It was sometime over the summer when Echo Spine saw an opportunity to enter a local Battle of the bands contest and decided to jump in. It was Enter the Reactor battle of the bands hosted by RYM Magazine and Atomic Rock Fest. They patiently waited to see if they were chosen and finally got the call they were waiting for, yes they secured their spot. The day finally arrived August 22nd, 2026, the band rolled into Cideshow Studios, hung out, met the other bands, socialized…. then it was their turn to hit the stage. If you’ve ever been to one of their shows, it’s a little more than them just playing music, they have lights synced to the music, they are constantly moving on stage, and of course we can’t forget the fog man. They walked onto that stage and the energy came alive, put on a shorter set than normal and absolutely lit that stage on fire. After all the bands performed, they opened the voting and the winners were to be announced that same night, and they eagerly waited. Atomic Rock Fest-Enter the Reactor battle of the bands grand prize winner Echo Spine. It secured their spot to perform at Thunder Studios in Long Beach on September 26th. Here’s a few of the guys chiming in on how they were feeling:
Thumper (bassist): “At first is always both exciting and uncertain as the competition went on those feelings intensified to erupt onto the performance. Once we stroked the first note, the whole vantage point shifted. We just gave into the music and the crowd. Next thing we know, bam we were the champs! Thank you to everyone who voted for us, we appreciate every single one of you.”
Monks (Drummer): “To start most of the band was not aware of the existence of the Atomic Rock Fest battle of the bands. As we went to rehearsal, Sherman from Cideshow studios asked some of us if we were ready. We all looked at each other with confusion and started asking questions. Apparently we were entered by our frontman JR for the battle of the bands. We felt humbled and honored yet still confused due to our busy schedule with so many events.
The day came for Atomic Rock Fest battle of the bands, we all treated that venue with the same respect we do for all events. Our thoughts were not win the battle of the bands! It was and is like all our shows, get there play to our best ability and put on a show. Time came we did our thing and we definitely did not expect to win! It was awesome, great recognition and an experience we will never forget. Now due to that win, we get to do the same thing, but on a bigger stage with very talented artists…“
JR (vocalist): “Going into August 22nd there was definitely a different kind of energy in the air. We’ve played plenty of shows where the goal is simply to get onstage, give everything we have and leave an impression but this was a Battle of the Bands. There was something on the line and we knew we were surrounded by other talented bands who came there wanting the exact same thing we did.
Before we hit the stage I remember feeling that combination of anticipation, adrenaline and focus. I wasn’t thinking about winning as much as I was thinking “We need to make them remember Echo Spine.” We wanted to put everything we are into that performance the music, the energy, the visuals, the mask, the entire experience. If we were going to go down, we were going to go down swinging.
Once we hit that stage everything else disappeared. At that point it wasn’t a competition anymore. It was an Echo Spine show.
Then came the announcement.
Hearing that Echo Spine had won the Grand Prize was surreal. For a moment it was almost hard to process. All the rehearsals, the sacrifices, the setbacks, the late nights and everything we had poured into building this band suddenly felt validated. We walked into Cideshow Studios wanting to prove that Echo Spine belonged there and we walked out knowing we had earned our spot at Atomic Rock Fest.
But more than anything I was proud of my guys. That victory belonged to every member of Echo Spine and everyone who has supported us and believed in what we’re building.
August 22nd wasn’t just about winning a Battle of the Bands. It became one of those nights that reminds you why you started doing this in the first place.
And now the next chapter is September 26th at Atomic Rock Fest. We earned our way onto that stage and we fully intend to show everyone why.“
As Echo Spine heads into the last stretch of 2026 specifically September, they have some big shows to complete a very busy but amazing summer. Not only will they be taking the stage at Thunder Studios, but on September 28th, and 29th they will be performing with Primer55. September 28th at The Whisky a go go, and September 29th at The Hangar. Stay up to date for all their shows…
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Written and Photo by Denise Johnson
https://denise-johnson.kavyar.site
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