EOTO at The Boulder Theatre: July 11, 2015 [review]
Jam-tronica duo electrifies Colorado crowd
By Robin Gibson
Photos courtesy of Ryan Westcott
This past Saturday, the Boulder Theater hosted a jam-tronica dance party courtesy of the creative genius that is Michael Travis and Jason Hann’s EOTO.
These jam-band veterans slayed with their infectious energy and tight beats, and with a mesmerizing laser show in tow, the theatrics brought the experience to the next level. If hard-hitting bass isn’t your thing, then this past weekend’s Boulder Theater throw down probably wouldn’t do it for you. But if it is, then it simply was pure magic.
Stepping into the venue, I immediately picked up on the energy that seemed to permeate the room. Kinetic Groove kicked off the evening followed by Boulder’s DYNOHUNTER, featuring Clark Smith (sax, keys, DJ), Justin Ehmer (drums, percussion), and Fred Reisen (bass, synth). These guys drew an impressive crowd for a supporting act as most of the theater was packed well before EOTO hit the stage.
Having played together for a number of years, DYNOHUNTER was undoubtedly in sync, evidenced by a cohesive sound while also having a lot of fun doing so. Ehmer said that DYNOHUNTER “had such a blast playing,” and added, “...it was definitely one of our favorite sets of the year.”
That’s a tall order coming from a band that regularly appears in festival line-ups and has shared the stage with artists like Opiuo, Bonobo and OTT. This trio truly brought the heat Saturday night and their music had everyone fervently dancing. DYNOHUNTER proved to be a perfect and fitting opener for the funky, improv flow that EOTO would later bring to the table.
"EOTO” is fittingly a Japanese word meaning “good sound”. The duo didn't waste any time getting down to bass-driven business, which is not surprising as they were coming off of a sold-out Mishawaka show the previous night. After the success that had people lined up outside the venue just trying to get a taste, EOTO’s artistic energy was elevated. These seasoned musicians were prepared to create an impressive spectacle for the Boulder crowd.
The music’s enthusiastic pulse could be felt deep in your gut and the audience was about to be taken on an EDM-driven ride – later on, lasers catapulted the show into the stratosphere. Travis did his "we're just making up stuff in the moment, playing every sound live that you're hearing, and feeding off what each unique crowd brings to us that night" speech that he does at the beginning of every show.
Playing a slew of different instruments, the band created a vibe that was far from lackluster. Boasting a customized drum kit and rapping into a voice-modifying headset, Hann keeps the explosive spirit alive while Travis gets down on bass, guitar and keys. EOTO exercises their uninhibited creative current by taking a risk that many would not – playing a show without any prior trajectory. Their 100% improvised music shaped the fresh, fun experience.
I had the opportunity to chat with Jason Hann about the Boulder show: “I thought it [the show] was very cool… It felt great to go back to Boulder feeling like our sound has changed and we were excited to show it off.” With a renewed sense of artistic flow, EOTO challenged even those standing in the back corners of the room not to groove. With such an incredible music community here in Colorado, unsurprisingly, there were some other big names in the building that were not on the bill – Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken of Big Gigantic. Hann said that it was “sweet to have the Big G guys come out on their night off, hanging out and supporting the show, too.”
In true EOTO fashion, the guys crushed the night at Boulder Theater with an encore that would stop any departing fan in their tracks. Keeping everyone engaged until the final notes were played, EOTO was on fire into the wee hours of the morning.