Lotus is an instrumental

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cr ...

formed in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

in 1999 now based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Denver, Colorado.

History

Lotus was formed at

Goshen College Goshen College is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The college is accredited by the High ...

in August 1998 by Steve Clemens, Luke Miller, Mike Rempel, Andy Parada, and Joel Jimenez, with the first live show occurring on September 25, 1998. The band's more permanent lineup coalesced in 1999. After a few years of playing what they describe as "jamtronica", Lotus recruited percussionist Chuck Morris in 2001 and shifted their focus to instrumental music, taking inspiration from electronic musicians such as

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...

. The band's first album, ''Vibes'', a compilation of live performances from their 2001 tour,Hughes, Korey. "Warm up the sound: Lotus strikes a new position in electronic music", ''

Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatc ...

'', 2004-03-04, p. D10. was released in 2002, after which they signed to Harmonized Records, releasing a live album and two studio albums between 2003 and 2006. 2004's ''Nomad'' went to the top of the Home Grown Music Network charts and by the end of the year was the HGMN Best Seller. It was also nominated for a "New Groove of the Year" ''Jammy'' award. The album saw the band described by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

as "an electronically inclined jazz-funk outfit", with ''Glide'' magazine stating "''Nomad'' exhibits Lotus' tight ability to blend shades of organic groove with elements of urban house".Handler, Shane (2004)
Lotus - ''Nomad''
(review), ''Glide'', September 17, 2004 The band's last album on Harmonized, ''The Strength of Weak Ties'' was described by ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' as "instrumentals that - for the most part - don't go anywhere, but occasionally pulling out something that is genuinely thrilling".Sawdey, Evan (2006)
PopMatters Music Short Takes: Lotus - ''The Strength of Weak Ties''
, ''PopMatters'' The band then signed to SCI Fidelity Records, debuting on the label with the live double album, ''Escaping Sargasso Sea'', which was nominated for a Jammy award by ''Guitar Player'' magazine for "Best Live Album of 2007". The album was described by ''

Relix ''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concert ...

'' magazine as "sexy and sophisticated dance music, mature enough to be played in the club or the living room".Hect, Jared (2007)
''Escaping Sargasso Sea''
" (review), ''

'', 6 December 2007 The band followed this with ''Copy/Paste/Repeat'', an album of remixes of tracks from their previous two studio albums, by bands and producers including

Lymbyc Systym Lymbyc Systym is an American instrumental band from Tempe, Arizona, United States, which formed in 2001, consisting of brothers Jared and Michael Bell. Their sound combines elements of instrumental rock and electronic music. Lymbyc Systym have ...

, Juan Maclean, DJ Harry and Telepath. The album was positively received by ''PopMatters'', who said "Copy/Paste/Repeat reinvents the jam band’s music as dance floor jams, with hip hop and trance-influenced beats and mind-warping electronic synth burbles".Sclafani, Tony (2008)
Lotus - Copy/Paste/Repeat
, ''PopMatters'' The album, ''Hammerstrike'' was released on SCI Fidelity in 2008 to positive reviews.Dean, Justin (2008)
Lotus add lyrics to successful formula on ''Hammerstrike''
, The Daily Cardinal, October 20, 2008Groneman, Arthur (2008)
Lotus - ''Hammerstrike''
(review), '' Metro Spirit'' issue #20.11Sewell, Chase (2008)
Lotus: ''Hammerstrike''
, ''

Jambase ''JamBase'' is an online database and news portal of live music and festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. ...

'' The band followed the album's release with a forty seven-date North American tour.Forhecz, Topher (2008)
Lotus band member talks about tour
, ''Collegiate Times'', 29 October 2008 On Oct. 6, 2009 Lotus released a set of 2 EPs titled Oil on Glass/Feather on Wood featuring music recorded during the Hammerstrike sessions and 3 remixes of tracks from Hammerstrike. Before the band's 2009 fall tour, original drummer Steve Clemens left the band and was replaced by current drummer Mike Greenfield. The loss of Clemens triggered a gradual departure from the band's improvisational roots and a stylistic shift from organic electronica and jazz/funk fusion to electro-pop, indie rock and hip-hop. The album ''Lotus'' was released on Sept. 13, 2011. The band recorded the album between December 2009 and October 2010 with Bill Moriarty in Philadelphia, with additional recordings made in the home studios of Jesse and Luke Miller and at various locations around the country. David Wrench mixed a number of the tracks, and a few tracks were mixed by Bill Moriarty, along with Jesse Miller and Luke Miller. The band released its first music video for Golden Ghost in August 2011. In addition to touring, Lotus headlines the Summerdance music festival at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville, OH. The festival has been held since 2008. In 2021, following the global pandemic, Rempel left the group to focus on a wellness career. He was replaced by Tim Palmieri, who is known for his work in The Breakfast and Kung fu. The band announced the release of a new album, Bloom & Recede due out Aug. 26, 2022.

