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In the most recent episode of The Load’s Out music podcast, we diverge from our typical menu of Americana and roots fare into something much more complex, that moves well beyond the sonic experience.
The band 2ŁØT is not your typical collection of musicians, creating its unique brand of electronic jam music that fuses electronic elements with inspiration from classic jam bands, hip hop, soul, funk, jazz, and rock. Think a mashup of Rüfüs Du Sol and Phish.
The band also teems with intellectual prowess. After all, as we learned in our conversation with guitarist Chase Koch and bassist Robert Trusko, 2ŁØT’s name comes from the second law of thermodynamics, striving to resist entropy, or a lack of order or predictability, gradually declining into disorder.
Got it?
Here’s where things get really interesting: Unlike many bands, 2ŁØT’s primary goal focuses on activating and inspiring people to drive social change. It seeks to highlight causes its members believe in, such as overcoming addiction, which I can relate to as a recovering alcoholic, helping kids overcome barriers and discovering gifts, and addressing shortfalls in criminal justice. Even proceeds of 2ŁØT’s song “Call For Me,” go to The Phoenix, a nonprofit dedicated to building sober communities through connection.
Unsurprisingly, although the five members of the band met at different stages, how it came together delves back into musically-unrelated efforts centered around driving social change, as Koch noted.
“Our social change and philanthropic group was working on criminal justice reform and basically disrupting gang violence in Dallas,” referring to Koch, Inc., for which he serves as executive vice president. “We were all going through some shit, really, and music brings us all together.”
Trusko, the bass player who brings heft in music theory and engineering—along with being a stone-cold doppelganger for Rush’s Geddy Lee—was a later addition to 2ŁØT. He was working as an engineer in the studio when the band visited Dallas, and things just clicked.
“It was a really beautiful experience…when we started playing, there was all these things that kind of clicked,” he noted, depicting an instant kinship. “A week later, Chase called me and he was like, ‘hey man, would you be interested in playing a couple of shows?’”
The band has also developed some relatively heady musical collaborations.
2ŁØT’s single “Arrow of Time” features Michael Kang from String Cheese Incident, whose electric mandolin adds a unique layer to 2ŁØT’s genre-blending sound and further illustrates the band’s commitment to living fully in each moment. The band also recently teamed up with heavy-hitting, GRAMMY-nominated artist Aloe Blacc to release “Immortal,” a new single inspired by the ancient philosophical concept of memento mori—a Latin phrase meaning “remember you must die.” The song is meant to serve as a rallying cry for courage and clarity, urging listeners to reflect on life’s impermanence and ask a single transformative question: What would I do if I weren’t afraid?
Those themes of resilience, human connection and social change are ever-present in 2ŁØT’s art. Its song “Entropy” mirrors the experience of transformation, turning life’s unavoidable chaos into a creative force, which began amidst personal challenges, including family loss and divorce. It fulfills the band’s continuum of working to inspire others to live fully, overcome life’s obstacles and build meaningful connections.
We welcome in Chase Koch and Robert Trusko of 2ŁØT for a fascinating conversation on the latest episode of Load Out Music Podcast. Enjoy!