Monday, May 07, 2007

Evangenitals Join June 3 Lummis Day Festival Line-Up

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Evangenitals, whose witty and highly original alt-country hillbilly rock sound has attracted a loyal following in the So Cal club scene, will join the eclectic lineup of musical performers at the June 3 Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast L.A.

The band, which played its first gigs at Highland Park's Mr. T's Bowl, will perform on the Sousa-Hiner bandshell at Sycamore Grove Park (4900 N. Figueroa Street) along with top east side ensembles Quetzal, Ollin and the Susie Hansen Latin Band.

The Evangenitals recorded their first indie collection, "We Are The Evangenitals" in 2005. Their sound has been described by Musician Magazine as "..like the Dixie Chicks being beaten with their own guitars at the playful hands of the Violent Femmes."

The band's sophomore CD will be released in the summer of 2007.

The Evangenitals are Juli Crockett, principal songwriter, on kid guitar, lead vocals and kazoo; Lisa Dee on nylon guitar, harmonies and heavy breathing; Brett Lyda on lead guitar, lap steel, Casio and vocals; George Bernardo on drums, shakers, ooohs and ahhhs; and Jason Chesney on bass, guitar and pots and pans. The group is frequently augmented by Brian Landers on pedal steel and electric banjo; Dave "Salad" Salardino on mandolin, ukulele and banjo; and Zoe Moss on accordion.

Admission to all Lummis Day events--at Lummis Home and Sycamore Grove Park--is free. The Festival, a celebration of the city's diverse culture and rich history, will be presented by Occidental College and will begin with an 11:00 am poetry reading at Lummis Home and will continue at 12:30 pm in Sycamore Grove Park, where music, dance performances, puppetry, art exhibitions and food service will continue through 7:00 pm.

A broad cross-section of the city’s cultural traditions will be represented at the community-building event.

Lummis Day takes its name from Charles Fletcher Lummis, who joined the L.A. Times as the paper’s first city editor in 1876. Lummis was also one of the city’s first librarians, founded the Southwest Museum and helped introduce the concept of multi-culturalism to Southern California.

Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast Los Angeles is presented by Occidental College and sponsored by the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council, the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council, the Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council, the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, the Autry Center for the American West, public radio station KPFK 90.7, Time Warner Cable, the Arroyo Seco Journal and the Boulevard Sentinel with the support of the North Figueroa Association, Los Angeles City Council Districts 1 and 14, SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Historical Society of Southern California, Heritage Square Museum, the MTA, the Highland Park Heritage Trust, the Arroyo Arts Collective, the L.A. Poetry Festival, Rock Rose Productons, Orchestrada Audio and other community organizations.

For more info, contact: Eliot Sekuler 818-535-9178

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