Lotus was founded between 1998-1999 at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. Now based out of Dever, Colorado and Philadelphia, PA primarily, Lotus continues to bloom as a premiere jamtronica band for over the past 25 years. In 2021, founding member and longtime guitarist, Micheal Rempel left Lotus ushering in new guitarist, Tim Palmieri.
In 2023, Lotus tragically lost long-time percussionist, Chuck Morris. Since this Lotus has metamorphized into a core 4 driven sound consisting of Luke Miller (guitar/keyboards) and his brother Jesse Miller (bass/sampler/modular synth), Mike Greenfield (drums), and Tim Palmieri (guitar).
Recently I was able to talk with Tim about his time so far playing in Lotus.
Hi Tim, great to speak with you today. To get us started, how would you describe the music of Lotus?
Lotus is an electronica jamband with many different elements. Lotus is producer-based, we even have vocal tracks that we play along live with. Lotus touches so many genres, lots of funk and rock, we are primarily instrumental too.
Prior to joining Lotus, what bands were part of? Describe your musical background?
I have been playing guitar since I was 4 years old. My first band out of high school was Psychedelic Breakfast (later known as The Breakfast). I skipped out in college because I knew guitar was my thing. I’ve been gigging since I was 13. PB toured out of New Haven, CT and that is how I met Lotus, we did a gig together in 2002 at Elana’s in Philadelphia, PA. Then we would see each other everywhere at festivals. I was cool with Mike Rempel and Chuck, but I’ve known Mike Greenfield the longest. He was in the Ally then; our bands have played the same shows together since 1999.
The next band I was in was Kung Fu (when PB took a break) that toured a bunch of weeks on the east coast with Lotus. Musically Lotus knew where I was coming from. I am definitely a rock guitarist with jazz sensibilities and some fusion, but I love all sorts of music. I love pop music; I love arranging and orchestration. Lotus, these cats are so involved with layers and production. That was a new area of musical dimension for me to get into. With them, guitar-wise, there are moments to shine and shred, but there are a lot of moments of composition and minimalism on guitar too.
Any specific bands or artists you consider influential?
I have learned a lot joining Lotus as far as what their roots are and the history of electronica because it is so diverse and international. A band that helped me bridge the gap was the Disco Biscuits. I played with them in my 2 bands before Lotus and always dug their sound. They help me focus on how a guitar sound fits within an electronica sound. What the role of a lead guitarist is melodically, harmonically, and sonically.
I was the stage manager for Phanpest and Awesometown Music Festival (NJ-based) years ago, so I remember The Breakfast. I also used to take pictures at Strangecreek and Wormtown (Greenfield, MA) music festival, so I remember Kung Fu in the late-night cabin sets.
Yeah, the late-night cabins, oh boy (laughs)!
When you joined Lotus, I was ecstatic since I knew your music. It was a merging of my music past with one of the current bands I follow. What was the process for you joining Lotus?
Kung Fu was playing Disc Jam Festival (Stephentown, NY) and Rempel was not able to make the Lotus set. Lotus had Barber (Jon Gutwillig) from the Disco Biscuits playing guitar, but they ask me to sit in for a song. “Colfax”, we played it, it went great, felt a great energy from the band and I know Greenie liked it, so I think that was the seed planted so that when Rempel decided to leave the band, I made the list of guitar players they were interested in. That was right before Covid, in 2020 Kung Fu decided to take a little break since we had been hitting it hard for 10 years. That’s when Greenie hit me up to try out. They mailed me some tracks, I recorded my parts and sent them to them, then Covid hit (laughs), so everything was put on hold. It wasn’t until 2021 when everything started opening up and I ask them, hey can I try out again? I went down to Philadelphia, prepared 10 songs, tried out, and then they offered me the spot which was awesome! I do know other guitarists were trying out.
Since joining Lotus, how many albums have you recorded with them?
3 studio (“Bloom & Recede” 2022, “How to Dream in Color” 2024), the 3rd one should be coming out at the beginning of next year and 1 or 2 live albums (“Live Underground” 2022, “Live in Steel City” 2023). We did “Steel City” in honor of Chuck from Pittsburgh, PA, it was his last show with us, which was really great, put that out on vinyl.
Is Lotus still working in the studio on the new release?
It’s pretty much ready for release. There may be some minor mixing things here and there, sequence order, but we are gearing up for a fun 2026 to support it.
Will that include all new material?
Yeah, it will be all new. We’ve performed some of it already but to be honest its all-new material for those who haven’t seen it (laughs).
