Question. What do you get when you put twin brothers,
some synthesizers, and a lot of late nights in
a college practice room into a blender? Answer.
Over 25 years of non -stop touring, headline
slots at Red Rocks, and one of the most dedicated
fanbases in the Jamtronica scene. Welcome to
Shecky's Jam Bands. I'm your host and today we're
doing something a little bit different. Instead
of telling you about Lotus, I'm going to ask
you questions about Lotus. Think of this as the
questions you should be asking when you hear
about a band that has been grinding since 1998.
Ready? Let's dive in. First question. Where exactly
did Lotus come from? Here's what you need to
know. September 1998, Goshen College in Goshen,
Indiana, a small Mennonite school in the middle
of nowhere. Two freshman roommates, Luke Miller
Mike Rempel sitting around thinking about what
college kids always think about how to avoid
homework and make music They recruit Luke's twin
brother Jesse Miller who plays bass and sampler
Add drummer Steve Clemens and you've got the
original core of Lotus their first gig September
25th 1998 at a campus coffeehouse They played
James Brown's get on up and Red Hot Chili Peppers
covers. This is important. They started as a
cover band with vocals, not the instrumental
electronic powerhouse they'd become. Just college
kids jamming. But here's the beautiful part.
Those practice rooms, they were in the basement
below something called the leaf raker. Luke Miller
remembers it well. Cramped, no natural light,
Just pure focus. That's where the sound started
to take shape. Next question. Why lotus? Good
luck finding a straight answer. The band has
never officially explained it. Could be the lotus
flower symbol of purity rising from murky waters.
Could be a Greek mythology's lotus fruit that
causes dreaminess and forgetfulness. Could be
that they just liked how it sounded. What we
do know, it's one of those names that just fits.
Short, memorable, spiritual, without being preachy.
And unlike some bands who overthink their names,
end up with the crystal experience or something
like that, or something equally regrettable,
Lotus nailed it on the first try. Next question,
and this is a big one. When did they stop being
a college band and become Lotus? Well, It was
2001. That was the turning point. They recruited
percussionist Chuck Morris. We'll come back to
Chuck in a minute and make a critical decision.
Go fully instrumental. No more vocals. Just pure
sound. They're taking inspiration from electronic
artists like The Orb, Afix Twin, and Kraftwerk,
but mixing it with the improvisational jam band
ethos of Fish and the Grateful Dead. This is
hybrid later dubbed Jamtronica or Livetronica
becomes their signature. Their first album Vibes
drops in 2002. It's a live compilation from their
2001 tour. Raw, energetic, and a little rough
around the edges, but it shows promise. Then
comes 2004's Nomad and everything changes. Nomad
hits number one on the Homegrown Music Network
charts. It becomes the HGMN Best Seller of the
Year and it gets nominated for a Jammy Award
for the Groove of the Year. Suddenly, they're
not just a college band anymore. They're a legitimate
touring act. They're averaging over a hundred
shows a year by the mid -2000s. They're playing
Bonnaroo, Summer Camp, Rothberry, All good. And
they're doing it all independently. No major
label. Just word of mouth, relentless touring,
and encouragement of live recordings. Tapers
at their shows are not just allowed. They're
celebrated. Next question. What's their sound
exactly? Multi -genre. That's the answer. The
long answer is imagine if a daft punk and STS9
had a baby and that baby was raised by Talking
Heads and Brian Eno as the cool uncle who teaches
it about modular synthesizers. Lotus blends electronic
beats, funk grooves, post -rock atmospherics,
psychedelic textures and jazz improvisation.
Live they're known for tight compositions that
explode into extended jams. Jesse Miller's modular
synth work is hypnotic, looping bass lines, modular
vocal samples, and so on. Luke Miller switches
between keys and guitar, adding melodic layers.
The rhythm section locks in and doesn't let go.
And the light shows. Oh, the light shows. Designed
by Scott Houston, a Goshen College alum, and
Luke's former roommate. The visuals are synchronized
but not rigid. Each performance is unique. They
have smoke, lasers, movement, color. It's an
experience, not just a concert. Next question.
What songs do you need to hear if you're new
to Lotus? I'm going to give you two. Both are
staples. Both showcase and makes this band special.
The first one is Greet in Mind. This is the Lotus
anthem. They played it over a thousand times
in their career. It's from their 2004 album Nomad
and it's become a fan favorite for a good reason.
Live, Greet the Mind is a journey. It starts
with a simple hypnotic groove, bass, percussion,
synth, then the guitar enters adding texture.
