(Attended 10/05/13 SA @ 4:00pm): Rock the arts and allow the creativity to soar!…read more
I decided to be a volunteer at the 15th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival instead as an attendee in order to experience this event from a different perspective. Even as a volunteer, I still ponied-up the suggested donation fee online ($10.00).
I've always had a really good time at this wonderful local music and food event. But this year, the theme was more about "quality than quantity". The amount of stages was nearly cut in half (down to six this year) with one central main stage on Eagle Rock's main drag of Colorado Blvd., and the other five stages on the property of local businesses. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Gf_xctSA1jQuXWVPKrfEBw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
Make sure you planned accordingly with comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and cash. From 4pm-10pm, you had a selection of nearly 40 acts to sample from, along with your requisite food trucks http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=YjdwKPogBzKYLDJT7g21Vg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw, vendor and sponsor booths, local businesses, and of course people watching (which could've been considered another act) http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=pqFy39E_bUNjan-hMifupA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. As with most local music festivals, I'm lucky if I've ever heard any of the bands before, but that was usually the draw for me to these events since I'm all about the music! Each stage was its own unique music genre from rock (Center Stage), experimental (LA Filipino American Church), family (Eagle Rock City Hall), sub tropical / global bass (Rantz), Americana/folk (Women's 20th Century Club), blues/jazz/rock & roll (Colombo's), and indie/punk (Bateman Heating And Water).
Oddly enough, with the exception of the very first act of the day (Little Red Lung) whom I felt was surprisingly good although I still couldn't think who the female singer sounded like, all the others I caught were okay. My head was bouncing during the Dub Club set http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Gdwoe9MzV5juj9IGOtBsmg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw and, the Joe Johnston Band played good old "geezer rock" http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=ZVjK67bciBbaqzol1MdJJA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw.
One additional shout out to my Filipino heritage and the killer melon juice I bought ($2.00 cash) at the LA Filipino American Church. Such a bargain and seriously one of the best damn juices I've ever drank. My aunties never made this! http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=eWEls4X64AETEmOdq3V6Rg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
Service - It was pretty straightforward to enter as there were two main entrances at both ends of the festival. At the entrance lines, the volunteers kindly asked for a "...suggested $10.00 donation to help support the Center for the Arts...", and if you did you were handed a program and given a hand-stamp as acknowledgment for your donation (regardless of amount). If you purchased a VIP pass online through Ticketfly $20.00, which gave you a quicker line, access to the front of the main stage, and passes to a show at the Center of the Arts, you were golden. Entry and re-entry were simple. Once inside, do as you please and all the vendors and food trucks were ready to serve your needs. For the most-part, pretty seamless.
Parking - The best option was to park your vehicle at the Eagle Rock Plaza and took the shuttle that dropped you off at Eagle Rock Blvd. Or, you you rode your bike, there was a bike valet also at the entrance of Eagle Rock Blvd. If you chose to drive...good luck! If you were lucky enough to find non-metered parking along the many nearby residential streets, you scored big-time! I volunteered to work the event so I was there early enough. I didn't see any private parking lots.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience - Outdoors along a mutli-block stretch of Colorado Blvd. between Eagle Rock Blvd. and Argus Dr., you were free to roam the streets or along the sidewalks. The police and security presence was everywhere so safety certainly wasn't a concern. The crowd was as eclectic as you'd expect. The sound from each stage was very good, and no TVs or monitors anywhere.
Attire - It was an outdoor festival, so I was in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and comfy shoes - lots of walking and standing so no flip-flops this time around.
Overall, if you're generally a fan of music, supporter of the arts, and wanted to explore a community, the Eagle Rock Music Festival accomplished these. You honestly couldn't beat a day outdoors in the warm fall California weather as music rumbled through the air and the aroma of tantalizing food - technically all for free! I found total value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total experience was around $12.00; no tip required), but again, you could've spent nothing at all. And, my credit card of choice wasn't accepted at all vendor booths and food trucks, my ticket purchase/donation was...AMEX!