Besides playing, do you make additional contributions to the albums?
In song-writing nothing yet. When I first joined the band it was a lot of catching up, to be honest there is always stuff to learn and prepare for. Couple that with all my other projects I haven’t been able to work with them on songwriting. When it comes to recording, I do learn the parts, but they have room for me to add some flavor, certain melody lines or rhythm parts and then the soloing is all me, although they might have some ideas emotionally how it should grow or go. For songwriting, I do look forward to contributing some next year.
What has been the process in the last 4 years incorporating you into the band especially since your guitar is such a central part of Lotus’ music, how have you been able to come into and grow in that role?
I wanted to make sure I was making the fans happy as well as making myself happy. Did plenty of work on the songs and the sound of Lotus because I really wanted to pay homage to Rempel and ultimately, please the Millers who have composed all of this music. I did my homework, I joined in March and then played in September, 6 months to learn 100+ songs (laughs). Then putting a peddle board together to make sure I was covering the sounds well enough. Some pedals I bought that Rempel used. Other pedals had to be my tone and what I am accustomed to. Integrating from then on was just a matter of playing really. They had to play with me to know how the energy is on stage and my style. When it comes to jamming it had to happen, we had to meld. It’s got to be in the moment, listening and growing together.
After 1 year of jamming I felt ok, I knew what they wanted, what they needed, and where we are going so we can start predicting the jams and their growth. That 1st year I never felt settled, granted always had good moments and if you ask the fans, everything sounded great, I am just a perfectionist and very critical of myself (laughs). What I want is perfection right from the start, but that is not going to happen always, so I had to give it time. Now we are doing very well together. Even if we haven’t played for a month and a half it’s like boom! We pick up from where we started/left off.
How has your role evolved since you joined Lotus?
Chuck was such a big presence on stage and part of the spirit of Lotus and connecting with the fans. It was pretty hard since he left. Since his passing, they put me in the middle so my role now for live shows is the lead guy. I try to bring some of that positive energy and joy that Chuck brought to the shows so that everyone feels that Lotus magic. That is how it has changed live, compositionally I still want to get involved more, but I think know that they know who I am as a musician, spiritually the songs are changing, they are built for me more when those guys are writing. My role is still very much paying tribute to the compositions of the past, everything they have done over the last 20 years. We have grown from that and have kept Chuck’s spirit alive, that is very important to me.
How does your partnership with Greenie fit that puzzle?
I have always respected his playing since the first time I saw him. He is a monster, and I have always loved his style and technique. During our friendship over the years, I saw him in all sorts of bands, and I loved it when he joined Lotus. He had moved to Australia to become a doctor and then he came back to music. We both have a love for technique, we are very much into the details of music and being proficient at your instrument. Since I grew up in the rock realm the drummer guitar connection is very important. Like Led Zepplin, it helps me lock into the groove when we start jamming. Our energy together is really what helps a jam. I could never be in Lotus if they didn’t have a kick ass drummer, so Greenie makes it happen for me.
Especially now, he has gone beyond his capability for you to be able to do what you are doing as a four piece.
Yeah, he’s taken on some of the Chuck parts so while he is playing the groove with his left hand he is doing all these other things and its… wow! (Laughs) It’s just amazing, I love his independence on the instruments, his technique is wonderful, he delivers every night bringing the energy.
Going back to Lotus in the studio, what is Lotus like in the studio compared to performing live?
The songs are so well produced that I want to make sure that I am out of the way for certain parts. A lot of what I have learned with Lotus about production and guitar is balancing leading the charge and filling in around everything too. Like you said, guitar is the center, but it is such a full production I am in between all of the parts. It is hard that way, I was in a rock band before… Everything now is calculated, the compositions are what they are, so live everything gets to be a little more energetic than what a studio jam would be.
It sounds like live for Lotus compared to other jambands is more structured because you are still fitting into all those spaces you describe that production dictates?
Yes, the moments of really free improv are after the songs. There are songs that might have 2 jams in them, but they are still structured. We have to get here then I have to play that lick then we go into that section. When the song is over, over, we have to get to the next song… that’s when it can be whatever happens, and transitions are very responsive to the moment. That’s a lot of fun, we play with key changes a lot, we play with tempo changes, and we figure out in the moment how to get there tastefully.
Do you have any favorite Lotus songs?
