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Echo Park Film Center back in town with new classes/events

The Echo Park Film Center is back in town after its 2011 Summer Tour, during which they took the film mobile from coast to coast offering classes and workshops in dozens of cities. Now they are back with a new schedule of classes and screenings for all of Echo Park (and Los Angeles) to enjoy.

First off, Friday, September 2 is the launch party for the EPFC Audience Photographs book – a series of photos taken at every one of their film screenings and events at the Echo Park location over a couple of years (we wrote about it last December). The book has 180 pages of these color photos, which you can get for $20 (for $30 they’ll give you a copy of the Sound We See DVD, the summer youth film workshop taught by EPFC Summer Artist In Residence, Merv Espina). Be there at 8:00 pm!

Upcoming Classes

All students must pre-register. Call or email for more information on participating. Space is limited.

EPFC Fall Youth Class: City of Angels
Thursdays 4:30 – 6:30 pm; September – December 2011
A 12-week after school workshop where students will learn the fundamentals of documentary filmmaking while creating individual short films celebrating family and community stories.Open to local youth ages 12 – 19; no experience necessary. All equipment and materials provided free of charge by EPFC.

Read more

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Echo Park projects seek GOOD LA funding – with your vote

GOOD magazine and EPIP LA (Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy) are holding a competition of sorts for $2,500 to go to a deserving community project. Any project or organization that is “good for our city” and needed funding submitted their ideas to the website, and the winner determined by the number of public votes received. Applications were accepted up until August 24, and there are only seven days left to vote!

Lucky for you, there are two well-deserving Echo Park projects on the ballot for the funding – Peace in the Garden, submitted by the Echo Park Time Bank, and Echo Park Public Displays of Art, a local art walk/community event/neighborhood cleanup.

Peace in the Garden is sponsored by the Echo Park Time Bank and the Micheltorena School Community Garden, a partnership aimed at “peacemaking program for elementary school kids to learn non-violent communication and conflict resolution.” They’ll accomplish this by hiring a conflict resolution instructor for the school. Additionally, the funds will purchase a “buddy bench,” sashes for Peacemaker participants, and copies of the book Jadyn and the Magic Bubble: I Met Gandhi. Click here to vote!

The Echo Park WedPDA project will fund the one-day event where Echo Park becomes a “fun, playful and engaging artistic landscape to connect and celebrate COMMUNITY!” The funds would support artists and participating attendees for supplies, sidewalk chalk, etc., the costs of permits/insurance, design and printing costs for all the advertising/marketing, volunteer costs (water, t-shirts, snacks) and the neighborhood clean up. Click here to vote!

Now there are a total of 47 great ideas, but you have until Wednesday, September 7 by midnight to vote! You can only vote once, so make it count!

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Echo Park’s own Sunset Junction replacement: Echo Park Rising

 

Since Sunset Junction will no longer function this weekend, it became clear yesterday that Echo Park would be absorbing some of the acts meant for the weekend-long festival. Silver Lake residents and business owners have also organized the No Function Junction in the area where the festival would have taken place, and now the Echo Park organizers have a name for our very own Sunset Junction replacement – Echo Park Rising.

From Saturday, August 27 through Sunday, August 28, Echo Park businesses and venues will host many of the performers (some we are sad won’t be booked, like Ozomatli). According to the website, Echo Park Rising is “weekend long festival celebrating life, art, music and culture.  Located in Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood, EPR brings together local businesses on and around Sunset Blvd, creating an open environment for the enjoyment of live music, independent art, local cuisine and all around good times.”

The Eastsider LA posted a great summary of what performers are going where this weekend, the following is a list of Echo Park venues:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Click here for the full list.

Additionally, restaurants and other businesses are contributing with some great deals:

  • Allston Yacht Club: Happy hour all night Saturday, $5 drink special, the AYC Cooler (ginger watermelon lemonade, vodka)
  • Anejo Duddery:- TBA discounts/specials
  • 8-Limbs: Discount Yard Sale
  • Backside: 25% off all apparel and accessories
  • Bobbie: 20% off select apparel
  • City Sip: TBA discounts/specials
  • deKor: TBA discounts/specials
  • Echo Park Independent Co-Op – up to 70% off stock
  • Gentlemen’s Breakfast – 15% all stock
  • iam8bit – 5% charitable donation to 826LA for all original art/product sales and live music
  • Lot 1 Cafe: live music
  • Mohawk Bend: FREE Secret Dessert for patrons who mention Echo Park Rising this weekend
  • Origami Vinyl: 10% Everything Sale
  • Stories Books & Cafe: 20% off all used books, cafe specials and live music
  • Taxi CDC: 30% off regularly priced merchandise
  • Two Boots: Live Music on Patio
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Fire hydrant busts on Glendale Blvd in Echo Park

