Richmond - The music gods have been shining brightly on Virginia and North Carolina in recent months, and with the month of April there comes a show that has been gaining in popularity since the day it was announced back in February.  There has been a great deal of buzz surrounding the upcoming EOTO show at the National, perhaps because people remember how amazing it was when they came to town in November of last year, or maybe because of the fact that their popularity seems to grow tenfold with each passing show.  The duo is made up of Michael Travis and Jason Hann, and their shows are unlike anything that you are likely to have experienced in any other live setting.  Travis and Hann have been playing music for a very long time, most notably for a band you may have heard of called the String Cheese Incident, but EOTO has only been melting faces for five or six years.  When you go to an EOTO show the only thing that you should expect is that the mixture of dubstep, electro and dance party house music is going to have you moving from the time they start until long after the show is over.  That is conceivably one of the coolest things about EOTO.  Every single note that they play is made up on the spot.  There is definitely a reason that they are called one of the most innovative groups on the scene right now, and in the grand scheme of things it’s only the beginning of something that is undoubtedly going to get bigger and bigger.

EOTO is going to be making stops during the month of April in Asheville at the Orange Peel (April 1), in Richmond at the National (April 10), and in D.C at the 9:30 Club (April 21).  One of the most amazing things about EOTO is the fact that when they tour, they do it with an intensity and enthusiasm that is difficult to put into words.  The tour lasts for almost two straight months, and the guys might take a total of three or four nights off during that entire time.  They are making stops in just about every major city in every state in the country.  Every night is different from the previous, and the fact that there is enough music streaming through the two of them to be able to improvise a three hour show each night for two months straight is something that I am still trying to wrap my head around.  That, coupled with the fact that they have been touring nonstop for the past few years, really puts into perspective just how talented Travis and Hann really are.

This tour is going to be bigger and more elaborate than anything they have done in the past.  They are bringing out new elements to go along with their live shows, and are playing in some of the premiere venues in the country.  Jason Hann was kind enough to take some time to talk to me on the day after they wrapped up Winter Carnival with Sting Cheese Incident out in Colorado.  Even after three straight nights of music he sounded eager to get on the road with Michael Travis and give all of their fans something to rage to.  You can read more about the tour, what to expect, and the future for EOTO below.

33: I know in the past that EOTO has made appearances during String Cheese shows, so did you guys play an as EOTO during Winter Carnival?
Jason Hann: Not really.  It’s kind of funny how that whole thing goes down.  I mean, we had our moments, but it’s just a little different when it’s electronic.  Usually in EOTO Travis is doing all the synth parts and I’m doing all the drum parts, but if we do it in String Cheese world Travis is playing the drums and I have programmed some synth stuff.  So it’s like EOTO, but it’s really just me and Travis in different roles, kind of all over the place.  It is always fun to expand our creativity.  Whenever that happens we can hear people going, “Uh oh, EOTO moment.”

33: You guys go out on tour immediately after Winter Carnival.  How do you possibly have the energy to tour like you guys tour?  There aren’t many bands that can go night after night like you do, and to do it for two straight months has to be exhausting.
JH: I think partially it’s because we don’t have any parts to rehearse, and it’s fresh for us every night since we are making stuff up on the spot.  There is always that edge for us.  We are jumping off the cliff every night, and that is a big adrenaline boost, too.  The things we come up with, and the way we connect them is super new every time we go on stage.  If you are in a band, you write a song and rehearse it all the time.  We are constantly changing and thinking about the next thing we are going to do, and that’s a big part of it.

33: The last time we spoke, you mentioned that when you were driving to a new city on your last tour that you heard a song on the radio, and dropped the words to the song into your set that night.  Are you guys literally looking for inspiration day to day to use each night as your travel?
JH: Yeah, exactly!  We don’t necessarily actively look, but if something comes up that we like we certainly will use it that night.  We might hear a DJ drop something a certain way, and we might try something like that during the show that night.  We will make a cue for it, drop it in, and see if it works.  I think we were playing in Fayettesville last time around, and for some reason we were watching Air Supply videos on YouTube, and I was like, "Oh, shit!  I’m going to bust out “All Out of Love”, and that’s what makes this thing fun.

33: For those that have seen you in different settings over the past few years, is there anything that you are bringing out on tour that is new this time around?
JH: Oh, yeah!  Usually when we have toured, it’s just been me and Travis and a tour guy.  We have usually just used the lighting set up of the place we are playing.  This time around we are bringing a 3-D animator - his name is Zebbler - and he does all of the stuff for Sphongle.  He is an award winning VJ, and we got together to design a 3-D show, not so much like Shrek 3-D, but trying to create this effect that there are things on stage with us.  They are floating over our heads and are morphing as show the show goes on.  He is going to be on tour with us the whole time, and that is something that is new for us, but it’s also not going to be a traditional light show where we have lights and fog.  It’s more about letting images take you on a journey that plays with your mind, all while we are out there doing what it is that we do.

33: I would imagine that it is a pretty tall task for someone to come out and put on a production while you guys are changing up the music that you are playing on a nightly basis?
JH: Well, you know in some ways it works out really well.  We just tell him to listen, do what you do, use your instincts and go with it.  We want him to be as creative as he wants to be, because that what it is that we are doing.  The animations will take the live show to the next level.  Everyone in our scene is starting to carry around big LEDs and wall drops, and that’s cool, but we feel like it’s been done before.  We are trying to make it feel like these 3-D objects at any moment are going to descend on the crowd.  I’m pretty sure that some people’s minds are going to take them to pretty interesting places when it is all put together.

33: I have noticed that EOTO is pretty prominent on the artists lists at some pretty amazing festivals this summer.  How does the success of EOTO feel to you guys right now?
JH: It’s pretty amazing.  We have gone through all of the ups and downs.  There was a period when we started out that we weren’t really sure what we were doing.  We just knew that we wanted to get out there and try to make it happen.  The first few times we didn’t really have it together, and we could tell on the people’s faces that we had some work to do.  All of the hard times added up to a little chip on our shoulder.  We knew we liked what we were doing, and believed in it, so that’s why we pretty much promoted ourselves for the first four years.  Now we have a manager and a booking agent.  I think it was something that needed to happen, dropping anything other than EOTO from the title, and put it out there to its own scene.  Eventually we started getting new fans, and the younger people from the String Cheese scene really like it a whole lot.  We like to think we are leading the way for the electronic scene.  We are working as hard as anyone else out there to try to get better.

33: Are the plans already in the works for a fall tour after the hectic summer?
JH: Oh, yeah.  We already have our fall tour “mock-scheduled” up.  We will be doing another national tour, and might even make our way into Canada.  We are definitely trying to get around the entire country again.  The manager that we have also manages Infected Mushroom and Sphongle, so if you look at their schedule you see places like Rio de Janiero or Tel Aviv, and we are stoked.  I love playing internationally, and our guys seem to have a way to get it done, so I definitely think that is something that is in the future.

You can find all of the information about the upcoming tour and other cool stuff about EOTO at EOTOMusic.com.  Do yourself a favor and get a ticket to any show that you can.  An amazing time is guaranteed.

By Director and Correspondent: Brandon Samuel

Brandon is a native of the Richmond area, having lived here for the past 15 years.  He attended Longwood University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.  Brandon’s dream has always been to get into the music industry, and he decided that his love for writing and music would be the perfect foot in the door.  Brandon enjoys going to as many show as possible and has a strong desire to see local bands succeed.  Seeing both local and mainstream bands is the best way to truly enjoy their music, and Brandon wants to bring the whole experience of seeing a live show to the loyal readers of Magazine33.