Tag: featured
CHVRCHES Give the Greek a Religious Experience
Aria Silva-Espinosa
September 27, 2018
Sunday night’s show at The Greek Theater brought a massive slew of concert-goer traffic to the thin winding roads at the base of Griffith Park, overlooked by the throngs of tourists lining the observation deck of the Observatory. Back in the day, you were permitted to abandon your automobile on the precipice of the canyon overlooking the city of Los Angeles, now you have to pay gratuitously for parking in less perilous locations designated by L.A. Parks & Rec. The Greek is an imposing white amphitheatre-style building, an open-air venue that backs up to the darkened cliffside. This makes for a long walk through sports arena-style seating to find your seat with the assistance of an usher or if you’re like me and too proud to ask for direction, your cell phone flashlight. related content: Hot Chip Make Machines Come To Life At The Greek Fittingly, there was an almost full moon hanging in the sky on Sunday night. Lo Moon, the opening act from Los Angeles, delivered a fittingly lovelorn performance early in the evening. Lo Moon is a relatively new formed indie rock trio. Lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Lowell played the song “Loveless“, which he had been
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Music Video Premiere: The Grinning Ghosts “I’ve Been Tired” – Janky Smooth Exclusive
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 26, 2018
Orange County’s underground The Grinning Ghosts are here to cheer you up with the gift of punk rock’s three great virtues, apathy, ennui, and angst. The band is made up of Thomas from Melted, Dan from Jurassic Shark, Brandi from MoonFuzz, Leo from Casual Friday, and Daryl from Eggy Pop. Little known fact, Thomas and Daryl attended the same elementary school where they were instructed in music by a man that played an ewok in Return of the Jedi. The Grinning Ghosts may be comprised of members from various bands but take a listen for yourself and see this is a different sound than all their other projects. Their music video for “I’ve Been Tired”, a cover of a Pixies song, gives the audience the chance to voyeur in on the aftermath of one wild apartment party. This gang of friends all sleep in precarious situations and every time the camera makes a pass through the apartment, everyone seems to have somehow changed positions without ever having woken up. The quirky punk surrealism of Michael Haight‘s directing perfectly matches the song’s upbeat and catchy dissidence. Throughout the video, you can spot various easter eggs and cameos from Southern California music scene heroes.
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Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Gary Numan at The Fonda
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 26, 2018
Gary Numan is a treasure in the world of electronic music and an innovator with the synthesizer. There’s a lot more to his music than his classic song “Cars” though. On this stretch of his Savage tour, you can see for yourself how his music has evolved into both a fantastical storytelling medium and into an industrial banger machine that punches hard enough for you to never forget. Janky Smooth invites you to travel to the dystopian future of Gary Numan by offering two tickets to his Fonda show in this contest. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR. ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO GARY NUMAN OCTOBER 6TH AT THE FONDA THEATRE 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 Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Gary Numan Giveaway Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY OCTOBER 1ST AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Make American Green Again: The Great American Smoke Out
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 25, 2018
Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas Master rap artist Snoop Dogg celebrated 25 years of Doggystyle, his debut album on Death Row Records. Produced in 1993 by Dr. Dre with cover artwork by Mr. Joe Cool, Doggystyle sold almost a million copies within its first week of being released. While taking the sold-out arena back to the days of old school hip hop using the microphone as a time machine with heavy weights Cypress Hill, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and adding a heavy dose of hazy funky infusion with Slightly Stoopid and reggae legend Don Carlos. Though the words on the flier read that Wu Tang Clan, Berner, and Warren G were scheduled to perform, so were the words ‘line-up subject to change.’ It didn’t seem to matter as the legends murdered the stage, and if you were a participant in that hot-boxed arena at The Great American Smokeout you got more than your money’s worth. Musical Youth, Afroman, Kottonmouth Kings and DJ Quik were also featured performers of the night, but let’s concentrate on the headliners. related content: The Queens Converge At Outside Lands 2018 Cypress Hill opened with “Band of Gypsies” taking our minds to strange and welcome places. B-Real took the stage mixing his helium style rap lyrics with Sen Dog’s rhymes performing their anthems like “How I
