Category: SHOWS

Photo Recap: Toxic Holocaust at Resident

Janky Smooth Central Command December 9, 2018

Toxic Holocaust is a band that shines most as a headlining act. It’s still a treat catching them on tour with bigger bands or at fest, but the mixed crowd they bring on their own makes for a wild (and occasionally dangerous) time. Their recent performance at Resident is a perfect example of metalheads and punks losing their minds alongside each other to some of the most memorable thrash tracks released over the past decade. The night opened with SoCal crossover act Take Offense and LA heroes Scrapmetal and Parasite. Resident has earned it’s title as the (unofficial) home of metal and punk this year and I’m excited to see what acts they host in 2019. Photos by: Dillon Vaughn Toxic Holocaust Take Offense

Nowell Family Values: Bradley’s House Benefit at the Gaslamp

Janky Smooth Central Command December 8, 2018

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas An all ages benefit for Bradley’s House, the Nowell Family Foundation is helping artists in the industry overcome opioid addiction so they can get help and no more lives are lost to this horrific epidemic sweeping America. It was a reggae and punk filled line-up at the Gaslamp Restaurant & Bar including live performances by Long Beach Dub All Stars, LAW, Burritos, Corn Doggy Dog, Kyle Smith, Simbala, Back-Bone, and DJ Product. Vendors booths with merchandise available to those in attendance and whose proceeds went to the charitable Nowell Family Foundation. The venue was packed and full of love, and Jim Papa Nowell was seen in the back with his own booth enjoying the night with friends and family. related content: Dirty Reggae, Smooth Ska: Hepcat And The Aggrolites At House Of Blues Anaheim The night was coordinated by Kellie Nowell, sister of the late Bradley Nowell, and executive director of the Nowell Family Foundation. “We were overwhelmed by the love and support of everyone who came. Our goal with the foundation is to bring together fans and musicians to create a place of hope and healing. This event was a beautiful example of the

The Culture’s Collective: BROCKHAMPTON at the OC Observatory

Aria Silva-Espinosa December 6, 2018

It’s comforting to see that the evolution of the iconic American boy band has landed so gracefully at this spot in the natural trajectory. Brockhampton owes a portion of their success to the VICELAND show titles American Boyband, thus drawing the comparison between the modern-day hip hop collective and the saccharine sweet talkers of the 90’s like ‘NSYNC or Boyz II Men. Truthfully, it isn’t a fair comparison and Brockhampton has defined themselves as a unique tribe of diverse delivery styles. Their first album was good, the SATURATION album trilogy got better and better and then in 2018 Brockhampton brought us iridescence, a new classic to glitter your playlists and binge listen the same way I did with SATURATION III. I was definitely excited to see what kind of crowd they would draw from the depths of Orange County, a place riddled with teenaged discontent and disillusionment embedded safely in the comfort of the suburbs. related content: Corn Dogs, Fashion, Puke, And Rap: Camp Flog Gnaw 2018 Approaching The Observatory, the screen above the box office read ‘SOLD OUT’ in giant red letters. Inside the venue, the crowd was packed into the riser-style standing area with determination, the pit was

Industrial Avalanche: GODFLESH at Brick by Brick

Janky Smooth Central Command December 5, 2018

Words and Photos by: Rebecca DiGiglio When I was walking up to Brick by Brick to see GODFLESH, there was already a line formed and I heard INTRCPTR sound checking. I thought I would’ve arrived right at the sweet spot time slot to brazenly walk in and shoot the first band, so it seemed like things were running a little behind schedule. related content: Cold Waves LA: Heaven For Industrial Kids After talking to a friend in line, I came to find out that some key gear of GODFLESH’s didn’t arrive in time, and instead was flown into Los Angeles. Coming to the rescue was Travis Ryan and co. of Cattle Decapitation, who offered up his bass and guitar to the duo. The Brick crew worked their magic, and with a little help from some friends, the loaned gear arrived, and a makeshift laptop/projector setup was made on the floor of the stage to at least have some manner of dark and brutal imagery throughout the set. The show must go on, so they say, and go on it fucking did. related content: Different Shades Of Black: Adult. And Plack Blague At Soda Bar INTRCPTR (members of Pelican, Ancient Lights)

