Category: FEATURES

Echo Park Rising (Five Pointed) Stars: Twin Temple

Brent Smith August 28, 2017

The vast miasma of artists at Echo Park Rising 2017 was an elating reminder of the fact that we’re drowning in a sea of stellar underground rock n’ roll. In today’s L.A. scene, it’s not easy to stand out, though many manage. Luciferian doo-woppers, Twin Temple, is one such act. In the twilight air of Saturday evening, just days before a historic solar eclipse, the human and spirit worlds brushed each other in a mesmerizing set. Veiled frontwoman Alexandra James and her axman husband Zachary James—swords in hand—wasted no time initiating a proper Satanic baptism to cleanse the soul of humanity. Invoking our old friend, Lucifer: In Nomine Dei Nostri Satanas Luciferi Excelsi On this alter, we consecrate the chalice representing Lilith’s womb And containing the blood of Satan -Swords- To banish hypocrisy and direct the fire of our unholy will In the name of Lucifer, ruler of Earth, I command the forces of darkness to bestow their infernal power upon us. I bid you rise. Will you all give the sign of the horns. O hear thy name. Repeat after me: Hail Satan! Hail Satan! Hail Satan! The seven-piece bluesy murder ballad band then bursted into

Echo Park Rising 2017: Long Lines Couldn’t Slow Fresh Faces In All Places

Aria Silva-Espinosa August 27, 2017

The 2017 Echo Park Rising lineup generated quite a bit of buzz this year, as it was absolutely stacked with old favorites, over a dozen unmissable acts and a number of up-and-coming artists. EPR veterans Gold Star, The Paranoyds, and Meatbodies graced this year’s lineup along with a significant number of newcomers. Coming Soon: Echo Park Rising Five Pointed Stars Twin Temple … related content: Echo Park Rising 2015: Rising and Rising and Rising… Enjoying immense popularity in the last few years, it’s nice to see events like this take off and be embraced by the community. However, lineups like these are a source of frustration for me since I have yet to conquer my overwhelming fear of missing out. Despite my best efforts to be in multiple locations at once, I feel like I’ve slighted a number of talented and deserving artists on the bill solely based on my inability to run quickly, my fear of jaywalking on Sunset Boulevard and my fractured internal clock. That being said, I purposely blocked the entire third weekend in August off on my calendar in order to enjoy the festival to the fullest possible extent. I hoped to see some old friends

Janky Smooth Sessions Interview w/ The Side Eyes

Danny Baraz July 12, 2017

When you see The Side Eyes live or just sit down and talk to them for a spell, it becomes clear pretty quickly that their genealogy and punk rock pedigree have little to do with the rate in which their star is rising- but it certainly doesn’t hurt them, either. related content: Beach Goth Blackout- Janky Smooth Sessions We caught up w/ the band after they opened for Redd Kross at The Echo in our latest Janky Smooth Sessions Interview w/ The Side Eyes. Astrid McDonald, Kevin & Chris Devine and newest addition, drummer Sam Mankinen (Melted) seem to be quite loving- a supportive band of punks in a genre built on cynicism and frustration. Punk rock being just like any other microcosm, we explore the ways in which the world has changed by noting the ways punk rock and it’s faithful approach “the scene” and subsequently, the world. related content: Steve McDonald Assembles All of His Family and Paid Gigs to Commemorate Teen Babes from Monsanto We discuss what having Charlotte Caffey as your mom, Jeff McDonald as your dad and Steve McDonald playing in Melvins, OFF! and Redd Kross as your uncle does to a kid’s sense

Burger Boogaloo 2017: The Ballad of John and Iggy

Rob Shepyer July 10, 2017

This Burger Boogaloo 2017 review is X-rated, so if your kids are reading it, Janky Smooth apologizes if they develop a foot fetish. Like your baby sister’s pretty pink switchblade, the marriage of legendary filmmaker and filth peddler, John Waters and atomic boy, Iggy Pop, cut the Bay Area deep till it bled out all the outlaws, shrimp pimps, gamblers, hipsters, hippies, hyphys, crust punks, trust-fund punks, rockabillies, rockabetties, and freakazoids to gather at Burger Boogaloo 2017 at Mosswood Park. Two whole beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on an acid infused bun. The trip up the 5 freeway was long and arduous but upon entering the burger’s third eye vortex, the camaraderie of San Francis-folk mellowed me out as straight as a noodle. That’s just how us So-Cal kids see Bay Area babies: hella mellow. This year, the festival’s theme was Shrimpin’ which is fiend’s slang for toe sucking. Four giant legs kicking up from the stage to the sky were inflated behind the Gone Shrimpin’ stage, which became the alter of our collective foot worship. I’m talking about high heels and low-life, sweaty soles and pedicured puppies. related content: Burger Boogaloo 2016- Bringing Rare Vinyl Back To

Janky Smooth Presents: FYF Janky Mixtape III & Download for 2017

Justin Cornwall July 7, 2017

It’s hard to believe FYF is just around the corner- again. It feels like yesterday I was stumbling out of the downtown Metrolink station, asking a stranger with a festival wristband on for a ride home (gas money included, of course) because my phone was completely dead. After getting enough power in my phone from home, proceeding to the Lyft waiting outside my door to the filthy Overpass where I watched Father John Misty saucily put moves on any girl who would look at him… oh, and of course, THREE YEARS SINCE MY FIRST FYF MIXTAPE FOR JANKY SMOOTH? Jesus fuckin Christ, where does the time go? Stream The Janky Smooth FYF Mixtape III Now related content: Janky Smooth Presents- FYF 2016 Preview & Mixtape FYF has always been one of my favorite parties of the year and I’ve been attending for almost 10 years in a row. I’ve worked the festival, snuck in, bought tickets an hour before deciding to go – it’s a world class event in our own backyard. The recurring acts on the lineup are like distant relatives I get to reconnect with every year. The headliners jump out of my old iTunes library and onto

