Entropy by Of The Hour

Because the individuals that make up the Of The Hour collective have done time in instrumental jazz-fusion and indie rock bands, it makes sense that Of The Hour takes inspiration from several different gradations of music in order to create their own unique, inimitable beast. Rock, jazz, electronica, and metal influences permeate Entropy. Of their smorgasbord background, vocalist/keyboardist Dave Witham, who played bass for 14 years before switching to vocals and keyboards for Of The Hour, says, "Music is supposed to be a reflection of the artists' personality, so it seems fitting that the music should encompass all parts of human emotion, like fear, love, hatred, humor, joy, or whatever other emotions that could be felt at one point in one's life." Indeed, any type of singular emotion gets old, and fast, and Of The Hour is more than aware of this fact, so the band keeps its music drenched in different moods and speeds, often within the span of a single song. "To do one thing would be kind of bland," Witham explains. "Who wants to meet a person that is only sad all the time? Or someone with a huge smile on their face, 24 hours a day? That would be boring. We approach our music the same way. To write the same style, mood, feel, whatever would be a terrible representation of music that is supposed to convey different aspects of the human psyche." This attitude is reflected in the band's atmospheric, spacey, and almost surreal songs. Many moods, emotions, and ambiences are present on Entropy. There's "Evolution Of Things," a track that caught the attention of their co-manager, Derek Kerswill, drummer for Boston-based rock band, Seemless. That particular song came together in lightning fast fashion. The band had been together for approximately two weeks, and this was one of the first songs written with guitarist Josh Karten. It remains largely unchanged since its composition, a testament to the chemistry and the fit that the members of Of The Hour developed when writing their music. "Remembrance" stands out, because it is totally different than the rest of OTH's tunes. It is erected on a hyper, almost club-like beat, and the song surprisingly changes into an oddly timed, prog rock jam. "Although it's a very drastic change in styles in the song, it really flows well and works for some reason," says Witham. "This song goes over really well live. We usually have people screaming and cheering in a few of the break spots in the middle of the song, as well as the sudden drop back to the verse in the outro of the song." "Like Sun To A Vampire" is another song that showcases the band's strength of dynamics. "In 6 minutes, we cover a wide range of dynamics, heartfelt lyrics, great melody and counter melody," says bassist Nick Sollecito. In a short span of time, the song changes from almost acoustic to a tight groove to straight up rock. Clearly, on Entropy, you get taken for an adventurous ride. While the individual members of Of The Hour have experience playing different types of music throughout their lives - drummer Alex Chapman has a jazz background- this band is a new experience, on many levels. Guitarist Karten, who played in indie rock bands prior to OTH, became more of a contributor, and was able to flex his creative muscles and start writing songs. Witham switched to vocals, something that has been a learning and growing experience. "I wanted to try my hand at singing in a rock band," he explains. "Nick and I are both able bass players, but we decided that it would be better for Nick to play bass, because he is more experimental with sounds, and playing keys would allow me to concentrate on vocals more and lay the keyboard parts around the vocals. All in all, it has worked out well. With a lot of the guitar-driven songs, I will just sing, or I will hop back and forth between playing keys in the verse and then none in the chorus, or vice versa. It makes things more exciting for live shows too, so I can take on more of the role of the frontman." With that in mind, Of The Hour is currently looking to secure a record label deal. Entropy certainly is the vehicle to accomplish this goal. Take a listen. Enter the world of Of The Hour. You won't be disappointed. Strap yourself in... Nick will do all the driving. And enjoy. -Amy Sciarretto

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