Nearly two decades into their career, Philadelphia electronic jam band Lotus continues to experiment. Known for their improvisational style and elaborate tributes (robot-themed songs, Willie Nelson, and David Bowie, to name just a few), Lotus is a relentlessly energetic staple at festivals around the country. Not surprisingly, they are wildly popular in Japan.
Madison audiences will get a chance to catch Lotus on Feb. 24 when the band stops by the Orpheum Theatre.
Their latest album, 2016’s Eat the Light, is full of surprising turns while maintaining a head-bopping vibe. It kicks off with the disco-influenced “Fearless” and wraps up with “Sodium Vapor,” a psychedelic indie pop song venturing into Of Montreal territory. It’s also the first Lotus album to host vocalists on each of its superbly groovy tracks.
Eat the Light expands, track-by-track, the electronic jam sound Lotus is known for. “I think it’s helped to be a normal rock band that borrows ideas from electronic music, rather than trying to exactly replicate electronic music with live musicians,” says guitarist and bandleader Luke Miller. “I try to get a mix of different albums and genres in a night.”
Miller is also interested in the power of music to bring people together during trying times. He says he sees Lotus concerts as an opportunity for audiences to escape from stress. “It can be a place you can hopefully let loose and dance all you want to and be in an environment that’s not judgmental,” says Miller. “Hopefully it can be a rest from Trump — not in an escapist way, but as a time to be off cell phones and depressing news and just be in the moment.”
