Tag: featured

Take This: Win 2 VIP Tix to Burger Boogaloo w/ Devo, The Damned, The Mummies, and Le Shok

Janky Smooth Central Command March 20, 2018

Burger Boogaloo and Total Trash Productions have achieved the unthinkable, they’ve outdone themselves yet again after having outdone themselves last year with Iggy Pop headlining their Boogaloo. As Northern (and really, all of) California’s premiere garage punk festival, this year’s Boogaloo features none other than Devo, breaking their hiatus, punk rock originators The Damned, The Mummies (the festival’s headliner 2 years ago), and the return of Long Beach electro-punk legends Le Shok. I foresee people flying into the country to attend this festival, so we here at Janky Smooth decided to give you the chance to lighten your financial load by giving away 2 free VIP tickets to the festival. Oh, and did I mention John Waters will reassume the position of Master of Ceremonies? This festival is worth attending just to hear him introduce every band and to see what themes the festival has made for its stages. Last year’s theme was Gone Shrimpin’, meaning toe sucking. What will this year’s theme be? Getting your red wings? related content: Burger Boogaloo 2017: The Ballad Of John And Iggy There’s no other festival quite like Boogaloo, as an Angelino what happens after the festival as you terrorize San Francisco with your

Midnight Massacre: American Nightmare At The Echoplex

Rob Shepyer March 18, 2018

Like a long, dooming swing of the reaper’s scythe, death rock and hardcore rained down upon us as if by the hand of Death itself. Since the headliner was hardcore, one might not expect two death rock bands opening up the show but when you consider the history of American Nightmare, it’s not so strange at all. American Nightmare has always highlighted the darker, more gothic side of the human experience to the point that Wesley Eisold, the band’s singer, evolved into Cold Cave, a goth, dark wave sensation. Never straying too far from his roots though, Eisold always kept American Nightmare in his back pocket. Perhaps now he’s wearing those pants back-side front. It’s too sides of the same coin, anyway. A sad, depressed crooner making music you can dance your sorrow away to and a rage-filled banshee that inspires blood-lust, violence, and anarchy in mosh pits that flood onto the stage. American Nightmare was the first band in the hardcore scene to really delve into emotional, darker lyrics and tones while not straying from true hardcore and the scene. The first band to open up the evening was Death Bells, a young death rock outfit from Sydney, Australia that

U.S. Girls Sell Out The Moroccan Lounge: The Most Soulfulest Sound

Rob Shepyer March 15, 2018

My adventures through the Los Angeles music scene took me to The Moroccan Lounge on Tuesday where one of the brightest stars off the legendary 4AD records had sold the place out on a damn school night. U.S. Girls go right alongside powerful, female-led bands like The Pretenders, Sleater-Kinney, and Haim in the rock and roll halls of history but even among those bands, I can see a potential in U.S. Girls’ leader, Meghan Remy, that I don’t think shined quite as warmly or as obviously as the others. Oddly enough, I first heard about this band by watching Power Trip on Amoeba’s “What’s In My Bag” series. Where part of singer, Riley Cayle’s selection was none other than U.S. Girls’ Half Free. related content: Power Trip & Destruction Unit Leave The Teragram In Ash & Rubble related content: Nature World Night Out At The Regent: Building Bridges Between Hardcore And Hip Hop Beginning as a noise-pop project, Meghan Remy was inspired by Riot Grrrl bands and Crass to create a rebellious and beautiful amalgamation of pop, jazz, funk, and electro-punk which is best represented in the band’s 2018 release

Air + Style Day 2: Snowblind in So-Cal

Aria Silva-Espinosa March 9, 2018

Construction cranes tower over Exposition Park, obscuring the view from the festival grounds. Although Sunday means progress is stalled, the skeletal half-constructed stadium leaves the stages set up for the festival looking dwarfed in comparison. The lineup boasts a lineup similar to what I would put on a ‘Sunday Morning’-type of playlist, Gucci Mane included. Like any Sunday of a festival, it took awhile for festival-goers to start filing in. A good percentage of the earlier crowds consisted of families with school-aged children and even stroller-bound infants. This serves as a reminder that this is just as much of a family-friendly sporting event as it is a music festival. related content: Air + Style Day 1: The Church Of Dram When attending a festival, it isn’t uncommon to be forced to make the heartbreaking, relationship-ruining decisions about which sets you’re going to catch and which will have to be sacrificed due to conflicted scheduling. Not so with Air & Style; the sets are split between two stages and staggered so nobody has to miss anybody they want to see. related content: Air + Style Saved By Hard Rain Washing Away Crowds We caught part of the Cloud Nothings‘ set and being

