Kevin Bronson on November 4th, 2015

2

In 2015, the east end of Sunset Boulevard has become every bit the music mecca that the west end was in decades past.

Concert promoters Spaceland Presents announced two weeks ago they have begun hosting ticketed shows at Echo Park’s The Lost Room, an unassuming 80-capacity shoebox at 1534 Sunset Blvd. It continues a trend of major promoters reaching their tentacles into smaller rooms normally the domain of house bookers or venue owners. (Goldenvoice, for instance, has been behind several recent shows at the Lyric Theatre, 520 N. La Brea Ave.)

The Lost Room debuted by hosting sets during Echo Park Rising in August, and, a Spaceland representative says, it offers an alternative for artists who want cozy and/or acoustic shows or underplays — the thought being, of course, that it’s better to play a packed 80-capacity room than it is a one-third-full 250-capacity club.

Only three blocks away from the Spaceland hubs the Echo and the Echoplex, the Lost Room joins the rejuvenated Lot 1 Café (directly across the street) — which is in the process of an ambitious facelift and has gained approval to allow alcoholic beverages in its performance room. Lot 1 and its cover-charge-free shows have long been a locus for the local DIY scene.

The British pub adjacent to The Lost Room — the Lost Knight — has gotten into the live music game too, offering independently booked and cover-charge-free shows in its main bar area, mostly on weekends. There are occasional live shows in the small performance room at Little Joy two blocks to the east. And Live Nation has been booking weeknight rock shows at Club Bahia farther to the East since late last year.

In addition to the occasional free shows at neighborhood record shops Origami Vinyl and Lollipop Records, it adds up to a wealth of music options only a few blocks apart.

Photos by Carl Pocket