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By Chris Clark :: Cover photo by Tobin Poppenberg
The nomadic life is not for everyone. Many succumb to the pressures of a life on the road. The unexpected bumps and turns prove to be overwhelming for the greater majority of would-be jam music acts, but some manage to keep pushing forward, escaping major catastrophe and ultimate demise along the way.
For Lotus, the constant touring and bedlam that is the life of so many aspiring young bands seems to have finally begun to pay off. Eventually any band on the live music circuit has to reach that "make-it or break-it point," and with the release of their third album, The Strength of Weak Ties, (released April 4th on Harmonized Records) the Philadelphian organic electronic quintet may have pushed over the proverbial hump.
"We're really excited to get the album out," says Lotus bassist Jesse Miller. "The new album is definitely a lot different than stuff we've done in the past. There are all sorts of new tools, samples, and production techniques we've never used before."
What becomes most apparent throughout the entirety of The Strength of Weak Ties is Lotus' maturation as a band and as individual musicians. While Nomad, the band's second album, flowed smoothly from start to finish, it left a taste of "there could be more" on the listener's palate. Though still good, it felt like a live band taking their live sound into the studio, and it came out sounding like a glorified bootleg. All the talent and head-bobbing grooves were present, but a sonic void remained after all was said and done. With the new album, Lotus ventures deeper into their songwriting and compositions, leaving little room for the "what if?" Clear and concise, it offers a diverse portrait of what a band known for their live shows can produce in the studio setting. Finally, they have created a work of art that will appeal to a target audience outside of the jam scene, while still catering to and captivating the faithful "old schoolers."
"When we first started out, we were really into anything funky. Now we're returning to our roots as a rock band and fusing that together with electronic elements. As we've come along, we've added more and more of these electronic elements," says Jesse Miller.
Luke Miller by Doug Allsopp |
Calling Lotus a rock band may catch some off guard, but a rock band they are. Before any of the ultra-technological, post-modern gadgetry, samplers, and synthesizers, Lotus maintained a jazzy, organic sound. Mike Rempel, the band's crafty lead guitarist, has stayed true to his sometimes delicate, sometime ripping guitar style. Chuck Morris (percussion) has added a HandSonic and other intricate grains to fill-in spaces, as do the Miller brothers, who write the vast majority of the band's ever-expanding song repertoire. Although the sound has been driven by an eclectic fervor for futuristic flavor, Lotus has remained genuine to their core. When the dust settles, they continue to be a rock & roll band with a range of jazz, funk, world, and electronic textures further amplifying and coloring an increasingly polyphonic product.
The difference is that Lotus now enjoys a much more complete sound. Whereas a few years ago all the potential was there but the sound just hadn't caught up yet, today that potential is being fulfilled and is starting to thrive. Luke Miller, who now splits his duties between various keyboards, synthesizers and effects-laden guitars, has fueled a great deal of the group's progression, both in the studio and in the live settings. Drummer Steve Clemens continues to be a driving force on both the acoustic and electronic drums, enabling the band to switch between styles and tempos at the drop of a hat. Combined with bassist Jesse Miller, the band offers a precise and beat-driven rhythm section whose culmination allows guitarist Rempel ample space to show off his talented chops whenever the timing is right. Put together, Lotus is fully capable of taking it to the next level. It's this whole group mentality and collective sound that Lotus presents that can be attributed to the band's rising success.
"We've always had a wide array of sound," says Lotus keyboardist-guitarist Luke Miller. "It's the culmination of the rock thing with the electronic."
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When we first started out, we were really into anything funky. Now we're returning to our roots as a rock band."
-Jesse Miller
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Photo by Doug Allsopp
With The Strength of Weak Ties hitting streets a few weeks ago, Lotus is currently taking the material on the road - the exact opposite of the songs that made up Nomad. For that album, the songs were, for the most part, already part of their live repertoire, and they were reworked in one way or another for the album's recording. Contrastingly, The Strength of Weak Ties came together much like an assembly line, one pivotal piece at a time.
Lotus by C. L. Kunst |
"We started recording [the album] in 2005. We came into the studio with just the drums. Jesse put together beats live at home on a ProTools set up, and we started piecing songs together. Then we just kept piecing the songs together, doing most of the work at home," says Luke Miller.
Finally mastered in January, the finished album offers Lotus fans and outsiders alike a well-defined glance at a band that has finally created that piece for which they (along with many others) have been looking. The album delivers a number of well-crafted, concise and poignant musical thoughts, from the album-commencing futuristic foray "Tip of the Tongue" to the slow funk of "Bubonic Tonic" and the exploratory voyaging present in "Blue Giant." Depending on what one focuses on, there's something for a wide assortment of music appreciators and fans. This is not merely a jam band attempting to pull off studio success. There is certainly a share of down-tempo daydreams ("Kesey Seed" for instance), but there's also an album full of beautiful peaks and valleys, tempo changes and emotionally charged interludes, and climaxes that make for a great, complete album. It should also be noted that the album features vocals, not just vocal samples. Featured on four tracks is Steve Yutzy-Burkey (One Star Hotel, The Swimmers), whose contribution to the album's flow and mood propels The Strength of Weak Ties to a whole new level.
Lotus by D.L. Whit |
"It [live vocals] was something I wanted to take more advantage of in the studio. He adds a whole new dimension, and it really does strike people," says Jesse Miller.
While vocals may catch some off-guard, it's the sheer musicianship that shines. "There's a lot more raw, distorted-driven guitar and less of the jazzy lines. Overall, it's more experimental and more open," says Luke Miller. "Onstage we've also been doing a lot more experimentation."
Since its release, there have been comparisons to Daft Punk and Giles Peterson and what some critics refer to as "progressive pop." That may be a bit over-the-top for some, but it's unquestionably apparent that Lotus isn't your run-of-the-mill live electronic band, either. "When you're in this whole live electronic thing, the comparisons always come up because they're easy to make," kids Luke Miller.
Continues brother Jesse, "I think Lotus' edge is, for the past few years we've been focusing on more dance-oriented music, primarily house. In my mind, it's [the live electronic scene] a bunch of rock bands that are incorporating electronic elements. None of them, in my mind, sound the same. Some hear it and say 'You're a rock band,' some people say 'Oh, it's a funk band.'"
Rock, funk, or electronic, Lotus can be rather easily classified as a band with rising stock. As the 2006 festival season approaches and the band gears up for performances at Joshua Tree, Wakarusa, Smilefest, and High Sierra, as well as a four-night run in Japan, Lotus has become one of the bands to watch this summer. They've been honing and solidifying their sound for the last seven years, and 2006 may be the year for them to take it to the masses.
JamBase | Philadelphia
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