EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with EQO

MA : Hey guys, Mike Abiuso of SwitchBitch Noise here, how are you? and thanks for taking the time to chat with me!

I know, I know, this is the first question everyone in the world asks and I hate being cliche or “cookie cutter”, but I couldn’t find on your site or anywhere what EQO stands for. Am I high? Lay it on me please.

DB : It’s actually “Echo.” Spelled in an awesome-hipster kind-of way. “EQO.” It’s all caps because it draws more attention. There was a brief time where we wanted to change it to E.Q.O, but we decided against it. Unfortunately, Facebook is not very forgiving to name changes. So, we’re stuck for now.

We like to think that “EQO” represents the ‘ego in reverse’ because our songs are all about self-discovery, rebirth, and reflection, in some form or another. Though, there’s no definitive meaning, really.

Our website is eqoatl.com. However, keeping up with the website when we have so much engagement and support on social media is a bit difficult to do at this time.

MA : So tell me, you guys share a frontman/frontwoman position. What is that experience like as far as coming up with concepts and working things out lyrically? I assumed that you’d have to work out concepts that are meaningful to both parties which seems extremely difficult, but if I’m mistake, please shed some light on how it’s done!

KF : Our band is focused on the balance of masculine and feminine energy. We kind-of determine the place and the style vocals according to the lyrical content. It’s really effortless and fun for us because we can do harmonies, unison, or simply respect the independence of the other performer. The possibilities are endless.

DB : Kity and I share a similar value system and what we write, we write for EQO. There are no real ‘rules’ to the process. The concept for Ananta came from an internal emotional and spiritual battle I was having at the time. For this album, I wrote the lyrics while Kity came up with the melodies and Kai (guitarist) formulated the song structure. Though, each of us had a piece in everything. We inspire each other. Even if we’re not necessarily constructing the parts, we’re all part of the creative process because of the influence we have on one other.

MA : There are so many genres and eras that run through my head when listening through a single tune of yours, can you give a little insight on how you guys write songs?

KF : It depends on the song. Songs like “Material” and “Flow” were written by channeling artists like Lana Del Rey and Adele. But really, it’s all about challenging ourselves and seeing what we can come up with. Usually, we’ll record some ideas and sit with them for a few days, whether it be a vocal part or a riff Kai is working on. Then we’ll get together, sit back with an acoustic guitar, a bunch of Angry Orchard, get drunk, have some fun, and start writing. If we’re not laughing, if we’re not smiling–we don’t write.

MA : Does everyone in the band have incredibly different tastes of music, or do you all just enjoy a lot of different styles?

KF : We all have a common ground that we meet on with our appreciation for alternative, progressive, funk, and pop. But Daisy listens to a lot of hip hop, Kai enjoys music with strong guitar work, and I enjoy operatic metal. Id say our sound comes from the consideration we have for everyone’s tastes.

MA : Atlanta, huh? Ever play the Masquerade? If so, Heaven, Hell or Purgatory?

KF : We play anywhere and everywhere we can. We haven’t played at the Masquerade yet, but we’d love to! Kai and Daisy have played on all of those stages in previous projects.

MA : This probably won’t make the interview, just curious, do you know of Swayze’s in Marietta? If so, for some reason I randomly love that place, you?

DB : Of course, we know Swayzes. Lee Satterfield is our homie. You gotta respect it, its been around for a long time and has had a great impact on the local scene.

MA : Back on track. New record Ananta dropping 3/17, huh? Tell me about it, where did you guys track and with what producer?

DB : March 17th! We’ve waited so long to release this record! We’re very excited! We recorded the album with Jason Andrews at Spotlight Sound in Alpharetta, GA. All of the tracks were written and produced by us. Jason; however, is a phenomenal engineer who brought the record to life. He pushed us to our highest potential. There was no melodyne, nor autotune used in the album. We wanted to keep it organic. What you hear is exactly what we did. We couldn’t be happier with how it turned out and we’re looking forward to working with him again on future projects!

MA : Back off track, you happen to know Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait who runs Ghost Kids Studios? Small world, figured there might be a chance.

DB : Of course, we know Lee Jennings! Kai and I have known him for years.

MA : On again, so what do you have lined up when the record drops? Are you aligning a tour to support it?

DB : As of right now, it’s all about playing around Atlanta and regional cities, seeing what kind of response we get. We’re focused on making as big of an impact as possible in our backyard for now. Until there is enough demand or support behind us to ensure a successful tour.

MA : I see you are releasing Ananta independently. Have you shopped to labels or pretty set on remaining an independent artist?

KF : We are releasing the album independently, but we’re open to all the help we can get. We plan on shopping it around after we get enough people talking about it

MA : Before we roll out, please hit our readers with links to where they an find you online and if there’s anything else you’d like to touch on, please do so now.

Thank you so much for your support! We can’t wait for you to hear the album! Peace be with you, may love be found in everything you do. Namaste!