It’s been a long time since Lotus first came together in 1999, playing funk/jam music at house shows. Since then, they’ve added a member, won a Jammy award, and gained their success the old fashion way.
Playing between 90-115 shows a year, Lotus has gained a loyal following with the “in” crowd of the music scene. Much of the band’s popularity has come through relentless touring and the word of mouth.
They’ve failed to get the instant recognition in the mainstream radios, and instead prefer to prove their worth with must-see live shows. Including the release of their recently Oil On Water and Feather On Wood album, Lotus has debuted eight albums, and almost just as many live album’s to accompany them. And there is a good reason Lotus has so many live albums.
It may take a song or two, the right rhythm, a joint, or a couple of beers, but Lotus’s live show will sink it’s teeth in and shake you around till your exhausted and collapsed on the floor.
Their recorded shows are longer, more jammed out versions of the studio favorites, giving the band a quality of showmanship, and on the fly talent few musicians can match.
Lacking a lead singer front man, the band relies heavily on the group effort to create an energetic show, and they do it quite well. Without a lead man to draw all the attention, every member plays to their fullest and will have your eyes shifting all around the stage, openly gazing, sucked in by the whole performance.
Still, Lotus’s energy is better heard than watched. With the full sound of two drummers, one standard set and one conga, tambourine percussion, two guitars, a bass, and the occasional keyboard, the band creates a musical militia of feel good dance till you drop 10+ minute songs.
With such a relentless party, it can be hard for the crowd to keep up with the high energy, but the long jams allow the everyone to relax when needed, talk to friends, and refill your drink, before being swept up again in a post rock build up of louder, more explosive sounds. Thankfully, the band often takes a much needed a mid show intermission, allowing everyone to snap back to reality and relax for the second half starts.
Though even with a break only the hardcore fans, and those too fucked up too give into their aching bodies can make it through the whole show and encore, the rest collapse and call the next day off of work.
Lotus is currently on their, Pay What You Want tour with Break Science, meaning the price of entry is up too you, pay a dollar, pay a hundred, but be sure to buy some merch to keep their stomachs and gas tank full.
As guitarist Mike Rempel said, “Too me everyone is just kind of unified in the experience, ideally the music is just kind of flowing through you, a lot of the time I don’t even necessarily even feel responsible for it, sometime I feel like I shouldn’t take credit for it.”