I saw my first Phish show at the Hampton Coliseum in 1995 when I was 16 years old. I had such a great time that I lied to my parents in order to go see them again at Hershey Park a few days later. At the time, I knew nothing about Phish; I didn’t know any of its songs, any of its members names, or that the drummer wore a dress and played a vacuum. I just knew that when I saw that first show at the Spaceship in ‘95 it was filled with so much positive energy, I wanted to continue being a part of it.
Since that first show, I went to as many shows as I could possibly manage seeing Phish in all sorts of gorgeous indoor and outdoor venues. But in all those years, I had never seen them at the fabled Red Rocks – a natural amphitheater carved of majestic red sandstone overlooking the foothills of eastern Colorado. Of course this venue was missing from my checklist mainly because Phish had been banned from Red Rocks in 1996, back when the only shows I managed to get to were within driving distance from my home in Virginia.
I live in Boulder now, so when it was announced that Phish 3.0 would start the second leg of its summer tour with a four night stand at Red Rocks, I knew I had to get there. This time it wasn’t my parents I had to maneuver around; it was my demanding responsibilities as a 30 year old mother of 7 month old twins. Regardless, somehow I thought that the universe would work in my favor...and show me a ticket. Just one is all I needed.
By Sunday morning, the last night of the four night stand, I still hadn’t found a ticket.
I had started to tell my husband that I was just going to listen on the backface of the rocks when the call came in... The universe came through by way of a new friend named Mike. My husband and his friend joked that Phish would have to play Bouncin’ because of how much I was bouncing around the house, so when Phish encored with it I had to smile, even though it’s not my favorite choice.
Getting into the show was smooth. There was none of the hassle everyone had worried about prior to the start of the four night stand. In fact, the lot was almost, dare I say, quiet? Tired maybe? That wasn’t the only difference I noticed...gone were the old clunker RV’s blasting Disco and the rugged old school buses packed to the brim with sleeping bags and camping gear. In their place were lines of luxury stretch limos and rented party buses of all varieties. Fans had been doing these Red Rocks shows in style! The thing that hadn’t changed was the friendly community you can always find on lot. Walking around you see friends you haven’t seen in years, and meet people you’ve never seen before who are as friendly as those you’ve known all your life. It was good to be back.
There’s something about the anticipation of the first set opener that makes my heart beat fast and gets me giddy with excitement. When the boys walk on the stage you know you have the whole night of music ahead of you, and the palpable excitement of the crowd is always energizing. The Roses are Free opener went pretty quickly into what seemed like a short Wilson, and before I knew it we were on the third song. NICU has always been one of my favorites, and this was the first song of the night that Trey seemed to get into some nice grooves with his guitar. I felt like the show really started for me on this song. They slowed things down with a Prince Caspian, always a pretty tune, and it was made even more special at this spectacular venue with the sun setting behind us and the calming breezes. The first set continued with a few more highlights, my favorite being a new Mike song, Sugar Shack, which I heard live for the first time (they first introduced it at the Camden shows). Phish pleasantly surprised me with the set closer, Kill Devil Falls, a song I didn’t like that much going into last night, but this version might have changed my mind.
The second set opened with another cover, Boogie on Reggae Woman, one of my personal favorites....which brought on the funky theme of the rest of the set. Next was the YEM that everyone expected they would play, but the band had a surprise up their sleeves. During the vocal jam, Kuroda turned the spotlight to Trey and Mike, while in the dark another drum set was being pulled up to the right side of the stage beside Fishman. Everyone soon realized that it was Bill Kreutzmann of the Dead who continued with Phish for the remainder of the night. It was a nice way to end the second set, and a nice nod to Jerry’s Birthday the day before.
The three song encore started with a tribute to Trey’s daughter which tugged on my heartstrings and made me glad that I would soon be going home to my boys, and let’s face it...my bed. After a Bouncin’ and then a great Slave as closer, I returned home, and back to my life as mother and lifelong Phish fan.
