Tag: the echo

HEALTH at The Echo: First L.A. Show in 3 Years Delivers

Danny Baraz July 23, 2015

By Danny Baraz HEALTH is the most original sounding bands in music today. Dissonant chords fed through filters and stomp box effects. Galloping tribal rhythms so succinct and steady that you could set a watch to them. Reverberated falsetto vocals that create a layer of tenderness through the violent rhythms. Piercing sound designs that wash over the listener in a rebirth of the senses. The dichotomy of sound that Los Angeles band HEALTH creates is extraordinary. It all amounts to a New Wave, Gothic, Punk stew of noise and melancholy melody that we have been deprived of for far too long. On Wednesday, July 22nd, the HEALTH hiatus in Los Angeles ended at The Echo with the first of three sold out shows, carefully crafted to promote their new album Death Magic. There has been a steady build up since April of this year to tease new songs from the new album. The video for the song “New Coke” was premiered on YouTube in April and has racked up over 180k views in the few months that it’s been live. Not bad for an indie band. Between the imagery of Alice Glass and Pictureplane partying in the first minute to

Beach Party Kickoff Rager for July Residency at The Echo

Justin Cornwall July 9, 2015

Monday nights in Los Angeles are perfect for catching live music. Up and coming acts are often given monthly residencies at one of several venues after paying some dues and climbing the musical ladder in LA. After a year or so of consistent work since their initial (Ty Segall produced) singles “Can’t Surf/Fun”, Beach Party has earned their slot every Monday this month at The Echoplex – joined by friends of their choosing. I made it to the venue just in time to catch The Buttertones open. They reminded me of The Aquabats + Misfits + Talking Heads. Some of their tunes were right out of a Dick Dale fever dream. They were a great choice for an opener; they fit in as Beach Party’s squeaky clean younger cousins. The live saxophone, which wasn’t overdone, filled in the gaps in their surfy low-fi vibes perfectly. The crowd was into it and seemingly grew as soon as they finished their set.. in preparation for Beach Party. The Beach Party residency is tethered to the incoming release of their EP “Ripper”, recorded by Sonny Diperri (involved w/ Portugal The Man, Hanni El Khatib,STRFKR), and is available for early physical purchase at these

Jacco Gardner at The Echo shot by Julien Kelly

Jacco Gardner at The Echo: Psychedelic Scientist

Lawrence Rengert July 3, 2015

I remember the first time I saw the band Sleep play in San Francisco. There they were in all their glory, long before the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th wave of psychedelic, heavy or stoner rock got a foot hold. What was amazing about them is I kept wanting to say “wow this band is just like Black Sabbath,” but then correcting myself I realized, “no this band IS Black Sabbath.” From their Green Amps made for Sleep (just like the Orange Amps made for Black Sabbath) every aspect of their music, appearance and presentation screamed Sabbath and they did not disappoint. In the exact same way, the first time someone put on the music video for ‘Clear the Air’, the first single by Jacco Gardner on Excelsior-Recordings, I was convinced it was the second coming of Pink Floyd. Not just as an influence, but as a reincarnation; conjured into existence from the UFO Club in London, 1966. In fact, Jacco Gardner looks a tiny bit like a smaller, younger and more attractive Roger Waters. From his spectacular colored light show to the Farfisa-esque harpsichord via modern day Korg synthesizer, Jacco takes you directly back to the earliest days of the

Lolipalooza Reloads for it’s Second Year at The Echo

Danny Baraz June 30, 2015

This time last year, I attended the first annual Lolipalooza at The Echo and The Echoplex. I was blown away by the amount of cool, young bands that are coming to and out of L.A. It’s the most amount of fresh, young new music I’ve seen in this city in my entire lifetime, (I wasn’t around for the late 70’s/early 80’s). In the 365 days that have passed since attending their inaugural event, Lolipop Records have not slowed down one bit. The buildings which house The Echo/Echoplex and Lolipop Records have turned into an incubator of fresh, young talent. In this small corner of Echo Park, bands are discovered, recorded, showcased and packaged, all within a 100 yard radius and are subsequently dispersed throughout the globe to show why Los Angeles is the epicenter for music. Wyatt Blair, owner of Lolipop and accomplished musician saw an immense opportunity and took it upon himself to execute his vision and Los Angeles and indeed, the world are a better place for it. I passed through the gates and through the Echoplex driveway early on in the day. It was muggy and nasty out. The sky opened up a couple times during festival

