Entropy Ensemble

The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

The group played to an audience of 20-somethings who looked like the kind of people that might pay to see Radiohead songs played on violins and cellos (four-day beards and thick-rimmed glasses were abound).
While re-orchestrating Radiohead songs was hardly invented by Entropy Ensemble - pianist and chief arranger Andrew Walker even admits to snatching the idea from classical pianist Christopher O'Riley - the five-piece's (piano, violin, cello, stand-up bass, and drums) arrangements were stunning reinterpretations. The group reached moments of complete onstage synergy throughout the night.

Almost all of the pieces were note-for-note, meticulously-orchestrated versions of Radiohead originals, with every glitchy beat and guitar lick accounted for through hi-hat hits and aggressive violin bows. But the group was even more impressive during the rare moments when they left room for improvisation. A manically building jazz-infused drum solo during jammed-out rendition of "Everything in its Right Place" brought the crowd to their feet.

As a diehard Radiohead fan myself, I was stunned to find myself preferring some of Entropy's work to Radiohead's. Their version of "You," a song off of Radiohead's promising-yet-inconsistent first album "Pablo Honey," proved to be a more colorful in the hands of the ensemble than as played through traditional rock instrumentation. During set high points, the group members - all hipster-chic looking fellows who look to be in their early twenties - started cracking smiles as they dazzled the audience. They're good and they know it. Entropy Ensemble isn't Radiohead-lite, but Radiohead beautifully re-imagined.
- The Post and Courier

Authentic Arden

Tucked back into the woods in the little town of Arden, Arden Gild Hall seems to blend with the forest around it. More than a century ago, this building served as a barn. Now it is a rustic performance space that features talent from all over the world.

Javier Orman and Andrew Walker of Entropy Ensemble opening for Duncan Sheik
I am here on a pleasant March evening to see award-winning, internationally renowned singer, songwriter and composer Duncan Sheik – to experience his concert “the Arden way.”
The town is named after the forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. “Arden was started as this kind of intentional community by some eccentrics from Philadelphia,” explains Ron Ozer, President of Arden Concert Gild. Ozer has been with the Arden Club for about 15 years and has been running the Concert Gild for eight years. “The idea was, for these people, [that Arden] was like their court in exile. They’d go into the woods and they’d do summer performances. There were craft looms and tile makers and it was all a part of the William Morris Arts and Crafts Movement.”
From these creative roots, a friendly arts community grew. Ozer says that the neighborly feeling was one of the major reasons he relocated his family to Arden.
"His best songs are very lush and beautiful.”
Entering the hall, I pass a sign that proclaims “Arden – Ye Are Welcome Hither.” There is a light chatter in the room as the audience prepares for the opening act to take the stage. Everyone seems to know everyone and, despite being from out of town, I do not feel out of place.
In the century since the barn was converted into a performance space, there have been some additions and improvements, but the beams show the age of the structure. The inside is primarily wood and earthy tones – it feels as if the venue was erected by nature itself. The smell of fireplaces and burning wood fills the room – a very welcoming scent and one of personal delight. To my left, spotlights are focused on a portrait of Shakespeare that sits atop a cobblestone decoration on the wall. The stage is ornamented with a plethora of instruments – an electric guitar rig, keyboard, accordion and seven (yes, SEVEN) acoustic guitars.
There is a sense of excitement in the comfort of the room. People are buzzing about Duncan Sheik. He has returned to Arden Gild Hall after having played here in 2007, just days before the announcement of the Tony Award nominations. Sheik’s musical, Spring Awakening, was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won eight. (One of the awards was won by John Gallagher, Jr. – a Wilmington native – for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical). Three years later, Sheik’s return coincides with the release of his new musical entitled Whisper House.

