Tag: featured
Risking Life and Limb to Cover HORSE the band at Union Los Angeles
Taylor Wong
April 14, 2017
A lot of the bands we were listening to in high school are just now hitting their 10-20 year anniversary on their hit albums. There has been a resurgence of bands that many left for dead- but isn’t that the case for almost all popular art? This weekend was a major festival (When We Were Young) who’s entire line up consisted of people I thought were dead or working at Starbucks. The one comeback (although to be honest they may have never left) I was super stoked for was the night before this shit show of a festival, HORSE the Band at Union Night Club. Upon arriving, I instantly ran into Nathan Winneke, singer of HORSE the Band, just hanging out, drinking beers at the merch table, talking with fans and hanging out with his wife. I got the chance to chat with him for a bit before the first band. We somehow got on the topic of Fartbarf playing the show. Nathan told me that apparently, for the last 3 years people have been telling him to book Fartbarf and finally it just happened to work out. We talked about their sound and masks a bit which then took us
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Subhumans On Sunset: Young, Old, Punks, Posers Pay Homage at Los Globos
Todd Anderson
April 13, 2017
On an ordinary Monday night, I walk down East Sunset Blvd with my camera. I dip into the tattoo shop to say hello to a friend as I make my way down the street in the early evening, Los Angeles “magic hour.” There are a few teenage gutter-punk kids smattered randomly around the boulevard as I walk up to Club Los Globos to document the Subhumans gig- there’s no line… I’m early. I stake my position to the right of the stage on a small riser with a column that reaches up to the celling, which proves invaluable later, and I people watch as the crowd fills in through the opening bands. The frantic buzz, the electric anticipation, it all begins to crackle as the notable Oakland band, The Love Songs, finish their set. The club is a mix of every kind of fan imaginable- young, old, punk and the ones that the highly dogmatic call “posers”- just open minded, intellectually curious folks, is all. Even though they know not, they are open to a historic moment when their more well versed friends tell em one is coming- even if they aren’t able to sing along to songs written by
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Sleaford Mods Hit The Echoplex On Last Date Of First Ever U.S. Tour
Rob Shepyer
April 12, 2017
Part Time Punks, Sleaford Mods And Accidental Pop Music What makes a concert special and superior to the rest? It takes more than just the band playing well. Sometimes a bit of coincidence has to be involved to bring all the karmic forces together. On Sunday April 9th, a drunk veered his truck into a bunch of construction vehicles across from the line at The Echoplex. It was omen for the chaos to come. Before I get into the meat of this article and make any pretentious observations about Sleaford Mods, opening bands, punk rock or culture in general, let me begin with writing out the chant that follows the subject of this article everywhere they play. A chant that was repeated over and over by drunken middle-aged men that listen to this band on the car stereo as soon as they drop their kids off at school. Ahem… Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Sleaford Sleaford Mods! Over and over again, I heard this…. Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Sleaford Sleaford Mods! It could drive you a bit loony…. Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Sleaford Sleaford Mods! Right until it gets stuck in your fuckin’ head… Sleaford Mods! Sleaford Mods! Sleaford
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Glenn O’Brien is Dead & The Squares Are Back in Power: The Time to Party is Now
Brent Smith
April 12, 2017
“We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds, and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” -Bukowski In the past year, we’ve lost a lot of artists, icons, and legends in series of celebrity death waves the likes of which America hasn’t seen since maybe the 60s. The best of us have been dropping like flies. It weighs on the psyche, some more than others. The recent passing of writer, editor, and host of the bacchanal public access show TV Party, Glenn O’Brien, hit me harder than any. This came even to my own surprise. I spent the weekend mulling it over. Maybe it’s because he wasn’t any household name, most people have never heard of him. Maybe it’s because I felt a closer bond to the understated legacy of O’Brien than say that of Bowie or Prince—figures of such demigod magnitude that they were untouchable. O’Brien was accessible. I’d catch an infrequent Instagram post or the occasional sardonic dig at Trump on Twitter. I looked up to O’Brien, and always will. For me, he’s canonized, and not in any awe, but in
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Power Trip & Destruction Unit Leave The Teragram in Ash & Rubble
Rob Shepyer
April 11, 2017