8/2/09 Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO
I: Roses Are Free, Wilson, NICU, Prince Caspian, Get Back on the Train, Reba, Grind, Beauty of a Broken Heart, Sample in a Jar, Sugar Shack, Waste, Kill Devil Falls
II: Boogie on Reggae Woman, You Enjoy Myself > Undermind* > Drums* > Seven Below* > 2001* > Waves* > Character Zero*
E: Bittersweet Hotel, Bouncing Around The Room, Slave to the Traffic Light
* with Billy Kreutzmann
In 1939, at the age of 13, a precocious and aspiring trumpet player in a high school band was criticized mid-song for playing with too much vibrato. The band teacher had stopped the song short to deliver a message to the trumpeter that he would never forget: He told the boy that he had to create his own style. That he was gifted and able to mimic any of the popular players well, but that to be truly successful in the jazz world, he would eventually have to develop his own sound. At the time, the criticism burned the boy; he remembered feeling deeply embarrassed. Eventually, he realized the value within the critique, that to stand apart and rise above the rest he needed to develop his own voice. That boy was Miles Davis. Davis not only developed his own style, he revolutionized jazz by helping to usher in a new style of playing called hard-bop.
The first time I heard Lotus it made me think of this anecdote from Miles Davis’ autobiography. A friend with similar music tastes had suggested that I give Lotus a try. Being admittedly closed minded when it comes to others suggesting music, I delayed following her advice. Eventually when I did follow her advice, I regretted I hadn’t acted on it sooner. Lotus had a sound that I had not heard before and one that sets it apart from other bands within its genre. The style is heavily instrumental, influenced by rock and jazz, with few lyrics and plenty of improvisation. While having a shortage of lyrics is a turnoff to many music fans, it strongly appeals to my love of improvisation. When I attend a concert, I want to hear something innovative and what cannot be found on the band’s CD. I have never understood the mainstream appeal for artists that perform rehearsed and choreographed concerts. To me, a mainstream concert takes all the fun out of a live performance: the raw, unrehearsed but well prepared, risky side of music that I find exhilarating.
When going to see a band that improvises, you enter an informal contract with the band to take the good with the bad. All improvisation runs the risk of sounding terrible. Yet is also holds the possibility of sounding serendipitous, treating your aural and cognitive channels to new and amazing sensory pleasures. That is why I go see improvisational music – for the spontaneous music, hoping the stars align and that it will sound like nothing I have ever heard before – and I bet that is the same reason many Grateful Web fans choose to see live music.
Lotus' first show at the venerable Boulder Theater proved to deliver only the good elements of improvised music. With historical roots that reach back to 1906, the Boulder Theater is an ideal place to enjoy a concert. Its art deco façade and warm and inviting interior with over-sized murals seem to nurture the creativity of the artists it hosts. Lotus took to the welcoming vibe from the onset and performed a nearly three hour flurry of improvisational music at its finest. The palette from which Lotus creates its music is rich and diverse. From adagio tempos with delicate compositions to presto tempos with intricate textures, there is something for everyone to enjoy. And from the looks of it, the crowd enjoyed everything, dancing non-stop and with exuberance for the show’s entirety. It was the kind of show that makes you remember why you love live music. If you have the opportunity to see Lotus live, give it a shot. You may find that new sound you’ve been looking for.
I had never seen Elephant Revival before tonight. And sometimes, ignorance is bliss, and the best way to see a live band. Having no expectations or prior convictions of how a show will sound or make you feel is liberating. After all, music is foremost an innate emotional reaction to rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, and when you have no existing mental model, your mind is forced to make one, which, in its synthesis, is one of the best parts of man’s love affair with music.
As a novice I was wondering what an elephant revival was exactly. Thoughts of Hannibal and his march over the Pyrenees during the second Punic war was the first thought that crossed my mind. And although the band took the stage with a presence strong as a wise of elephants, its actual approach and delivery was closer to that of the Sirens of Greek mythology, specifically the lead singer’s voice. Bonnie Paine’s timbre was ethereal and captivating in a way I had never heard before. My sentiment was shared as I noticed the entire audience also awestruck – a constant thread for the remainder of the night.
