Hopefully, I’m not getting this review off on the wrong foot by admitting that I’ve never really understood the appeal of EDM (Electronic Dance Music). To me it’s tedious and monotonous. And then there’s my old school bias that if it’s not being made with conventional instruments, it really isn’t music. I know, I know… grumpy old man.
But then, an epiphany. After being introduced to a band called 2LØT, my eyes, not to mention my ears, were opened.
For those of you who haven’t read the interview I did last week with Rudy Love, Jr. (vocals/keys) and Sage Judd (keys) from 2LØT, I’ve provided a brief review of the meaning behind the band’s name below, following the review of last night’s show. To read the full interview, click on this link: https://denverentertainmenthub.com/2025/03/18/2LOT.
2LØT plays a variant form of EDM that they call EJM (Electronic Jam Music). The differentiator is that while classic EDM is primarily produced electronically using digital and analog equipment, EJM couples EDM with live performances by musicians playing traditional instruments. In the case of 2LØT, you have all the elements of a “real band”, including Chase Koch on guitar, Omar M. Jahwar II (aka II) on drums, Robert Trusko on bass, Rudy Love, Jr. on vocals and keys, and Sage Judd on keys. Their music brings together the traditional synthesized sounds and repetitive beats of EDM with superb musicianship, introspective lyrics, and soulful vocals. The band’s ability to masterfully blend soul, funk, jazz, and rock together into an EDM infrastructure is exceptionally impressive.
The band’s ENTRO tour, supporting their debut album Entropy that dropped last November, kicked off last night with a stop at Denver’s Lost Lake Lounge. The night marked a significant milestone for the band… they’ve played a lot of shows, but this is their first official tour. The Denver show will go down as their first show on their first ever tour… a pretty cool distinction and honor.
The band took the stage at about ten minutes before 10:00 pm, opening the set with “Cage,” the opening track from Entropy. The tight, nine-song set was almost completely from the album… the one exception being an energetic dance tune called “Cross-eyed.” (The setlist, presented in order, can be found in the photo gallery below.)
Across the boards, 2LØT is an incredibly talented band. Over the course of the evening each player had multiple opportunities to showcase their considerable skills. Let me repeat – these guys are all exceptional musicians. Every song, and especially every solo, demonstrated that this group of players are the real deal.
As a failed drummer wannabe, I have a special affinity for rhythm sections (bass and drums). Generally speaking, these are the players that forego the spotlight, while providing the glue that holds the overall performance together. Not so much in 2LØT. Both II (pronounced “two”) on drums and Robert Trusko on bass are as animated as they are talented. II absolutely crushes it behind the kit, and Trusko moves back, forth, front, and back on the stage, and even took his turn stepping down from the stage and into the crowd. His bass work all night was terrific, and his solo turns were inspired.
Koch’s guitar work is ethereal, reminding me a lot of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given that Koch cites his discovery of Floyd’s The Wall, at the age of thirteen, as the starting point of his musical life. Do yourself a favor and Google the video for the band’s song “Entropy” (the video a thing of beauty in and of itself) and check out the guitar solo/fadeout in the last minute and twenty seconds. It’s absolutely mesmerizing. It was equally mesmerizing live last night.
There’s a reason that within the band, Judd is referred to as the Chairman of the Boards. His keyboard work throughout the evening was electrifying, and his stage presence is commanding. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s got a head of hair many (this writer included) would kill for. He’s the complete package.
Finally, there’s the band’s frontman, Rudy Love, Jr. Love’s vocal range is impressive… from silky smooth to powerful on a turn of a dime. Beyond his vocal prowess, he’s an accomplished showman. Multiple times during the night he stepped down from the stage and worked his way through the crowd. At one point he took turns sharing the mic with multiple members from the crowd. (Whoever the young lady was who jammed with him on “Call For Me” flat out killed it. She was tentative at first, but with urging from Love she ended up letting it rip!)
Last night’s show absolutely incredible… from the opening “Cage” to the closing “Sacrifice.” It might have been the first gig of the band’s first tour, but it definitely won’t be the last we’ll be hearing from them. Individually and collectively, 2LØT is unique, talented, and charismatic. I’m betting that sometime in the not-too-distant future, the people in attendance at last night’s show are going to be able to boast about seeing this up-and-coming band “way back when….”
And now for the promised review of the mystery behind the band’s name…
2LØT is short for the 2nd Law Of Thermodynamics. As a group, the members of 2LØT have a defined goal to resist entropy, which is life’s tendency to dissolve into chaos. They are using music as a vehicle to help people resist, cope with, and manage entropy, and to activate and inspire people to make the most of the time they have on this earth.
On one level, it’s pretty heady stuff. On another, it’s quite simple. If you believe, as the members of 2LØT do, that music is the greatest unifier of people that exists, then you can use music as a means to bring people together and enhance lives both individually and collectively.
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
