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Chiptune Leveling up at Freq. Fest: 8bitLA 6.0 at The Smell
Rob Shepyer
January 23, 2017
Video games, especially ones for the NES and SNES consoles, are near and dear to my heart. I even have the tri-force from The Legend of Zelda tattooed on my leg. And who could forget that game’s soundtrack? With its fuzz bleeps and boops and doo-doodle-ooo’s… not I, never. I first heard about 8BitLA long ago as a sort of collective of 8bit musical artists but it wasn’t until seeing their announcement for this year’s Freq. Fest at The Smell that I paid them a second glance. 8BitLA was created by Jesse Avila and Kevyn Martinez to spread the gospel of this genre of music. Bringing together fans and forum users from around the world, Freq Fest is the genre’s boss battle. Not having any experience listening to this music, I saw Freq. Fest as an opportunity to broaden my horizons and further (artistically) pervert my mind. Plus, I’ve always liked Horse The Band. There’s this old cliché that music scenes like this are a bunch of outsiders banding together in an “island of misfit toys” scenario but in this day and age, I totally disagree. The weirdo’s of our age are not the ones that go to events like
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Best Coast, HEALTH, No Age, Ty & Bleached Help To Save The Smell
Danny Baraz
January 20, 2017
As yet another one of 4,397th “Save the Smell” benefits is in the books and we prepare to present to you the review of all the extraordinary talent that agreed to perform at the cavernous Belasco Theater, the throwback Los Angeles venue that cost more to restore and renovate than even the $1.4 million The Smell custodian, Jim Smith is trying to raise to secure a permanent location for the iconic, All Ages L.A. clubhouse for music. We wanted to remind The Smell cynics that Smith has run the multi generational art incubator for 19 years without any apparent profit motive in sight. So as the hum of jaded hipster whispers asking rhetorical questions about where all the money is going grows louder, it’s important to remember what the Smell has given 4 generations of burgeoning, pre-ID, DIY kids whose parents felt curiously comfortable dropping off at a location that 19 years ago was surrounded by the swarming transient citizen population of the Downtown L.A. hopeless and the homeless. Some of the most iconic cult music heroes that were born within the very walls that make what the kids of today would refer to as a “safe space”… The Smell.
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Ty Segall & The Freedom Band Blow Minds at Secret Show at The Griffin
Aria Silva-Espinosa
January 16, 2017
Wednesday night was standing-room only at The Griffin in Los Feliz, an unusual bar scene for a weeknight but a flyer posted to @grifinbarla on instagram yielded heavy traffic for the venue early in the night for yet another, little publicized Ty Segall, “secret show.” (check out the video of the unreleased song “We Know?” set to be released at the end of the year) According to the guys working the door, people got there as early at 6:30 to ensure entry. Although regarded as a secret, it’s safe to say social media circulation does a lot for show publicity even on short notice. As this becomes increasingly common, music fans are well-advised to show up early to gigs like this unless you wanna be the sad late arrival begging your friends via text to help get you past the line. From the entry way, you couldn’t see any of the four walls of the low-lit venue. It was next to impossible to work the room for lack of passing space, the bar was stacked three deep at each well and forget about trying to smoke a cigarette because the patio was laden with so much secondhand smoke you
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Reverend Horton Heat & Jello Biafra: A Punk Rockabilly Freakout
Jessica Moncrief
January 15, 2017
Last Saturday, The Reverend Horton Heat hosted the 2nd of a two night event at The Observatory. Friday night was “Psychobilly Night” and Saturday was dubbed “The Punk Night”. As much as the photo journalist in me wanted to come out and get the story on the contrasting evenings (and to people watch all the “Clicity Clackity” greasers with pomps and “rock-a-billy” girls with their adorably unrealistic concert attire), I couldn’t subject my ears to that for 5+ hours. Thankfully, there was more than enough great material at the “Punk Night” for a story in itself, and I wouldn’t even need that angle. related content: Reverend Horton Heat, The Adicts & Smut Peddlers at The Observatory The Reverend Horton Heat has been putting on this 2 night shindig at The Observatory for the past few years. The acts have included artists and bands such as 45 Grave, Deke Dickerson, Wanda Jackson, Lords of Altamont, The Adicts, Cadillac Tramps and many more well known names. However, many lesser known locals have been given a platform in which to show off their stuff to a large crowd thanks to good ol Jimbo and Co. Wild Records is a Los Angeles based label that specializes
