The Echo Park Rising Experience

 As you can see from my posts in the past I used to go all in up to 2019. Spend all day across 4 days capturing 30-40 bands including the best this town had to offer and even the occasional touring act. I keep forgetting it's still active as the only thing rising in Echo Park these days, as with anywhere else, is the cost of living. Used to spend more time in Echo Park than at home but now it seems I am there only a few times a year now.

The original obvious choice on the calendar was St Paul And The Broken Bones at Chace Park in Marina Del Rey. Except it would involve hours each way on the bus including the very crowded line 33 and a few miles on foot. My friend John was posting that his Velvet Underground tribute band was going to be playing Echo Park Rising so I gravitated there out of convenience.

After sampling a little I decided to show up first for Jamie Drake at The Chocolate Dispensary at 5:30. I saw her once last year but it was really the venue I was most curious about. A rather larger than a small Sees Candy mall shop full of gourmet or at least very expensive chocolate. Thankfully I prepared by stuffing my face at home and already had my heart set on a Mazapan Frappe from Tierra Mia at some point.

Turns out Jamie Drake now has a song getting some play on KCRW and/or the former KCSN and that song drew some familiarity even among casuals just walking in. Duo with Jamie on lead vocals and guitar additional guitar including slide by someone who's name I can't immediately recall. 

That ended just after 6:20 and I hurried over to Taix Champagne Room for a 6:30 set by El Colmo. D.R.E.A.M. was still on for the last 10 minutes. El Colmo, who have already seen twice, delivered a pretty solid set from 6:55 to 7:25 and went over really well. Then off to The Echo where there was to be a Grand Ole Echo presented set by a Thin Lizzy tribute scheduled at 7:30. 

Waited in line for 5-10 mins then finally made it in. No band was playing yet. Now the stupid site only listed listed "The Echo And Echoplex" as the venue. I found a flyer on The Grand Ole Echo Instagram listing for The Echo. But the stage in the very packed room didn't look like Thin Lizzy setup. The crowd trended very young and Spanish music was playing. I still stuck it out and finally at 8:15 Sinerella took the stage. Very reverb heavy guitar and low vocals with both buried under overpowering pre recorded bass. Couldn't make out anything that sounded like Thin Lizzy. I lasted 4:23 before forcing myself thru the crowd and out the door. 

The stairs down to the Echoplex (usually a separate entrance on a different street) were open so I went down. No one onstage but also didn't look like Thin Lizzy setup. Made my way out to the Echoplex patio, no stage there but the rear entrance to the Echo patio was open. Really packed and the band onstage was twangy. Not sure if they were playing Thin Lizzy or not but that was probably the spot.

Decided to cut my losses and bail. I don't even like tribute acts but with almost every name on the list unfamiliar, it was only natural to trend toward Thin Lizzy's music. And it was the anniversary of the excellent Mike Millard Thin Lizzy Forum recording which was in the que but I never made it that far. Should have stayed home and listened to that.

Drifted toward the park to just chill, maybe burn one. But I heard some distant music and moved toward it. A band was just wrapping up but it was a very garage like set up right on the ground with a small PA and no lightning. Indeed it was billed as Garage Frenzy. Decided to stick around.

Was treated to an excellent 35 minute set by retro garage act Sound Reasons. I was hoping Taix was still running late but they were good enough that I would risk missing a bit. 

Had 5 or 10 mins at Taix before After Hours took the stage. A fairly good representation of the music of the Velvet Underground. The only thing off was the drummer, who was male and actually drummer. John formerly of Haunted Summer played bass. The guitarist playing Sterling Morrison broke a string toward the end and it almost seemed to throw the rest of the set in jeopardy but I am sure the real Velvet Underground played under less favorable circumstances and the band forged ahead. 

Ran out the door without saying hi hoping to get my Mazapan frappe in time for the next bus home. 

Something to do but in no way feel the least bit interested in enduring this again when given the choice of other free events around town. Might take my girlfriend to a tasting at the Chocolate Dispensary but that place is pretty pricey when she is just as happy being surprised with a treat from Dollar Tree. 

 

Here is Sound Reasons from the Redwood last year  https://www.youtube.com/live/7MKvUHVsGwc?si=3fY6I6UsBV1pmdsr