Being a music and live show junky has made me a frequent visitor to the Teragram Ballroom. Quite simply- it’s the shit. Big stage. Perfect acoustics. Good booking. Excellent bathroom and bar placement. I’ve noticed though, they don’t have many metal shows. So, it’s a shame for the venue that the one time a metal band gets booked, Power Trip rolls into town with Destruction Unit and just completely leveled the venue into rubble. Power Trip is probably one of the best young bands to carry the thrash torch after the big 4. In fact, along with Iron Reagan, Toxic Holocaust, and Havok, they’re part of the new big 4. That said, I came to see Destruction Unit. Destruction Unit was close to becoming the Berkserktown house band after tearing down the house at 2 but then being unable to play at Berserktown 3. The void Destruction Unit left for Berserktown 3 gave me that disturbed feeling in my gut, that burning desire that you get only when you miss a band you want to see because of circumstances beyond your control. You wait at the edge of your seat, for years sometimes, waiting for them to announce the next show
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The Orwells And L.A.’s Rocker Red Carpet At Regent Tour Stop
Paige Vreede
April 10, 2017
Mario Cuomo, frontman for The Orwells does not give a fuck what song you want to hear – he just wants to play good music and good music is exactly what him and his compatriots delivered last Thursday at The Regent alongside No Parents and The Walters. Despite all three bands delivering a slightly different sound, the one thing they all shared in common was their rousing ability to cut loose and cavort on the rising star friendly stage at The Regent. One thing we love is the red carpet that is rolled out for every rock and roller by this global community in independent music- which is particularly defined for and fighting the stigma of phoniness in Los Angeles with every hospitable act and selfless key bump. Arriving to the venue at 9:30pm, I was greeted by angsty teens pushing and shoving while howling the words “You got snaked” under the elegant arches of The Regent. With most of their songs coming in as a two minute blow to the face, I could have easily missed No Parents entire set seeing as they opened the show at the early hour of 9pm- at least I didn’t miss it all. related
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New Song Premiere: U.K. Heavy Psych Band SAP release “Sucker”
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 7, 2017
A band that we’ve been digging is London based, heavy psych, garage rock outfit, SAP. Our friends at Foxes Magazine shot us a link a couple months ago and this shit has been streaming ever since. Today we premiere the latest track, “Sucker” from SAP ( which stands for “Simple Ass People” ) SAP Sucker unleashes a frenetic energy of crash cymbals, fills and taunting vocals built around classic riffs and licks. The tone of their fuzz brings that vintage sound that has become quite common and even, contemporary but still manages to set itself apart from the filler of those looking to capitalize on a popular movement. Authenticity is what distinguishes a band like SAP and a song like “Sucker” from the wannabe’s that have become super fans of The Sonics and Thin Lizzy overnight, which, isn’t inherently poseur-ish but simply stretches credibility and the motives of those that write and produce music for any reason outside of an internal compulsion to rock the fuck out. related content: The Sonics, The Sloths, Death Hymn Number 9 w/ Green Slime L.A. We here at Janky Smooth will keep our third eye on Simple Ass People and their output to continuously verify that
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Patti Smith “Horsin’ Around” At The Teragram: Defiant & Inspiring As Ever
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 6, 2017
“…I’m 70 so I don’t give a fuck.” It’s nearly impossible for me to imagine Patti Smith as anything less than a mythic figure in the pantheon of rock and roll history. I’ve engaged and wrestled with her work since my teens and her stature in my mind has only grown since those fruitful years. How thrilling was it then to regard this unrepentant icon of rebelliousness as a woman, an artist and lover of life as she graced the stage of the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles this past Tuesday night, April 4. A review of a Patti Smith show almost seems at odds with the very nature of a Patti Smith show but here I am reflecting on a night that left me emotionally spent and creatively ignited. I’d seen Smith perform before but this night held a special significance. In the past, I had the opportunity to catch her in very large theaters, festivals and even an arena however the 600 capacity Teragram was by far the most intimate setting I had ever borne witness to Smith’s spellbinding antics. The Mojo is in the Mania In concert, Smith is a perpetual dynamo, a force of nature meant
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FYF Presents: Two Nights of Fucked Up at The Echo in Los Angeles
Jesse Fox