Off Without a Hitch: Elvis Costello and the Imposters at House of Blues Anaheim

Maggie St. Thomas December 5, 2018

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas I was escorted into the Anaheim House of Blues by Professor Steve Nieve himself, who came out to greet his daughter, my date for the night. We walked into the venue and backstage through production to the Green Room, adorned with english teas and candies, and just under a 1/2 dozen Elvis Costello mugs and Grether’s Pastilles on the table. A man walked by who I introduced myself to. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it. My eyes lit up when I saw him enjoying a small cup of espresso in the greenroom. I asked if I too could get a cup, and within seconds a tiny mug of espresso was in my hand. I am almost too embarrassed to admit I thought this was a roadie due to his friendly and accommodating demeanor, I figured it out long after my espresso had kicked in, when the man I mistook for a roadie walked onstage to the sold out venue to take the microphone, and the band kicked into “This Year’s Girl.” related content: Falling In Love All Over Again: Sparks At The Palace Theatre The Anaheim House of Blues didn’t keep fans

Shrine to a Goddess: Tash Sultana Sells Out the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles

Rob Shepyer December 4, 2018

I first heard about Tash Sultana a few years ago from a friend giving her high enough praise to crown them a genius, always the skeptic, I gave her a brief listen and certainly heard something special but didn’t pay it the mind I should have until this year. Tash’s first time playing Los Angeles in 2017, they had an audience of 300 people. Not bad for an artist that earned their chops the hard way, busking back home in Melbourne, Australia. This time around, after the release of 2018’s phenomenal Flow State, Tash sold out the Shrine Expo Hall to a lucky lot of Angelinos who got to see what was nothing short of a goddess in our presence. related content: The Queens Converge At Outside Lands 2018 I say this with as little hyperbole as possible, Tash Sultana embodies bliss and transcendence to a point that they vaguely have a quality that is not human or of this Earthly plain. Identifying as non-binary, Tash rejects labels like female, so perhaps goddess doesn’t serve them any better but because a God is not a he or she but rather an it, I will submit that a goddess is just as much an

Perry Farrell and his Kind Heaven Orchestra

Heaven on Earth: Perry Farrell’s Kind Heaven Orchestra at the Teragram Ballroom

Janky Smooth Central Command December 3, 2018

Words by: Maggie St. Thomas Photos by: Jessica Moncrief Perry Farrell is a visionary artist, human rights activist, and is most famous for being the lead singer of Jane’s Addiction and Porno For Pyros. He was also the mastermind behind Lollapalooza and seems to have a Midas touch where as just about anything and everything he touches turns to gold. His newest musical venture is a spectacular embodiment of sound and vision with state of the art instrumentation by an astounding team of musicians including Matt Chamberlain on drums; Jane’s Addiction’s bassist Chris Chaney and Matt Rohde on keys; guitarist Nick Maybury, and Etty Lau Farrell on vocals. related content: Your Vagina May Catch Fire By The End Of This Song: Death From Above At Teragram The tall and charismatic front man entered the stage of the packed Teragram Ballroom with his Kind Heaven Orchestra and trademark bottle of red wine hoisted high in his hands to the cheering applause of his adorning fans. The set had an eclectic mixture of sound right from the beginning, from the symphonic strings of violins and backup singers to funky disco pop tunes that made you just want to get high and love somebody. related

Photo Recap: Inner Wave at Marty’s on Newport

Janky Smooth Central Command November 29, 2018

Inglewood’s own Swamp rockers, Inner Wave took their power house rock and roll show to the intimate mad house that is Marty’s on Newport. With support by Lucy’s, the evening was a memorable one that is sure to leave plenty of swamp rock spirits in the walls. Photos by: Rodney Campos Lucy’s Inner Wave Crowd

