Echo Park Rising 2026: Friday Kick-Off Had Style

Echo Park Rising was advertised as a Saturday / Sunday event, but the festival had a "kick-off" on Friday evening / night. There were four stages involved. It was technically supposed to kick off at the Echo Park Farmers Market, but there was a delay and so the kick off was at The Echo with Ellery Harper playing to the 5 p.m. early arrivals. The night was filled with a nice mix of bands and singer-songwriters that I'd seen before as well as new ones. (FYI: I wrote specific posts about BEL, Creakbed, and WINN WINN so they're not being mentioned here). 

American Sigh at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: WINN WINN's Pool Day (an evening at Echo Park Rising, Sticky Rice stage)

Like I've been doing for the past couple years, I posted on Instagram the three day Echo Park Rising schedule. I put together the schedule, because I like seeing things a certain way and figure others might have the same preference. Someone made a comment that for the Friday night schedule that I should catch Winn Winn at the Sticky Rice stage. 

WINN WINN at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: BEL's Fresh Start (an evening at Echo Park Rising, The Echo stage)

Friday was the kick-off night for Echo Park Rising and BEL (Isabel Whelan's mononym) was headlining The Echo stage. My fading memory had me thinking that I came across her once at WFNM. Taking a more careful look, I realized that it was in fact at the Silverlake Lounge back in 2022 when she played with one of my favorite singers Gracie Gray. Her bio describes her music as a blend of "a folk songwriter's heart with the alluring polish of a classic pop artist." 

BEL at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Creakbed's over again (an evening at Echo Park Rising, The Echo stage)

It was off to Echo Park Rising with my press pass. Though the festival was advertised as a Saturday / Sunday event, there was a Friday evening kick off that featured the core stages of Sticky Rice, The Echo, and The Semi-Tropic. I made it a three day celebration of the Los Angeles music scene and was off in search of bands to feature in my Song Spotlight articles. As soon as I heard Creakbed over at The Echo, I knew two things right off the bat. I planned on including them on my annual list of favorite discovered bands and I had found the first band of the festival for a Song Spotlight write-up. 

Creakbed at Echo Park Rising

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Sep 6th - Sep 12th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Sunday, Sep 6th: Gretchen Klempa at Healing Force of the Universe. Doors at 8 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for her song "A Little Bit" back in 2025.

Sunday, Sep 6th: Harry the Nightgown at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "lines" back in 2025.

Monday, Sep 7th: Dave Harrington at Club Tee Gee. Doors at 8 p.m.
In 2025, I wrote a review of his set.

Tuesday, Sep 8th: Avery Tucker and Ella Woolsey at Zebulon. Doors at 7:30 p.m.
I wrote a Song Spotlight for Avery Tucker's song "Knots" back in April.
I wrote a Song Spotlight for Ella Woolsey's song "a million" back in May.

Wednesday, Sep 9th: Annie Jets and Buckets at The Airliner Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Annie Jets' song "Avalanche" back in 2025.

Earlier this year, I wrote a review of Buckets' set.

Thursday, Sep 10th: Gilbert Louie Ray at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for his song "What I Have Left" back in March.

Thursday, Sep 10th: Jessy Fury at Bar Lubitsch. Doors at 7:00 p.m.
I wrote a Song Spotlight for his song "Heaven" back in 2024.

Friday, Sep 11th: Small Crush at the Lodge Room. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "You Suck" back in 2025.

Saturday, Sep 12th: Honeychain at Maui Sugar Mill. Doors at 9 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Easy to Forget" back in April.

Saturday, Sep 12th: Slowpoke at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Tiki Dream" back in 2025.

Song Spotlight: Mimi Pretend's Baby Blue (a night at The Airliner Bar)

Mimi Pretend (moniker for Miriam Nissan) closed out a great night of music at The Airliner Bar (a Rocknite showcase event). The night included Katrina Weissman and Small Shake. With this post, I've written up articles on all three. So yeah, it was a great night of music and not just for me. All three had the crowd pressed close to the stage. When I see something like that, I feel like it validates my music tastes. 

Mimi Pretend at The Airliner Bar

Song Spotlight: Kingstarlight's Daytrip (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Sometimes I just can't make it from my work to a WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy in time to catch the full set of the opening band / artist. That was the case for Kingstarlight (moniker for Julian Bell) where I missed the first song of the set. When I walked into the venue, the vibes of the set got my pulse racing. I squeezed through the crowd to get to a spot to take my photos and enjoyed the rest of the set. 