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Thee Oh Sees & Wand Back For Annual Holiday Food Drive at Teragram
Johann A. Ramos
January 13, 2017
Thee Oh Sees- AKA, the hardest working band in the global music underground in the past decade. I swear to punk rock gods that these guys are on a world tour 365 whilst simultaneously putting out consistently great records. How do they do it? The annual Panache Booking/LA Kitchen Holiday Homeless Food Drive took place in dirty Downtown Los Angeles at a very special venue that goes by the name Teragram Ballroom, we here at Janky Smooth have become familiar with over the last year or so. related content: Fuzz & Thee Oh Sees Bring Holiday Help To Homeless in L.A. Shannon Lay of the well established (and well ranked in Janky Smooth’s lists of Best of 2016’s) LA outfit, Feels opened the the show with a calm before the rage, as categorized by Lay herself. Lay coaxed the crowd with melodious chord progressions and beautiful melodies before the proverbial storm that was about to erupt, which juxtaposed the evening in the best way possible. I enjoyed the set, the atmosphere and the mildly depressing key of her music evoked some very strong emotions that challenged my fragile masculine intuition, and that’s a good thing. Wand did a fantastic fucking job at tying up the set
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Redd Kross, OFF! & Melvins Commemorate Teen Babes From Monsanto
Danny Baraz
January 9, 2017
Even though I’ve been averaging 3 or 4 shows a week, every week of every month since November of 2014, I still get jacked up on performances more often than not. I might not always be AS excited before I get to the venue from one night to the next but the Redd Kross anniversary party for Teen Babes From Monsanto along with a Steve “livin the dream” McDonald showcase with all his current active bands, including Melvins AND OFF! was impossible to not get wrapped up in. Unless you’re a kook. related content: OFF! Transform The Echo From Peaceful Indie Venue to House of Raw Aggression The truth is that Janky photographer, Jessica Moncrief hit me up to see if I could write about, so she could shoot, OFF! and Melvins at The Observatory. I didn’t find out until I was half way down to Santa Ana that Redd Kross was ALSO playing. I started to make the McDonald connection but still didn’t understand what was happening down there until I got inside the venue and the Melvins were already halfway through their set. The bummed out feeling at missing a major chunk of the Melvins didn’t last too long when I understood
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Santoros Record Release w/ Cutty Flam, Cigarette Bums & Solar Sons
Aria Silva-Espinosa
January 5, 2017
The Echo was decorated with pinatas and streamers with the words “El Perdedor” in metallic mylar balloon across the top of the stage for the release party for Santoros 3rd Album. Initially, the crowd was thin and only about a quarter of those in attendance by the end of the night were present for the opening sets. That didn’t seem to dissuade.Cigarette Bums, who took the stage as the first set to play songs off their new record due next month on Lolipop Records. The most outstanding quality of Cigarette Bums is how well-rehearsed their live sets are and the stoic, yet enthusiastic stage presence they exude. Musically, the band is driven by steady percussion with an upbeat tempo, giving the impression of the kind of band you wish would’ve played your high school prom, which seemed to be the theme for the night. There is a sense of urgency in the performance in a sense that they simply cannot wait to share their music with the audience. “We just love to play with our friends and we want to do that as much as possible”, says Steven Carrera, frontman of Cigarette Bums. Steven went on to tell me,
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Fishbone at The Observatory: The Return of Philip “Fish” Fisher, OG
Janky Smooth Central Command
January 4, 2017
2016 was coming to a close and I was finally getting a chance to check out a show at The Observatory in Santa Ana. As curious as I was, who the hell would get me to drive all the way down to Santa Ana from LA on a Monday evening? The Legendary FISHBONE, that’s who! Sprinkle on top of that, the fact that one of LA’s finest musicians, Philip “FISH” Fisher would be on the Fishbone drum kit this night, and I was instantly more than game to brawl with Monday rush hour traffic to go and see the band’s Original Members Return, as they have for the past few years, one by one. related content: Fishbone at The Troubadour- The Greatest Live Band of All Time First up on the bill were STARPOOL, an OC Ska/Rock band that definitely has some punch. The band kicked out a nice blend of Ska/Reggae, Rock and World Beat and was fronted by a strong singer in one, Alan Meade. I was impressed by their tight sound, confidence and a set list filled with great songs. The crowd was very receptive to them but being a quality band was the key to the crowd’s
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Metallica At The Fonda: Best Thrash Band of All Time or CIA Asset?
