HAIL THE SUN + INTERVALS CAPTIVATE THE ECHO IN LOS ANGELES
The bands Hail the Sun and Intervals co-headlined a packed house at the Echoplex on Friday, March 24th, 2024 as they are halfway into their North American spring tour. It feels as if their journey has led to this tour since both bands formed almost around the same time.
Hail the Sun formed in 2009 down in Chico, CA, and released their first studio album a year later titled ‘Pow! Right in the Kisser!’ Their first Los Angeles show was at a bar that only had less than 10 people in the audience. Fast forward to today and they have six albums under their name including last year’s ‘Divine Inner Tension’ and performing across the globe including an upcoming UK tour this summer.
Intervals formed two years later in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by guitarist Aaron Marshall who has been with the band since the beginning. The instrumental prog rock band has had a lot of talented artists contribute over the years including current members Jacob Umansky and Travis LeVrier. The band’s fifth studio album, ‘Memory Palace’, will be dropping May 17th. It’s their first album in four years and will be self-released.
Both performances lasted around the 45 to 50-minute mark. Intervals were having a great time on stage. All smiles and no lyrics throughout the performance. You can tell on his face Aaron lives for the moments like this night. The energy from the crowd gave him the fuel to provide a top-notch performance. Hail the Sun was performed right after. This is the second time I’ve shot the band. They were one of the first bands I shot during my first year as a concert photographer when they performed at The Regent in Downtown Los Angeles. However, it was a more challenging shoot this time as the Echoplex is a much smaller venue with no barricade at the front and less lighting. It was extremely difficult to move around the venue as it was super tight in the main floor area so I had to work. The closest I could get shots was at the back part of the main crowd and I was even lucky to get a spot there. Nevertheless just like last year’s show it was a blast.
Lead vocalist Donovan Melero has a gift of rock showmanship that’s for sure. He expresses a lot of emotion in his performances not just through the words from his lyrics but through his physical actions too. The way he throws his fist down with one hand and screams his heart out with the mic in the air every so often represents the heart and soul that he and the rest of the band give to this form of art. It was a hardcore crowd for this hardcore band.
