Pulsars Play Echo Park Rising, 8-30-26

Pulsars

Echo Park Rising is finally back to its two-day format after several years of being just a one-day event. Yesterday, the second day, Pulsars played the festival, delivering a fantastic afternoon set at the Dada stage. It was another brutally hot day in Los Angeles (the word had gone around that the heat wave was breaking, but clearly the sun ignored that memo). At one point during the set, I turned to the guy next to me and said, "My elbows are sweating." It was that kind of heat. And immediately next to the area where the audience stood, someone had a grill going, which, if it did not actually add to the heat, at least seemed to do so. But none of that mattered, because the music was so damn good.

Beatrix

Beatrix (the stage named used by Arielle Kasnetz) opened the show just after 2 o' clock, performing as a duo with Ryan Lerman, both of them on electric guitar. Beatrix opened her set with "Class Reunion," and I was struck by her appealing and compelling vocal performance, drawing us in closer before then raising the energy. "It's hot as fuck right now, so thank you for being here," she said after her first song. Fortunately, there was some shade on the stage. Ryan delivered a nice guitar lead on "Firefly." And then "Somebody Else" featured an especially pretty and touching vocal performance. "By Mistake" contained another beautiful vocal performance. She wrapped up the set with "Dead Dog" and "Crushing."

Right at 3 o' clock, a playful recorded introduction to the show came through the speakers, making it clear this was going to be something different, something fun, getting the audience prepared. The short "Wisconsin" led straight into "Tunnel Song," and it was so great to hear the power in Dave Trumfio's voice, this rendition having tremendous energy. There was also a delicious pulse. This was fun, and some folks figured the heat be damned, and started dancing. It was an excellent start to the set. "Yes, Echo Park Rising," Dave shouted afterward. And then he asked, "Can I have a little more vocal please?" Then the Pulsars gave us "Suffocation," with a great steady pounding on the drums at the beginning. This was a gem from pop heaven, a song that most certainly should have been a hit. Dave again asked for a little more vocal in his monitor, and this time apparently got it. And the duo played "Owed To A Devil," followed by "Worker Robot Droid." "Do you ever smell the flowers that grow? No, you don't." Ah, I bet the same can be said for some humans. Dave playfully introduced the next song: "Yet another song about technology. Called 'Technology.'" A song with a good dance beat, with lots of hi-hat. "Technology will take control/Will take control technology/Technology will never die." As you might guess, the crowd especially responded to that song. "Thanks," Dave said, and then added, "Holy shit, it's hot." He mentioned that they just did a show in San Francisco, and some of the Silicon Valley folks were there and told him to watch out, that technology really is taking over. The advice Dave offered to the audience in Echo Park: make friends with the robots.

"Tales From Tomorrow," that song title, feels like a good description of this band's music. Although I suppose now we're living in tomorrow, which is a bit frightening. "Tales From Tomorrow" was followed by "Silicon Teens" (actually, first by "Machine Talk," which functioned as an introduction to "Silicon Teens"), a totally delightful number. "Clearly I am not a robot," Dave said afterward. The duo then played "Chicago Swingers," with Dave commenting that they were doing some deep cuts. He added that they might all be deep cuts for some of the folks there. I glanced around, and it was hard to tell whether these songs were familiar or unfamiliar to people in the audience. What seemed clear was that either way, the folks were digging what they were hearing. Next up was "Cast Iron Dog," which Dave introduced as "the first song I ever wrote for the Pulsars." "Everybody hydrating?" he asked the crowd after that song. You know it's an especially hot day when the band checks to make sure the audience is drinking enough water. And once it was clear that people were drinking water (or drinking something, anyway), Dave introduced the next song, "This is another song about robots." The song, "My Pet Robot," was another pop gem, another true delight. This whole set was a lot of fun. "Dear" followed, and then both parts of "Lucky Day." I especially loved when the second part began, with that great beat. Pulsars wrapped up the set with "Submission Song," the first lines delivered a cappella. "Put me on your latex bed/I won't breathe or pretend I'm dead." A totally delicious ending to an excellent set. I hope these guys will play more often. If you get a chance to see them, I highly recommend seizing that opportunity. You will not be disappointed.

This stage was located behind Dada, 1606 Sunset Boulevard.