New style in bloom

According to Webster's Dictionary a lotus plant was fabled in the ancient world "to induce a dreamy languor and forgetfulness." Like the plant, the band Lotus hopes to create a sound that will make its listeners forget about the basic music they are used to, and never want to settle for it again. \nBlending styles such as electronica, improvisational rock and funk, the music of Lotus is definitely not your typical Phish-esque jam session. \nLotus has just embarked on their first major coast-to-coast tour, and will be stopping at Uncle Fester's on Tuesday, Jan. 27. \nFour of the five guys who make up Lotus met while at Goshen College in Goshen, Ind. The band consists of Steve Clemens on drums, Jesse Miller on bass, his brother Luke on guitar and synthesizer, Chuck Morris with percussion and Mike Rempel also plays guitar. While at Goshen, they studied music formally and were exposed to a wide variety of styles. But they didn't always have the means to experiment as much as they would have liked. \n"We were all into the jam band thing and eventually we got into bands like Orb, but we didn't experiment with it at first because the technology was so new and we didn't have the equipment," Luke Miller says. \nOnce they finally got the equipment they needed, the guys began mixing their improvised guitar solos with a euro-electronica backbeat -- much like the jazz musicians of the '70s whom they admire as musical trailblazers.\n"In the '70s you had guys like Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis fusing funk with jazz. The way they used both styles so perfectly definitely influenced us. Also around that time you had dub coming from Jamaica, which is the basis of electronica," Jesse Miller says. \nStemming from their formal music education, the members of Lotus say world music is a big part of who they are. \n"We're definitely influenced by world music, especially the beats and rhythm of West African and Brazilian music and even Irish music to an extent," Morris says. \nLike most jam bands, Lotus takes its live act very seriously. Delivering a high-energy show with non-stop dancing is a priority of the band. The group had noticed that similar bands had failed to capture the energy and spirit of their live shows on studio records. The band released its first studio album, Vibes, in 2002 to positive online response. However, for the second album, Lotus wanted to package what it does best: live music. Germination is the result, an album that seems much bigger than its six songs.\nMixing such different styles in a live setting seems like it wold be a rollercoaster ride for the listener, but the band knows what it wants from its audience. \n"Obviously the energy you get from a funk song is different than an electronica show, but really we just want to make people dance and have a good time," Luke Miller says. \nLotus isn't alone in a current influx of bands that seem nurtured off a diet of Phish bootlegs and the slow but steady influence of electronic music in our culture over the past decade. The Disco Biscuits and The New Deal are among many bands known for mixing jam with electronica. This post-modern style has found a home with open-minded college students who accept all types of music. This has given the band an opportunity to tour all over the Midwest, with trips to Colorado and the East Coast. After finishing school in Goshen, the guys moved to Philadelphia in 2002 to help bring their touring and recording careers to the next level. It was a monumental trip that provided the band with many "Almost Famous"-type, band-on-the-road stories.\n"When we first moved from Indiana to Philly, we had this ancient van from the '70s and it was constantly losing tires," Jesse Miller says. "Once the battery was so low if you put on the turn signal the car would die." \nAs electronic music becomes more accessible, bands are starting to mix their own personal styles with electronic beats or drumming. The members of Lotus say they are happy more people are being turned on to electronic music.\n"Electronic music is now so accessible for anyone to mess with," Jesse Miller says. "It's great it's being mixed with other styles of music. The equipment is becoming more like a musical instrument for bands." \nUncle Fester's owner Aaron Steele says he has seen the band play at his venue a few times before and thinks its show provides a good atmosphere.\n"The crowd is great, very open to the style," he says. "It's weird in a way. The Midwest hasn't experienced nor grasped this type of music. It's an east coast thing. They sell out huge theaters in New York and Philly. Great music, not yet experienced by most Hoosiers." \nLotus will get their chance on the 27th to play their unique blend of styles and win more fans from this part of the country. Their lengthy tour will enable them to take their music where it hasn't been before. And hopefully, they've bought a better car battery for the trip.