By Brad Roberts
This is going to be a great week, and not just because of ECHO PARK RISING, which seems to be firing up the whole week, but the schedule is jam packed with interesting shows.
ECHO PARK RISING involves Taix, The Echo/Echoplex, Stories Books & Café, Little Joy, Lot 1, Origami Vinyl, Echo Park United Methodist Church, Ballard's Art Framing, Vlad the Retailer and so many more. Music by artists like Allah-Las, Aaron Embry, Audacity, Adult Books (and that's just the A's). Haven't been able to see a schedule yet, except those out of Lot 1 and BuzzbandsLA, but I hope that is remedied during the week. The schedule is being worked out as you read this, so I can only include what I know already. I'll be understanding, with so many bands participating it's probably like trying to herd cats.
But it does make planning and recommending a little difficult. At the moment I have no idea who will be playing the big outdoor stage at Taix, or at The Echo/Echoplex, or even what day anyone plays. Scouring the internet one can find a few individual schedules, but not nearly enough to make any sort of concrete plan. Just go and sort it out as you go along. Kind of like a trip down the rabbit hole.
Even tonight (Monday) is crazy as hell. Monday residencies crash and collide and I hope to drop on to at least a couple, schedule permitting. The Futures League at The Satellite, Tête at The Echo, Maudlin Strangers at Bootleg, but Wages are opening for Queen Caveat at Echoplex and that tips the scales in that direction. Harper Simon and Pearl Charles are at Bootleg HiFi on Wednesday. Then on Thursday the celebrations start with a Pre-Party at Lot 1 to set things in motion.
Monday, August 11
- Courtney Barnett @ Origami Vinyl
- The Futures League, The Vim Dicta, A Million Billion Dying Suns, Terraplane Sun @ The Satellite
- Tête, Exploding Flowers, L'Aura Moire, HIPS @ The Echo
- Queen Caveat, Wages, New Beat Fund, Kiven @ Echoplex
- Maudlin Strangers, Honey, Clans, Phil Beaudreau @ Bootleg HiFi
- Big Black Cloud, ZAWA, Terminal A, Pure Shit, Sodomy Sanctuary @ Pehrspace
- "School Night!" w/ Panama, Machine Heart, Nicky Blitz, Sneakout @ Bardot
- Fort King, Rodney & Johnny @ Harvard & Stone
- Wade Bowen, Sean McConnell, The Walcotts @ The Troubadour
- Sarah Bareilles, Hannah Georgas, Emily King @ The Greek
- Zane Carney, KOA, Smooth Hound Smith, Joel Eckles @ Hotel Cafe
- Inc., Jon Hassell, SFV Acid @ Los Globos
DECISION:What a crazy-busy night to start out this week. Gotta get out and start the week right. And will you look at all these choices: The Futures League, The Vim Dicta, A Million Billion Dying Suns and Terraplane Sun at The Satellite. Tête, Exploding Flowers and L'Aura Moire at The Echo. I'm planning of starting out at Echoplex to catch another set by Wages (at right), where they're opening for Queen Caveat, then heading over to Harvard & Stone for Fort King is playing for Charlie Clark's curated night. In fact he told me he's now curating Sunday, Monday and Tuesday there every week. Prepare for a lot of great music.
Tuesday, August 12
- The Life and Times, Sego, Sidewave @ The Satellite
- Owenstone, Satchmode, Dreaming Bull, The Hidden Bulls, Mind The Gap @ Bootleg HiFi
- Dear Boy, Dark Waves, The Bulls @ The Troubadour- Hobart W. Fink, Mean Dream, Los Dharma Bums @ Harvard & Stone
- FKA Twigs, P. Morris @ El Rey
- Jakubi, Anthony Starble, Hannah Georgas, Mustered Courage @ Hotel Cafe
- Barbarian, Rudy De Anda, Buddy Banter @ Los Globos
- Us The Duo, Caroline Glaser @ The Fonda Theatre
DECISION:
O.K. a small respite tonight with only a few great shows. Owenstone headlines at Bootleg HiFi with Mind The Gap opening, and Dear Boy and Dark Waves at The Troubadour. Hobart W. Fink (at right) continues their Album Release residency at Harvard & Stone, tonight with Mean Dream and Los Dharma Bums.