Kingstarlight at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Ali Blake's Arrow (a night at the Bigfoot Lodge)

Ali Blake was the opening act at the Bigfoot Lodge for a recent Americana Joy showcase. She's a Chicago native who currently lives in Atwater Village so perhaps she walked over to the venue to play her set. Her bio describes her music as "Inspired by the natural world, the human experience, and a wide range of artists from Etta James to Fiona Apple, there is always a soulfulness that comes through."  

Ali Blake at the Bigfoot Lodge

Song Spotlight: Piper Leone's Joke's on Me (a night at the Bigfoot Lodge)

Piper Leone (Piper Thrams), the die hard UCLA Bruins fan (graduate) from the age of 8, took the stage at the Bigfoot Lodge for an Americana Joy showcase night. Not on the setlist was her anti-USC song "You & Usc." Yes, the SC is not capitalized. I see this as a friendly rivalry diss, because if there was a real hatred there the song would be titled "You & usc." I will say that her UCLA vs USC stance is seen in a positive light for me. Just to be clear, I am a Duke fan, but when it comes to Los Angeles rivalries, I'm in for UCLA.

Piper Leone at the Bigfoot Lodge

Song Spotlight: Semi Trucks' Secret (a night at Zebulon)

Semi Trucks fronted by Brenden Sepe brought a raw power to Zebulon on a recent Monday night. They were the opening band for Bondo's record release party and their gritty performance immediately injected energy into the evening festivities. The crowd gathered around the stage with a focused attention throughout the set. The band split their set between songs from their sophomore album Georgia Overdrive as well as testing out new material. Their new material was well received. In fact, the crowd seemed to enjoy their final song of the night, the unreleased "Drunken," the most.

Semi Trucks at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Small Shake's Toxic (a night at Zebulon)

Opening up for Johanna Samuels' recent Zebulon record release party (presented by Sid the Cat) for her album Sorry, Kid was Small Shake (fronted by Aarin Wright). I covered the night for US Rocker Music should you be interested in reading the review. Why the name Small Shake? According to her brief Spotify bio, she's into sweet cakes and milkshakes. 

Small Shake at Zebulon

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Aug 30th - Sept 5th

A Handful (Bucketful) of Show Alerts 

Sunday, Aug 30th: Final day of Echo Park Rising.

Sunday, Aug 30th: Gal Musette at Scribble. Doors at 7:30 p.m.

Made my list of favorite new musicians of 2023.

Monday, Aug 31st: Brookelen at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for her song "moon" back in June.

Monday, Aug 31st: El Colmo and Hex Code at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.
In 2024, I did a review of El Colmo's set for US Rocker Music.
I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Walk Into It" back in 2025.

Tuesday, Sep 1st: Night Talks at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Running on a Cloud" back in 2025.

Tuesday, Sep 1st: Satellite Citi at the Moroccan Lounge. Doors at 6:30 p.m.

In 2023, I wrote a review of the band for US Rocker Music.

Wednesday, Sep 2nd: Gina Jacqueline at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for her song ""Medicine"" back in June.

Wednesday, Sep 2nd: Pop Hysteria at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

In 2024, I caught the band at Happy Sundays Long Beach. See a photo I took for US Rocker Music here.

Thursday, Sep 3rd: Horse Rider at Non Plus Ultra. Doors at 8 p.m.

Made my list of favorite new bands of 2025.

Thursday, Sep 3rd: The ACA at Alex's Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Dos Capital" back in July.

Thursday, Sep 3rd: Ty Teg at Old Towne Pub. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for her song "Open Sky" back in 2025.

Saturday, Sep 5th: Hailey Wild and Moonfuzz at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for her song "Wake Up" back in 2024.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Hell Week" back in 2025.

Saturday, Sep 5th: The ACA at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

Has a busy week with a gig also on Thursday.

Saturday, Sep 5th: Ty Teg at The Smell. Doors at 8:30 p.m.
Has a busy week with a gig also on Thursday.

Two Movies seen on TCM: Honeysuckle Rose (1980) and The Woman in the Window (1944)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.