We got into the Bootleg Theater for Miya Folick's EP release party thinking it'd be a pretty intimate gig. Some people trailed in as the sound guy checked levels with his iPad, but it looked sparse. No one was staking claim to the tables in front of the bar stage.

Then, five minutes before the set, a flash mob fashionably swarmed out of the theater end. It was lit.

Shannon Lay of Feels started the night with songs from her solo debut Holy Heartache while Alaska Reid (Alyeska) traded banter and set fire with her newest single "Medicine River". Miya Folick's performance, enhanced with the visuals of Vinyl Williams, drew a crowd so tight the photographers could barely move around. Lena Fayre's ethereal voice drew the night to a close with songs from her summer EP "Is There Only One?" Shoutout to Liv Marsico (Liphemra) for spinning in-between sets (we did cry), and we think we caught a glimpse of Jeremy Katz (Froth, HOTT MT)? That was tight.

Check our Instagram @TheDeliLA for more pictures from the show, and catch Miya again at The Satellite on December 17th for a benefit show with Mereki and Madi Diaz! - Ryan Mo, photo: Michelle McCausland

The experimental pop act Liphemra just dropped the title track to their upcoming EP "did u cry", and it is so lit. Gradients of fuzz drone, sliced loops, synth pads, and bass licks kick up the turbulence as singer/percussionist Liv Marsico lets loose a torrent of reverb between the verses. Guitarist Trey Findley conjures abrasive wails and honeyed cries as bassist Miles Gray and drummer Chris Parise play off the groove with dead accuracy. This interplay of hip hop and noise builds into a massive sonic whirlwind, receding as Marsico brazenly asks the question: "Did you even cry? / Did you even try?"

The simple verse recalls the sheer emotional weight of post-breakup feels, as crushing as the instrumental monument built and razed before it.

"You break up... Never talk again. You just want to know if they cried," says Marsico of the song.

The team has been holed up in their Mid City rehearsal space for the better part of the year, painstakingly recording and producing the EP after a brilliant string of performances with Algiers, Young Fathers, HOLY CHILD, and appearances at Lolipalooza and Echo Park Rising. Liphemra is at the final stretch, honing their live sound to reflect the EP's brilliance — there likely won't be any further shows until early next year, says Marsico.

Expect the drop of "did u cry" next March through LA-based Future Gods. - Ryan Mo, photo credit Arvida Bystrom

Musicans have always strived to capture the primacy of human experience — some using tried and true approaches while others play with the strange and eccentric. But for the chamber group Inner Ecstasy, communicating felt truths often involves balancing the classical with the experimental, harnessing the provocative spirits of music's golden age and its avant-garde. Isaac Takeuchi, Vicki Scotto, and brothers Steve and Gabriel Armenta pull from influences spanning centuries apart — from Johann Sebastian Bach and Philip Glass to The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth — wielding the harmonious and the dissonant to chronicle the voyage of raw emotion.

After a first show at the inaugural LAB•FEST in 2013, Inner Ecstasy signed to DIY label Noise Met Sound, where they released their first EP and went on to play with acts like Liphemra and Bür Gür. The group has been strong advocates of the DIY music/arts community, supporting venues like the LA Fort and LAST Projects in the past years.

Inner Ecstasy plays an all-ages show tomorrow at the Ave. 50 Studio in Highland Park with Sean Pineda, Voice on Tape, Austin's dream pop noir duo Technicolor Hearts, and Los Angeles post-rock Young Lovers. Listen to the haunting "Ascension" below and come to the show tomorrow; doors open at 6 PM. - Ryan Mo

Liphemra is headed to perform this Wednesday at the Low End Theory with Brooklyn's future soul savant Taylor McFerrin, experimental hip-hop from Monterey Ashtre Jinkins, and LA's ill goddess LINAFORNIA. Expect top shelf performances by residents The Gaslamp Killer, Nobody, D-Styles, Low End Theory host Nocando, and independent label Alpha Pup co-founder Daddy Kev.

Due to unforseen circumstances, Liphemra was unable to perform at the Low End Theory in May. But that hasn't slowed them down — Liphemra worked last-minute support for Algiers' West Coast tour, gave a stellar performance at the second Lolipalooza, and released their zine did u cry through Lollipop and Burger Records to fan acclaim. Now, the four-piece dubbed by IMPOSE as "one of LA’s most passionate and sonically progressive phenomenons" are in full gear, with a return to the annual Echo Park Rising festival and new material in the works.

Watch the premiere of the music video for Liphemra's recent release "Magazines" directed by Liza Mandelup and witness the grandeur live Wednesday night at the Low End Theory. - Ryan Mo

Liphemra // Magazines from Liza Mandelup on Vimeo.

The fifth annual Echo Park Rising has announced the 2015 lineup! The initial lineup includes heavy hitters like Blank Tapes, Dengue Fever, Roses, Fever The Ghost, Hanni El Khatib, and Kera and The Lesbians as well as Deli features Media Jeweler, Liphemra, Tennis System, Winter. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Celebrating local music, arts, and small businesses, Echo Park Rising transforms several bustling routes into a summer weekend block party, with events happening through the afternoon and into the night. Yearly participants of Echo Park Rising include iam8bit Gallery, Stories Books and Café, Lot 1, The Echo/Echoplex, Bedrock LA studios, and the signature French restaurant Taix which sits at the crossing of Sunset Blvd and Park Ave. The event is free and all-ages (sans spaces that serve alcohol), but Echo Park Rising is currently offering VIP 3-day passes for exclusive viewing access, line-skip privileges, easy bar access, and limited-quantity souvenirs. VIP 1-day passes will be available when full lineup is announced.

Echo Park Rising was created in 2011 by several club and business owners to quickly replace the Sunset Junction festival, according to LA Times. Last year's festival included performances by Cherry Glazerr, Allah-Las, Crisis Arm, Bur Gur, and Tapioca and the Flea. Sound advice: avoid parking near the lake on afternoons. - Ryan Mo