Community Highlights: Meet Simonne Sacco of The Echo & Echoplex

Today we’d like to introduce you to Simonne Sacco.

Hi Simonne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music has always been a part of my life – my mom made sure of that haha. I started in the pre-school choir, then to children’s choir, then theatre, learned a few instruments, and by high school I started recording myself singing and posting the clips online. Once I got to college, I pivoted towards the industry side of music and began promoting shows in the small but fun town of Chico. After I graduated, I moved to Sacramento (where I’m from) and worked for their baseball team but the dream of moving to LA lingered in my head. I made the big move a year later and somehow stayed busy in the industry despite the pandemic. I worked at an indie label, in artist management and at the box office for a couple of venues… one of them being The Echo. Now I’ve been in LA for almost 6 years and I have my dream job doing the marketing for The Echo & Echoplex! Part of my job is running our socials and handling the creative design and online presence of the venue. I started our quarterly zine last year and have been having so much fun brainstorming and designing them! They’ve got new info on the venue, shows you shouldn’t miss and fun stuff like staff Q&A’s. If you’re ever nearby, please ask security or our box office for a print and they will grab you one! They’re also distributed around to local Echo Park businesses.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I truly think everything happens for a reason, even obstacles. Before my current position, I had quit my full time job at the artist management company with no back up plan… it was scary, but I had to for my sanity. By chance, this position opened up a month later and since I was already working the box office, the team knew me, trusted me and hired me! I’ve been making memes ever since! It couldn’t have worked out any better than that.

We’ve been impressed with The Echo & Echoplex, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Echo is a venue FULL of history. We’re located at the historic site of the “El Nayarit” which was a Mexican restaurant and community hub that moved to this location in the 50’s. I highly suggest reading “A Place at the Nayarit” by Natalia Molina whose grandmother ran it. In 2001 the building was sold and became a nightclub/music venue. We’ve been serving music responsibly ever since!

I think everyone has a favorite memory at The Echo. You might have seen Tame Impala with 300 other people before he blew up, snagged tickets to an underplay like Green Day and camped out the night before to get a good spot, or stumbled down the so-called “piss stairs” (iykyk) because you accidentally went to The Echo instead of Echoplex. With two rooms, the possibilities are endless! We truly have something for everyone. In 2024 we had over 400 shows, that is massive! And these were a mix of the local scene, independent promoters, touring bands, club nights, etc.

Something that I love about the venue is how close the staff is to each other. We truly are a family. I may not work in the box office anymore but trust that I’m still in that group chat keeping up and hanging out with everyone. I feel good when I come to work, and that’s something special.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Say yes to anything and everything!!!!! The music industry is so competitive and is a very social industry. Networking can be a pain, but trust me it’s important. I’ve gotten most gigs because I knew someone. They didn’t care that I had a degree, they cared that someone could vouch for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theecho.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theechola/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EchoLA/
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheEchoLA/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theechola

Image Credits
Green Day – Christina Badalian
Erra – Alive Coverage
The Echo outside shot – Alive Coverage
The Echo inside shot – Alive Coverage