Tag: featured
The Headliners Rule at Outside Lands 2016
Danny Baraz
August 12, 2016
In the year of our lord, 2016, I attended my first Outside Lands inside the crunchy granola confines of Golden Gate Park. I have been experiencing much Bay Area festival envy in the preceding years so I rectified it by attending this year’s Burger Boogaloo in Oakland and I attended my very first Outside Lands last week . Even though this year’s Outside Lands lineup didn’t blow me away, I decided that I needed a change of scenery, a change from the jaded, L.A. crowds and… of course… RADIOHEAD! No Live Nation or Goldenvoice. No 100 degree weather. No rubber necking, celebrity duck sicking or friends plus 1 on the guest listing. No Native American Head Dressing anywhere to be seen. Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing but love for my birthplace in the mecca of entertainment but sometimes familiarity brings comfort and sometimes, it breeds contempt. Aside from the persistence of seeing San Francisco Giants apparel everywhere I looked, I’ve always loved the folks I’ve met and become fast friends with in San Fran and Oakland. Just wondering if it’s coincidence that the only real jerk offs I’ve met up there happen to be rocking VaGiants gear. Someone
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Janky Smooth Presents: FYF 2016 Preview And Janky Mixtape
Brent Smith
August 10, 2016
It’s that time of year again in L.A. FYF is OUR festival and the evolution of a fledgling, independent, local event in Echo Park called Fuck Yeah Fest organized by some local scene kid named Sean Carlson, has transformed into a world class festival with world class talent in a world class setting in Exposition Park. To all our faithful fans and haters; please enjoy streaming or downloading our annual FYF 2016 mixtape by DJ Justin Cornwall and festival preview by our very own wordsmith, Brent Smith. Love, The Jankiest, Danny Baraz It’s 2016. Bowie and Prince are dead. Reality T.V. has assimilated the political sphere, summer fires are stoked and well-fed, and trigger fingers seem itchier than ever. This is Fuck Yeah Fest’s moment. On August 27 and 28, FYF looks to put on a hell of a clinic, going with moxie over showmanship. Headliners feature Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem and Grace Jones—four acts that inhabit a paradoxical interzone between indie and mainstream. FYF has all the cred of Coachella or EDC without the obnoxious baggage or neon-gaudy self-importance. FYF’s reputation now is one of coveted, cunning formidability; like a million-person kill count it’s almost too big
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Dirty Penni Fest: A Rock and Roll Romper Room For Young and Old
Paige Vreede
July 27, 2016
Los Angeles is a mecca for DIY events, especially in the Summer and this past Saturday Penniback Records and Dirty Laundry TV teamed up to put on hybrid “Dirty Penni Fest”, at you guessed it, The a Echo and The Echoplex. Teenagers would get nine hours of freedom and independence with headlining acts such as Cherry Glazerr, No Parents, and Guantanamo Baywatch. But it wasn’t just the youths who were permitted to have a good time… Mike Watt and the Missing Men were also on the bill. Whaaaaaat?! When I was first asked to cover it, I honestly approached my editor with great hesitancy in agreeing to spend an entire day drenched in 18-year-old sweat. Most of the aversion I have with these type of events is a bi-product of me getting older, music festivals increasing popularity and my progressively shortened temper to be around nihilistic teens. Alas, I agreed to it anyhow, and holy shit I am glad I did. Though there were some incredible bands that kicked off the shenanigans at noon, I knew if I had arrived early, by the time the headlining acts were to go on I would be too exhausted to care or too drunk
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Annual Low End Theory Festival Spreads L.A. Wildfire Into Shrine Auditorium
Danny Baraz
July 25, 2016
A radioactive, orange, spherical fiery orb in the sky hung just below a thick, impenetrable blanket of ash and dust from the sand fires burning the Angeles National Forrest, just 30 miles outside of Los Angeles. The distant wild fire choked my lungs and burned my eyes as I navigated the streets of South L.A. to enter the Shrine Auditorium for the third annual Low End Theory Festival in 2016. But even with the safety of distance from the flames, the most important beat collective in the world gets LIT af everytime they get together to dance and blaze and spark the imagination by pushing the envelope of sound, rhythm and rhyme. Whether you are a regular at Low End Theory’s home base on Wednesday’s at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights or you attended the festival because Wu-tang MC’s Ghostface Killah and Raekwon were at the top of the bill, you were a part of a movement that is shaping the future of music. It was clear, immediately, that attendance was down from the previous year’s sold out festival but it is no commentary on any type of waning influence. Last year, Low End Theory booked widely respected and beloved cross
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In the Red Records’ 25th Anniversary Party: Weekend at Larry’s