The opening song showcased this otherworldly vocal talent and reminded me of the hypnotic qualities of Led Zeppelin’sNo Quarter. Mentally I kept trying to match the style with a familiar voice, but I failed. It was at this point that I realized that I was in for a fascinating night of music. The band was exquisitely formed with members that deftly played well-loved instruments and sung complimentary vocals. Another highlight was a banjo played as if it were an electric guitar, a new and enjoyable sound for me. A little rock and roll never hurt anyone.
To adorn the stage, the band had made a decision to go with a model of an enormous raven. Now an elephant I would expect, but a raven, while intriguing and eerie, left me confused. I was half expecting that Elephant would sing a version of the BeatlesBlackbird - which the lead vocals would certainly nail - but it never came. This is not a complaint but just an observation from someone who had never seen Elephant; a seasoned fan would know its symbolism. And from what I could tell, there were many seasoned fans in attendance: singing every lyric, dancing every step, and reveling every moment.
After a lengthy and healthy dose of first rate entertainment, the band had to play the curtain closer. Bitter-sweet, it did not disappoint, as the Steep Canyon Rangers joined the Elephant Revival for a ten member strong encore. Full of fresh creativity and improvisation, the encore left the audience satisfied and looking eagerly to the next gig.
The last time I saw Lotus was in April 2010 at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, CO where my friend – who I treated to the show - had the unfortunate experience of a bicycle accident on his way home afterwards. I’ll never forget the phone call I received the next day when he described the accident; it still makes me laugh. He had a second-hand cruiser with a recycling crate he jerry-rigged to the back as an aftermarket pannier. He loved that cruiser. The next day he called and immediately started off with something like “I can’t find it, bro. My basket completely disappeared on the trail. I searched for a half hour. I’m lucky I found my glasses. They’re scratched all to hell, but at least I was able to see to get home the rest of the way. I took a H-U-G-E digger, but that was one hell of a show we should see them again.” My friend was ultimately fine and maybe the comedy of the situation doesn’t translate well in the written form, but I bring up the incident because although he would never admit to it and no PhD psychologist could ever prove it, I believe the cause of the accident was Lotus’ hypnotic music – its engaging vibes, rhythms, and melodies. My friend is the type of person that cannot sit still, especially when groove-oriented music is playing (I once caught him jamming out and actively dancing in a chair while he was working on his master’s thesis). So my theory goes that as my friend was riding his bicycle home, he was dancing to the lingering jams in his head, became distracted, and then took a crate-losing and glasses-scratching digger. It also being dark outside and he being fatigued from dancing at the show were not factors. Good thing my friend isn’t litigious because the case would have been a slam dunk for compensatory damages.
Needless to say, I had been eagerly awaiting my next opportunity to see Lotus live. The fact that the venue would be Red Rocks was just icing on the cake. Lotus’ roots began in Colorado where Mike Rempel (guitar), Luke Miller (guitar and keyboards), and Jesse Miller (bass and sampler) met at a camp in high school. Later the three would meet Steve Clemens (acoustic and electronic drums) at the very same camp. Being a Coloradan I am biased towards Red Rocks, believing its stunning natural beauty brings out the best in bands and audience and one of America’s premier musical venue.
Lotus no doubt shares this same bias or at least lives up to it. Last night’s show was of epic proportion with the band playing a crowd-pleasing mixture of established fan favorites and newer material. In a previous review of Lotus, I compared the band to Miles Davis and the fine art of musical improvisation. There is nothing quite like the excitement of hearing entirely new music of complex textures that weave rhythms and melodies into serendipitous compositions. Because there is some level of cognitive effort involved with enjoying improvisational music - patience, focus, and dedication - it doesn’t suit everyone (think how many friends or colleagues you know that just can’t fathom how you like a jam band or don’t know who John Coltrane is or what instrument he played). Lotus, however, makes liking improvisational music easy. If you haven’t seen Lotus live or checked out some of its music and you consider yourself a jamband-fan, I think you’re missing out. The band creates stunning music well worth your time.
