With mind-blowing bass wobbles, beats that make you groove and silky smooth looped instrumentals, EOTO is an act that you don't want to miss this Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Majestic Theatre.
Current members of the band, Jason Hann (drums, live beats) and Michael Travis (guitar, bass, vocals), perform DJ style sets with live improvised instrumentals and beats.
Hann and Travis, who also perform with The String Cheese Incident, are coming to Madison to show off their unique brand of improvisational, bass-heavy jams that have turned into what Hann calls a ""futuristic alien get-down.""
""When we play live it's more in the sense of creating a theme for about three minutes, where we come up with accompanying parts, vocal part and maybe a lead instrument,"" Hann said in an interview with The Daily Cardinal. ""We treat the time going by as a verse or chorus except that we're making it up on the fly and we try to change the whole thing up every three minutes or so.""
Live jamming takes a certain amount of chemistry between musicians in order to depict certain emotions or sounds in a way that contributes to the overall effect of the show and this is one thing that EOTO is stellar at.
""It's very autopilot and we don't really have to look to each other on stage it's just kind of going. In the beginning we used to have all of these hand signals that meant to try and do stuff and now we just go for it and we don't have to think about it,"" Hann said. ""Its pretty rare to have that chemistry where you can play an hour and a half of music without really having to look at each other but its all felt and you kind of know what the other person is going to do.""
This type of live synchronization between Hann and Travis creates an atmosphere that is very interactive between the performers and audience, inspired by DJ-style sets.
""We started listening to DJ sets and found that you never hear a complete song and they play a little bit of a song and get out there and move on to the next song,"" Hann said about this influence. ""So we had to switch into that mode and we've probably been doing that for the last three years and that has corresponded to us becoming more popular.""
Their transitional improv jamming has put EOTO on the map in the electronic dance world. This is because it brings something new and original to every show they play, both musically and visually.
""We are trying to focus on the 3-D illusion aspect and really trying to hire animators who specialize in this technology so that things jump out at you from out of the screen as opposed to something that's just going on in the scene,"" Hann said about the visual effects of their live sets.
Night after night EOTO never seems to lose energy and this may be due to the creative aspect of each show and how all you can expect is the unexpected from this dubstep duo.
""We're under the expectation that it's going to be a really awesome night and we're going to do whatever it takes to get it to that point,"" Hann said about playing live. ""We go in with a blank slate and nothing pre-recorded and we just hit it.""
This is the reason that EOTO is such an awesome live experience, and people can enjoy each unique live experience without going to every show by downloading free live recordings and albums that are available on their website.
""We have the ability to make a really good mix of our live show coming out of our own gear and our own independent stereo mix and we take a lot of pride in how those [recordings] come out and we make those available for download.""
But what lies ahead for this jamming duo? Hann says the band is focusing on getting out of the country and adapting its sound to the constantly changing electronic music scene around them and also developing their own creative sound.
A stop in Milwaukee with their good friend Bassnectar this week will cap off a successful Midwest leg of this tour for the awesome musical experience that is EOTO.
So if you don't have a ticket to see this unique act at the Majestic Theatre tonight, I suggest you get on that because it is a electronic music experience that will be unforgettable.
EOTO is coming to the Majestic Theatre tonight, doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door, and the Majestic is also offering a VIP Meet and Greet starting at 8:30 p.m. for $30.
