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The Electric Identity of Echostream By Jeremy Grand In a time where the monotony of emo, screamo, punk, hardcore and standard pop rule the venues and airwaves, it's an absolute thirst quencher when a band like Echostream shows up with a canteen of smooth and refreshing sounds. Echostream is undoubtedly distinct, but their big name influences are definitely there. Just think, if Nine Inch Nails, Björk, Radiohead and Miho Hatori had a child, the product would be something like this unknown phenomenon. Watching the band perform at Arlene's Grocery in downtown Manhattan in May, it became clear that the venue was way too small for these post-goth rockers. The place was tiny, and the crowd was intimate, but the performance was more like one done by seasoned professionals, as they put on one of the most impressive live acts that has been seen in quite some time. Their sound was incredible, completely and utterly sucking in each member of the audience and causing an instant cheer after each song. 
This performance was part of a new direction for the band. Its first, and so far only, album, Identity, was, for the most part, done solely with the band's two spinal members Tony (keys and programming) and Ryoko (vocals), which was impressive as it was. But to hear the sound with the addition of band members Tomo (guitar), Jen (acoustic drums) and CJ (electronic drums), the music sounded even more substantial and fantastic. The show featured songs from Identity ("Shadow In the Cloud," "Simplify," "Just Kill Me," "Fall Down" and the cover of Radiohead's "Creep"), as well as some brand new, yet to be released songs ("Rip You Down," "Contagious" and "Dragon").
But where did Echostream come from anyway? Japan of course! While honing their musical abilities, Tony and Ryoko started making their own music. "It was always hard to bring our visions together with anyone else," said Tony. "In Japan it was hard to find anyone with like minded musical interest. All the music there is Japanese pop, which basically sounds like Disney music on crack. The underground music scene is really underground." Tony then met Tomo. "I found that we both loved Nine Inch Nails, and nobody knows who they are in Japan." After having a huge difficulty forming a base audience, Echostream decided to go back to America. "We eventually want to make a living with music, and there is the possibility, but not in Japan," Tony said. "So we decided to go back to America to see what would happen, but we eventually want to go to Europe for a more commercial success." But even in America, the difficulty of finding gigs was eminent, Tony said. "As soon as the first album came out, we started changing and getting heavier. We're waiting to put out a new CD until we play more live. We don't want to be known as a chill out band." As for a following, "New Yorkers are hard to impress, but once you get out of New York we found that people are more thirsty for new music." 
Echostream prides itself on its live shows, an artistic trait that seems to have dwindled in recent years. "The whole thrill of being in a band is the live show," said Jen. "I hate it when people are obviously pushing the play button for the backtrack."
As for a perfect performance, Tony said, "If [Ryoko] misses notes, I have an electronic zapper that gets her for every note she misses." As for the future, who knows what it holds for Echostream. With plans of a re-release of Identity in Europe, to the constant push for a label in America, to social consciousness and charitable involvement, the band has great plans and big ideas, and based on talent alone these dreams are grand, but feasible. "One thing that drives us a lot is humanity and relationships between people," Tony said. "It's important for us to have the lyrics in the album so people can read along with the songs. One thing we want to do more is get involved in charities. We're not rich, and we all have jobs, but we do have hearts." Echostream's album, Identity, is available on iTunes, MySpace and their self-made record label, Force of Change Records (focrec.com). They will also be performing July 6 at Crash Mansion and Aug. 2 at Arlene's Grocery. Make sure to check them out; you will not be disappointed.  Photos by Jeremy Grand |
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