When Dave Rawlings hits his stride, the genius of his improvisation seems to stop time. All other distractions fade away and one can focus on his confident, driving guitar playing that is both discrete in melody and fluid within the larger harmony. Mr. Rawling’s is like a chess Grandmaster, able to play 20 moves ahead. This is an incredible strength because as you begin to realize the beauty of what he has just played – a reward to those listening closely – Mr. Rawling’s has probably composed and perfected the song’s next few melodic pieces. With a large, contagious smile on his face while he plays, one gets the feeling he enjoys playing just as much as the audience enjoys listening.
Touring as a five piece, including Gillian Welch, Willie Watson, Paul Kowert, and John Paul Jones, the Dave Rawlings Machine played two nights at the historic Boulder Theater in Boulder, CO. On a perfect late spring night awash in sunshine and fair weather, the Dave Rawlings Machine treated the audience to an eclectic array of music spanning five decades, from a cover of The Band’s “The Weight” to “Ruby,” the first song off its 2009 release A Friend of a Friend. One theme of the night that delighted the crowd was a sweet one; after playing “Sweet Tooth,” another song from A Friend of a Friend, the Dave Rawlings Machine played The Grateful Dead's “Candyman.” On a more personal side, offering a glimpse into what life might be like as a country rock musician, Dave Rawling’s told a funny story explaining how he and Ryan Adam’s wrote “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High),” another song played to a thrilled Boulder audience. An eager audience was very pleased when Gillian Welch sang several show-stopping songs with her ethereal voice, including “Back in Time” and “Look at Miss Ohio.” Another highlight of the night was listening to John Paul Jones’ familiar mandolin masterwork as the band covered Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.”
“Oh God, Jazz” – Jazz is Phsh at the Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO April 5, 2019
There is a short scene in a mostly lackluster film featuring Ricky Gervais (writer and actor for the hit English TV series The Office) that I think captures, humorously and accurately, most people’s impression of jazz. In the film, Special Correspondents (2016), a journalistic duo, after their ill-conceived scheme backfires, finds themselves lost in a remote jungle of South America, down on their luck and in need of help. When they finally stumble upon civilization in the form of a dilapidated house, as they approach the front door, instead of being relieved and grateful, they hear what they believe is jazz and complain to one another. You can watch the scene here:
Sadly, I believe this is what most people think of when they think of jazz. A bunch of loud instruments trying to drive you mad through cacophony. This is unfortunate and the sentiment is misguided. Jazz, to me, is a concept about how music, especially “live” music, can be played. A concept that promotes a mostly unscripted, free flowing exchange of sounds and ideas. A formula that elevates originality over predictability. In other words, jazz is all about improvisation, spontaneity, and taking chances. Certainly, there are cases when the formula fails, but when the stars align, jazz can lead to most beautiful, meaningful, and redeeming music you will ever hear. It’s really an approach to music and spans a wide spectrum of the musical landscape, from bluegrass to rock n’ roll to the more textbook definition of jazz, including blues, bebop, and hardbop. Bands and artists – to name a few -that live or lived by this jazz ethos include Miles Davis, The Grateful Dead, John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Steve Kimock, and Phish.
If you subscribe to this perspective of jazz, where you seek something fresh, new and exciting for your musical diet, you should seriously consider seeing Jazz is Phsh (http://jazzisphsh.com/). On tour in the United States from the 22nd of March through the 25th of April, Jazz is Phsh lives and breathes the essence of jazz. Founded in 2015, Jazz is Phsh routinely delivers exceptional and extraordinary musical experiences. Similar in vein to the legendary Grateful Dead tribute band Jazz is Dead, Jazz is Phsh plays reimagined, all instrumental interpretations of Phish standards. Why not act like your favorite improvisational bands and take a chance? Go see Jazz is Phsh. One thing is for certain: You’re guaranteed a night of new, never-heard-before, thrilling music.
The doors open @ 8:30, blast off @ 9. Obtain your boarding pass at www.Foxtheatre.com
Next Friday, August 21st, Lotus releases their new studio album, Free Swim, a ten-song hypnotic voyage featuring the best of the band’s strengths, which is to say a sublime mix of rock, funk, disco, and jazz, and - true to form - a healthy dose of catchy melodies and harmonies. Grateful Web had the opportunity to catch up with founding members Jesse and Luke Miller to review Free Swim, discuss their upcoming live-in/drive-in concert at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on September 4th, and other off-the-beaten-path topics. From their respective homes in Philadelphia and Denver, Jesse and Luke answered an array of questions providing a new and intimate introspective on Lotus.
