Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church: Gracie Gray, Ryan Pollie and The Berries

While hanging out at Zebulon one night, I got an invitation to check out some bands at the Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church. Gracie Gray was on the bill so I was definitely there. She did not disappoint. And when she finished her favorite cover "Over the Rainbow" the crowd was in awe as they often are. 

Gracie Gray

Ryan Pollie is hosting the shows at the Presbyterian church. There are a total of four. This particular night was the second of the series. His set included the use of the F-word. There was a look up to the heavens, asking for an apology. I saw him previously at Junior High doing a solo set just as venues were opening up. This set was with a full band, including a horn player on crutches. It was a real blast.    

Ryan Pollie

Opening up the night was The Berries. It was a solo set with a singer-songwriter bent.

The Berries

There is some nice effort that is put into this series. Across the front of the podium, there was a sign that read out "Rock N Roll Church" put together with construction paper. Inside the words were white Christmas lights. It made for some cool photos when I took out my 20MM lens. I suspect the church is used to the sounds of rock music. Along the main podium were two other smaller podiums. One podium had a drum kit. The other was used by the other musicians. 

Junior High: Christina Apostolopoulos, Discotelle, Ryan Pollie

I decided at the last moment on a Wednesday night that I'd take a walk from my Glendale apartment to Junior High. Junior High is a not-for-profit arts space that used to be in Hollywood, but recently moved to Glendale. This was my first journey out to the recently opened space. The space has a minimalist feel to it. Concrete floor. Ceiling to floor drapes that separate the rooms. White painted walls. All clean, bright and new.

I walked in and Christina Apostolopoulos was in the middle of her set. I was disappointment that I showed up so late. I previously only caught part of her set back at Echo Park Rising in 2019 (was off shooting multiple bands for Buzzbands) and was hoping to catch a full set this time around. It just wasn't meant to be. What I caught was enjoyable and maybe I will be able to catch a full set in the near future.

Christina Apostolopouls

Discotelle came on next with a folk sound that initially started out with a duo, but they added a cello at the end, which made the band's music sound all the sweeter. There was a brief fake out by the lead singer when she jumped into the middle of the floor early in the set. I thought she was about to turn her set into a dance party. 

Discotelle

Closing it out was Ryan Pollie. I last saw him at the Bootleg Theater where he played with a band that was called Los Angeles Police Department. His set was all smiles and barefoot. He was barefoot so that he could play a little drum set that was on the floor. For one song, he was supposed to use a harmonica, but had forgot to fit it over his head. To help mitigate the forgetfulness, the guitarist for Discotelle ran over and amusingly tried to place it over Pollie's head. It gave the audience a good laugh. 

Ryan Pollie

What did I notice: For Christina Apostolopoulos' set, most everyone was sitting down. For Discotelle's set, most everyone was standing. For Ryan Pollie's, most everyone was sitting. Okay, maybe I'm the only one finding that an amusing observation.