EOTO - Live at Downtown Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo, CA (2.5.2008)
When I set out towards the city for the EOTO show (pronounced “Kyoto” without the K) on this comfortable spring evening, I was still unsure about where the event would be going down. On EOTO’s Myspace page, the band had “King Plow Arts Center” listed as the venue, however, the address underneath was for a different place; a club called “The Masquerade”. Early on in my Atlanta residency, I made my way to The Masquerade to see an act who calls himself RJD2. It was grungy, hot, smelled like body odor and had a layer of spirits covering the floor; making the simple task of walking around a strenuous burden on your calf muscles. Needless to say, I was hoping to avoid a return to this stink-pit. On EOTO’s Jambase page, they also had the King Plow Arts Center listed as the venue, along with a different address that I threw into Google maps and found to be the correct location (despite listing The Masquerade as the venue’s official website). And of course, just to make things more difficult, neither of these places had anyone manning the phones. So in hope that the show was indeed going down at King Plow, I plugged the address into my GPS and headed towards the city. I was thrilled when my Garmin, or “Falcon” as I call him, had me getting off at an exit a ways north of the city. It offered an incredible view of the beautiful Atlanta skyline at night, and it was closer to home as well. As I headed towards my destination I took note of a cozy-looking hole in the wall that had a huge neon sign out front that read “Live Blues”. My curiosity took over and I began to wonder what sort of Atlanta underground blues legends might frequent that club. Every big city has a good blues scene; “you just got to poke around”. I grew closer and closer to the venue, passing a number of trendy bars, galleries, and restaurants along the way. Atlanta changes at the drop of a hat. You round the corner and drive no less than a half a block and it is a totally different scene. Spray paint covers every available surface and the buildings deteriorate rapidly. King Plow, however, was in its own little universe. This collection of buildings began construction in the late 1800’s. It had the feel of an enormous abandoned factory, stretching for hundreds and hundreds of yards, totaling 11 or more individual sections. I saw virtually nobody walking around outside and pulled into a number of different false driveways before questioning whether or not I was at the right place. Unwilling to head downtown to The Masquerade, and on the verge of calling it a night, I ran into a couple of younger kids who seemed a bit out of place. They informed me that I was indeed at the right spot and showed me where I could find free parking. I walked up to the front doors and remembered thinking that I was lucky to have even found this place at all. The front entrance was nestled into some sort of cove, slightly out of sight from the two main roads that straddle it. There was an enormous sculpture of an angel-like figure out front and finally, I began seeing some other show-goers. 
Outside the walls of the King Plow, things were dead; but inside, this place was alive. I found out that King Plow plays host to an entire community of photographers, sculptors, writers, painters, dance halls, art galleries, fashion and model agencies; a commune of more than sixty-five tenants who live, work, and perform in this revitalized cooperative. As a recipient of a number of different design and architectural awards, this collection of buildings is a living representation of the shift from early 1900’s masonry and wood construction, to the mid 20th century steel structures that came to epitomize the progression of the industrial revolution. Large wooden timbers intertwined with heavy steel beams collaborate to form expansive open spaces with high ceilings, arched windows, and skylights. This was easily the coolest place I had been to in Atlanta. I couldn’t help but wonder how much fun the Pretty Lights party must have been two nights before NYE 2009. 
I made my way through the corridor, passing a pair of dancers practicing their stuff in a large studio lined with mirrors. I had a feeling that their party was about to be rudely interrupted. Inside the room where the music was set up, massive pieces of art hung from the wall. Once again, there was live art off to the side of the room. A young man who was completely engulfed in a world of his own sat painting a large, fluorescent purple Tyrannosaurus Rex. Not long after my arrival, the Atlanta based band, EP3, hit the stage with a thunderous groove. I was right at the front of the stage absorbing the progressive electronic sounds that came bellowing out of the speakers. At first, I was extremely impressed with this band. They had some screaming lead guitar work and incorporated some samples and whobbly-bass dubstep sounds as well. It didn’t take long for things to fall apart though. 
The drummer, although skilled, did not seem to have the endurance to keep up with the intensity of this performance. He dropped the beat a number of times and seemed to be exerting an unnecessary amount of energy into his playing. With sloppy rhythm, the entire band seemed choppy and their sound lacked a certain element of fluidity. With about 5 minutes to go in their set, EP3’s lead guitar cut out and I watched in annoyance as the guitarists ripped up and down the neck of his instrument, with nothing coming out of the speakers. It was nails on a chalkboard for me because he was clearly jamming. Needless to say, the band ended on a very anti-climatic note and it was clear that somewhere along the lines, there was a disconnect. I did see great potential in their music however, and intend to check them out the next time I get a chance.