Danny Baraz
December 29, 2016
I got the text from Taylor Wong about a week prior. A text that would’ve gone without a shred of excitement or so much as a double take for as long as text messaging technology has existed. “Metallica is playing the Fonda Theater next Thursday.” But after the past few months of one new Metallica track after another being released on YouTube and jogging my consciousness and the very building blocks of my life’s history as a musician and song writer, I quickly started realizing that “Hardwired” was not a one off anomaly or lighthearted but isolated indulgence by the band that wrote “Fight Fire with Fire”, “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “The Four Horsemen.” Is the reemergence of Metallica just a part of the normal, cyclical nature of pop music or is it something more? Could it be that Metallica are covert CIA agents, penetrating the thoughts and emotions of fans to deliver into and infiltrate the sub-consciousness of fans as some type of clandestine alarm clock, coupled with fake news outlets like YourNewsWire and CNN to create a cloud of confusion and disinformation? The U.S. and U.K. both have a history of using the CIA and
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Day For Night Fest: Futurists Of Audio & Visual Converge In Houston
Lindsay Krause
December 26, 2016
Shadowy figures traverse dimly lit concrete walkways, gliding past “High Voltage” warning signs that adorn massive steel boxes hanging from the ceiling. A chain link-fence houses what appears to be some sort of parasitic mass of hair, the fibers hovering above curious crowds of observers like a space creature. A neo-futuristic looking couple decked out in silver metallic platforms, all black skintight clothing and bondage style leather harnesses hold hands as they navigate the industrial landscape and make their way toward the Blue stage. Had I taken the red pill and woken up in the goth haunt Club Hel from the film The Matrix? It certainly felt that way, but I was in fact partying inside Houston’s premier winter music and arts festival, Day for Night. Taking residence in a vacant post office building in the heart of downtown the second edition of the gathering boasted an exclusive Bjork digital exhibit, a highly-anticipated headlining appearance from Aphex Twin (his first set in the U.S. since Coachella 2008), 3 outdoor stages and a multitude of thought provoking light installations. The event is the product of the minds that organize Houston’s Free Press Summer Fest, yet Day for Night offers an experience that
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The Adolescents & The Dickies: Peckerwoods Gone Wild in Orange County
Jessica Moncrief
December 18, 2016
An All-Star Punk line up at The Observatory In Santa Ana included OG Punks The Adolescents, The Dickies, The Alley Cats, and The Crowd. A damn near perfect embodiment of late 70’s and early 80’s SoCal Punk Rock and a throwback to a territorial and cultural dynamic from not that long ago. related content: The Adicts, Reverend Horton Heat, Smut Peddlers at The Observatory Alley Cats were the openers and I was totally looking forward to their set but thanks to a horrible crash involving a big rig that had traffic backed up for 3 hours, I made it into the building right as they were ending their last song. Such a bummer but nothing compared to the carnage we passed on the way there. Alley Cats originally featured husband-and-wife team Randy Stodola (guitar and vocals) and Dianne Chai (bass and vocals), along with drummer John McCarthy, however the current line-up only includes one original member, frontman Randy Stodola. related content: Punk Rock Bowling 2015 and What Is Punk, Poser? Huntington Beach natives, The Crowd, are arguably one of the first and best bands of their genre and they’re well known for their brand of OC surf punk developed in
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Midnight Mass 2: Dystopian Themed Xmas Fest in an LBC Warehouse
Aria Silva-Espinosa
December 14, 2016
Downtown Long Beach hosted the second edition of Midnight Mass at The Packard, a creative space venue featuring large crystal chandeliers and an outdoor patio space decorated with vibrant murals. The venue’s generous space and even all-gender indoor restrooms set the vibe for the very best of what a DIY music festival can and should be. A 12-hour festival is a lot to put together, but Astro Lizard Records and Freakstyle Booking worked tirelessly to put together a solid lineup with a bit of something for everyone in attendance. As with generally any type of performance, the set times ran a little behind schedule but nobody seemed to mind. The weather was accommodating and a crowd gathered early in the day to watch Nectarines on the outdoor stage a little after 2:00pm. Intense but lighthearted power-punk group Clit Kat, fronted by the ever-charming Mag, took the outdoor stage and revved up our engines for the day with songs about sucking, fucking and having fantasies involving Steve Buscemi. Onlookers passing by on the street even stopped to watch Mag tear it up on stage, with heavy percussion and lyrics that make people delightfully uncomfortable. Clit Kat and some of it’s members,
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