April 6, 2017
My lifelong battle with debilitating migraines has held me back from many things, but I could not allow the Fucked Up March 12th FYF Presents show at The Echo be one of them. Because of this affliction, I arrived to The Echo a bit out of sorts, but the energy filling the sold out venue quickly replaced the brain fog with excitement to finally watch this amazing Canadian punk band after years of wanting to. The crowd surfing began nearly as soon as Fucked Up hit the stage with “Crusades” off their 2006 album Hidden World and never really died down from there. The crowd and the band increasingly fed off each other’s energy and only a couple songs into the set, singer Damian Abraham disappeared into the center of the mosh pit for the duration of the song. Once he returned front and center, he shared the mic with many of those in the front row throughout the rest of the set, stopping only to thrash a bit on the floor and do some backwards somersaults. There are few times I attend a show wishing I had left my camera gear at home, but watching the mosh pit from
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Flames of Durga EP Release at The Satellite Continues Long L.A. Tradition
Aria Silva-Espinosa
April 5, 2017
The L.A.music scene has been forever shaped and altered by the influence of strong female musicians. Flames of Durga is heavily influenced by the underground feminist Riot Grrrl movement, which led to their relationships with the other bands that played the EP release party. Rock and Roll history is rife with talented siblings and it’s not a coincidence that siblings compose and perform well in collaboration with one another. AC/DC’s Malcolm and Angus Young, Tegan and Sara, Alex and Eddie Van Halen and especially Heart’s Ann & Nancy Wilson are all fair comparisons to the firepower trio Flames of Durga. The group is charmingly fronted by twin sisters Cecilia and Beah who are accompanied by Nate Million on drums. The Satellite on Silverlake Boulevard hosted the EP release party where Flames of Durga shared the stage with other female-fronted rock bands before the sister’s first tour kicks off. related content: 2 Nights of The Julie Ruin At The Roxy- All Girls To…The Back Bar Stars At Night, an all-female rock group from East L.A. plays centered around their percussionist Joana Rubio. She plays like thunder and with driven consistency through the 80’s-inspired synth rock. Joana noted after the set that she
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Take This:Two VIP Tix to Burger Boogaloo w/ Iggy Pop, Buzzcocks
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 1, 2017
Being the pre-eminent garage rock festival requires that someone transform the lo-fi sound worshipped by it’s lovers into a minimal visual aesthetic, at least by today’s music festival standards. A modern minimalism that doesn’t lose that fact that the ruffles and confetti of a senior prom or the tiki torches and teen taboo of a backyard party were over the top, once upon a time. After 7 years, Burger Boogaloo and it’s home in Mosswood Park have achieved that “just right” aesthetic that hits all the right notes in the lineup and it looks like it will do so again on July 1st and 2nd, 2017 in Oakland, California. What Burger Boogaloo does so well is that it achieves a familiarity and comfort without being too redundant. With John Waters becoming a welcome permanent fixture as master of ceremonies, two consecutive years of The Mummies were just what we needed. Omitting them from this year’s lineup was just as necessary as booking them twice and adding the likes of Iggy Pop, Buzzcocks and X achieved an exponentially wider net of legacy being cast without losing that trashiness that a couple bigger name acts could bring when patrons wearing indian head dresses
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Arthur Brown at The Regent- Memories In My Mind’s Eye That Never Happened
Rob Shepyer
March 31, 2017
Today’s musical landscape lacks heroes. No artist seems to be able to stick to the summit of success and often when they do, they’re not even that great. Fans seem to rather see old megastars than new, low key talent. There are plenty of reasons for this. The same trend seems to be happening in other forms of entertainment, but the upside is that fresh talent is hatching under every rock you look. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown is old low key talent that inspired megastars and that’s why I HAD to go see him kick off his tour at The Regent Theater. For the sake of curiosity, let’s book an imaginary Desert Trip 2036. Using the talent from last year’s festival a model for the slots we have to fill, I’ll begin by making the case that in 20 years Radiohead will have the same prog-god status as Roger Waters. That’s the easiest comparison to make. If I need to book two troubadours, one to take Neil Young’s slot and another for Bob Dylan’s, I might have to go with Ed Sheeran and Bon Iver…. related: Why We’re Still Trippin’ on Desert Trip Did reading that make you
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