Live shows

Lotus is known for concerts with a complex light setup and varying set lists that employ frequent group improvisation. Live concert recordings are collected on the site Nugs.net. The band has undertaken a number of tours and have performed at festivals including Jam on the River (Philadelphia, PA 2007,2008, 2014 and 2015), Wakarusa (KS 2005, 2006, 2007),

Rothbury Music Festival Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. Original named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at the ...

in July 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2015, and All Good Music & Arts Festival 2010 and 2012 The band played a concert in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in September 2008 in which the new album ''Hammerstrike'' was played in full. They also played at the Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019. Other festivals include All Good Festival, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco, Fuji Rock, and Ultra. Lotus has toured in Japan six times, performing at clubs and festivals including Fuji Rock, Metamorphose and Green Room Festival. The band has performed several themed shows. On October 31, 2008, at the TLA in Philadelphia the show was billed as "Live Fast Die Young: the 27 Conspiracy". Each of the 5 members dressed as a rock star who died at the age of 27 ( Kurt Cobain,

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...

) and the show featured covers by each of the respective bands. On Dec. 31, 2008 the band performed a show that included robot themed covers including Styx - "Mr. Roboto", Alan Parson's Project - "I Robot", Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots: Part I", Radiohead - "Paranoid Android", and Daft Punk - "Robot Rock". On Oct. 31, 2009 at Sonar in Baltimore the Halloween show was presented as "Protein Pills in the Labyrinth". The band members dressed as different David Bowie characters (including Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke, and Jareth) and played "Under Pressure," "Fame," "I'm Afraid of Americans," "Space Oddity," "Let's Dance," "Rebel, Rebel" and "Suffragette City," along with original Lotus material. These David Bowie songs have occasionally appeared thereafter during the rest of the Fall 2009 tour. On Feb. 22, 2010 at Schuba's in Chicago the band's first of two sets focused on post-rock music featuring covers of Tortoise, Trans Am and

This Will Destroy You This Will Destroy You (abbreviated as TWDY) is an American post-rock band from San Marcos, Texas, formed in 2004. They typically compose lengthy atmospheric instrumental pieces, featuring layers of effects-laden guitar and a heavy usage of dy ...

along with Lotus's own post-rock compositions. On Oct. 30, 2010 at the Roseland in Portland, OR the band performed a Black Sabbath themed show. For the second set the band came on stage dressed as Black Sabbath and performed remixed versions of side A of the album Paranoid (War Pigs, Paranoid, Planet Caravan, Iron Man), celebrating 40 years since its release. On Oct. 31, 2010 at the Showbox in Seattle, WA the band paid tribute to video game music. They performed versions of Pac-Man (Power Pills Remix), Contra (Jungle Theme), MegaMan2 (Dr. Wiley's Theme), Tetris theme and Zelda (Overworld and Underworld themes). On Dec. 31, 2011 at Festival Pier in Philadelphia Lotus nodded to some of the most influential modern dance producers covering Daft Punk "Da Funk", Justice "Phantom Part II" and DeadMau5 "Ghosts 'n' Stuff". On Oct. 29, 2016 at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY the band played a Space Disco set. Jesse Miller used a Juno-106, Moog Minitaur and modular synth rack for the set focused on the space disco genre. Lotus was featured on the cover of the tour industry's leading magazine in October 2008

Pollstar ''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017. History and profile Founded in 1981 in Fre ...

. Lotus opened the Summer 2021 concert series at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO. on April 22, 2021. Their performance, the first of a four night series, marked the first major show at Red Rocks following the COVID-19 shutdown.

Musical style

Expanding upon a wide range of styles and sounds, Lotus is considered a multi-genre band. The group incorporates elements of rock, electronica, jazz, jam, hip-hop,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and other influences.Greenhaus, Mike (2008)
Lotus
, ''Relix'', 14 April 2008 The band originally played as a

jamband A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational " jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often c ...

that leaned heavily on the sounds of

, rock and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and with improvisational styles similar to

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

, Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead. Jesse Miller said of the band's sound: "I truly believe Lotus' sound comes from the roots of rock 'n' roll mixed with electronic beats that are popular today. It took a long time for us to finally find a sound we all agreed on. But believe me, we experimented plenty before deciding what sound we were looking for". Lotus has also been known to experiment with a diverse set of genres regularly incorporating hip-hop and dubstep sounds and samples into their live shows. Influenced heavily by the band's love for dance music and artists like

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...

