Lotus is an instrumental electronic

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...

formed in

Goshen, Indiana Goshen ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart–Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend–Elkhart–Mish ...

in 1998 now based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , and Denver, Colorado.

History

Lotus was formed at

Goshen College Goshen College is a Private college, private Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, a ...

in August 1998 by Steve Clemens, Luke Miller, Michael 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 ...

. 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, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second-highest circul ...

'', 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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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, ...

'' 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'' 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), '' Relix'', 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, 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, 2008
Sewell, Chase (2008)
Lotus: ''Hammerstrike''
, '' Jambase'' 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 directed by Brent Kado. In addition to touring, Lotus headlines the Summerdance music festival at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville, Ohio. 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'', which was released on August 26, 2022. Chuck Morris and his son Charley were reported as missing in March 2023 after they disappeared while kayaking on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. An extensive search effort was undertaken to find the Morrises, which was converted into a recovery effort on March 21. The bodies of Chuck and Charley Morris were discovered on April 9, 2023.

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. Originally named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at ...

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, the show was billed as "Live Fast Die Young: the 27 Conspiracy". Each of the five members dressed as a rock star who died at the age of 27 (

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English musician and founder of the Rolling Stones. Initially a slide guitarist, he went on to sing backing vocals and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones r ...

, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

) and the show featured covers by each of the respective bands. On December 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 October 31, 2009, at Sonar in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, 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 February 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 along with Lotus's own post-rock compositions. On October 30, 2010, at the Roseland in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, 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 October 31, 2010, at the Showbox in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington, 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 December 31, 2011, at Festival Pier in

, Lotus nodded to some of the modern dance producers covering Daft Punk "Da Funk", Justice "Phantom Part II" and DeadMau5 "Ghosts 'n' Stuff". On October 29, 2016, at Town Ballroom in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, 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. ''Pollstar'' holds an annual award ce ...

. Lotus opened the Summer 2021 concert series at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in

Morrison, Colorado Morrison is a home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 396 at the 2020 census. History This small foothills settlement is named after George Morrison (April 16, 1822 – June 11, 1895), a builde ...

, 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. Lotus has performed summer dance every year since they created it at Nelson ledges quarry park.

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 ...

and other influences.Greenhaus, Mike (2008)
Lotus
, ''Relix'', 14 April 2008 The band originally played as a jamband 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and with improvisational styles similar to

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

, 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), known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, composer and DJ active in electronic music since 1988. His idiosyncratic work has drawn on many styles, including techno, ambient music, ambi ...

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

, and

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

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 ...

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

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

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and 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 ...

and

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, 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 mus ...

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

Members

;Current members * Luke Miller –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

/ keyboards * Jesse Miller –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

and sampler and modular synth * Mike Greenfield –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

* Tim Palmieri –

;Past members * Michael Rempel – guitar * Steve Clemens – drums * Joel Jimenez – bass * Andy Parada – drums * Chuck Morris – percussion ;Touring * Dave Guevara – percussion * Michael Christie – keyboards

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-Fragile * ''Live in Steel City'' (2023) * ''How To Dream In Color'' (2024)

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

* 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 * 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 * (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 Electronic music groups from Indiana 1999 establishments in Indiana Musical groups established in 1999