Review: Lotus @ The Ogden Theater

I am guilty of lumping Lotus into the jamtronica scene along with STS9, Bisco and Pnuma Trio.  I now feel like that label sells them short. Lotus is a guitar band led by the beautifully-composed lines of  Mike Rempel.  Everything seems to come back to the guitar. When keyboardist/guitartist Luke Miller joins Remple on guitar Lotus is at their best. I love the Lotus two guitar attack. Invincibility is a perfect example of this sound. When Lotus is in their two guitar formation the compositions are the most compelling, perhaps at the expense of the dance party. Lotus has their own unique sound that never got into an mindless untz which is sometimes the trap of jamtronica. My only criticism of Lotus stems from the sampled lyrics triggered by bassist Jesse Miller. I feel a bit odd about the sampled lyrics- The voice works well sonically but from a performance perspective it feels odd to me.

During setbreak the energy of the room was pleasant, I was having a good time but I was not overly impressed. This would change midway through the second set.

The Shimmer > ½ time jam > Did Fatt > Dub > speed up jam > Flower > Shimmer was the highlight of the night. At one point the whole room was clapping to the beat, everyone moving with the band, building to tension/release peaks and bringing it down. I have always been a fan of Lotus and enjoyed their shows, but after experiencing this performance I have a new found respect and think of them as having graduated to the next level. Lotus showed the kind of jamming I like from a band: they are tight and nail the changes but still channel the energy of the room. It is clear Lotus loves playing these songs and are a road-tested band who finds time to practice while still communicating on stage.

The encore sent us home with a smile, another beautiful guitar line to send us off.

After Lotus was over a couple friends and I went to check out the end of Particle w/Michael Kang at Cervante’s and it just reinforced what we had been talking about. It is clear when a band practices (Lotus) and when a jam session is just thrown together (Particle).

Lotus, Ogden Theater, Denver CO 10/10/08

I: Juggernaut, Turquoise, Bubonic Tonic>Cm jam, Tip of the Tongue, Invincibility of Youth, Spiritualize

II: Bellwether, Grayrigg, Scrapple, Shimmer > ½ time> Did Fatt > Dub > speed up > Flower Sermon> Shimmer

E: Intro > Disappear In A Blood-Red Sky