Grateful Web: Will you provide a brief background of who you are, how you came into the band, and how you contribute to the band?
Jesse Miller: Luke and I met Mike Rempel at a camp when we were in high school. Mike lived in Kansas and we lived in Colorado. We shared interest in some of the same music, but this being the 90s, it was not easy to discover music with the internet. We traded some tapes and album suggestions and had the idea of starting up a band. First year of college, I ended up going to school in Santa Fe, but Luke and Mike both went to Goshen College and started up a group that became Lotus. The following summer we all moved to Colorado with the intention of launching the band. We would jam in small, hot rooms all summer, learning to improvise and writing original music. The next 3 years we continued with the band while Luke and I finished college in Indiana. Then, we relocated to Philadelphia in 2002 and began to expand our touring.
Luke Miller: My name is Luke Miller. I play keyboards and guitar in Lotus. I started the band in college with a couple other guys at Goshen College. We were all into jam bands and funk music. After college we moved out to Philadelphia to try and make music into a career. We ground it out on the road touring around building a fan base from scratch.
GW: It amazes me that after two decades of playing together, when most bands have already thrown in the towel, that Lotus continues to release exciting and innovative music. Free Swim is a breath of fresh air and a much welcomed release in the face of a pandemic. The music is wonderfully creative and inspiring. I was hoping that you could walk me through your creative process, from where you first conceptualize a song to its final arrangement. The press release states that Luke & Jesse are the ones responsible for writing and producing the songs, but I am also wondering if the other members contribute in some way. How do you guys stay so creative?
Jesse: Yes, Luke and I do all the writing. The other guys are bringing their own voices to the parts with their tone and playing styles. There is also a lot of improvisation during our live performances and some parts of the studio recordings. So, everyone in interpreting the music is their own unique way at those moments.
I don't believe in the idea that you are struck by inspiration in a singular moment. I think results come by working on art every day, developing and shaping ideas. I usually try to knock out my most pressing business matters in the morning and then start into music work whether that is mixing, editing arrangements or writing and recording. Luke and I send Lotus material back and forth many times while finalizing a demo, so there is a lot of listening, balancing different critiques while trying to be guided by your best intuitions.
Luke: I treat writing music in kind of a blue-collar way. Waiting for inspiration I believe usually just leads to waiting, not inspiration. Instead, I try to work hard to create my own inspiration, so I treat it like a 9-5 job. I generally build a song from the rhythm, to the harmony, to the melody. I think if you have a solid foundation you can put innumerable things on top, so I try to start with a groove that feels really good.
GW: Relative to your existing catalog, how would you describe your new album? Does it take on new territory? Are there new effects or sounds that your fans should know about?
Jesse: We wrote the music thinking about our live instrumentation, so it stays pretty close to the instruments we normally have on stage. We weren't looking to add extensive string sections, choirs or a lot of unusual instruments. That said, we did have a sax and trumpet on “One-Eyed Jones” and flute on “Catacombs”. We used a grand piano on a few of the tracks. That might be new, usually we use electric piano such as Wurlitzer or Rhodes and sometimes upright piano. This was the first Lotus album that I mixed from my studio. I wanted to keep everything sounding warm and live. I'd put the sound between late 70s and mid 80s sonically.
Luke: I would describe it as groovy, instrumental soundscapes. I don’t think it is radical new territory, but it feels like the tip of a spear of all the different experimentation we’ve been doing with song writing and production over the last 10 years.