Photo by Malcolm Miller

A fire hydrant seems to have been displaced this late afternoon/early evening, apparently thanks to a semi-truck. Traffic on Glendale Boulevard in the north direction is usually a pain in the rear (all those downtown workers heading home), and this is really making things worse. Traffic is red, red, red from 1st street near downtown all the way up to the problem area at Allesandro and Glendale Boulevard.

Makes you want to take your car through just for the free wash? How about a little bathing suit action (it’s 89 degrees in our house!)?

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Tonight’s Echo Park Jazz at Lot 1 to benefit 826LA

Multimedia Journalist Drew Tewksbury started booking jazz shows at Echo Park music venue Lot 1 Cafe on Thursday nights earlier this year, but tonight is a special installment of Echo Park Jazz as a benefit for 826LA.

The show features Andrew Lessman Trioo, with special guest saxophonist Joe Santa Maria (Andrew on drums, Joe Santa Maria on sax, Emilio Terranova on bass and Clinton Patterson sitting in on trumpet).

The Clinton Patterson group will also present the soulfully imaginative keyboard explorations by Rhodes player Clinton Patterson with Andrew Lessman on the drums.

Come hear some incendiary underground jazz and help support 826LA’s wonderful efforts to provide tutoring services for kids in Echo Park.

Doors open at 9:00 pm, the show starts at 9:30

21 and up

$5 at the door – all proceeds go to 826LA

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Echo Park live/work building future home vegetarian restaurant

It’s been almost a year since Echo 1030 opened its doors for leasing its 20 loft-style, LEED Certified units, and now it looks like the retail/commercial space on the first floor is getting a new resident.

According to Eater LA, the eco-friendly building located at 1030 Alvarado is the future home of an unnamed vegetarian restaurant run by DJ Goura Chandra and Raffi Roumdikian of Seven Bar. Opening hopefully early next year, the restaurant joins nearby vegan restaurant Elf Cafe and newly opened Mohawk Bend. The Eater LA article describes what the new restaurant will have to offer:

Chandra, who has been a lifelong vegetarian, says that dishes served at the unnamed restaurant are based on “all my crazy and tasty food creations,” and while he will definitely oversee foodstuffs, he will most likely not serve as the day to day chef. In addition to a conventional dining room and lounge, the restaurant will also encompass a to-go counter selling wraps, sandwiches, and salads “in our mini Whole Foods-type convinience store which will be a part of the restraunt (no dividing walls).”

And because vegetarians do like to drink, expect plenty of booze. For the most part, the alcohol program centers around micro-brews and boutique wines, but cocktails will be available as well. Chandra says that he’s a big fan of craft beers and has a big hop craving 🙂 (his smiley face, not ours). For both food and drink, he plans to source locally and seasonally. Right now the space is raw and a full build-out is to come. Oh, and because Chandra hails from a music background, he intends on lining up DJs to play “cutting edge alternative music” in the restaurant’s lounge area.

The question is… can we have this many craft beer joints in Echo Park? Between Sunset Beer, Mohawk Bend, Red Hill (upcoming), El Prado, and the many restaurants with their own great beers on tap – my wallet might suffer. Echo Park is certainly becoming a hub for craft beers and restaurants!

 

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Echo Park may absorb some canceled Sunset Junction gigs

You’ve probably heard the news already, but it looks like the 2011 Sunset Junction may just actually be canceled due to permit issues (yep, just three days before!). However, there hasn’t been a final confirmation from the event organizers – the website is down, The Eastsider LA says they’re still waiting, and even though both LAist and LA Weekly seem to have given up, the LA Times just posted a statement from the organizers without a clear green light/red light confirmation.

Should it get canceled… (we mean officially of course) Origami Vinyl, which has had a role in this year’s Sunset Junction, got us thinking about how Echo Park can help absorb some of the gigs meant for the now-canceled Sunset Junction this weekend. The vinyl records shop tweeted today:

We think @theechola + Stories Books/Cafe + Echo Park Independent Co-Op + Us should book these SJ bands and get a lil block party goin…

Echo Park Independent Coop is down to host a block party as well.