Duncan Sheik and Holly Brook Performing at Arden Gild Hall in 2007
Opening for Sheik is Entropy Ensemble, a South Carolina-based instrumental group that creates instrumental arrangements from the music of Radiohead. According to Ozer, Entropy Ensemble is normally a six-piece group: a keyboard, three strings, a flute and a drummer. The fact that only two of its members are at the Duncan Sheik show certainly does not take away from their performance. Keyboardist and creator of the project, Andrew Walker, and violinist Javier Orman captivated the audience from the very beginning. Their sound is incredibly rich and haunting at times with emotion-laden music and complicated melodies. Not only is the musicianship impeccable, but their humor adds to the experience: At one point, Walker removes his over shirt and Orman makes a wolf-whistle with his violin.
Orman is to his violin what Steve Vai is to the guitar. His range is fascinating; in one song he moves from smooth, fluid sounds to sharp, piercing passages. The audience is extremely receptive to this new style of music – after a “big rock finish,” the men receive a standing ovation.
The lights come up in the hall and the excitement in the room is elevated. The range of audience members is astounding. It not only includes a teenage crowd, those who know Sheik from Spring Awakening, but also an older crowd who remember Sheik from “Barely Breathing” – the Grammy-nominated single from his self-titled debut album.
“His best songs are very lush and beautiful,” says Ozer, who has seen Sheik perform before with a 12-piece group and “a lot of different instruments.” This time, Sheik is performing with a trio.
To my left in the crowd are Beth Tucker and Steve Swiss. Tucker saw Sheik at the WXPN singer/songwriter Weekend and says that she was blown away by his performance. She relates to Ozer’s story – she’d seen him with a larger band and says that part of what was so entertaining about Sheik and his group was that they kept switching instruments, demonstrating a wide array of musical ability.
This show, though a more low-key set-up, is much the same. Holly Brook, singer/songwriter and one of the cast of Whisper House, bounces between the keyboard and accordion while offering her liquid-smooth vocal talent. Sheik is also accompanied by electric guitarist Jerry Leonard.
Beginning with songs from Whisper House, Sheik jokingly says he’s decided to perform the songs in the order of “most morose to least morose.” Throughout his set, Sheik keeps up a lighthearted banter with his audience – when a member requests a song, he playfully replies, surrounded by his seven guitars, “I didn’t bring the right guitar for that one.”
The musicianship of Sheik and his band is remarkable. The band members follow Sheik as he leads them through a stylistic array of material. Though there are only three for this performance, their sound is full-bodied and blasts the audience with solid emotion. The harmonies are impeccable – one of Brook’s many talents. Acoustically, the room only enhances the musicality; the sounds blend perfectly and there is not a bad seat in the house (many venues have a “sweet spot” where the sound is best – usually near the sound booth). After playing a 95-minute set, Sheik and his band members leave the audience on its feet.
As an encore, Entropy Ensemble joins Sheik and company on stage to perform Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.”
So what’s next at Arden? Ozer says that there is a fundraiser being held April 10 and that the proceeds will go to the ongoing restoration of Gild Hall. On May 9, Gild Hall will feature Jill Sobule for Mother’s Day; jazz artist Cat Russell plays on May 22. Also in the works is the Arden Music Festival on June 12.
Many in the audience, including myself, cannot wait to make the trip back to Arden and see it in the spring. I imagine the foliage is something to be admired. I’d like to experience a show at Arden’s Field Theatre – perhaps their production of As You Like It scheduled for later this season (in which Ozer is playing Corin the Shepherd) – or attend another concert. I have a feeling that many memorable experiences are waiting to be had in the essence of Arden.
For more information about the Arden Gild Hall, go to www.ardenclub.org. For more information about Duncan Sheik, visit duncansheik.com.

- The Hunt

Duncan Sheik Captivates Landmark Audience
From Radiohead to Broadway, this concert at the Landmark on Main Street had it all.

An opening act started the evening – two members of the Entropy Ensemble, a group I'd heard recently on NPR and made note of because of their interesting, almost classical reinventions of Radiohead songs. The audience at Landmark was treated to a set performed by pianist Andrew Walker, and a dynamite violinist, Javier Orman. These young men looked to be barely out of college, but their playing was mature, complex, and intense. The set consisted entirely of their instrumental interpretations of Radiohead material, including "Paranoid Android," "There, There," and "Subterranean Homesick Alien."

- Port Washington Patch

Art comes in many forms and even the most unconventional locations can be the canvas for creativity. The musical group Entropy Ensemble teamed up with Social Wine Bar and the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA)to present “Jail Break” – a presentation of textile, visual and audio art on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the ACBA’s school, housed in the Old City Jail. Two-dimensional art pieces lined the walls of the classrooms while vendors sold wearable artwork in the form of jewelry and clothing, outside. As the sun began to fade away, Entropy Ensemble played to a rapt audience of more than 300, an audience as diverse as the art presented.

The concept to converge art of all levels was the brainchild of Entropy Ensemble’s founder Andrew Walker. The show is the natural outgrowth of what Andrew and his fellow musicians have done with their group Entropy Ensemble, which began in 2007 as a collaborative reworking of the catalogue of the popular alternative rock band, Radiohead.

Entropy Ensemble’s sound is grounded in their classical training but is undeniably more than that. The group is made up of five College of Charleston graduates: Andrew Walker (piano), Lonnie Root (cello), Javier Orman (violin), Stuart White (percussion), and Ben Wells (upright bass). All but Javier are musicians working in Charleston – Javier lives on the west coast. They each have a unique story as to how they came to their careers as musicians but they are convinced Entropy Ensemble was destined to be.