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Nirvana Leads to Nothing… at the Regent
Rob Shepyer
September 25, 2018
90’s alternative music is having an organic and overlooked revival that is making for some of the best rock and roll of this decade. Whether it be the post-grunge sounds of Culture Abuse or the hardcore infused shoegaze of Nothing, you should get into these bands before you miss the boat. related content: NOTHING Unhinge Echoplex Audience By Bending Sonic Waves Having just released an album and made the cover of Revolver magazine, Nothing is riding a wave at the moment with a cult-like following of hardcore kids that fell in love with gaze. This new album, “Dance on the Black Top” is for my money, the band’s best. You’d think that would make this Part Time Punks show at The Regent something magical to me but such wasn’t exactly the case. Nothing isn’t a bad live band, they’re just hit or miss. Hit or miss because something is missing. What great live music does, which is suspend your thinking mind and connect everyone by making them forget themselves, Nothing achieves this phenomenon better on record than in performance. It’s a big deal when Part Time Punks moves from the Echo or Echoplex to the Regent and opening up the
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Take This: Win 2 Tickets to Cal Jam
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 24, 2018
You’ve got to be crazy not to want to attend Cal Jam. Foo Fighters are an incredible live band. Iggy Pop bringing back his Post Pop Depression set for one night only is a big deal. The duo known as Tenacious D will be present, setting the stage for an epic festival the likes of which the world has never seen before. All these bands and more will be at Cal Jam and you should be there too. If you’re too broke to buy a ticket, we understand. That’s why we’re giving away two general admission tickets to Cal Jam at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR. ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO CAL JAM OCTOBER 5th AND 6th AT GLEN HELEN REGIONAL PARK IN SAN BERNARDINO 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 Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Cal Jam Giveaway Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY OCTOBER 1st AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Riot Fest 2018: The Riot Still Rages
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 22, 2018
Words and Photos by: Meghan Breedlove This past weekend in Chicago, Riot Fest 2018 wrapped up their 13th year and Janky Smooth was there to capture some of the scenes from the weekend. Even though Riot Fest shared some devastating news regarding Blink 182’s cancellation (due to health issues) a few short days before the festival, Riot Fest was able to recover quickly by booking Weezer, Taking Back Sunday, and Run the Jewels. related content: How Riot Fest Chicago 2016 Survived The Misfits Subpar Performance Even with Blink 182’s absence, there was no shortage of their songs, with multiple Blink 182 covers sung over the weekend to honor the band, with both Weezer and Young the Giant covering “All the Small Things”. The festival layout was somewhat cozy, with five stages of proximity, a freak show, a variety of carnival rides, and of course pretty much any fried food your heart desired. Overall, Riot Fest 2018 was a major success despite some last minute lineup changes, so here is a recap of my adventure in Chicago this past weekend. related content: Jawbreaker At Riot Fest: The Moment I Stopped Hating Pop Punk Day 1 I first arrived at the festival
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Rafael Reyes of Prayers Interview: On Fatherhood
Rob Shepyer
September 21, 2018
With a baby on the way and a two shows in So-Cal announced, Prayers are back to spellbind audiences with their unique Cholo-goth music and movement. I got to ask singer, Rafael Reyes about fatherhood, new music, and more. RS: Now that you’re about to begin the journey of fatherhood, what values do you want to instill in your son? What things that you love do you look forward to introducing him to? RR: Like most parents, I hope our son will be a compassionate, respectful, patient and courageous individual – basically everything that my wife embodies. I look forward to introducing our son Leafar to Mother Nature, music and reading. RS: What do you hope your son will inherit from you and your side of the family? What do you hope he will inherit from Kat? RR: In all honesty, I’m aware I have my own set of issues I wouldn’t want to pass on to my son. But with that being said, I’ve learned a lot through my struggles, and I wanna be able to pass down some of my life experiences. Because of my upbringing, I learned from an early age how to take care of myself and my