Wednesday, August 13
- Evan Voytas, Paris Carney, The Proper Junkies @ The Satellite
- Basement, Cloakroom, Creative Adult, Fell To Low @ The Echo
- Harper Simon, Guy Blakeslee, Pearl Charles, Vikesh Kapoor @ Bootleg HiFi
- Reinwolf, The Futures League @ The Troubadour
- Mizz Absurd @ Cafe Cordiale
- "Desert Nights w/ Jamie Wyatt, Matthew Van Winkle, Scott Kinnebrew @ The Standard
- Casey Veggies, Nico G4 @ El Rey
- F U Marylou, Stars At Night, The Vigils @ El Cid
- Justin Furstenfeld w/ Ryan White, Josh Berwanger Band & Archie Powell, HEYROCCO @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Harper Simon (at right) is teaming with the noteworthy line up of Guy Blakeslee, Pearl Charles and Vikesh Kapoor tonight at Bootleg HiFi and The Futures League step out of their ongoing residency at The Satellite to take to the stage of The Troubadour to open for Reinwolf.
Thursday, August 14
- ECHO PARK RISING Pre-Party Show w/ Mini Bear, Ladyheat, Mechanical Beast, Blood Candy @ Lot 1
- Mountains on the Moon, Lena Fayre, Bravesoul, Intergalctix @ The Satellite
- Death From Above 1979 @ The Troubadour
- Black Lab, Paul McDonald, Greenberg, Simon Williams @ Hotel Cafe
- Foxygen, Gary Wilson, Dub Thompson @ The Fonda Theatre
- Air Life, Wild Awake @ The Spare Room
- Twilight Concert Series w/ La Santa Cecilia, Sergio Mendoza Y Orkesta @ Santa Monica Pier
- Imelda May, The Rhythm Shakers @ El Rey
DECISION:
Tonight you can get into the mood for ECHO PARK RISING by attending the Pre-Party Show at Lot 1 with Mini Bear, Ladyheat, Mechanical Beast and Blood Candy performing. Great way to start this thing off.
Friday, August 15
- ECHO PARK RISING
- Monosky @ The Satellite
- Black Kids, Torches @ Bootleg HiFi
- Berserktown Festival @ Los Globos
- The Sonics, Crystal Antlers @ The Roxy
- Grouplove, Portugal. The Man, Tokyo Police Club @ The Greek
- Superchunk, Mike Krol @ Eagle Rock Center for the Arts
- Fool's Gold, TBA @ FIGat7th
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Western Standard Time @ The Fonda Theatre
- Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R., Insects vs. Robots, Strangers You Know @ The Troubadour
- Jesse Payo, Emily Danger, Sam Pace, Some Go Hunting, Feronia, Buggaboo @ Hotel Cafe
- Carrie Newcomer @ McCabe's
DECISION:
Today is the official opening day of the now 3-day event, ECHO PARK RISING. I'm taking the day off work to get started and plan on being here all three days. If I find out who's playing today, I'll let you know.
I can recommend the event at Stories Books & Cafe, LOUD Storytelling Party by Scott Schultz, at 7:30.
Saturday, August 16
- ECHO PARK RISING
- Billy Joe Shaver @ The Satellite
- Quiet Life, Ark Life, Mike Sempert @ Bootleg HiFi
- Gorlpool, Heathers, Growth, Michael Vidal @ Pehrspace
- Berserktown Festival @ Los Globos
- The Helio Sequence, Sloan Finn @ The Roxy
- Summershock 2014 w/ Xyzyx, Cherri Bomb, Best Of My Love, Electrets, Champagne Leader, The Remotes @ The Troubadour
- Animal Cloud, Ethan Thompson, Tommy Alto, The Evening Guests @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
ECHO PARK RISING - Some bands are playing somewhere in the Echo Park Area. You'll have to guess where and when.
You could go to the strip to avoid the mass confusion by going to see The Helio Sequence at The Roxy. Last time I saw them a couple of years ago at Echoplex, they were incredible.
Sunday, August 17
- ECHO PARK RISING
- Berserktown Festival @ Los Globos
- Alicia Witt, The Acoustic Sessions w/ Myra Flynn & RES, Scilla @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
ECHO PARK RISING, all day long. Fortunately I'm on vacation this week so I can recover.
Have to be brief cause I'm about to head off to Hollywood Bowl for Iron & Wine and Glen Hansard. The weather's perfect and I expect to be transported very shortly.