“And here’s a vote for The Octopus Project as the greatest band ever.” – The Boston Globe
Tally the votes, count ‘em and recount ‘em. The Octopus Project IS the greatest band ever. Straight out of Austin, Texas, this four-piece indietronica band has been producing masterful blends of sound since 2002. Drum machines, synthesizers, guitars, basses, real drums, keyboards, theremins, glockenspiels, bells, whistles – The Octopus Project loves to experiment with noise, and their yield is always incredible. The band has spent the last 12 years developing an impressive discography (5 albums, a slew of EP’s, film scores, and video game soundtracks) and an even more impressive fanbase for their live shows. The Ocotpus Project has appeared at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, All Tomorrow’s Parties, SXSW, and many more renowned festivals as well as touring with artists like the hip-hop underground hero Aesop Rock, Devo, and Explosions in the Sky.
Their latest effort, “Fever Forms,” is “representative of The Octopus Project live experience – dense and ecstatic, a concentrated dose of frenetic beats and exuberant melody set in a brilliantly-colored sound world.” As far as live experience goes, The Octopus Party has always pushed itself to completely immerse their fans in sound and visuals, pushing eyes and ears to the brink of sensory overload. At SXSW 2010, The Octopus Project produced their magnum opus (to date) by defining what is the live audiovisual experience. The Octopus Party placed itself in the middle of two outer rings. The innermost ring was composed of audience, and the outermost formed by 8 speakers. Playing on the tent screens above the performance were 8 synchronized video projections. During this particular show, no matter where you listened or looked, there was something to remind you that The Octopus Project kicks ass. “The performance required an integrated eight-channel audio and eight-channel video system, hence the name “Hexadecagon,” the geometrical term for a sixteen-sided object — a sixteen-sided audiovisual panorama.”
If it isn’t apparent yet, The Octopus Project is all about the experience of music. Ambient at times, bringing down the damn roof at others, this band has mastered the art of eye-ear concert coordination all the while creating intuitive and original music that never seems to grow old.
Check out The Octopus Project this Saturday!
March 29, 2014 @ 9:00 pm
Doors @ 8:00 pm
$12 tickets at the door and online
By: Dylan Huddleston
photo courtesy of: www.austintownhall.com
video from: www.peekaboorecords.com/hexadecagon/