Rob Shepyer
July 18, 2016
A quarter century ago, Larry Hardy formed In the Red Records in Los Angeles, California to release garage and punk records for an underground that is thriving now more than ever. Some call this scene the garage rock revival, in which case In the Red Records was the scene’s Lazarus. So with 25 years of releasing music ranging from down tuned stoner rock to twangy blues garage, from bands in Los Angeles to Detroit, Portland and NYC, how does Larry Hardy decide to celebrate? A three night festival taking The Echo and Echoplex hostage to host a slew of bands spanning In the Red’s sonic history. As soon as I crept down those pissed stained stairs from Sunset to Glendale blvd and checked in, it was nonstop rock. Wounded Lion’s party rock launched the festivities and loosened me up for the debauchery to come. Dancing and prancing around the stage, cramming the jams down our throats, I picked up a sweat bouncing and bobbing and dashed out the Echo down to its bottom-bitch Siamese sister venue. A man eyeballed me suspiciously and asked for my papers, so I showed him my Zig Zags. Zig Zags were the first of many
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Death Grips Side Project “The I.L.Y.’s” Release New Album – Listen Here
Johann A. Ramos
July 16, 2016
We here at Janky Smooth love the Sacramento born experimental hip-hop outfit Death Grips. We love that they announced their break up on a coffee diner napkin back in 2014. We also love that they announce an extensive world tour just a few months after that stunt. We just love that they don’t really give a fuck, and they don’t have to write a song to tell us all about how very little fucks they give, they show us. They do everything a band should not do and yet they have one of the most loyal fan-bases in arguably the most obscure genre right now. They play to this role very well, not just with their music but with their attitude towards the big machine us simple minded individuals know as the music industry. Their latest puzzle – The I.L.Y.’s –is a Death Grips side project consisting of Death Grips’ very own Zach Hill on vocals, Andy Morin on production, and Tera Melos’ Nick Reinhardt on guitar. ‘Scum With Boundaries’, The I.L.Y.’s second album, was released via a post on Death Grips’ Facebook page. They kindly warned us of the release 2 hours before they dropped us this heavy hitter on their Facebook time-line as well. Screenshots:
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New Album Review: The Julie Ruin- Hit Reset
Janky Smooth Central Command
July 15, 2016
There’s something about the sound of sweet electro-pop mixed with iconic punchy punk vocals of the one and only Kathleen Hanna that just screams perfection. The Julie Ruin’s first album, Run Fast, set high expectations for the band that came out of prominent groups like Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Their latest release on July 8th via Hardly Art, Hit Reset, only proves that they can continue to surprise with diverse sounds that are charged with personal and political energy. related content: The Julie Ruin at The Troubadour- Vaginas and Suprises After many years of staying out of the spotlight and battling Lyme disease, Hanna joined forces with Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox alongside Sarah Landeau, Kenny Mellman and Carmine Covelli towards the end of 2009. Their first album, the previously mentioned Run Fast, was released in 2013 along with the revelatory documentary on Hanna, The Punk Singer, which served as a sort of notice to fans and critics that Hanna wanted back into music and out of the hiding that was induced by her condition. The Julie Ruin definitely doesn’t ease you into the action that is contained within Hit Reset. The first (and title) track begins with a
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Beach Goth V Lineup Announced: Everything You Need to Know
Johann A. Ramos
July 13, 2016
Beach Goth is the one time a year where I can get a taste of all of my favorite bands and acts across the entire genre spectrum. The Growlers hosted festival is infamous for it’s very consistently unpredictable line-ups. Booking past festival favorites like Die Antwoord, Ghost, Touche Amore, The Drums, Mac DeMarco, and more raises an eyebrow or two but it works out in its own way by attracting all sorts of demographics, making conflicting set times less of a worry for the crowd and offering evidence that today’s young music fan isn’t limited by dogmatic genre loyalty. Beach Goth V is no exception: The festival will no longer take place at The Observatory (thank god). The OC Canyon Park will be Beach Goth V’s new home for now, which is good news for everyone because it’s biggest turn off was its cramped festival grounds. Popular festival’s always take a huge risk with a move in location. There will always be those that can never be satisfied but there is danger in changing a dynamic that works and production that has been perfected over years of working out the kinks. As long as the open minded party vibe remains, Beach Goth
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White Lung and Plague Vendor Whip Crowd Into Frenzy at Teragram Ballroom