Ticket Giveaway: Lolipalooza 2 at The Echo 6/27

Danny Baraz June 11, 2015

If you are you music lover and live in Los Angeles and did not attend last years inaugural installment of Lolipalooza, then you missed something truly special. If you miss this years showcase of Lolipalooza 2 then you should seriously reconsider your life. Lolipop Records is onto something unique. While it is nothing new for a DIY record label to scout, develop and release music by both fresh, young and established talent, the way Lolipop is approaching this is something to admire. Taking their queue from Burger Records in Fullerton, Lolipop Records is the Los Angeles version of Burger. Janky Smooth is giving away 2 pairs (4 tickets) to Lolipalooza 2 happening at the both The Echo and Echoplex on Saturday June 27th, to 2 lucky individuals. To enter you must complete ALL the steps below. Winners will be selected on Friday, June 26th at 11am. 1. Share or retweet our contest posts on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag @jankysmooth – You must share from our posts, not create your own. 2. Comment in the comment section of the post on our website stating you completed this step and give us a reason why we should pick you.. 3. Like us

L7 Stop Pretending They Are Dead at The Echo

Danny Baraz May 30, 2015

By Danny Baraz On Thursday May 28th, L7 played a show for the first time in 18 years. This brought up a lot of feelings and emotion for me. I’ve seen L7 play more shows than any other band. I would not be easily swayed by the power of this moment because at their peak, they were one of the most ferocious live bands in the world. While a caricature of the past could have the power to entertain, what I wanted to see was the raw, authentic and over amplified band of bad ass chicks that were so incredible that being women was hardly a part of my internal narrative about what impressed me about them. THAT was what I wanted to see and I wouldn’t give them a pass on this “warm up show” simply because L7 were ready to relive their glory days and collect a paycheck. The Echo, a venue that didn’t even exist the last time all four original members of L7 played a show, was more packed than I had ever seen it. As soon as I saw the skeleton hands forming the L and the 7 on the backdrop of the stage, shit

Panache Spring Fling at The Echo: Jacco Gardner, Ultimate Painting, The Entrance Band and more…

Lawrence Rengert April 2, 2015

Two nights ago I was at one of the most unglamorous dive bars in Ventura, a show organized for label mates of Jacco Gardner, The Miseries. The place was dark and smelly with dartboards and bikers, prostitutes (I may have only imagined them), a guy even took off his pants going full frontal and a bartendress showed up late, but just in time to direct security around the bar as girlfriends threw Q balls at boyfriends heads. Los Angeles garage sensations The Cigarette Bums were opening up but there was something special about that night and the willingness of the bands to play a show there, in that semi-dangerous and remote spot. There was something special about it because nothing was being handed to anyone and each band would have to work the crowd (most of whom knew nothing about these bands or the musical styles they played), fight to be heard, deal with the worst sound equipment imaginable, everything was running late and it was still an unknown if the last band of the evening would even have enough time to play. There was something tragic, yet beautiful and romantic about it, it was a great show. Today I

Depth Test for Broncho, Girl Band and Blair at The Echo

Danny Baraz April 2, 2015

I made my way over to The Echo on Thursday night to check out a sold out show with headliner, Broncho. Irish noise rock group, Girl Band were my real motivation for attending this gig but I certainly was intrigued by seeing what the Broncho buzz was all about. Just a few hours earlier I got to cross an item off my bucket list after a marathon interview with Jello Biafra. I mention this only because it was relevant to the affect it had on my perception of all the bands’ performances that night- an affect, which reinforced the gut feeling I had about Girl Band and completely undermined the way I reacted to Wyatt Blair, also on the bill. So here it goes. The venue was dead silent as Girl Band took the stage. I could tell what type of audience this was going to be right away- beautiful and boring. The type of audience that attends a sold out show for a one hit wonder band although, that’s not fair to Broncho- I’m rather sure they’ll be around for a long time after Thursday night’s show. I’m referring to the fact that Broncho’s latest single, “Class Historian” seems to be amplifying out of a lot of people’s speakers