I say, do it! Would be great for the businesses and the artists involved.

UPDATE:

If Sunset Junction does end up not happening, locals have already started organizing an alternative: The First Annual No Function Junction (and they have a Facebook page!).

What can you expect? Performances by The Ukelele Orchestra of the Western Hemisphere, former Sunset Junction bands at the 4100 Bar and the Living Room, and magic by Christopher Wonder. Also, “Don’t forget to pick up your complimentary compliment at the ‘Complimentary Compliments’ booth with Sirocco Research Labs. Stop by ReForm School at Sunset and Hyperion to find out more details….Spread the word.”

h/t The Eastsider LA

MORE UPDATES:

The Echo announced that The Butthole Surfers and 400 Blows will be playing there on Saturday.

Origami Vinyl will host Barrio Tiger on Saturday and Manhattan Murder Mystery on Sunday.

Stories Books and Cafe have the Damselles and the TC4 on Saturday.

E.P.I.C. will have the Black Apples on Sunday.

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DUI Checkpoint in Echo Park Saturday

If you plan on going out and having too much of a fun time this weekend, make sure you have a designated driver. Not just because there are TONS of DUI checkpoints planned for the Los Angeles area in the next couple of weeks, but because it’s a responsible thing to do. Either way, officers will be located at Sunset Boulevard and Sutherland in Echo Park on Saturday, August 20 from 8:00 pm to 2:00 am to keep intoxicated drivers off the road.

The crackdown is dubbed the “Avoid the 100” – meaning, avoid the 100 local police agencies involved in the checkpoints. They’ll be deploying DUI Driver’s License Checkpoints, Multi Agency DUI Task Force operations and local Roving DUI patrols during the 18 day Summer/Labor Day campaign. They won’t just be in Echo Park on Saturday, and many other checkpoints are planned throughout Los Angeles tonight through September 4.

But what do you care – you live in Echo Park and just walk to the nearest bar instead of driving… right?

While they’ll be checking for driver’s licenses, in March this year the LAPD changed the rules regarding impounding cars of unlicensed drivers – a rule that immigrants rights advocates have said unlawfully targeted undocumented immigrants. According to an article in the LA Times:

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said that police would be required to try to contact the registered owner of a vehicle stopped at a checkpoint. If the owner is licensed and can arrive in a reasonable amount of time, the car will not be impounded. If the owner is unlicensed, but a licensed driver is in the car, that person may be permitted to take it.

The article continues: The Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley found that of all the cars impounded during a three month period in 2009, 55% were impounded for unlicensed drivers, versus 14% impounded for an actual DUI and criminal warrants.

Be safe!

h/t LA Now

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Just head north through… Enendale?

Bing Maps has us scratching our heads when we searched for our Echo Park neighborhood. Is “Enendale” code for something? Last we checked the historical name for the area is Edendale, but even that isn’t really used. Does Bing know something we don’t know…?

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, August 15 through Sunday, August 21

Monday
Monday Night Residency: Active Child, Robotanists, Electric Guest, Corridor @ Echo
Robert Francis, The Lonely Wild, Jack Littman @ Bootleg Theater
Bird Mad Girl, So Wrong, Pastilla @ Lot 1 Cafe
The Wilderness Of Manitoba @ Origami Vinyl

Tuesday
Tuesday Night Residency : The Allah Las, Strangers Family Band, Crooked Cowboy, Peace (featuring Jeffrey Davies) @ Echo
Iheartcomix, Media Contender, LA Record Present: Check Yo’ Ponytail 2 Featuring Pictureplane, Ooooo, Javelin, Holy Other, Hollagramz, Tri-Angle Record Djs, Franki Chan @ Echoplex
Richard Buckner, David Kilgour, Wheelhouse, Olentangy John @ Bootleg Theater
Stab City, Mothers of Gut, Backseat Bingo @ Lot 1 Cafe

Wednesday
Jaxart & KSPC Present Candy Claws, Races, Moses Campbell, Masxs @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Soko, Marlon Rabenreither (Sister Ruby Band), Psychic Friend @ Bootleg Theater
Heidi Beth Farelle, Blaise Smith, Aftergloam, Pegleglove @ Lot 1 Cafe
Alias Means @ Taix Lounge
LA Font @ Origami Vinyl

