The Pink Slips Shred Late Afternoon Showcase At Echo Park Rising

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Echo Park, CA- “Echo Park Rising is a neighborhood event in it’s 7th year that focuses on the music, creativity, diversity and small businesses of Echo Park. There are multiple stages and activities throughout the weekend located on the main routes of Sunset Blvd, Glendale Blvd, Alvarado Avenue, Echo Park Avenue and beyond.” The joy I get from attending this annual, local musical showcase is twofold: (1) I get to see some of my fave acts rock for free and (2) I get to take fliers on certain bands to see/hear what they’re all about and hopefully add them to my list of local acts to keep and eye on.

The first act I decided to check out on August 19th, 2017 at Echo Park Rising was a female fronted rock/punk band named The Pink Slips. To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t listened to their music before checking them out. I literally knew nothing about them other than their name … and what a dope name it was: The. Pink. Slips. That name couldn’t be more perfect.

As I approached the door to the venue- which appeared to be a cleared out lounge area of the local record label Blank City Records- I could hear the snarl of female voice. As I got closer, and the music got louder, I immediately thought to myself that this band I picked based on their name was a wise choice. Peering into the room from the door, I could see the band sharing floor space with their audience. Their lead singer, GRAVE, was a fearless, uninhibited performer, pouring out her soul at 4:30 in the afternoon. Tons of rock and roll attitude with the right kind of music to back it up. It just seemed to come naturally to GRAVE… and there is apparently a good reason for that.

It wasn’t until the next day, after I had posted an Instagram photo of the performance, that a fellow photographer incredulously DM’d me, “Dude, do you know whose daughter that is?” When I responded that I had no idea, I received the following DM, “Grace McKagan. Duff’s daughter”.

Wow. Having spent a large chunk of my early audiophile years listening to “Appetite For Destruction”, and placing “November Rain” as an outro track on a couple mix-tapes for girls I was trying to woo, I had unknowingly seen the grown daughter of one of the founding members of Guns N’ Roses tear it up on Saturday afternoon in Echo Park. Not gonna lie … the whole revelation made me feel a little old, but it also gave me some hope that rock and roll legends are raising their kids right, inspiring them to tap into the artistic side of their souls to express what’s in their hearts.

Follow The Pink Slips on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For More Echo Park Rising 2017 Coverage Click Here!