Video Premiere: Baronen & Satan “Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth” Janky Smooth Exclusive

Janky Smooth Central Command March 9, 2018

Calling all garage punks, psych rockers, and Luciferian Satanists, we have a band from you straight out of the gothic darkness of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedish have always given the world some of the most insane music, think Brainbombs and Bathroy, and Baronen & Satan are no exception. Melding psych rock and garage punk with ear-splitting distortion and reverb that harkens bands like Destruction Unit, this band’s latest video for the single “Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth” is sure to make you sharpen your fangs. related content: Berserktown 3: The Craziest Festival On Earth This quartet led by Phillippe Sainz and Linda Rydellius is signed to Dirty Water Records and is ready to invade the divide consciousness of the United States. With music produced by Detroit Legend Jim Diamond, the buzz on this band is only beginning. Check out the video, if you Kenneth Anger films, liquid light, and altered states of mind you’re sure to like the visuals. If you like heavy rock with soul then you’re sure to like the music.

Air + Style Day 1: The Church Of Dram

Rob Shepyer March 8, 2018

Skating and snowboarding has always been closely tied to all things rad in music, whether it be the fast pumping feel of punk rock as your wheels hit the pavement or those sleek hip hop stylings when your board glides through powder. I am neither sort of boarder but I am a music nerd and so, the sight of Dram on this year’s Air + Style lineup made the festival a must-attend event for me. In my attempt to capture an experience with every modern name in this new breed of hip hop music, Dram was the blaring piece missing from the puzzle… not anymore, though. related content: Air + Style Saved By Hard Rain Washing Away The Crowds I had a few reservations on the festival at first, not knowing exactly what I’d get into, especially waiting in line for my press pass with snooty USC kids all around me. But then, hopping through the gates and seeing what this event really was, I immediately had a change of heart. Skate park shows are a special happening and waiting for Ex-Cult to play the first trick competition really got my blood pumping for some lightening fast action. The first

Earthless Liquified My Face At The Teragram

Rob Shepyer March 7, 2018

I had heard about Earthless forever ago but because of my natural skepticism, I didn’t really feel any need to see an instrumental band that wasn’t some kind of post rock outfit. Then after I heard Bill Burr raving about how incredible Earthless were live, I got about a guzzler’s gallon of fuel put in my engine to go see the band. Fast forward to last week when Dillon told me about the show, and I finally caved and decided to dive in, head-first. And boy was I ever glad to have caved and dived in. This was my first legitimate psych rock show, I know admitting that probably decimates any shred of credibility I had left but it’s true. I was always into the more extreme side of music and then also as a contrarian, seeing everyone in LA get so wrapped up in the whole Desert Daze scene probably made me want to avoid it. I’m not gonna be shopping for bellbottoms at vintage stores anytime soon, but maybe I’ll pop into more psych shows. I dressed in a “Canadian tuxedo” just to fit in at this show and I wasn’t the only one. All that said,

Crossing They Might Be Giants Off My Bucket List At The Regent

Rob Shepyer March 5, 2018

Jessica and I had been waiting a long time for this show. Before it was even announced, we would dream about seeing this little nerd rock band that only had the most obscure hits in the mainstream. Songs like “Particle Man” or their cover of Jimmy Kennedy’s “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” were the oddest songs to ever put a band on the map but these were the songs we grew up on. Then upon the show’s announcement, all bets were off and after few emails were sent: boom, we found ourselves at a sold out Regent Theater for an evening with They Might Be Giants. related content: Nature World Night Out At The Regent: Building Bridges Between Hardcore And Hip Hop This band’s stage presence was one of the funnest, most delightful, and hilarious that I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. John and John, Flansburgh and Linnell, still have an incredible chemistry on stage, almost like a Laurel and Hardy of rock. Flansburgh joked that the band was opening for themselves and his incredible stage banter only continued through the night. In response to one person’s flash photography, he stated it was okay for us to do what we needed to do: take

