The Echo's Monday night residencies are a great snapshot of local color. The headliner curates the evening's performers, so the night has a continuous aesthetic even as the music changes. This month that artist is electronic musician Kauf.
Last Saturday, hundreds of music fans crowded into a corner warehouse in Lincoln Heights. It was Save The Smell Fest, a concert featuring 36 bands on three small stages. The day was hot, and smelled of sweat and cigarettes. At times it was so crowded you couldn’t help but step on toes or elbow someone while you tried to slip through the doorway dividing the outdoor stage from the two inside. It was twelve hours of distorted guitar and thunderous drums, guaranteed to leave ears ringing for days after.
Punk rock never died. It may have stepped out to change it's clothes, maybe grab a cigarette but it's always been there, if you know where to look. I found it last weekend, in two dark rooms in Echo Park, Los Angeles. It was at Dirty Penni Fest, a joint operation between Dirty Laundry TV and Penniback Records. Hosted on the twin stages of The Echo and The Echoplex it was a nine hour display of attitude, dedication, sweat, piss and vinegar.
Like I said in my last entry, free shows are a gamble, albeit a low stakes one. Besides the time it takes to drive into the city there's not much to lose. For this post I went back to the Echo for another night of Feels residency. I figured if the others sucked I'd know at least one band I'd enjoy. Alternatively, their last show I saw introduced me to a handful of bands I enjoyed so who's to say tonight would be different?
There’s nothing quite so rewarding as being swept up in a good show, especially when you go in without knowing the bands. This was the case Monday night, when I went to see a group called “Feels” play the second night of their month long residency at Los Angeles’ famous music club The Echo. Free shows are not a high stakes gamble, but this one paid off big.