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Color Me Punk: Rubella Ballet Plays First L.A. Show Since 1985 at Echoplex
Rob Shepyer
September 20, 2018
Rubella Ballet comes from a time when there weren’t as many boxes for you to cram bands into. There was punk, metal, and a few subgenres in between. They were associated with the anarcho movement, namely Crass, in England in the late 70’s and 80’s but musically, their albums show more diversity than any label could commit them to. Their songs and look represented the essence of anarchy. Rebellion, even against itself. When everyone wore black, they wore Day-Glo. When everyone played fast, short songs, they experimented with slower rhythms and more nuanced arrangements. Singer Zilla Minx and guitarist Sid Ation still know how to get weird. For all these young kids born after Rubella Ballet’s heyday, this was a show unlike anything they had ever seen. Rubella Ballet’s latest album, Danger of Death, brought them back to Los Angeles to play Part Time Punks at the Echoplex for the first time since 1985. Along with a few death rock, anarcho, and post punk bands, their combined effort made for a very special night of music. related content: Gene Loves Jezebel Play Immigrant In Its Entirety At Part Time Punks Gig Spain’s Fatamorgana was the first to take the stage. Made
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Take This: Win 2 Tickets To Hercules and Love Affair at El Rey
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 20, 2018
I can smell a good party and Lethal Amounts always carries the scent. This occasion though is special because Hercules and Love Affair is performing. As a life-long leather bar DJ, Andy Butler knows exactly how to make any dance floor turn up. As a recording artist, he took dance music to new heights whether by putting electronic beats behind the vocals of Anohni or melding disco and techno. This cat has raised the entire game. Then with Lethal Amounts’ beautiful freak show behind the band, this will be an all-out rager to be remembered. Janky Smooth is proud to offer you a chance to party with Hercules and Love Affair for free by offering two tickets to the lucky winner of this contest. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR. ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR SEPTEMBER 26TH AT EL REY THEATRE 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 Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook Hercules and Love Affair Giveaway Posts WINNER WILL BE WILL BE SELECTED ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
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Nick Urata of DeVotchka Interview: Man on the Street
Robert Cohen
September 19, 2018
DeVotchka are hot off the heels of finishing their newest album This Night Falls Forever and touring. This interview with the band’s leader Nick Urata covers everything from film scores to World War 2. RC: At this stage in your career, you and the band have had several successful albums, created or have contributed to several fantastic film soundtracks, and have gained a high levels of regard within both indie and mainstream circles. Despite all of this though, you haven’t been put under the magnifying glass and can still live a more or less normal life doing what you love. In short, have you reached the happy medium of fame? And if so, is it as fulfilling as you hoped it would be? NU: Yes, I feel lucky in this regard. We’ve come to realize that the actual work, is the only thing that is fulfilling. The thrill of fanning a little spark of an idea into a giant fire is what really gets you out of bed. When you’re practicing in your room as a kid you want nothing more than to be famous, but the reality is quite complicated. In my case, I learned how to write from a
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GØGGS a-go-go at the Teragram Ballroom
Jonathan Reyes
September 19, 2018
Is it C.F.M or Ty Segall, the Muggers, Freedom Band, Parliament? I don’t even think they know half the time. I think they show up to a venue, in this case it was The Teragram Ballroom and whoever gets the mic first decides which band is performing that night. related content: New Album Review: GØGGS is Damn Good Gravy On The Ty Segall Catalog There is one way to tell and that’s when Chris Shaw saunters over with that thousand yard stare. You know right away you’ve got GØGGS. Which is just enough time to make your peace with your teeth because the energy he infects the crowd with is fucking bonkers. It’s not often that you get a band that can be so intense but maintain the musicality they obviously work so hard on. They could easily just do the one band and call it a day. The branches of the tree of creativity that they come from stick out in so many unique ways. But they don’t let complacency tempt them into mediocrity and fans respond with pits that don’t neutralize after the first song, they keep their phones away because how could a cellphone ever capture what
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