singer and guitarist. Photos by: Pedro Carrera Albert Hammond Jr. In The Valley Below

OC did it all for the Nookie: Musink Tattoo Convention & Music Fest 2019

Rob Shepyer March 15, 2019

At the beginning of the year, I foresaw the resurgence of nu metal. Long dismissed and derided as one of the most cringe-worthy, toxic, and talentless genres of all time, it would turn out the place it held in the hearts of elder millennials never faded away as they grew up. Bands like Korn, Slipknot, and Deftones have maintained a place at the top of the mountain as bands that can always draw big crowds but Limp Bizkit still seems like an outsider among them even though back in the day, they were arguably the biggest of those bands. Musink 2019 would blow the flood gates open and give nu metal the retribution people were silently begging for. Limp Bizkit would headline Day 2 and signal to all the haters that the Bizkit is back. That same week, LB announced a surprise show at the Troubadour for only 3 dollars. Those that were in attendance know Limp Bizkit put on what was without question, love them or hate them, a legendary performance. Featuring covers of the Who, Nirvana, and Journey with guests such a Billy Corgan, Marilyn Manson, and Machine Gun Kelly, the show was so raucous one fan even jumped from

Long Live the Thump: Thumpasarus at Teragram

Janky Smooth Central Command March 13, 2019

Photos by: Anthony Mehlhaff Thumpasaurus is a gang of five deftly skilled musical agents on a perpetual quest to stabilize their eclectro-frenetic moods of post apocalyptic new wave. Thumpasaurus offer up their own unique stew wherein, hidden in plain sight and sound, you’ll find traces of Zappa, Beefheart, James Chance, Funkadelic/Parliament, Devo, Morphine, Talking Heads and Prince, as well as some rocking heavy metal, free jazz, musical theatre and even some light opera references thrown in for good measure. The band released The Book Of Thump last summer, and recently shared a video for “Where Does The Love Go”… an opera in five parts. Converging Benjamin Button maturity with Steven Hawking-like musical astro-theories, their oath to indoctrinate the world to the ideologies of the Book of Thump holds no bounds. A band bred out of the present day’s insatiable appetite to consume, they extract scraps from hard to reach corners of the dark web into uplifting nuggets of empowerment and party. There live show at The Teragram was one for the ages including aliens, karate chops and cameos from the like of Jennifer Lawerence, Bradley Cooper and John Travolta. Don’t miss these beings as they attack SXSW with there insane party antics.

Dominant Noise: Daughters at the Regent

Rob Shepyer March 7, 2019

As unhinged, noisy, violent, grotesque, and vulgar the music of Daughters might devolve into, at its heart, the sound and lyrics will always be poetry. Like a lounge band moonlighting at a Roman vomitorium, these Rhode Island killers came dressed in evening attire to impress a pack of wild dogs at the sold out Regent Theater. You could tell this show would be one of the highlights of underground music in Los Angeles in 2019. Audience members were vomiting, moshing until self destruction, and being squeezed up against each other, as rockers the likes of Retox’s Justin Pearson surfed overhead. related content: There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With A Little Thrash And Grind: Show Your Scars 2019 At The Regent The entire night was filled with riveting noise from bands that could each draw a good crowd had they been headlining. First to knock their boots about the stage was industrial, fetishists and hardcore performance art duo, Hide. As always, Heather Gabel gave no fucks as her leather chastity bottoms lured in the bastard crowd but then her wolverine bite snapped at them before they could get too close. With white strobe lights turning the stage into a glitching TV eye

Sex Sells But Love’s Buying: Sex Cells 2 Year Anniversary at the Globe Theatre

Rob Shepyer March 6, 2019

Whether we’re aware of it or not, we as people are constantly choosing who we want to represent us. I’m not talking about politics but life in general, we use our dollars to vote and elect people we see part of ourselves in, to be public symbols for us. Since the inception of Lethal Amounts and its flag ship nocturnal gathering, Sex Cells, it has been widely popular and prosperous and thus, its leader Danny Fuentes has become a representative for artists, punks, homosexuals, freaks, and party monsters all over Los Angeles. related content: Sex Cells’ Divine Ball At El Rey: The Filthiest People Alive So when the spiritual leader of this church of filth falls in love, we see part of ourselves falling in love. We see that it’s possible for us, like when the lead character finally gets the girl at the end of a film. This film that we saw a part of at Sex Cells 2 year anniversary is simply the history of punk in Los Angeles. At the Globe Theatre on February 15th 2019, Danny Fuentes proposed to Matthew Pernicano on stage in the middle of Marc Almond‘s set. related content: OC’s Alright If You

Photo Recap: Gunner Stahl and Friends at Red Bull Music Festival

Janky Smooth Central Command March 6, 2019

To those of you photographers that dream of crossing the invisible line between you and the stage and start performing, fear not, your inspiration is here in the form of Gunner Stahl, who has transitioned from hip hop photographer to hip hop artist. What better place to make your debut to the public as an artist than Red Bull Music Festival and what better way to make yourself look good then have all your talented friends get on stage with you, friends like Chief Keef. We were there to get the pics and capture this earth-shatteringly historic moment in hip hop. Photos by: Rodney Campos

