1.) If the question is “Who IS Echo Movement?”, how would you answer that?
DAVE: The abstract answer is it’s not anybody, nor any group of persons. It’s the defining kinetics of the Echo Generation embodied by a universal language: music. We’re the first generation to embrace the global village through the Internet, a solid accomplishment that can only lead toward better communication and facilitate the progress of humans, instead of only countries, states, etc.
The practical answer is we’re a reggae band from New Jersey.
STEPHEN: I score that entire answer 10 out of 10.
2.) So you guys are literally just getting back in Dirty Jerz after a summer-long tour, how’d that go?
STEPHEN: Our summer tour went great. We connected with fans across the country and the love was tremendous. Our tour spanned two counties, twenty states and forty cities within two months. As an independent band, we feel like we just climbed Mount Everest…and crazy as it may seem we are heading right back out. We leave for another tour out west in three weeks: Missouri, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Texas. Can’t wait!
3.) I see you guys have an album dropping at iTunes Store on 9/13, any preliminary thoughts, or cool things for your fans to know about the album before it drops?
DAVE: Yes sir, it’s called Music Played On, and we are stoked about it! It’s the remake of seven songs from our early works, which are now discontinued. The album based on the energy from our live set, so the arrangements aren’t two-minute baby bites for the radio. There’s lots of open space for listeners to play or get lost in. Sometimes musicians get caught up in filling every crevice with a melody, but they rarely give the listener a chance to enjoy a soundbed and let their own thoughts lead them to a unique place.
These are local songs. Red Sunday was written on Shark River Bay. The rest were written on the beach or around Monmouth County, and that vibe should resonate with anyone from the area.
This is the first known album in contemporary music to intentionally use binaural beats. On two of the tracks, we introduce two sine waves of slightly-varied frequencies (only a few Hertz in difference) and play one through the left channel and one through the right channel. When you hear these through headphones, your brain processes these independent frequencies as an algorithm. It knows something is happening, but isn’t sure exactly what to do, so it creates a perception of modulating amplitude, or a beat, even though there isn’t one. The result is accompanied by a variety of experiences, from relaxation to temporary psychosis. Sure, we’re just musicians, but why can’t we induce psychosis on the side? Enjoy ;j
4.) You guys were just interviewed by our friends at Eastern Surf Magazine, that said, do any or all of the members of the band surf?
STEPHEN: Yes, Dave and I grew up on the beach and the ocean is a big part of who we are. However, we have been on the road a lot this past year and there isnt any room for a surfboard on our bus, so that can make it pretty difficult. On this last tour we still had a good amount of beach days between gigs and we were even able to borrow a surfboard from a friend in Jacksonville, FL. We spend the day at an incredible campground on the beach and after a few lessons Colin and Nick were standing for the first time. Everyone in the band has an Original skateboard (Original is one of our awesome sponsors) so they picked it up fairly quickly. I wish every show was near a beach.
5.) Echo Movement has played the Belmar Pro beach stage before, any cool memories about previous Belmar Pros, and, what is your anticipation for this year’s event?
STEPHEN: The weather was beautiful last year and we loved watching the surf competition before we played. This Saturday will only be our second time playing the Belmar Pro, but we are hoping to see a nice crowd in front of the stage. Happy faces, hula hoopers and tiny bikinis would be a pretty good start…but we will see what the day brings us!
Check out the full stage lineup for the Belmar Pro weekend 17/18th
