Words by Dan Petito
Boston, MA — When tasked with describing the overall Lotus sound, fans and first-time listeners alike would agree their sound falls into its’ own unique genre; an adventurously eclectic genre mixing funk, electronica and hints of sounds that perhaps aren’t the easiest to place. The bands’ draw seems to stem from the their executionally catchy union of these genres and its’ translation to Lotus’ growing song catalogue and live show experience.
A sold out crowd filled “The Dise,” as most Boston natives call it, creating any bands’ ideal atmosphere to take the stage and shred. Part of the Boston University campus is just blocks from the venue in the cities’ lively and nightlife-centered section of Commonwealth Avenue where the sounds of jam and funk seeped through the walls of the Paradise Rock Club and into the busy streets of Boston.
www.lotusvibes.com
The inside of the Paradise Rock Club was elbow-to-elbow, bearing all the signs of a sold out crowd. Lotus is currently on tour in support of their new self-titled album which, after listening, takes a pleasing glimpse into the realm of experimental electronica. While the band did some exploring with this new LP, the core of the Lotus sound is still very much in tact and continues to lend itself as a door to new and exciting directions for the band.
They weren’t shy to show off some of their new material, placing new tunes decisively throughout their roughly two-hour long set, and nicely leveraging the classics as a snapshot of what the band hopes these new songs will soon become. Welcoming them to the stage was a louder applause than usual as the band noodled a catchy intro before dropping into “Hammerstrike.”
The bands’ newest (ish) member, veteran drummer Mike Greenfield, absolutely tore the skins clean off of his set Thursday night, demonstrating how well he’s adapted after the band parted ways with former drummer Chuck Morris last year. The rest of the band reciprocated, maintaining a noticeable focus on stage where they seldom lost their composure.
Some bands like to physically show that they’re in the middle of an awesome jam by jumping up and down or throwing their hands up in the air to engage the audience; Lotus took these opportunities to stay dialed in and channel the energy in the room to push the envelope even further. A fifteen plus minute “Spiritualize” highlighted their extended set and presented a great window for the lights to show off their true potential. The greens and reds and yellows circled the room and often provided help to point out that friend you thought you may have never found until the show was over.
If their performance at the Paradise was any indication of what’s to come throughout the rest of Lotus tour, the next cities the band plans to hit are in for a real treat. The sold out crowd got a pleasing dose of some of the bands’ newest material including “Golden Ghost,” “Drown,” and “Orchids,” a really catchy “Lotusy” track that fits the downtempo portion of the Lotus sound very nicely. It seems is if they’re a bit of missed opportunity on Orchids. Though it’s a really great song, after listening a second time it seems as though some vocal work would even better compliment the calming mood the song so effectively instills.
These new tracks were well received as fans reacted to some of them as if they’d been listening to them for years. “Golden Ghost” got an especially great response — a song laced with trip-hop and some real catchy guitar work. The second leg of Lotus tour picks up October 20th at Toads place in New Haven, CT and finds them making their way from New England to the West Coast with the mind set of full speed ahead.
www.lotusvibes.com
TheWaster.com | Boston
09.22.11