Absolutely, I really like their post-rock, kraut-rock stuff, “Destroyer” is one, “Invincibility of Youth,” “Guided Age”, stuff like that when it is a little more on the heavy rock side, I really like the feel of that. Love “Spiritualized,” “It’s All Clear to Me Now”, “Suitcases,” the whole “Nomad” album (2004), that record is brilliant. I also like some of the funk stuff like “Free Swim.” I love “Colfax,” it’s a great song, I love “Gasoline,” even though we don’t play it, “Gasoline” always had this Kung Fu quality to me. I do love some of their ballads, like “Land of the Lush,” I get to get into this wonderful David Gilmore, Pink Floyd space, it is quite epic.
How does it compare playing older songs to playing songs you have recorded with the band?
Newer material, it depends on what song, I like them all for different reasons. “Splinter,” off the new record, that is very jazzy, it’s like, ohh, I get to solo at 100th speed in jazz tone. Those cats are so artistic that all the beats are very unique, so each song brings a challenge in its own way.
What are some of the highlights for you from 2025 so far?
We just played Northlands Music Festival (Swanzey, NH) for a really big crowd and all the elements came together very nicely. Weather was good, our sound was good, everyone’s vibe was fresh. That’s a highlight, the tour at the beginning of the year was great, we did a west coast thing. Suwanee, we did the Resonate Music Fest (Live Oak, FL), that was kick ass! Great venue, great crowd…tough to say because I’m always jazzed after each show for the most part (laughs).
On the video feed from nugs.net from Northlands, and on the production during live performance note, it was great to see all the tinkering and dial turning going on during the set to highlight to amount of production that goes into the band…
There is always room to grow, Jesse is a mad scientist with his gear. He loves turning nobs, I like turning nobs and getting weird as much as I like playing notes. It’s fun to get spacey and textural with sound.
Does the experience change playing with Lotus in different regions of the country?
These cats have a history playing in certain markets and knowing what a city does for them. I have an idea of Chicago, I always like to rock, I feel like Chicago is a great guitar community. I always come out with guns blazing in Chicago. The west coast is more mellow… does that mean they are altering the setlist? Luke is in charge of setlist and then we all contribute, I don’t know if location affects it. Certainly, they have a hardcore following in Ohio and Colorado. You can get away with playing some deeper cuts. We do a good job as a band to balance all the needs…, playing the new stuff, making sure you play some of the classics, are we rocking? Are we getting electronic enough? We do a good job encompassing all of our strengths.
What is it like performing on the east coast, specifically in the Philadelphia market?
The energy is there; fans are ready for anything. I love when we play some of the deep cuts and people cheer and its wow, you know this one, kick ass! (Laughs) I’m still new to some of the deep cuts, it could be my third or second time playing, maybe even my first and then to hear someone go wild in front of me because they are paying attention to the setlist and know that that song hasn’t been played in a while is great, love that!
Philadelphia could be considered a hometown show…
Yes, Philly is great energy.
Lotus hosts its festival Summerdance (Garrettsville, OH) every year on Labor Day, what is it like being part of your own festival?
I love it, we get to be very comfortable with our sound, and we performed 6 sets of music in 3 days so creatively we get warmer as the weekend goes on. Everyone is in a good mood with Lotus walking around, everyone is super friendly. It’s fun to get to know the fans more. We do an artist signing so that is always fun. You get to swim with them too.
Are you performing at Summerdance separate from Lotus?
Everyone in the band gets to do a solo project there. Greenie DJ’s, Luke does his Sugar Nova, Jesse’s got Octave Cat. I’ve been invited to do solo acoustic. My first year I was coming out of Covid and doing a lot of live streaming and I called it the Blur because I just blurred tunes, weird stuff together. The second year, we lost Chuck, so I did some tribute to him. I plan on bringing in some bands like Apex Twin or Square Pusher, electronica where people would be like, why is he playing that on an acoustic guitar?! That’s my goal for my Summerdance set.
What is on your bucket list for Lotus to achieve in the next decade?
It has always been a goal, I want to play MSG (NY, NY). Lotus at MSG is a regular mantra. Another goal and mantra is Lotus in Europe. Europe is very into electronic music so I feel we would do very well there. Japan is another goal and some kind of hit single in any market, whether it’s the jamband scene or the electronica scene. It’d be nice to score some popularity and success with a single.
Lastly, is there anything you want to add for the Philly-based fanbase and for the upcoming show at Heuser Park in King of Prussia, PA?
If they keep bringing the heat, I will keep bringing the heat. So, keep bringing the heat (laughs) and I will match!
Lotus performs on July 3, 2025 at Heuser Park in King of Prussia, PA. Tickets are still available, and information is available about Lotus and their entire summer tour at www.lotusvibes.com.
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