Angelyne: Billboard Queen, Punk Diva & Archetype Of The L.A. Dream

Jessica Moncrief June 19, 2017

One great thing about living in Southern California is that seemingly everyone you meet is here with specific creative goals in mind- that experience MAY be magnified if you yourself have your own dreams of creative success or recognition since, obviously there are MILLIONS of people who live here that are just living their lives everyday just like any other city in the world. All things being equal, you may randomly end up befriending a transplant swedish waitress, only to find out she’s actually a screenwriter or even end up becoming friends with a famous local on any given day or night of the week. It’s part of the LA charm that I have come to love so much. I recently met billboard queen, Angelyne through a friend when I was invited to join them for dinner at El Coyote. Like many, she was instantly recognizable to me, even though I didn’t know much about her. But after meeting her, I was compelled to find out as much as I could. Over the course of the last month or so I have been able to get to know her more though our conversations. What I have learned has given me a

Punk Rock Bowling 2017: You Can’t Be What You Were…

Danny Baraz June 9, 2017

Looking out into the sea of people in the expanses that sprawl out from the upgraded festival stage at Punk Rock Bowling’s virgin location in the booming district of Downtown Las Vegas was a seismic life experience. Not just because of how fucking rad Punk Rock Bowling was this year but because all the events of the weekend set to the music of the festival served as a soundtrack to life’s highlight reel in my head. A series of events culminated into the bitter-sweetest regression of lonerism one could ever celebrate, as I stood alone, backstage, watching The Adicts play the best set I’d ever seen from them. Being 2 months out of knee surgery, that familiar human turbine engine of 7,k people dancing and swirling in front of the stage like a pack of bats taking flight at sun down or a school of fish changing direction in unison was unfamiliar from this vantage point- I’ve always preferred being IN the engine instead of being a spectator. Because when you’re in the pit, you’re dealing directly with any physical manifestation of frustration or anger that might have built up through the grind of life and you aren’t really thinking

Spike Slawson- Me First & The Gimme Gimmes

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes Janky Smooth Sessions w/ Spike Slawson

Dave Unbuckled May 20, 2017

7 days until day 1 of Punk Rock Bowling 2017… Last Saturday, May 13th, I sat down with the not-so-soft-spoken Spike Slawson, of Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, at the Fonda Theater before their Los Angeles appearance of their Greatest Hits Tour. We discussed his punk rock super hero origin story, eating ass on tour, and how the Gimme Gimmes choose the songs that make it onto their album. He also shared intimate stories of the late Glen Frye and Co.’s opinions of Desperado’s punk makeover, fronting a band called Ukehunt, his favorite Judy Garland songs to sing live, and what it really feels like to watch Leonardo Dicaprio do a lot of cocaine while hearing your voice in the background. Read the Full Review From The Gimme Gimmes Show at The Fonda Photo: BodhiFox Photography

The Secret Journal Of A Pizza Spy at Coachella 2017

Dave Unbuckled May 10, 2017

Thursday Thoughts On The Night Before Weekend 2 of Coachella 2017 Starts The drive to Indio from LAX was supposed to take three hours & forty seven minutes, but it would be a lot longer than that before we would be out of the car and setting up our tent. We made the conscious decision to depart at 2 pm, in avoidance of desert traffic, as well as the Thursday night Coachella rush. We actually made it to the festival check-in as sun down was finishing, despite the longest stretch of time I have ever spent in a WalMart, in which no expense was spared. After all, we were planning on working at a Pizza Tent for the majority of the weekend and were assuming to soon be handing out dollar bills like Ted Dibiasse. When we finally breached the city limits of Indio, after passing multiple billboards advertising Linkin Park’s new ‘album’ and ‘Gaymoji’, which is exactly what you think it is, we realized we were trailed by a cop all the way to the festival entrance. The presence of added desert police officers was apparent throughout the weekend- especially when we arrived to security several hours later. We

Punk Rock Bowling Transforms BYO Boys Into Wisdom Brigade

Danny Baraz April 28, 2017

This past Monday, April 24th I interviewed members of an iconic, first wave California skate punk band, the owners of a record label and the brain trust of a popular annual cultural event that completely consumes every hotel room, a dozen bars and music venues and every beer coozy in Downtown Las Vegas- and I did them all in the span of an hour and a half. Like a wise man once said, “Let’s do the whole fuckin village, man.” Bunny from the movie, Platoon. Sometimes, people make the mistake of thinking wisdom and maturity are the same concept but Confucius say, “enjoying or telling of a fart joke, occasionally, does not preclude you from being able to call on experience to make the right decision’” -from Confucius’ early, more obscure teachings- the more underground stuff. Some people have an inherent, child like disposition. On the latest Janky Smooth Sessions, it’s hard to tell with the Stern brothers if it’s the brother dynamic that brings out the towel snapping, one-ups-manship and verbal noogies because I’ve never spent a moment with them while attending a tax seminar to witness how they conduct themselves amongst the squares. But fortunate for all of