#the echo la

[themanhattanprojection-blog]

Violent Soho at The Echo in LA 8/23/16

[metalheadmariana]

Hey, guys! I'll sadly be unable to make it to this show so I'm selling one ticket. It's for the June 4th date of the tour, at the Echo in Los Angeles. Tickets for this day are sold out already so contact me if you'd like to buy mine! :) Thank you!

[soundframes]

On a breezy night in Los Angeles, I had the rare opportunity to see Dominick Fernow perform as Vatican Shadow and a one-off gig from the band, Earth. They were both supporting the electronic artist, Andy Stott, but I was unfortunately not able to stay late enough to see his set. If I’m, to be honest, I’m not familiar enough with his music to have felt deprived; but I’d never pass up on being introduced to new music in a live setting, so I hope to see him some other time.

While I had been to The Echo, a venue celebrating 15 years of being open this year, once before; I had yet to attend a show at Echoplex. The conjoined clubs have earned the reputation of being premier venues for live music in Los Angeles, and I can’t agree more in that both shows I’ve attended have had great sound quality and the atmosphere is ideal for any type of music to be performed on any given night of the week. I particularly enjoy that the entrance for Echoplex is tucked away and feels a bit more private or secretive, it felt more appropriate in some ways considering the music this particular evening was of a more “niche” interest.

As the disco balls glimmered on the ceiling and visuals akin to what I’ve been told taking psychedelic drugs provide were shown on the stage wall, Vatican Shadow’s set started right around 9:30. I will say ahead of time that I’m an admirer of Dominick Fernow’s various projects, but I’m not very savvy on gear knowledge so I won’t be able to specify exactly what he was using.

Nonetheless, over a 45-minute set; Vatican Shadow met the diverse Los Angeles crowd with bone-rumbling intensity and icy ambient passages. As I leaned my left hand on the stage, the stage rumbled so hard that it became painful to my arm at times from the volume of the music. Due to my own theories of “feeling” the music more, I actually left my arm in place to feel the pain from the intense volume as he manipulated the rhythms and soundscapes; creating a rather hypnotic atmosphere that was both dark and inviting. While some chose to mainly stand and nod their head to the beat, some in attendance chose to dance as the beats became more uptempo and made it almost impossible to stand still. Being that I’m frequently challenged by anxiety, going out at all is quite interesting. From a few different interviews, I’ve gathered that live performance is something of an anxious experience for Dominick; and at times due to this fact and the intense nature of the music, it made my watching his set feel oddly voyeuristic. I felt as though I was witnessing something that was private in nature and yet was in a mildly crowded club. I, nevertheless, enjoyed the set quite a lot and hope to have a chance to see a live set from Dominick again whether it's as Vatican Shadow or Prurient or even something new.

Once the table for the consoles was broken down, it was time to set up the amps for Earth’s set. Performing as a trio with Dylan Carlson on guitar, Don McGreevy on bass, and Adrienne Davies on drums; Earth would bring an altogether different type of hypnotic experience to Echoplex for their 45-minute set. While their music is primarily instrumental, Mr. Carlson was glad to greet the crowd and introduce each song including a new untitled track. With drone/experimental music being minimalistic in nature, more often than not, Earth had a tightness all their own as a band. 

As the meditative tones of the bass and electric guitar washed over the crowd, the drums provided a sort of calm pulse as the music moved along. Adrienne Davies’ drumming prowess and power were very much on display in her patient control; never attacking the drums but rather hitting them in a complementary way that completed the more or less constructive activity involved in guitar led drone music like that of which Earth is known for. So often in heavy music, tightness is judged by the speed and/or supposed technicality involved in playing; but Earth showed there is plenty of technicalities involved in playing slower and more calming music than there might be playing the fastest of death metal or grindcore songs. Slow, as well as calm, shouldn’t portray it as a quiet experience either and can only be further confirmed by the fact that Dylan blew out an amp as Earth started their final song for the night. Here’s the set list- Torn by the Fox of the Crescent Moon, There is a Serpent Coming(both from 2014′s Primitive and Deadly), The Bees Made Honey in the Lions Skull(the title track from Earth’s 2009 release), untitled new song, Old Black (from 2011′s Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1)

It was a unique and special evening to witness such different artists together, and I hope I can attend shows with this kind of diversity more in the future. 

[angelixapzs]

Dear Boy, last night at the Echo LA They were fantastic.

[thelindawangphotography]

lostboycrow

The Echo LA. LLC.

Los Angeles, CA

[theechola]

TONIGHT: Haunting Renditions LIVE with @eliotglazer in The Echo with special guests @edroste, Kate Berlant, @reggiewatts and The Dance Cartel! TIX: http://ticketf.ly/1Ef0Xfc http://ift.tt/1PQi2xe