Tag: featured
Tearing Down the Orange Curtain: Social Distortion at Five Point Amphitheatre
Dave Unbuckled
November 7, 2019
It has been forty years since Social Distortion burst onto Orange County’s rising punk scene, originating out of Fullerton house parties and small, legendary clubs such as The Cuckoos Nest and Safari Sams, but tonight they headlined the Five Point Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA. There’s something to be said about a ‘punk show’ in Irvine, one of the nation’s wealthiest zip codes, with no indication of a punk scene anywhere in sight. For one, a ‘punk show’ in Orange County is usually limited to a 200 person capacity club or bar, with a small stage. If you’re a veteran band, maybe you’ll be fortunate enough to share the stage at the Observatory. However, when you’re Social Distortion, one of the genres most successful and longest lasting groups, and you’re back in Orange County, you play the largest venue available — and bring a lot of your legendary friends to open up. The lineup for the show was respectable, but a little excessive, considering bands like Bully and Mannequin Pussy who opened the show, barely had anyone in attendance. It could also be that the capacity for the venue was up to 12,000 and there was roughly only 8,000 people day
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Becoming the Night: Substance 2019
Rob Shepyer
November 7, 2019
Taking every kind of music into account, the genre that best fits Los Angeles has to be post-punk, or better yet, goth. Why exactly? Perhaps it’s the way the shadows hit the concrete, or the loneliness of a city where people think being neighborly only causes more trouble, maybe it’s the genre’s long tradition from the Sunset Strip to the barrio. Goth has always stayed strong whether it’s the biggest scene in the city or not. Given all this, an annual goth festival where people can wallow and dance the night away is a necessity. In previous years, Cloak and Dagger was the go-to festival for such affairs but as of 2019, Restless Nights and Spaceland’s Substance festival which took place at the Los Angeles Theatre, is now the premiere goth festival in Los Angeles. What I found most interesting about this festival, beyond the actual music, was the fact that every major goth promoter had a hand in it. Along with Restless Nights; Part Time Punks, Das Bunker, and Lethal Amounts were also in the mix. The common threads between all the bands present at the 2 day event were darkness and electronics. Everyone wore black. related content: Cloak
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Japanese Day Dream: Shintaro Sakamoto at Terrapin Crossroads
Dillon Vaughn
November 6, 2019
Finally seeing an artist you’ve been following for a decade has a strange, dreamlike feeling and it’s compounded by the film of “otherness” that coats anything and everything about cultures separate from your own. Language barriers add a level of mystique you could never attain through ultra savvy, targeted press or gimmicks with masks and an aversion to interviews. Effort is required to understand the finesse beyond the purely sonic: lyrics mean nothing when words themselves (or at least an english speaker’s understanding of them) are stripped away and you’re left with the surface appeal of a melody, devoid of any metaphor or meaning to juxtapose conflicting themes. The quality of songwriting is the key to elevating artists like that to a point where they can succeed in the west. Following a growing appreciation in America for his contemporaries, Shintaro Sakamoto, the visual artist/designer and former leader of the band Yura Yura Teikoku finally made his US debut with two sold out shows in the San Francisco area to dazzle everyone in attendance. related content: UFOs From Tokyo: California Flashback At The Lodge Room Terrapin Crossroads is kind of a strange place; part venue, part farm-to-table restaurant nestled behind a Porsche dealership just a short
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Helmet at 1720
Janky Smooth Central Command
November 6, 2019
Helmet is celebrating their 30 year anniversary with 30 shows and 30 song setlists for each. For fans of this genre-blending and defining band, this tour cannot be missed. People are going to mosh and headbang until their bodies plain give out. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO HELMET NOVEMBER 9TH AT 1720 Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Helmet Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON NOVEMBER 7TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Penitentiary School: EYEHATEGOD, Negative Approach, and Sheer Terror at Teragram
Rob Shepyer
November 5, 2019
You might be asking me how much Eyehategod or Negative Approach coverage is enough and even I sometimes think I’ve seen these bands a few too many times but then, upon hearing those songs kick me in the chest with full force punk attitude, I realize that real life is so monotonous, I could and should only have more of these bands’ music in my life. You can never have enough great music. related content: 1Fest-Los Angeles At Los Globos: Noise As Music As Force Is Farce This show was special though, it wasn’t the headliners that made it a must-see for me but rather The Accused AD and Sheer Terror, who don’t play in Los Angeles all that often. In fact, as Sheer Terror singer Paul Bearer noted, this show was their first in Los Angeles proper, having always been booked on the outskirts previously. Beginning with The Accused AD, this Seattle crossover band proved why they were one of the most influential bands of their era in a relatively short but slobber knocker of a set. Blaine Cook, aka The Wizard, was bouncing off the walls the entire set as the riffs, bass, and drums belted out with
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Pinback at the Lodge Room
Janky Smooth Central Command
November 5, 2019
Pinback are one of the best bands you could ever see live, with a unique sound that can’t be compared to anyone. In my humble opinion, Pinback never created a bad song. They’re like the Beatles of math rock in that respect. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO PINBACK NOVEMBER 9TH AT THE LODGE ROOM Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Pinback Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON NOVEMBER 7TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to In Flames at the Observatory
