Jamband music is a constantly evolving amorphous blob filled with progressive guitar licks, out of pocket drum beats, pushing the musical envelope beyond the 3:40 radio friendly lyrical hook. One band that is taking their cues from the evolution of the genre is East Coast based Electro-Jam band, LOTUS. Delivering a high energy musical journey rooted in pushing their musical style into the upper stratosphere.
I first discovered LOTUS at the last Rothbury Music Festival in Rothbury, MI in 2009. It was my first night of the festival and the first band I saw. I instantly was blown away by the progressive electro-jam sounds I heard coming from this band on stage. They teleported my soul to places it had never journeyed mixed with an electrifying light show that seemingly integrated the sound engineer as a veritable extra member of the band. Since that first sip of the Lotus kool-aid, I’ve been intrigued by their on going evolution into something great and an artist to keep your eye on.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing real musicians with real instruments pushing their musical talents to drive the music. Combine that with an all about abandon of traditional constraints and you’ve got magic. Lotus’s new self-titled album moves in a decidedly more electronic direction than their previous two releases – Hammerstrike (2008) and Oil on Glass/Feather on Wood (2009). Analog synthesizers, manipulated sounds, dub effects and heavy bass are complemented by horn and string arrangements in addition to Lotus’s standard guitar/bass/drums instrumentation. Grooves move from slinky funk and gritty half-time on the first half of the album to the beautiful and expansive closing track Orchids. While short pieces of vocals are used throughout, the only song to feature singing is The Surf. The track may be the closest thing to an indie-pop song the band has released, but the melodic guitar hooks and ecstatic synth parts are pure Lotus.
Lotus is currently touring in support of their new album, “Lotus” and will make multiple stops on the West Coast this month before returning back to the East Coast.
LOTUS TOUR DATES:
Nov. 9- The Top Hat- Missoula, MT
Nov. 10- The Neptune Theatre- Seattle, WA
Nov. 11- Crystal Ballroom- Portland, OR
Nov. 12- The Independent- San Francisco, CA
Nov. 13- The Independent- San Francisco, CA
Nov. 16- The Catalyst- Santa Cruz, CA
Nov. 17- El Rey Theatre- Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 18- The Belly Up- Solana Beach, CA
Nov. 19- The Compound Grill- Phoenix, AZ
Nov. 25- Rams Head- Baltimore, MD
Nov. 26- Rams Head- Baltimore, MD
December 31- Festival Pier- Philadelphia, PA
