EOTO: a force of nature

When my best friend, Nick, and I showed up to the Intersection around 8 on Sunday, I had a brief moment of panic that we had the wrong place or the wrong time. Could it be that EOTO had canceled? What other explanation could there be for the handful of hardcore kids and the excruciatingly long sound-check of the amateurish hard-rock band warming up the front stage of the Intersection? Where were all the hippies? Where was everyone-— didn’t they know this was EOTO?

Known for their killer, 100% improvised live show, “jamtronica” legends EOTO—made up of String Cheese Incident drummer and percussion player (respectively) Jason Hann and Mike Travis—almost always attract a mob scene, and we were expecting the venue to be packed to the seams; we were surprised and kind of appalled to see the venue nearly empty. Still, it was early, and I still had faith in my fellow jam-band warriors-— after all, this was EOTO. And if you’re crunchy, they will come.

Alas, the empty house and our earliness paid off in spades: as Nick and I were meandering back outside for a smoke break, out of nowhere, EOTO drummer Jason Hann strolled by, apparently looking for something, or someone. Having seen him approaching in my peripheral vision, recognizing at once his unruly curly coiffure, I knew I had to say hi. “What’s up, dude?” I said, extending my hand. His face warmed into a gracious smile as he grasped my hand and pulled me in for a bro-hug. I introduced myself and we chatted for a brief moment; I was proud of myself for containing my fan-geekiness, and refraining from reminiscing about his set with String Cheese at Rothbury ’09 (to this day, one of the best shows I’ve seen). After exchanging a moment’s worth of the typical pleasantries, Jason uttered a simple, offhand and, to me, totally amazing phrase, “We’ll throw down for ya!”

Eventually, openers Gargantua took the stage, facing off against a crowd of about 15, their faces obscured by their signature Star Trek shades. I’ve seen Gargantua throw down before (most recently, about a week ago at one of Papa Petes’ now-standard Dubstep Wednesdays) but they really didn’t bring it this time; I blame the almost total lack of an audience and general low energy of the situation (but that’s just me). Still, the crowd had increased in numbers and was even dancing a little bit by the end of the set, and it was increasingly clear that we were just getting started.

Around 10:30 (!) EOTO finally stepped up; Jason pumped his fists in the air before settling behind his drum kit, while Mike strode, in his classic silver-fox manner, to his place behind a fortress of synth and percussion equipment that towered like a steampunk time machine. I looked around me and realized that the house was now packed with jamtronica pilgrims: this stage their mecca, Mike and Jason their willing deities.

In no time at all, EOTO had the whole house raging, our glowsticks in the air like we just didn’t care. EOTO is the perfect live show for the musically- A.D.D.; their sets are a continuous and always-morphing blend of sound, borrowing from metal, reggae and “world” beats, and straight-up rock, all built on a foundation of dubsteppy techno. And even if electronica isn’t really your thing, EOTO on a technical level is truly an amazing thing to behold, their improvised sets propelled by what appears to be a twin-like ESP between Mike and Jason. Mike is a machine all his own; his drum kit, and attached mic and loop stations (with which he records the vocal parts of the songs, both original/ improvised and “borrowed:” at this show, from the likes of Steve Miller Band, Bob Marley, and Lauryn Hill, among others) are eerily like appendages; even during the requisite chaos of an EOTO set, he plays with a fluent and seemingly effortless demeanor that can only come from years (and years) of hard-won experience. To his left, Jason works his cage of keyboards, guitars, basses and drums with literally every limb, even working MIDI controllers on the floor with his bare toes; from the very front row, I watched in awe when they would make eye contact or exchange hand signals and bring the music to climactic highs, and Jason would drop a killer beat, festooned with the signature dubstep “womp,” majestically spreading his arms to the manic crowd like a techno Jesus.

And if you’ve never seen EOTO before, you might not understand that it is truly a transcendent experience. There is something about their music that seems to transports the listener through time and space; reminiscing about the times we had seen EOTO before, and anticipating them next summer at Wakarusa, Nick said it best: “It’s crazy to think that EOTO is blowing our minds in the past, present, and future!”

After their whirlwind of a set, Mike and Jason took to the crowd, lovingly exchanging hugs and high-fives with the sweaty and starry-eyed crowd; out of nowhere, Mike floated up on a cloud of silver-foxiness and all I could do was give him a big hug and thank him for throwing down for all us sinners out there.

And then it was over; Nick and I returned to the night after a dream-come-true show: having not only raged to one of the most mindblowing and inspiring live bands out there, but meeting two of the most talented (and unbelievably nice) dudes on tour right now. And though we all had a magical time dancing the night away, make no mistake: this ain’t no disco; EOTO is more than dance music, it’s a force of nature.

[run by the greatest and best site in the world, West Michigan Noise, on 11/08/10]