On my way over to the bar I noticed Jason Hann standing and talking to another fellow. Jason, of String Cheese Incident fame (in case you didn’t know) plays drums for EOTO as well as percussion and general madness for the Incident. The man is an absolute monster behind the kit. Most people seemed to be unaware of his presence, and I knew I would kick myself later if I didn’t at least try to approach him. So I went up, shook his hand, and gave him my thanks for bringing such positive vibes to the 2009 Hoxeyville Festival. Unfortunately Jason had to run and start getting his stuff set up for the show. Although extremely brief, this was an encounter that avid Cheese fans dream about. And it was as close as I had gotten to a member of SCI since I took a leak next to Bill Nershi in the Bell’s Brewery bathroom.
Before long, EOTO hit the stage and the room was instantaneously crowded. Michael Travis took his position behind his patented three layer keyboard/synth/computer stand and began to get loose. When I mentioned in my piece on Zach deputy that Zach had enough instrumentation to “fly a small plane”, well, Michael Travis and Jason Hann have enough instrumentation to take command over the Starship Enterprise. This was probably the largest amount of digital equipment that I have ever seen. If you have never experienced an EOTO show before, there are a few things you might want to know. EOTO plays absolutely 100% improvised music that is created in the moment and then recorded, mixed, and remixed live on the spot to create a dynamic, evolving musical experience for the listener. The allure of witnessing a completely unique and original show every single time that EOTO hits the stage is definitely a characteristic that keeps fans coming back for more. This is the only band that I personally am aware of that can make the claim of 100% improvisation. 
You will never see the same show twice, and it will ALWAYS be fun, fresh, and entertaining. The duo touches on a variety of different sub-genres branching off of the greater “electronic” taxonomy, exploring the realm of dubstep, break-beat, house, and straight drum and base. EOTO thrives off of the energy of the crowd. Michael Travis is literally scoping out the crowd on an ongoing basis to see how receptive they are being to the music at that moment. If people are dancing and vibing, then he rolls with it or cranks it up a notch, building off of the sounds and the groove of that moment. If there is a lull in the crowd, then he knows its time to switch directions. Maybe steer the music towards a different place that has yet to be explored that evening. The result: a completely personal, unique, and engaging musical experience that continues to evolve throughout its entire lifespan. 
If you have seen EOTO before, than you know what this music is all about. A few things might have changed since you’ve seen them last. The boys have really begun incorporating vocals more and more into their live performances, using pitch shifters, vocoders, and a variety of voice effects to make themselves sound like anything but themselves. The equipment that this band utilizes continues to grow and develop with time, as does their proficiency with using it. But what I really admire most about this band is their work ethic. EOTO tours relentlessly for months and months at a time, often taking as little as 2 or 3 days off per month. I think the fresh, improvisational nature of their music allows them to embark on such vigorous tours and never tire of the shows they perform on a nightly basis. In my opinion, however, there is one member of EOTO who works leaps and bounds harder than the other. Jason Hann might have more stamina and endurance in his pinky finger than the drummer from EP3 had (I suppose this is what you get when you have been playing music professionally since the age of 12?). 
He just does not quit. And I can’t help but feel like he is up on stage absolutely busting his ass while Michael stands behind the comfort of his digital tools, fooling around with knobs and buttons. Throughout the entire course of the show, Travis briefly picked up his bass guitar one time for a quick loop and then resumed his traditional position behind his keyboard stand. He did this with his electric guitar once or twice as well. I would really like to see him experimenting more with these instruments. Please understand that I am not trying to take away from anything that Michael Travis does. I just can’t help but feel like Jason Hann drew the short straw when they were assigning roles within EOTO, especially considering that Michael Travis is probably as equally skilled a drummer as Jason.
All in all, this was an incredible performance from a band that falls just inside the perimeter of my own personal musical tastes. I like it because it’s improvised. I like it because it’s fresh and because the duo has the ability to bring it up, and then break it down; adding color and character to the experience as opposed to hitting you in the face with 100,000 lbs of whobbly, head-crushing bass for 3 hours straight. Others like it because it’s danceable, or because they are fans of String Cheese. Whatever the reasons, the troops are heading out en masse to see EOTO and there is no end in sight (at least not until SCI re-unites to play Red Rocks and Horning’s Hideout this summer!). So do yourself a favor: go experience the phenomenon known as EOTO. And whenever possible, go see a show at King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta, GA. It is a truly surrealistic atmosphere.
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