So Close Yet So Far: Bring Me The Horizon at the Forum

Dave Unbuckled March 5, 2019

Let me start by stating the obvious: I’ve never voluntarily listened to Bring Me the Horizon. I’ve seen them three or four times throughout their notorious career, and I’ve never been sold on their batch of melodic metalcore, though I recognize musicianship when I see it, and they have it. After revisiting the band’s back catalog for hours in the days preceding the show, a shifting trend in production quality and attention is immediately noticeable. This is no more so obvious than on Bring Me the Horizon’s most recent album, AMO, that at the time of the performance, was ranked at the top of the UK album charts. I can no way discredit the band’s achievement in charting at the peak — it’s a magnificent feat for any rock band regardless of genre, but from a subgenre of metal and hardcore, it’s nearly unheard of. I’d also like to note how at the time of publishing this, the album has completely fallen off the charts. Though the band is currently experiencing a large deal of attention and success typically reserved for Pop stars, their stage show has transitioned, as it has grown, and the band’s performance has literally shifted to

Illegal Civilization’s Movie Motel at The Pink Motel for Red Bull Music Festival

Rob Shepyer March 4, 2019

Whether you’re into doo-wop or David Lynch, those with a taste for all things vintage and pink in Los Angeles, would see Sun Valley’s treasured Pink Motel as perhaps the best untapped resource to host a music festival. Leave it to fashion and skateboarding collective Illegal Civilization to tap the vein first, hosting their “Movie Motel” there as part of the Red Bull music festival. related content: Red Bull Music Festival Begins With San Cha’s Epic Tragedy At Vibiana It was a cold evening that February night, two moons after Valentine’s. By then the love had already faded away and in its place we needed entertainment to numb the pain and forget. Bright colors, pinks and neons abound, I arrived in Sun Valley, treading against the breeze toward a drained swimming pool. Having this vintage and historic motel fall into the hands of skaters could’ve proved to be a fatal mistake but none of this punk or hip hop would be here in the first place if we weren’t frivolous. The music was one thing to see but guys and girls zooming through the pool on four wheels and breaking invisible waves as they stunted on every inch of that

Photo Recap: Decibel Magazine Tour with Cannibal Corpse at the Fonda

Janky Smooth Central Command February 28, 2019

Decibel Magazine assembled a lineup of heavyweight death metal bands to crush the Fonda Theatre on the Los Angeles date of the annual Decibel Magazine tour. This year’s tour featured the most successful OG Florida death metal band of all time, Cannibal Corpse, headlining with Morbid Angel as their direct support. Two classic, iconic, genre-defining bands of death metal on the same bill. Then to round out the lineup, Necrot and Blood Incantation were also on the show, two bands with such a bright future that they deserve to share a stage with any OG group. Photos by: Anthony Mehlhaff Cannibal Corpse Morbid Angel Necrot Blood Incantation

Sane Clown Posse: ICP’s Album Release at the Regent

Dillon Vaughn February 28, 2019

The Regent Theater in Downtown LA was recently graced by the gods of Psychopathic Records themselves: Insane Clown Posse. Making an appearance as the hosts of one of their many album release events nationwide on the night Fearless Fred Fury hit shelves, the most wicked clowns took the stage to show some love to the often neglected west coast legion of Juggalos. related content: Whoop Whoop! ICP’s Slam Fest At The Regent: A Family Affair Of the many performances from various regional acts the most striking was theatrical industrial/synth duo Luna 13 who equally enchanted and bored the audience to tears. The edgy theatrical elements quickly wore themselves thin and all that was left was a series of monotone tracks that fell somewhere between Author and Punisher, Otep, and the clearance bin at Hot Topic. This was definitely not the show/audience for this band, but even if it were somewhere else a striptease isn’t a substitution for inventive or soulful music in any situation. related content: Children Of The Night: Doyle At The Whisky With the last minute announcement of the one off show and minimal promotion, most fans weren’t even sure if ICP were actually performing or just showing up to

Noah’s Arkestra: Panda Bear at the Lodge Room

Dillon Vaughn February 27, 2019

Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox of Animal Collective) recently brought the Buoys Tour to the Lodge Room in Highland Park with support from Flaccid Mojo for two sold out nights of pink tinted audiovisual insanity. related content: A Return Full Of Firsts: Deerhunter At The Lodge Room Highland Park Flaccid Mojo are a strange compliment to AnCo; they recently opened for the group (minus Panda Bear) at the Vista Theater with a massively disorienting set at a volume loud enough to shake material loose from the ceiling. What seemed like an odd choice as an opener for a night focused on the reflective and spacy Tangerine Reef became much more understandable when paired with the live presentation of Lennox’s chaotic solo act. Accented with minimal stage lighting and projections of texturally grotesque collected footage, the sounds emanating from the experimental electronic duo (consisting of members of Black Dice) formed an enticingly abrasive foundation commanding the crowd to move. This is an act I’d love to see in the seediest after hours spot in LA: some place with décor and an audience as primitive and brutish as the music and willing to be completely receptive to it. related content: Animal Collective Drip Sound And Color On

Power Chords and Heart Break: Mike Krol at the Bootleg Theatre

Todd Anderson February 26, 2019

Mike Krol is never dead… but that’s a different story. His Bootleg theatre show was the second show of his tour promoting his newest album Power Chords (Merge Records 2019). He cranked out his own brand of fuzzy melodic power pop to a packed house in Los Angeles with the crowd singing along as he belted out his own special blend of garage influenced pop punk melodies bleeding out with the charming intoxication of the obsessively heartbroken. Power Chords is technically the fifth album from this Milwaukee born musician/(sometimes) graphic designer if you want to count the compilation of his first two recordings called Mike Krol is never dead on merge records 2017. He has consistently pumping out the heart break since 2011. Words and Photos by: Todd Anderson

Category: SHOWS

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