Thursday
Spaceland Under The Stars With Spirit Vine, Black Flamingo @ Pershing Square
The Happy Hollows, Pek Pek, Dirt Dress, Gentle Hands @ Echo
Galaga 2331: Open Mike Eagle, Gel Roc, K-The-I-???, Bizzart, Alwayz Pro @ Lot 1 Cafe
Harmony Merloni & Mark Macandili @ Taix Lounge

Friday
Sailor Jerry Presents Wooden Shjips, The Night Beats Plus Club Underground DJs @ Echo
Bearracuda @ Echoplex
Flashlights, Kuhrye-Oo, Steffaloo, The Neighborhood @ Lot 1 Cafe
Judson Mckinney, The Other Boys, Steph Brown @ Taix Lounge
Hyena @ Origami Vinyl

Saturday
Mucho And Echoplex present 2011 Visionary Sounds Music Festival Featuring: Torreblanca, Upground, Nina Dioz, Orlando And The Shantelles, Master Blaster, Street Spirit, Viirey, Andrea Balency, Josh @ Echoplex
Ganglians, Cuckoo Chaos @ Echo
Funky Sole @ Echo
Walk The Moon, Airlines, Future Dancing @ Bootleg Theater
Sketch Monster, Deadly Weapons, Bikini Thrills, Manix, Annatommy @ Lot 1 Cafe
Lee Ferris, Rocky Neck Bluegrass Band @ Taix Lounge
Flashlights @ Origami Vinyl

Sunday
Grand Ole Echo with The Get Down Boys, Rose’s Pawn Shop, Claremont Voodoo Society @ Echo
Part Time Punks – 4ad Records Nite with Black Flamingo performing a Set Of Cocteau Twins covers @ Echo
Hot TV, My Parade, The Cosmic Telegraph Company @ Lot 1 Cafe

Visit the venue websites for more information on the cost and times of shows. This list may not represent all the musical events happening in Echo Park this week – feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time. New events announced for the week after this posting may not be included.

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New Echo Park gallery to open with ’80s gaming inspired art

A new art studio space is opening in Echo Park, actually just around the corner from the new Mohawk Bend, is starting things off with a bang – tomorrow night, the new iam8bit Productions is hosting an art opening for fans of 1980s video game artwork. The group show is hosting over 100 artists “re-imagining” their 1980s era gaming fantasies via painting, sculpture, plush, and some interactive displays.

The super grand opening party starts at 7 pm and ends at 11 pm, music by DJ R-Rated along with Leeni and A_Rival. The show runs through September 10, 2011.

iam8bit took over the space a while back in November of 2010, spending their time renovating the 4,500 square foot space since then. In an email, owner Jon Gibson told us about the renovation: “We’ve been working rather stealthily, dramatically transforming what was a pretty dumpy space.”

And they are excited not just for the opening but also for the neighborhood: “We’re rather intent on bringing the local businesses in the neighborhood together, as one of the things we specialize in (and the reason we initially got the space) was for our marketing boutique and production company, in which we’ve become known for our community programs (i.e. engaging fans of brands).”

iam8bit is located at 2147 W. Sunset Boulevard

Looking forward to the show – see you all there!

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A happy weather weekend for Echo Park

Some weird weather the past week, eh? There’s been a little bit of humidity in the air as of late (I’m not complaining, having just come back from Virginia a few days ago), causing some “monsoonal” rains in the dessert and bulbous (cumulus?) clouds over the mountains.

Nearby neighbor Will Cambell posted this photo of the Silver Lake sky the other day on his blog, and there was even a report of drops of rain Elysian Heights/Echo Park on Tuesday. This weekend promises some nice, sunny, and cooler weather with a high of 80 degrees. Sounds like a perfect weekend for some Elysian Park BBQs?

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Angelino Heights police activity this afternoon

A post on the Angelino Heights Yahoo! forum today caught our attention, and you may have noticed the helicopter and police activity. Here’s why:

At the request of Ed of Select Patrol, I’m just sending out a quick set of details of the police activity that occurred on the 1300 block of Carroll Avenue starting around 3:10pm today. All of this information is relayed from Ed and one or two other neighbours who were around.

