Coming up this week on Thursday, October 11th the live electronic music group EOTO hits The Westcott Theater for another amazing show. I caught them for the first time last season at The Westcott and the entire production was absolutely stunning. With so much looped, pre-made electronic music being played today EOTO represent an entirely different direction. They take the stereotypes about EDM and toss them out by creating all sounds live, playing like a real band instead of a DJ. The music crosses many genres, with comparisons to Lotus and Sound Tribe Sector 9 but sets a heavy emphasis on melody live drums and dubstep buzz-saw bass. Do not miss this show!
EOTO was formed as a side project of The String Cheese Incident back in 2006 and consists of Michael Travis and Jason Hann (both from String Cheese Incident). Despite being a side project, EOTO is very much at the forefront of electronic music because of their complexity, mixed approaches and epic live performances. With DJs you can expect great music and a wild night most of the time, but it really takes musicians to rock the Westcott properly. This is why I love EOTO. They blend the worlds of electronic music and dubstep into the true performance realm and force you to dance the entire night away. I listen to so much music on a daily basis but I’ve still never forgotten the epic, transcendental experience I had at EOTO last year and am so excited for this show.
EOTO currently has three albums. The most recent was 2009′s Fire the Lazers!!!, an album which adopted the authentic dubstep sound though simple saw-wave bass (or wobble). I don’t want to open a big debate about dubstep, but Nero, Skrillex and Flux Pavilion do not represent the sound I’m talking about. In fact they aren’t technically dubstep. EOTO’s dubstep flair comes from influences like the UK’s Skream, one of the originators of the sound. So don’t come to EOTO asking things like, “Where’s the sick drop, bro??” ’cause you ain’t gonna hear one. What you will hear, though, is one of the best hybrid electronic groups in the country and one that must be seen LIVE to fully understood. Like similar groups, EOTO’s music is better represented by the live recordings than any studio work. It’s made for the stage and not as much for your headphones. The studio albums only give a gist of what EOTO is when there’s just so much more going on.
The light show last year was incredible. A mixture of overwhelming and psychedelic imagery, and plenty of twitchy, flashing lights run by actual video jockeys who are part of the band. Essentially the music happening on stage triggers various visual events like closed circuit cameras and 3-D art, among other things. It’s quite a unique experience that you don’t get from just any band or DJ that come through Syracuse. In combination, EOTO’s energy, the masterfully executed live electronic music, and the epic visuals really make EOTO an EXPERIENCE first and concert second. Go see them! It’s just $20.
I’m interviewing Michael Travis and Jason Hann on Thursday, so look for that!
EOTO at The Westcott Theater
Thursday, October 11th
524 Westcott Street (Directions)
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