Obscured by Art: A Perfect Circle at Honda Center

Janky Smooth Central Command November 28, 2018

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas The packed crowd at the Honda Center in Anaheim stood in anticipation of a remarkable evening, and that’s exactly what they got with an amazing set of solo and Massive Attack tunes by Tricky, who cast a spell on his audience with a dreamlike setting. His opening song “You Don’t Wanna” was from his Blowback album released in 2001, a high instrumental ride perfect to open with. He then went into “I’m Not Going,” from his Skilled Mechanics release in 2016. These two songs proved to be a wicked multi sensory experience from the artist. related content: Falling In Love All Over Again: Sparks At The Palace Theatre Moving on to the headliner, A Perfect Circle was a mind bending work of art with a sound that speaks for itself. Lead singer Maynard James Keenan is notorious for shrouding himself in the darkness behind the lights of his live sets. Tonight he stood at the back of the stage the entire time while delivering his soaring notes brilliantly with depth and complexity. They started out soft, almost like a composition in their performance opening with “Eat The Elephant”, from their latest release and then followed with

Midnite Communion V: Los Globos Doom Spa With Bongzilla and Bongripper

Jonathan Reyes November 27, 2018

The best part of every metal song, but now it’s the whole song, scratch that, now it’s the whole set. It’s the metal equivalent of a “drop”, a slow and steady build until the crowd’s eyeballs vibrate inside their skulls then a downstroke into a solo. I told someone about this show, Midnite Communion V, and they recommended me some fancy earplugs like I was complaining, I haven’t been afraid I was going to die at a show in a very long time. Thank you Bongs Ripper and Zilla and of course, the show’s promoter, Midnite Communion. related content: Prophets Of Doom: Yob And Acid King At Teragram Cloven – Long Beach represent. There’s a little house in the middle of the city where a slim man, a slender man, with a thick Rasputin-y beard resides. Just like the namesake, his distortion won’t die. I love when an opening band sets such a heavy tone. There could be 5 people in the crowd, doesn’t matter. Cloven came through. Cult of Occult – They are masters of suspense, it would be cool if they wore executioners masks to play into the name. But that’s the easily distracted youth in me needing a

Perfume Genius at W Records Release Party

Janky Smooth Central Command November 22, 2018

Photos by: Lindsay Arth To celebrate the beginning of W Records a venture by W Hotels, the newly formed record label had Perfume Genius perform for a select and lucky few in West Hollywood. Prior to the show, Perfume Genius premiered his latest, self-directed music video for Not For Me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-kHx59QWcE With a small stage and audience, the performance was a hushed and intimate affair meant to penetrate the heart with pure emotion and moving music.

Falling in Love all Over Again: Sparks at the Palace Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command November 22, 2018

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas It’s easy to fall in love with Sparks, the witty baroque pop/art rock duo made of siblings Russell Mael on vocals and Ron Mael on keys. Spanning the past five decades, they have masterminded musical masterpieces that have reached universal acclaim. related content: Dirty Reggae, Smooth Ska: Hepcat And The Aggrolites At The House Of Blues Anaheim Their songs are delightful, catchy, and some have been featured on cult films like Valley Girl and Kick Ass. Sparks have always stayed true to their sound while mixing elements of various stylistic periods in all their releases. Promoting their 23rd studio album Hippopotamus, Sparks were finishing their tour of Japan and Denmark, and getting ready to crash Mexico City just a few days after they hit the Downtown Palace Theatre in their hometown of Los Angeles. November 14th and 15th were their only two nights in North America and I had to be there on the first night. Sparks delivered their hits and new songs with a glorious and perfectly inventive mix just as one would expect. Their characteristic musical performance needed no time to grow on the audience, as Sparks were immediately all-consuming and fun