GW: One perk of being an album reviewer is that you get early access to great new music, the catch, however, is that you can’t share the music with anyone else. Well, I have a confession to make…. on my first listen (at Volume 11), my wife arrived home early from work, heard the music, began dancing a bit and then said to me “This is good! What is this?” (I told her that I couldn’t confirm or deny it was Lotus’ new album.) In these terribly gloomy days of the pandemic, it was nice to see her dancing and we talked about the healing and restorative powers of dance. You could almost make the argument that your live shows are a public health tonic. After being cooped up for weeks on end and remaining socially distanced – such an inhuman way of living - people are chomping at the bit for live music, to dance, to move, and to be together. You have mentioned that you miss playing live music, but have you thought about it in terms of the well-being of your audience? What kind of effect does the audience and its dancing have on your music? Are there any particular venues or shows that you can recall where audience dancing was noteworthy?
Jesse: Absolutely. Live music fills the role of ritual and builds a community for many people. I know so many musicians and music fans who plan their lives around shows. I go see shows whenever I'm not playing. It's an understatement to say we are all looking forward to being able to put on and attend safe concerts again in the future.
Dancing is always a big part of Lotus shows. You can feel the crowd reacting physically. I love mid-sized rooms like 9:30 Club in DC and Union Transfer in Philadelphia where it is easy to look out and see people dancing. Sometimes it feels like the whole room is one organism responding to the music. When it is going well, every note and turn in the music feels important and powerful.
Luke: I’m always picturing the audience while writing and producing music, so there’s a direct effect. One audience dancing image stands out in my mind. We were playing at Red Rocks in October and it was an early snowstorm and its was in the 20’s when we were playing, super cold. I looked out and in about the third row there was a guy with his shirt off, head banging and dancing like crazy.
GW: Do you mind describing the experience that your fans can expect for your upcoming live-in/drive-in at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on September 4th? Considering your fans love to dance, do you guys have a contingency plan if people start to exit their cars and get their dance on?
Jesse: Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what to expect since we've never played a drive-in style show before. But, we are putting our trust in the team Live Nation has put together to present the safest show possible.
GW: In your press release, you mention that the song “Catacombs” was inspired from a range of artists from Daft Punk and St. Germain to Nile Rodgers. Besides “Catacombs” having a nice groove and being a great choice for an album opener, what struck out to me was the flute. Was that inspired by Herbie Mann? How did that flute come about and who plays it?
Jesse: Luke wrote that part for flute and it was played by Sam Greenfield. I wouldn't say it was specifically inspired by Herbie Mann, but there is a great history of flute in jazz with Yusef Lateef, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and even John Coltrane playing on occasion. I'm a huge fan of the Mellotron flute sound, so it is a sound we've incorporated many times on a keyboard and it was great to have Sam to play the parts live for the studio recording.
Luke: Sam Greenfield played the flute part. His main instrument is saxophone, but he mentioned he’d recently played a flute solo while touring with Cory Wong. I had been listening to some old flute jazz and funk, not necessarily Herbie Mann, but contemporaries of his.
GW: A song on a studio album and the same song played at a live concert are two different things, the latter often taking a life of its own. Do you have any predictions of which songs on Free Swim will be fan favorites or which songs will be taken on long, experimental improvisations? Or is it too difficult to tell? Do you have any stories to tell about previous songs from previous albums that surprised you in how they materialized when played live?
Jesse: All of these tracks will probably be extended live to some degree. But, based on the beats, “Catacombs,” “Free Swim,” “Bjorn Gets a Haircut,” “One-Eyed Jones” and “Land of the Lush” are particularly suited for more extended improvisation.
A couple songs that had improvisation sections developed by playing them live are “Bug Love,” “Cold Facts” and “Destroyer.”
Luke: I could see “Land of the Lush” becoming an exploratory vehicle and fan favorite. “Stranger Danger,” from our last album Frames Per Second, has been turning into a fun jam song, especially segueing it from its funk vibe into something else more dance-oriented.
GW: How do you name your songs? Are they arbitrary or is there a meaning behind them? Can you give a few examples that reveal this mystery, please?
Jesse: For me, it is usually trying to evoke part of the vibe of the song. “Turtlehead” gave me a feeling of swimming underwater, moving in and out of beams of light. “Straight Blade” felt slightly dangerous. The fast, syncopated beat has a precarious feel, like balancing carefully on an edge, hence the reference to a blade.