The song builds slowly, melodically, until it
reaches this peak where the entire band is locked
in and the crowd is moving as one organism. Fans
have described it as funked out, ridiculous,
brain melting. One reviewer said, "'Greet the
Mind' jam is ridiculous." After hearing it at
the 2006 show, another said, "'They're brain
melted.'" When Lotus plays Greet the Mind live,
they're not just performing, they're taking you
somewhere. You'll hear versions that stretch
10, 13, even 15 minutes. Each one is different.
and that's the magic. The second one you should
check out is called Shimmer and Out. Off their
2003 album, Germination, this track exemplifies
Lotus's ability to create lush atmospheric soundscapes
while maintaining a driving rhythm. It's dreamy
and danceable and it's cinematic. Live, Shimmer
and Out often appears in melodies transitioning
into or out of other songs. It's a showcase for
the band's improvisational chemistry. The synths
shimmer as promised. The percussion adds urgency
and the whole thing feels like you're floating
through space while simultaneously moving your
feet. Fans love this one because it encapsulates
what Jamtronica is supposed to be. Electronic
production meets human spontaneity. No two versions
are the same. Both Greet the Mind and Shimmer
and Out are top tracks. of their streaming platforms.
If you listen to nothing else, listen to these.
Next question. What makes Lotus different from
every other jam band? Three things. First, their
work ethic. These guys tour constantly. Over
a hundred shows per year for decades. They've
played Japan six times. They've headlined Red
Rocks regularly. One of the most prestigious
venues in the world. They didn't get lucky. They
worked. Secondly, Their embrace of technology.
When other jam bands stuck to traditional instrumentation,
Lotus went all in on modular synthesizers, samplers,
and electronic production. Jesse Miller's rig
looks like something from a NASA control room,
but they never lost the human element. The improvisation,
the spontaneity, the connection. Third, their
theme shows. Lotus loves a good concept. Halloween
2008 live fast die young the 27 conspiracy each
band member dressed as a rock star who died at
27 Kurt Cobain Jimmy Hendrix Jim Morrison Brian
Jones Ron Pigpen McKernan and played covers What's
the hardest thing to talk about when discussing
Lotus? Well Chuck Morris in March 2023 Chuck
Morris, Lotus's percussionist since 2001 and
his 20 year old son Charlie went kayaking on
Beaver Lake in Arkansas during spring break and
they never came back. The family had just relocated
to Kansas City from Denver the previous summer.
The band had just finished a 25 city tour. Chuck
and his partner Jennifer Thompson thought a family
vacation would be a good way to unwind. When
Jennifer and their 12 -year -old daughter, Amelia,
went into town, Chuck and Charlie decided to
take kayaks out before a storm hit, and they
never returned. Search and rescue efforts lasted
24 days. On April 9, 2023, their bodies were
recovered from the depths exceeding 180 feet.
The theory is that one fell into the freezing
water and the other tried to rescue him. The
lake's conditions, cold water, strong winds,
and three -foot waves were described as a perfect
storm for drowning. Chuck was 47, Charlie was
20, a sophomore at Ohio Wesleyan University,
a violinist, a runner, and someone who aspired
to be a lawyer. Jesse Miller, Chuck's bandmate
and friend, wrote a tribute that's heartbreaking
in its honesty. He talks about living with Chuck
in a house with no electricity in Philadelphia
after college, sharing meals, making music, dreaming
big. He talks about Chuck's potential the way
he saw a possibility in everything. He talks
about the lost potential, no more stories of
Chuck wrestling people after shows, no more seeing
him play tambourine with another tambourine.
and no more wild adventures. But Jesse also talks
about the light through the grief and the outpouring
of love from fans that connections made through
music, the lifelong friendships. Lotus released
an album from Chuck's final performance with
the band on February 25th, 2023, dedicating it
in loving memory of Chuck and Charlie Morris.
It's impossible to talk about Lotus without acknowledging
this tragedy. Chuck was with the band for over
20 years. He was part of the sound, part of the
family. Final question. Where's Lotus now? After
Chuck's passing, guitarist Mike Rempel, who'd
been with the band since 1998, left to focus
on a wellness career, the band brought in Tim
Palmieri, known for his work with Breakfast and
Kung Fu, to fill the guitar slot. The current
lineup, Jesse Miller, Bass and Sampler, Luke
Miller, Guitar Keys, Mike Greenfield on drums,
and Tim Palmieri on guitar. They're a four -piece
now instead of five. In August 2022, they released
Bloom and Recede, their latest album. The title
feels appropriate, growth and loss, expansion
and contraction, and natural cycles of life and
music. They're still touring, still playing Red
Rocks, still hosting summer dance, still encouraging
fans to record and trade their shows. Lotus has
over 1 .1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
They released 18 albums. They've been doing it
for 26 years. They started in a basement practice
room below a coffee house in a Mennonite college
in Indiana. Now they're one of the most respected
names in Jamtronica. And they're not done. That's
it for today's episode of Shecky's Jam Bands.
If you take away one thing from this, let it
be this. Lotus represents everything that's beautiful
about a jam band scene. They work hard, they
innovate, they connect with their fans, and they
honor the people they've lost. Go listen to Meet
the Mind and get lost in Shimmer and Out, catch
them live if you can, and remember Chuck Morris
and Charlie Morris, two people who love music,
adventure, and each other. Until next time, keep
jamming and always appreciate the people you
share the music with.