Crazy. That's the word Jason Hann uses to describe the cross country tour he and musical partner Michael Travis have embarked on to perform their unique brand of electronica music for 33‚ mind-numbing‚ consecutive days. The Homeric odyssey began September 29 in Santa Cruz‚ California and will end Halloween night in Lawrence‚ Kansas. Last Friday the dynamic duo‚ called EOTO‚ stopped at Club Metronome in Burlington‚ Vermont and played to an enthusiastic sell-out crowd.
Though Hann admits the non-stop schedule has been a challenge‚ he said that it has helped solidify the style and sound of EOTO's music. "When we first started it felt like we were more of a project and an experiment. We have toured a lot and now it feels like we're doing something bigger."
The youthful Metronome crowd‚ flinging their arms with Planet of the Apes-style zeal during the two-set show‚ would likely agree. The completely improvisational performance‚ blending electronica‚ dub step‚ house music with live instrumentation remains the trademark of their high wire act. And at the Metronome they demonstrated polished‚ well-practiced timing while delivering yet another organic soundscape.
During Saturday's show‚ EOTO peppered their dance party bass beats and machine gun percussion with extensive vocal sampling. The addition of vocals to their performance‚ Hann said‚ is a new wrinkle demonstrated in their newly released CD‚ Fire the Lazers!!‚ which also is a completely improvised recording.
Before EOTO took the stage‚ Jeff Bujak warmed up the crowd with a solo electronica effort‚ in which he looped his keyboard melodies with danceable back beats and up-tempo bass rhythms. Accompanying his performance was a fan-favorite miniature light show of LED lights that changed patterns on a small display board above his keyboard. While his one-man show lacked the layered sound and the timing precision of EOTO's concert‚ his music compelled most feet on the floor to get moving.
As for Hann and Travis‚ they have to keep their feet moving to the the next town they're playing the next night‚ and the night after that...
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