GW: Some of the guitar phrases on “Sepia Rainbow” have a certain Khruangbin flavor to them. Is there any connection there?
Jesse: It draws from similar sources of inspiration as Khruangbin - global funk, soul and exotica. The guitar in the pre-chorus section with all the pull-offs definitely evokes a sound of string different instruments heard around the world.
Luke: On the bridge of “Sepia Rainbow,” it goes into a Phrygian scale, which has a slightly exotic sound. Khaungbin utilizes some exotic scales as well.
GW: “One-Eyed Jones” features some of my favorite guitar passages on the album, specifically starting at around the 1:38 mark, with some great interplay with the bass. Was that composed or improvised? How many cuts did it take to capture?
Jesse: That section has a composed guitar part with the bass and clavinet improvising around it. With “One-Eyed Jones,” we probably did more takes than some of the other track since we had the horns in the same time in the room with the drums. That means there was a fair amount of bleed between those microphones, so everyone needs to be on-point for a take. Maybe five or six takes total.
Luke: That part is composed, with Jesse improvising the bass fills. I think we did 4 takes on that song.
GW: I really dig the album cover art, which invokes a classic 70s style. How did you come up with it? Will it make it to a t-shirt?
Jesse: Thanks! I did the artwork. It was inspired by works by Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly, who both did some amazing minimalist spectrum color paintings in the 50s and 60s. So, I'd say more of a modernist influence than a 70s influence. But, I was also inspired by a couple album covers from the ECM catalog in the 70s that portrayed water with a spectrum of bars.
It is already a shirt! Merch packages can be ordered from our website and include download codes for the album.
GW: What exactly is this “live-reactive” system that you use in concerts and on “Bjorn Gets a Haircut”? What does it do and how does it work? How has it impacted your concerts?
Jesse: This video explains the system. It is a program I've been developing that uses triggers on the drums, movements on my keyboard controller and live knob movements by our light designer to generate video in real time while we play. It doesn't have to process audio, so it reacts extremely quickly – you can hit a snare and it will have an immediate effect on an LED screen behind the band. The system is built using Max/MSP/Jitter and Ableton and involves communication between 3 computers and MIDI from multiple sources.
For the “Bjorn Gets a Haircut” video, I programmed a look using shapes that were moving against each other in evolving and randomized waves. The snare drum hits change movement of the shapes at certain times and I had about 6 knobs on a controller set to control various ranges and parameters of the evolving video. I did live takes to the song while capturing the video output and then edited the results with the in-studio footage.
GW: How have you been staying sane in the face of Covid? Has the band continued to collaborate? If so, how?
Jesse: I've been trying to keep up a robust schedule of writing music for Lotus and my other projects such as Octave Cat, BeesWax and Beard-o-Bees. I've been doing some mixing and production for some other groups as well. Lotus has still been working, we wrote another album's worth of music during the initial lockdown.
Luke: Jesse and I have been working on new demos in the same manner we always do. I have a mini studio in Denver and Jesse has a bigger analog-based studio in Philadelphia. We send ideas back and forth.
GW: Have you heard of a software program called Jamulus, which enables musicians to perform real-time jam sessions over the internet? Would you ever consider streaming a Jamulus concert for your fans?
Jesse: I have, but there is an inherent problem with latency. Music require very small levels of latency to work remotely. The only ways I've seen it actually work smoothly are with incredibly fast connections usually only available with super fast fiber-optic infrastructure.
Luke: I haven’t heard of it. Sounds interesting.
GW: Do you have any closing thoughts for your fans about hopes and dreams for the future? Do you intend to tour as soon as you’re able? Any new and exciting events on the horizon, like playing at a new venue or new state or new country?
Jessie: Like everyone else, we've learned that trying to plan live events with the amount of uncertainty that exists right now can be a losing battle. There is hope though. Although the US population and government has not handled the pandemic well, there are many cases around the world of other countries getting it under control. And the results from some of the vaccines test phases look promising. Mask up, make smart choices, trust the experts and we'll make it to the other side.
Luke: As soon as it’s safe, we will be out playing live music again. I’d love to break into Europe. Jam bands for whatever reason have had very little luck with.
