Melody's Echo Chamber Unfolds From the Shadows

Melody’s Echo Chamber performing at the Lodge Room, LA by Jacob Alvarez

MELODY PROCHET DELIVERED HYPNOTIC PERFORMANCE BACKED BY NEW BAND

I had the set list in my hand and waited a good half hour after the performance of Melody’s Echo Chamber at the Roxy in LA back in 2016. Singer Melody Prochet descended from the upper green room and met fans, happily signing vinyls and taking a photo with myself. She autographed the set list with a heart, “to Jacob.” Since then, Prochet has been out of the spotlight, suffering from a life threatening incident the following year and canceling the release of new music and a subsequent tour. However, as her wounds healed, tracks and releases began to infiltrate the music landscape and finally, Prochet arrived back in LA for a three day stint at the Lodge Room in Highland Park sponsored by Desert Daze.

Prochet’s self-titled debut is an album I hold dear to myself. It was very popular in college along with Tame Impala of course, but there was something slightly more mystifying about Melody’s Echo Chamber. Was it her voice or sensibilities? Not quite sure, but I’ve been a fan ever since. Her following record, Bon Voyage had a few tracks that hit me in a similar way, that of which went on to become the most popular single off the album, “Shirim.” Emotional Eternal was different in sound but still quite interesting to the ear, but what really grasped me was the compilation record accompanying the debut, Unfold. This made me eager to hear how the tracks would translate to live performance.

Melody’s Echo Chamber performing at the Lodge Room, LA by Jacob Alvarez

The Wednesday night before my late mother’s birthday laid cold with very little parking surrounding the intimate Lodge Room nestled into a popular boulevard in Highland Park. Having grown up in the city with my mom while in high school, it was neat to travel back and see store signs like “Frank’s” and the Highland Theater still up. The nostalgia factor was high as I made my way to the alley where tickets were being checked. Stairs were climbed and finally, the stage was there, dimly lit in a small corridor. I made it to the barricade which was a good and bad situation; good because there was no photo pit, but bad because I wouldn't really be able to photograph from around the room without losing my spot. However, I made do with where I was and practiced a bit on the opening act, TikTok sensation Will Paquin. This was night two of three at the Lodge Room, but I chose to come in blind, not looking at the previous show’s set list.

Around 9:30PM, Prochet came on stage fully backed by a new band. Right out of the gate, Prochet thanked the audience for coming out (again), and the look of luck on her face didn’t fade as the band began the set with “Endless Shore.” The crowd erupted into bliss as red and blue lights tracked around the room, acting as the disco ball which laid dormant in the middle of the ceiling. The show was set heavy with tracks from her debut LP along with Emotional Eternal. As the show went on, a few bumps in the road sprang out to the attention of the band and fans. Prochet developed a cough that she couldn't seem to shake, affected her for a few songs as she stepped both away and toward the mic. She took a drink from her drummer’s cup on stage, but this wasn’t super effective and she managed to spill it while dancing. her guitarist who also rotated bass duties with the bassist had trouble with his pedals, showing frustration to get them back up. “I think everything that could go wrong has gone wrong tonight,” Prochet joked. But fans weren’t deterred, screaming “WE LOVE YOU MELODY,” and egging her to push forward. And the band did just that, playing favorites like “Shirim” and “Some Time Alone, Alone.”

Melody’s Echo Chamber performing at the Lodge Room, LA by Jacob Alvarez

My favorite of the night, “Quand Vas Tu Rentrer” proved just as special as it was back in college, and during many of the often lengthy tracks, the band broke into jams while Prochet danced like no one was watching. The show went on for a little over an hour and a half before concluding with the encore that featured “I Follow You” and “Cross My Heart.” Unfortunately, Prochet was unable to come greet fans this time around due to her being tired from the travel to California, but that didn’t stop fans from camping outside in the rain for a chance. I walked away with a print out of the set times that was struck by raindrops while making my way to the car. It resides in a frame on one of my walls of memorabilia, showcasing its features and importance, resistant to the water that damaged it. Much of the set had Prochet performing in darkness, but when the lights would cross her path, be it the fresnels or the disco ball, she shimmered. It marked a beautiful return of Melody’s Echo Chamber to the music community. Check out the set list here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!