Nature World Night Out At The Regent: Building Bridges Between Hardcore and Hip Hop

Rob Shepyer March 3, 2018

Nature World Night Out is musical proof that there is more variation within the groups we separate ourselves into than between those groups. On the surface, Hardcore music and Hip Hop may seem on opposite poles of the musical spectrum but after a little bit of inspection, you realize they both have similar bounce, fashion, and both originated from the streets. Whether you’re black, brown, or white; male or female, there were artists in the Hardcore or Rap categories performing at this festival for you to project yourself onto. I remember my first Nature World Night Out, two years ago back when it was a one night event at Union Nightclub with Trash Talk and Soulja Boy co-headlining. The night was also my introduction to Antwon, Hip Hop’s ambassador to Hardcore and one of the festival organizers. Needless to say, that first NWNO was amazing and to this day, I still regret missing the second NWNO with Cam’ron… these guys booked Cam’ron to play on the same stage as Jesus Piece and No Warning for God’s sakes. related content: Trash Talk, Ratking, and Pangea: Slam Dance 101 At The Echoplex This year’s third annual installment migrated downtown to the Regent

Creep or Charmer?: Alex Cameron at The Lodge Room

Rob Shepyer February 28, 2018

The discovery of Alex Cameron‘s Forced Witness was a musical ray of hope for me last year. In a time where music is about the “vibe” or “feel“, Cameron reverted back to the basics and delivered an album that prioritized the wholeness of every song. Track after track, Forced Witness quenched my thirst for catchy, hook-laden songs and lyrics with a message and story. He employs irony, satire, bathroom humor, and dick jokes to make the most subtle yet thought provoking study of gender roles since Hall and Oats. The album’s narrative lets Cameron step into the skin of a protagonist I don’t think has been explored since the 80’s: the persona of the creep. Even the album title, Forced Witness, is more than a bit creepy if you let your imagination run wild with it. Our hero is a straight-white male that fumbles into precarious situations in the pursuit of love and though his intentions might be sincere, he comes off as strange, alienated, chauvinistic, homophobic, and a general nuisance. In short, the character was never properly socialized. Personally, I think any man worth their salt is a bit unsocialized when it comes to the opposite sex (that is to

When Words Fail To Describe A Band: Igorrr at the Echoplex

Rob Shepyer February 21, 2018

Intrigue is the best motivation to get your ass out and to a concert. Seeing a band you’ve been dying to see forever or being a super-fan and seeing your favorite band for the dozenth time are cool too, but never having listening to a band and only hearing a certain curious strain of hype around them, that’s the sweet-spot for a music blogger. Of all the bands I’ve ever seen, none have summoned up as many descriptors out of me as Igorrr and certainly “curiosity” is one of them. I first heard of the band from a podcast with Metal Blade Records owner Brian Slagel, the label notorious for introducing the world to a little band called Metallica. On that podcast, Slagel boasted that Igorrr was the newest band on his label that he was excited about and even he failed to describe the band with brevity. Hailing from France, a country that has only seen its biggest metal acts in the last two decades (Gojira and Alsace), what Igorrr does is combine almost every musical genre under the sun and pack it into an industrial-metal frame. As strange as that is to imagine (or maybe it isn’t these

Take This: Nature World Night Out Ticket Giveaway

Janky Smooth Central Command February 13, 2018

Like hardcore? Like hip hop? If you said yes to both then boy, do I have a giveaway for you! Nature World Night Out rolls out to the Regent Theater for three days and nights of underground hardcore, rap, and punk rock. Whether you want to sing to Angel Du$t, slam to Hatebreed, or twerk to CupcakKe, this festival has it all. Straight up, and I’m saying this from experience, I can’t think of a festival that gets more turnt up and this year they’ve moved the operation from Union to the Regent, so it can only get crazier. Janky Smooth is giving away two three-day passes to one lucky winner. Or you can also purchase tickets here: Contest Rules: Share or retweet this post on Facebook or Twitter or repost the flyer on Instagram. Then tag @Jankysmooth and @Nature WorldNightOut in your post to enter for a chance to win 2 three-day passes. Winner will be announced Sunday 2/18/2018

Tag: featured

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