On February 27, the Orpheum will host Lotus on The Gilded Age Tour, with special guests Turbo Suit (formerly known as Cosby Sweater). Lotus’ live show, made possible by some of the most talented and dedicated musicians in the industry, will carry the momentum of the band’s most recent album, Gilded Age, released last fall. Since their formation in 1999, Lotus have refined their sound, toured relentlessly and built a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. Now, more than fifteen years later, I spoke with guitarist and keyboardist Luke Miller about Lotus, Gilded Age and what lies ahead for the band amid a very exciting time in their career.
Those unfamiliar with the band’s sound, and old Lotus fans alike may listen to Guilded Age and find themselves asking, “What is it, exactly? Is it Jam-rock? Funk? Jazz? Alt-rock? Electronica?” Before you neatly categorize Lotus as the world’s premiere alt-jazz-jamtronifunk band, I can assure you that there’s no easy way to answer that question.
According to Miller, genre conventions were never part of the plan. “It makes marketing difficult when you can’t simplify Lotus into one genre, but we never wanted to be restricted to one sound. I’ve always found that the most creative stuff, and the music that I was attracted to, wasn’t easily categorizable,” Miller said. “That’s what I’m drawn to personally. Something with a little twist off the norm.”
Lotus’ extensive catalog of music is laden with soaring melodies, jam-band instrumentation and the electric energy of dance music and synthesizers. Gilded Age features an even more eclectic sound, which Miller attributes to a refined approach to the band’s instrumentation. “We were going for a specific feel throughout the process, going for more organic instruments, with piano instead of synthesizer and more guitar and bass tracks,” Miller said.
The new album delivers the power and energy that the band’s fan base has come to expect, with a new layer of emotion and authenticity. This stems from a mature, honest approach to songwriting and the skilled musicianship of every member of the band. Any band or dance music producer with a basic grasp of their craft can piece together a melody to induce foot tapping and head bobbing. Lotus goes one step further, building upon their melodies and harmonies like a conversation between instruments. Each melodic “thought” snowballs into a coherent musical idea, pulling more emotion from each soaring guitar melody than a series of ascending and descending notes could possibly hold at face value.
Lotus has an impressive resume of festival appearances under their belt, and some plans already in place for this summer. Whether the band is headlining their own tour or making their rounds on the festival scene, their fans are a driving force. In my hometown, a suburb on the east side of Cleveland, small music festivals and concerts at Nelsons Ledges Quarry Park are the advent of summers in Northeast Ohio. Six years ago, Lotus visited Nelsons Ledges for the first annual Summerdance festival, and continued to headline the concert every year since.
“After the first year, all the fans kind of rallied around it and were like, ‘Let Lotus take over this whole weekend,’” Miller said, regarding the band’s relationship with Northeast Ohio. “Then it kind of grew from there. It’s become the main destination for the hardcore Lotus fans of the east coast and the Midwest to meet up and get two sets in two nights.”
Even in the wake of a busy touring schedule this winter and spring, Lotus has announced upcoming performances at major summer festivals including Wakarusa and Electric Forest, but the band’s plans don’t end there. “There are still a handful of festivals we’re gonna play this summer that we haven’t announced yet,” Miller said. “We’ll be out there at a lot of festivals, but we’ll get to spend some time at home during the weekdays and hopefully start plotting our next move.”
In the mean time, Lotus makes their way to Madison on one of the most exciting headline tours of their career, offering a live experience that can’t quite be matched on the festival stage. “At the festivals, you get your set and then go take off. A tour like this gives us a chance to get all the details right, with more time to rehearse things and really dial-in our sound,” Miller explained, assuring me that the tour would not lack the extravagant light show that many fans consider to be a staple of Lotus’ live show. “We tour with a bunch of lights and try to do a big light show as much as we can. We can’t do as much of a light show as we can at Red Rocks, for instance, but we always try to bring something of our own.”
Lights or no lights, The Gilded Age Tour is one for the ages. “We’ve been playing a lot of different songs every night. I think we’ve played almost 100 songs on this tour,” Miller noted, explaining that each show has been a unique experience. “I’ve had a lot of fun playing new stuff from Gilded Age, but I don’t have a particular favorite. We try to put 100 percent into every song we play.”
Lotus: The Gilded Age Tour hits the Orpheum February 27. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are available online and at the box office for $22, and $25 day of show.