Around 3:10 this afternoon, a young woman was dropped off near the intersection of Bellevue and West Kensington. She approached another woman that was walking down the sidewalk and ripped a gold chain from this woman’s neck before either walking or running west in the direction of Edgeware. Ed witnessed the incident and followed the robber up Bellevue to Edgeware and onto Carroll with the victim of the attack in pursuit on foot.

When the suspected thief reached the corner of East Edgeware and Carroll, it seems she returned the necklace to the victim in an attempt to claim she had committed no crime. Ed was in touch with LAPD dispatch at this point and was relaying details of the incident and the location of the alleged thief. After some remarkably loud and histrionic behaviour (claims that the took the necklace because she was pregnant and needed the money for neonatal care, etc.) that seems to have been an attempt to get the victim and Ed to leave her alone, the suspect then approached 1320 Carroll while wailing aloud.

At this point in time, roughly 3:20pm, the police patrol cars were inbound and there was an LAPD helicopter circling. Within a few minutes, the patrol cars had arrived, the suspect was in handcuffs being questioned and the victim was returning to Carroll now that there was a police presence.

And that was pretty much the end of the drama.

One neighbour did claim that he saw a suspect vehicle parked near the intersection of Douglas and Carroll with only the driver in it and it may have been the vehicle that dropped off the alleged thief and was waiting to pick her up. Ed and at least one LAPD officer think this may be the pattern of a group of robbers. As always, you should keep a healthy eye out for cars that seem to be traveling too slowly for traffic or that seem to be passing pedestrians repeatedly. It is likely that the victim in this case was spotted from the car and may have been watched for a short time before she was mugged.

Just sending this out as a favor to Ed. I have related the events as they were conveyed to me as accurately as I can but I only witnessed the last few minutes of the incident. As a result, there are sure to be errors. My apologies in advance.

Stay safe out there!

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New BBQ restaurant coming to Echo Park – with your help

The Park’s Finest has been in Echo Park for some time now, but as a mobile catering company. Owner Johneric Concordio grew up here, BBQing his way through the more turbulent times of Echo Park in the ’80s and ’90s. Now, the BBQ (with a Filipino twist) company is looking to establish itself in a physical location in what was formerly “The Far East” Japanese restaurant at 1267 West Temple Street.

Johneric has already started to demo (that space SOOO needs some love), but they’ve got a long way to go before opening hopefully in November. And they are looking toward the community to help them with the project – through a website called Indie GoGo, they are hoping to raise money for the kitchen remodel and equipment, furniture, city fees, signage and more. And to encourage you to donate, they offer a few perks from t-shirts to BBQ sauce and more for every extra bit you donate.

He’s hoping it will be more than a restaurant. According to the Pleasure Palate blog, “Johneric wants this restaurant to be a center for community, culture, art and of course, for fabulous food. By the way, when it comes to the food, it may be more than just BBQ, Johneric has talked about introducing more rustic Filipino dishes that aren’t normally found in stateside Filipino restaurants and believe me, that has definitely piqued my interest.”

Why should you donate? Their Indie GoGo page explains:

…The Park’s Finest, a mobile catering company based in Echo Park, has brought a distinct flavor to the LA food scene with our Filipino take on traditional American cuts of BBQ. We have blessed backyard boogies and community events all over the Southland, and have steadily gained popularity. To meet the rise in demand, as a community-oriented company, we aim to reinvigorate the blighted district of Historic Filipinotown in Echo Park. Our community fundraising campaign will build capital for a restaurant that offers a fulfilling dining experience, for families and friends to enjoy savory BBQ in an atmosphere where musicians and artists can showcase works that reflect and celebrate the intersections of the dynamic cultures and histories bridged by this vibrant area of LA.

We certainly wouldn’t mind some tasty BBQ action in the neighborhood, so we wish The Park’s Finest the best of luck!

Click here to donate to The Parks Finest, and check out the video below:




Related links:

  • Please Support Parks Finest BBQ – PS-they make the best Filipino inspired BBQ in town! Pleasure Palate, July 31, 2011.
  • Storefront Report: Filipino BBQ to replace Japanese diner in Echo Park. The Eastsider LA, August 4, 2011
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Tonight: Neighborhood Potluck with the EPIA

Tonight is a very delicious meeting hosted by the Echo Park Improvement Association (which I am a member of) – it’s the annual potluck!

Bring your favorite dish and join us at Barlow Hospital in Williams Hall, 2000 Stadium Way at 7:00 pm tonight!

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