Michelle Hernandez
July 11, 2016
On Friday night at The Teragram Ballroom, fans swerved right into the impulsive energy of Whitter, California’s own, Plague Vendor, opening for badasses, White Lung. The band kicked their tour off right in the pit of Downtown Los Angeles, serving up the tastiest tracks from Plague Vendor’s new album, Bloodsweat. There was no blood in sight but there was plenty of sweat splattered on stage. I still get euphoric flashbacks of singer Brandon Blaine’s performance, shaking his chest, thrusting his hips and whipping his hair around. No doubt he is a mad and sexy genius. Plague Vendor was opening for the almighty White Lung but I was there to see PV. High Functioning Flesh also played and are included in our gallery below. I took a look around at the crowd and noted that there was a majority in the audience; T-shirts with the Bloodsweat album cover on them, spread out in the cluster of people. And if they weren’t already fans then they sure as hell left that night new fans. The lights transitioned to red. Brandon Blaine entered and a score of applause welcomed him. With no words exchanged between band mates, drummer Luke Perine started the show with the
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Death Valley Girls Glow In The Dark At The Echo Record Release Party
Danny Baraz
July 6, 2016
There is something different emerging from the Los Angeles music scene. It’s not nice. Or sweet. Or candy-bar-bubble gum. Or a drunken teenage blackout filled with mild regret. And I like it. Death Valley Girls aren’t like your typical Burger Records band. You can’t simply attach the punk, psychedelic or garage rock label to them and be done with it. They aren’t your standard, soft balled psych rockers seeking some type of enlightenment through their experiments with hallucinogens. They are what happens when the acid turns and the faces around you become deranged and unfriendly; surrounded by deeply troubled individuals slipping further and further away from society with each hit of blotter. Death Valley Girls’ second album, “Glow in the Dark” summons the seventies more than it summons the summer of love. When America was in the midst of an identity crisis, amidst events such as the Nixon resignation, Patty Hearst and Jonestown. And even though the Manson murders occurred in 1969, the events surrounding the high profile slayings in the Hollywood Hills reverberated across the forthcoming decade and dispelled the image of hippies as harmless, peace loving druggies. Trust no one. But singer/songwriter Bonnie Bloomgarden insists that, “you can
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Crystal Castles Tease LP 4 With New Song “Concrete”
Johann A. Ramos
July 5, 2016
Crystal Castles premiere their third track since Ethan Kath split ways with Alice Glass last year. The track features vocals by Edith yet again, release date of their fourth full length not yet confirmed. Dates and Ticket Links for their summer tour in support of their new music: FRI JULY 8 2016 ATHENS, Greece – Ejekt Festival Tickets JULY 15-16 2016 VIENNA, Austria – Out Of The Woods Tickets THU JULY 21 2016 PORTLAND, OR – Wonder Ballroom Tickets FRI JULY 22 2016 SEATTLE, WA – Capitol Hill Block Party Tickets SAT JULY 23 2016 VANCOUVER, BC – Commodore Ballroom https://www.commodoreballroom.com/tickets/ JULY 29-31 2016 PLOCK, Poland – Audioriver Festival TIckets FRI AUGUST 05 2016 CASTELLON, Spain – Arenal Sound Festival Tickets SAT AUGUST 06 2016 PALERMO, Italy – Ypsigrock Festival Tickets FRI AUGUST 12 2016 PIESTANY, Slovakia – Grape Festival Tickets TUE AUGUST 16 2016 BUDAPEST, Hungary – Sziget Festival Tickets FRI AUGUST 19 2016 HASSELT, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival Tickets SUN AUGUST 21 2016 LVIV, Ukraine – Zaxidfest Tickets FRI AUGUST 26 2016 READING FESTIVAL, UK – Reading & Leeds Festival Tickets SAT AUGUST 27 2016 LEEDS FESTIVAL, UK – Reading & Leeds Festival Tickets WED SEP 21 2016 2016
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Burger Boogaloo 2016: Bringing Rare Vinyl Back to Life For 7 Years
Danny Baraz
July 1, 2016
There are many metaphors I could employ to describe what it was like to attend the annual Burger Boogaloo festival in Oakland for my first time, in the year of our Lord, 2016. It’s like going through your mom and dad’s moth-balled wardrobe from 1968 and realizing that you just hit the mother load of cyclical fashion. It was always there. It was just up to you to open that garage, suspend that disbelief that your parents were actually cool at some point in their lives and try it on to see if it fits. It seems that no matter how far technology advances or what new platforms are developed in Silicon Valley to deliver music and culture to the masses, new generations will always dust off old vinyl and make it new again. To transform themselves into a time that seems simpler than their own and to long for the good old days that they didn’t even exist in. Afterall, it is an American teenagers right of passage to be completely disenchanted with the here and now and it is the aging hipsters prerogative to revisit the haunts of their youth. All of these sentiments converge, year after year,
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