Palma Violets and No Parents: Clear Your Head With Chaos at The Echo

Savannah Peykani March 27, 2015

Time was not necessarily on the crowd’s side last night at The Echo but that didn’t stop anyone from having a rocking, raucous, even ridiculous time as UK rising stars Palma Violets headlined the night, with LA’s No Parents opening. People lined up outside the Echo well before the 8:30 door time, as fans itched to get their hump-day music fix via Palma Violets. Leading up to No Parents’ set, the Echo was restless, peppered with well-dressed, effortlessly hip punks and rockers alike. We all were ready for the show to start but No Parents and Palma Violets, of course, had other plans- since there’s nothing cool about being on time. With Palma Violets playing at Burgerama this weekend, last night’s show was their introduction to California’s “Burger World” and who better to facilitate that than No Parents? Front man Zoe Reign literally had a stripped down performance, taking off his clothes by the second song and only wearing some very flattering gray boxers for the remainder of the night. Immediately everyone understood just what kind of guy he is and what kind of set they would play. No Parents play short, fast, no-nonsense punk music, with track highlights being “Die Hippie Die”

Tijuana Panthers Rock Teens and Their Parents at The Echo

Danny Baraz March 23, 2015

Teens and parents alike congregated to see Tijuana Panthers at The Echo for a pseudo-matinee show courtesy of KXLU 88.9. With the sun still shining outside, I nestled into the cave-like venue around 6:30 PM, which felt a little strange. The bar tenders were drinking coffee, the patio atmosphere seemed abnormally void of booze, and my pizza order was, for the first time, a sober and conscious decision. The vibes were surely a bit off but a promise to see Tijuana Panthers for my first time kept my spirits high. I arrived just in time to see openers Wounded Lion. While it was merely 7 PM, Wound Lion seemed to pay it no mind and ripped right through their quick set, which the lead singer boasted/cautioned would only last 27 minutes. After each song, the band members would rotate instruments, while their resident hype man screamed along and persisted the white man can’t dance theory. Taking the stage at 8 PM was Tijuana Panthers. Before I even heard their music I loved them strictly because of their name. Tijuana is a bat shit crazy place I frequented as a teenager where morals are extremely low and the price of a

A Place to Bury Strangers Makes Eardrums Bleed at The Echoplex

JustinThomas March 16, 2015

Last night The Echoplex played host to a union of reverberate noise courtesy of A Place To Bury Strangers, Creepoid, and Tennis System. I arrived around 10pm, just in time to catch the Los Angeles transplanted three-piece, Tennis System. Like the other bands billed, Tennis System produced no shortage of noise, setting the stage perfectly with their stony jams for the rest of the acts to follow. Next up were the Philadelphia bred four-piece, Creepoid. Lead by guitarist Sean Miller and bassist Anna Troxell, Creepoid had a dark, shoegazey sound that translated extremely well live. Much like A Place To Bury Strangers, their songs seemed to deviate from their recorded structure, instead, leading into reverb filled bridges and bass driven breakdowns. Last night was their last stop on the tour supporting APTBS, and they made it known. Before Anna Troxell led into “Tired Eyes”, she dedicated the melancholy track to ABTBS letting them know how much she would miss them. To wake the sleepy Sunday night crowd at 11:30 PM was A Place To Bury Strangers and wake them they did. Never in my life have I experienced a band that produces the amount of noise that A Place to

Avid Dancer: The Echo continues to shine with stellar residencies

Danny Baraz February 18, 2015

Is there a better venue in town to showcase new talent than The Echo? I’m a fan of The Smell and all the youthful exuberance that emerges from that cavernous sweatbox but the team that books, manages and promotes The Echo might be the best in L.A. Nowhere is this more evident than in their month long, Monday night residencies. It’s not just the quality of the resident bands but the bill of opening acts that put the headliners to the test each and every week. Between The Echo, The Echoplex and Lolipop Records, there’s an infestation of talent in Echo Park, California. It has become the epicenter of Music in L.A. The week of February 16th was Avid Dancers 3rd week into their residency at The Echo and they shared the bill with Captions and Kera and the Lesbians. I saw Avid Dancer open for Warpaint in November and was impressed with them but I was all jacked up on the anticipation endorphins I get when Warpaint plays so I wasn’t able to digest them properly. Avid Dancer’s debut album, “1st Bath” is dropping on 4.14.15 and you can pre order it here. Avid Dancer is a moody, melancholy