Arts & Life, Music

Go for broke

A new music festival has emerged and offers a diverse selection of entertainment that draws in cash-strapped Angelenos who can’t make it to Coachella.

Presented by cARTel: Collaborative Arts LA, Brokechella began from humble roots as the beloved Community Pool event. Negin Singh, Brokechella Art Director, said the Community Pool was a platform for bands, comedians and a variety of other acts to come together and showcase their talents with other artist-based in Los Angeles.

“The event became Brokechella when we noticed it fell on the same weekend as Coachella,” Singh said. “We decided to postpone it initially, but the idea came to embrace it and make it an alternative for people who could not make it to the desert.”

Over the years, Brokechella grew significantly. The first year, the event drew in a little more than 400 people, and today, it averages about 5,000, Singh said.

As a result, Brokechella has also grown in the selection of musical acts it offers.

“We believe in increasing the value before we consider increasing the price, and we do all that we can to keep prices low,” Singh said.

Brokechella ticket prices have increased but only slightly, from $5 to $10 for presale and $20 at the door. The increase has to do with the need for more security and to house a larger audience for the event’s larger scale, Singh said.

What began as one stage in its infancy quickly grew into four, distinguished by the diverse array of offerings. The four stages this year are called Shifty Rhythms, Brownies and Lemonade, The Lounge and cARTel Stage. From hip-hop to house music and even comedy, Singh said he believes Brokechella offers something for everyone, even if they don’t like music.

The event will take place in a vacant lot in Downtown Los Angeles, which is often used as an open space for movie production.

“What really sets us apart from Coachella is the L.A. culture, and there’s something beautiful about repurposing a landscape for an event like ours,” Singh said.

Artists showcasing Brokechella are from L.A. who generally perform at venues across the city. The beauty of the event is that many attendees won’t be familiar with the nearly 40 performers that will take the stage Saturday, from Kera and the Lesbians and Marvel the GR8 to comedians Sammy Obeid and Myke Wright.

The musicians showcasing the event are not paid, but are performing out of love for their art form. Singh said that they hope to someday be able to pay the guests artists, but they come for the exposure and the love for what they do.

All artists are welcome to apply from the end of January to the first week of March, and are booked through an extensive listening process. Singh said they organize listening parties months ahead of time and spend hours ensuring that their selections are as diverse as possible.

While diversity is encouraged, Singh said Brokechella is about celebrating coexistence while leaving out the negativity found at other events.

“These Los Angelians really make it what it is,” Singh said. “We wanted to create a platform where we celebrate music and art with a positive vibe throughout the event.”

Doors open at 3 p.m. Saturday at 590 Santa Fe St. in downtown.

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