“It’s funny how much it’s changed,” Walker said during a rehearsal break. Three members, Walker, Root and Orman, spent four hours in a practice room two days before the event, fine-tuning their performance. Just as they are in sync as they play, so, too, are they when they talk. The responses flowed from one to the next, almost as if they were finishing each other’s thoughts.
“Radiohead was the canvas that brought us together,” Walker said. “That’s our Miracle Grow.”
Root: “Five people busy with music and we all keep coming back to it every time. Its not easy for us to get together.”
Orman: “We don’t try to blur the lines. What we do has to do with freedom.”

Although each of the members plays with other groups, Entropy Ensemble is special to them, in that it’s flexible and collaborative. Calling themselves, “brave young artists,” Walker says their mission is to preserve artistic creativity and that creativity has produced musical moments that the musicians and their audiences won’t find anywhere else.“We want some thing honest, good and true,” says the band members.
The audience, Javier Orman believes, will leave an Entropy Ensemble concert inspired.
Orman: “We do something that changes them in one way or another. It’s what happens to us as musicians.”
Walker: “[The music] gives people confidence.”
Root: “People can tell we’re effected by what we’re doing.”
Orman completes the thought by saying, ” You’ve moved yourself and that gets to people.”

It’s apparent that the audience is moved, indeed. As Entropy Ensemble wound its way through a set of Radiohead recreations Sunday, including Airbag, Paranoid Android, Exit Music and Everything in its Right Place, the gathering sat compactly on the grass in front of the stage area. As one fan told me later, “it’s as if we’re witnessing a group just at the precipice of greatness.”

Entropy Ensemble has an ambitious summer and fall ahead. They will practice this summer for a planned tour in the fall and have plans to produce an album. Walker also plans to continue bringing together dance, visual arts and music for additional Entropy Art productions, continuing the trend of diverse, unconventional music, that Charleston has to offer.
- Ask Miss A

Enlightened Ensemble
Calling Entropy Ensemble “a cover band” is even more blasphemous than saying Radiohead reminds you of Coldplay.
The irony is you don’t have to be a Radiohead fan—or even know who they are—to get that joke. Actually, it might be better that you don’t.
All you have to understand is the profound, intrinsic need to express. Anything. In any way imaginable. It is on that universal impulse that Andrew Walker and Entropy Ensemble stand, evoke and inspire during their performances.
Walker is the founder, director and pianist of Entropy Ensemble: an innovative and invigorating instrumental band focused on reimagining the eclectic genius of alternative/electric/Thom Yorke-dancing rock band, Radiohead. But, E.E. doesn’t just want to collect your money, play for you and go on their way. No, they’re up to something much bigger.
They tie every project to one basic, ingrained, metaphysical principle: That the gap between different art—and people—is an illusion; amidst the appearance of chaos, everything—and everyone—are inherently connected.
Whoa. Deep.
Entropy Ensemble, under the mothership Entropy Arts, was founded four years ago by Walker. He diverged from his theater path to study music and theory composition at CofC, a risky move given his acting scholarship and his never touching a piano before—ever.
To Walker, though, the two art forms weren’t so different. “We’re all trying to bring something into the physical realm,” he says. “That impulse to do—to express—it all comes from the same place.”
And so, on that philosophy, Entropy Ensemble was born.
In fact, everything about the E.E. embodies the concept that everything is interconnected, right down to their symbol (a Rubik’s cube) and the very different musicians who make it up: Walker, Javier Orman (“Superman with a violin”), Lonnie Root (“his heart beats with the cello”), and “the most versatile instrumentalists [who form] the best rhythm section,” Ben Wells (bass) and Stuart White (drums).
Ever since they combined their visions, this refreshing and original group has grown, accomplished and surpassed more than they had dreamed. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood knows who they are. Walker composed the score for the short film, Autumn Rising. Last November, Walker conceived a finale production for the 20th Anniversary of the School of Arts at Sottile Theater called “Between the Lines,” in which they collaborated with Charleston’s Annex Dance Company, young vocalists, painters and graphic designers, not to mention famed virtuoso pianist and Walker’s personal hero, Christopher O’Riley. The sold out show’s success inspired them to envision Jail Break, which partners E.E.’s Radiohead Project with Ryan Bonner & the Dearly Beloved, Wadata and artists from all walks of life to reveal one melodically intricate yet conceptually powerful hybrid that will uplift even the ghosts of City Jail on May 1st.
For now, it’s Radiohead. But Walker is hardly about pigeon-holing.
“It’s flat-out good music,” he says. “But things change so quickly. If you want to be fresh, you have to be spontaneous and always have a blank canvas.”
Entropy Ensemble is not trying to “do” so much as they are trying to “undo” by lifting the limitations placed on expression with the intention to bridge a gap, to unite artists and to connect diverse audiences and minds.
“I eat peanut butter sandwiches every night,” Walker laughed. “I’m starving. But I’m totally fine with that. I’m doing what I believe in and I’m sharing with the world.”
Rock on.

Story by: Jessica Kenny
- Charlie Magazine