Janky Smooth Central Command
November 4, 2019
Melodic death metal has never been as satisfying to your ear holes than when it comes out the Swedish masters of the genre In Flames. Numerous classic album helped cement this band as the champions of their genre and to this day, they’re still slaying. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO IN FLAMES NOVEMBER 6TH AT THE OBSERVATORY Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK In Flames Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON NOVEMBER 5TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Taking out the Trash: Municipal Waste at the Teragram Ballroom
Rob Shepyer
October 30, 2019
Thrash has always been the subgenre of heavy metal to inspire the most partying, whether that takes the form of drinking, moshing, or crowd surfing, the marriage of punk and metal created a way to have fun that was unparalleled by any other kind of music. The greatest practitioners of this way of life are a little band known as Municipal Waste. With lyrics that almost parody heavy metal’s classically gory tropes in songs like “Headbanger Face Rip” or “Terror Shark”, this band was able tickling your funny bone just as much as it was bashing your face in. Headlining one of the best metal tours of the year, Municipal Waste brought Napalm Death, Sick of it All, and Take Offense along for the ride with two pit stops at the end of the tour at the Teragram Ballroom. The sound system is so pristine at the Teragram that heavy metal audiences are driven to new plateaus of insanity that they never knew existed, seeing as they’ve never heard a live band sound so crisp and clean. First up to bat were Crossover kings Take Offense, who as always give off the perfect hardcore bounce while satiating every punk and
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Silver Lake Perris: Desert Daze 2019
Rob Shepyer
October 25, 2019
“Do you think Silver Lake is a ghost town right now?” I heard someone ask during my three day camping trip at Desert Daze. The thought made me laugh, I’m sure they meant it mockingly, as this festival is LA’s annual scenester oasis, still though, upon really thinking about it, even though I don’t consider myself a part of Los Angeles’ elite hipster psych and garage rock circle, I am an admirer. Those are the people that make East Los Angeles such a beautiful destination to bar hop and hear live music. And who knows what came first, the people or the music. If you really ask yourself that question, you’ll have to reflect on the importance of Moon Block and how they nurtured, fostered, and straight up created a scene, a sound, a fashion, a mode of thinking, and a state of being that is positively Los Angeles. related content: Janky Smooth Sessions – Deap Valley & Moon Block Family Part 1 Desert Daze celebrates musical diversity but emphasizes psych rock both sonically and visually. Bands that aren’t psych can slide right into the mold with a little bit of liquid light and satisfy the needs of any tripper thirsty
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Substance Festival
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 25, 2019
The ultimate post punk, industrial, darkwave festival of the year approaches in only a few weeks and we’ve got your tickets to see some of our favorite bands here at Janky Smooth. It’s so awesome to see Adult. in their rightful place so high on a lineup as direct support under Gary Numan. Both sets are sure to be bonkers. Then of course everyone can’t wait to dance and sweat to Boy Harsher. Perhaps the most exciting things on this lineup are the emotive forces behind John Maus and Lust For Youth who will be having Tamaryn sing with them during their set. It’s all going to be very wild. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO SUBSTANCE NOVEMBER 1ST AND 2ND AT THE PALACE THEATER Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Substance Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON OCTOBER 28TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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I Love You, Laura Jane Grace: Against Me! at the Fonda
Jessica Moncrief
October 24, 2019
Can you love someone without actually knowing them personally? Last week, Against Me! celebrated their 10 year anniversary of the album “White Crosses.” There was a pit in my stomach and a quiet resistance to hear this album performed live that was matched equally with excitement. 2009 was an extremely tough year for me. I remember exactly when “White Crosses” was released because I was lucky enough to hear it two weeks before the general public did and it quickly became a soundtrack to keep me sane in the shit-storm I was experiencing at the time. I love this album, however, I rarely listen to it these days because I do my best to push the memories from that time deep in the back of my mind. So when Laura Jane Grace mentioned that she hated nostalgia before sharing with the audience the pain that she had been experiencing at the time Against Me! recorded “White Crosses”, it resonated to the core. related content: Against Me! Stuns At The Observatory Before Punk Rock Bowling Early in the show, a fan yelled out “I love you, Laura Jane Grace” and she mockingly responded “You don’t even know me!” I thought in my mind
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Take This: Win Two Tickets to Dinosaur Jr at the Fonda
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 24, 2019
The legendary Dinosaur Jr. is returning to Los Angeles for what will undoubtably be an unforgettable show. Get your ear plugs ready because as smooth and cool as this band can be, they’re loud as all hell when they want to be. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DINOSAUR JR. NOVEMBER 2ND AT THE FONDA Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Dinosaur Jr. Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON OCTOBER 28TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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