, Kraftwerk,

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

, and

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

the band's style has gravitated toward elements of the electronic genre while maintaining the foundation of jamrock.Jentzen, Aaron (2008)
Lotus sheds "jam-tronica" label with more indie-friendly ''Hammerstrike''
, ''

Pittsburgh City Paper The ''Pittsburgh City Paper'' is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment. It bought out ''In Pittsburgh Weekly'' in 2001. As of April 2015, ''City Paper'' is the 14th l ...

'', 25 November 2008 Since 2006 the band has fused elements of progressive and post rock into their sound. Artists like

Trans Am Trans Am may refer to: * Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, an automobile model * Trans Am (band), an American post-rock band ** ''Trans Am'' (album), their 1996 debut album *** ''Trans Am'' (1996 song), their eponymous song from the eponymous album, see ...

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the oth ...

and

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

have influenced Lotus. Since 2020 the band has incorporated modular synth into their live show for composed and improvised, synth focused music.

Members

* Tim Palmieri -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Jesse Miller - bass and sampler and

modular synth Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analog control voltages ...

* Mike Greenfield -

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Luke Miller -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Chuck Morris -

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

Discography

* ''Vibes'' (2002) self-released (out of print) * ''Germination'' (live) (2003) Harmonized Records * ''Nomad'' (2004) Harmonized Records * ''The Strength of Weak Ties'' (2006) Harmonized Records * ''Escaping Sargasso Sea'' (live) (2007) Sci Fidelity * ''Copy/Paste/Repeat'' (remixes) (2007) Lotus Vibes Music * ''Hammerstrike'' (2008) Sci Fidelity * ''Oil on Glass/Feather on Wood'' EPs (2009) Sci Fidelity * ''Lotus'' (2011) Sci Fidelity * ''Build'' (2013) Sci Fidelity * ''Monks'' (2013) * ''Gilded Age'' (2014) * ''Eat the Light'' (2016) * ''Frames Per Second'' (2018) * ''Free Swim'' (2020) * ''Citrus'' (2021) * ''Live Underground'' (2022) * ''Bloom & Recede'' (2022) Anti-Fragfile

References

External links

Lotus Official Website

Lotus YouTube Channel

Lotus Live Recordings on Archive.org

Lotus Official Myspace Website

Lotus Official Merch Website

Reviews

* Clark, Chris

, Glide Magazine * Wade, J Evan
''Hammerstrike Review''
, www.HomeGrownMusic.net * Handler, Shane

, Glide Magazine * Sewell, Chase

, JamBase * Sclafani, Tony
Copy/Paste/Repeat Review
, PopMatters

Articles

* Behe, Regis (2007)

, ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', December 27, 2007 * Walker, Dylan (2008)
Lotus jams out new tour, album
, ''The Maneater'' * Fisher, Josh (2008)
A taste of Lotus - It’ll have you craving more
, ''The 217'' * Truong, Alex (2007)
Lotus flowers at Majestic performance
, ''Badger Herald'' * Gargiulo, Greg (2008)
Lotus :: 09.24.08 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY
, Jambase * Parker-McClain, Dana (2008)
HotStar Lotus
, Pollstar * Gangi, Allie (2013)
Lotus at Best Buy Theater in NYC Review
, LostinSound * Gangi, Allie (2013)
Interview/Review with Luke Miller about Lotus and Luke the Knife
, LiveForLiveMusic

Interviews

Interview with Jesse Miller
ViralFashion.com
Break Thru Radio Interview
(audio), breakthruradio.com
64-minute Lotus Interview/feature
(audio), KXUA Fayetteville

(video), DMW News (also a
uk.youtube.com

concertlivewire.com * Preston, Scott (2008
Interview with Jesse Miller from Lotus
''Cincy Groove Magazine'' * Jarvis, Heather (2008
Lotus returns from Jam in the Dam and readies itself for summer festival gigs
''The Marquee''

Other media

Bonner, Timothy for BlowtheScene.com (photos) *
Lotus live multi-camera shoot from 10.08.2008 - Old Rock House - St. Louis, MO
by iclips.net (video) *
Lotus live multi-camera shoot from 6.20.08 - Sonic Bloom - Winter Park, CO
by iclips.net (video) *
Lotus live multi-camera shoot from 7.26.08 - 10,000 Lakes Festival - Detroit Lakes, MN
by iclips.net (video) *
''Golden Ghost''
(video) {{Authority control Rock music groups from Indiana Livetronica music groups Jam bands Electronic music groups from Indiana 1999 establishments in Indiana Musical groups established in 1999