Gallery: Echo Park Rising delivers smashing Saturday

Kevin Bronson on August 27th, 2012

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Echo Park rose on Saturday. And rose. And rose. And rose.

The first serious Echo Park Rising neighborhood festival (last year’s last-minute affair did not have nearly the scope or the musical range of this year’s) was by most accounts a huge success. More than 100 musical artists, almost all local, played, and big crowds roamed Sunset Boulevard and nearby avenues to take in performances at venues big and small. Overall, the day (on the same weekend once occupied by Sunset Junction) had a very South by Southwest vibe (for those who’ve been to the annual festival in Austin), except without the badges and tickets. The outdoor stage at Taix – headlined by Fool’s Gold (that’s guitarist Lewis Pesacov, top photo) – had robust crowds all day, as did the Buzz Bands LA Stage in Taix’s Champagne Room, where 10 bands played on the hour starting at 2 p.m., ending with a “nightcap set”/dance party by Youngblood Hawke. Whew.