[RH Interview] North Coast Music Festival: Jesse Miller of Lotus
Photos by Bobby Reys
Lotus has carried the flag for their own genre for awhile now. "Jamtronica", the band's signature blend of electronic elements paired with a creatively unique jam band aesthetic that has kept them at the forefront of both genres for close to 15 years now. Lotus' ability to master a wide range of disciplines musically has allowed the Indiana-based group to constantly tinker with it's sound and evolve the band's dynamic. Lotus is a fully adaptable animal, with the ability to go from rock to dance to hip hop all in one rocking set and, largely without vocal aid. I had a chance to catch Lotus frontman Jesse Miller while backstage at The Last Stand Stage, check out the interview below.
Jake: Welcome to Chicago, what are the feelings about playing at North Coast and what do you all have in store?
Jesse: Our set is always interesting. At a festival, I feel like Lotus tends to stretch things out so ours sometimes we have to take it down to this package but this is a young crowd at this festival so I'm sure we're going to keep it on the dance tip. So we're planning on dancing and rocking out.
Jake: I know you all have a new album coming out as well that is tailored more towards a hip-hop aspect?
Jesse: Yeah, Monks. It's more of just a project for the album. We actually had started working on a track with Mr. Lif in maybe like 2011, maybe even a little bit before and we were working on it while we were working on other tracks and we didn't really feel ike we had a great place for it, we didn't want to drop it in the middle of another album and have it feel like it was this totally different thing so we were going to release it as a single but then started doing a few more and then we got Lyrics Born on for a track and Gift of Gab on there. So we just sort of built it out and said "Ok, what can we do with this" and then we ended up going back through it and weaving in the whole story, recorded some instrumentals and the whole project really came together really organically.
Chicago Attic Jam
Sometimes it's good to just get away and listen to some good music. Last Thursday, some of Chicago's most talented young musicians got together for a jam session on the north side of the city to do just that. Former Kids These Days members Nico Segal (aka Donnie Trumpet), Lane Beckstrom and Greg Landfair (Stix) took part while Peter CottonTale handled work on the keys and Chris Mathien kept pace on lead guitar. Check out the video below, shot by Nico Hagopian and be sure to keep an eye out for future work coming out of the Attic!
http://youtu.be/ZwN6M4PEJ8M
Owen Owns At The Beat Kitchen
Owen crowded The Beat Kitchen last night with friends, fans, and family. For me, listening to Owen, the solo project of Mike Kinsella (of Joan of Arc and Owls), carries an essence of nostalgia, being that I've been a fan since I was 16. Playing favorites, such as "Playing Possum for A Peek," and "Good Friends Bad Habits," Kinsella got the crowd singing along and nodding heads in agreement, thoroughly enjoying the set. The conversation between Owen and the crowd was constant. From discussing the Blackhawks rally to asking for help with lyrics, the set felt like a group effort. It's inspiring to see such a strong bond between artist and audience.
Kinsella's latest album, "L'almi du peuple," which translates from French as "Friend of The People," is to be released this week, but is streaming and can be pre-ordered here. I was lucky enough to purchase the record last night on vinyl and have been spinning it all day. Kinsella's intimate lyrics and beautiful, highly textured guitar parts, weave in and out of each other creating a cradle of sound comfy enough to sleep in. You'll find the same warmth in this record as in Owen's live performance, but with a few complimentary additions such as strings and percussion. As of right now my favorite tracks are "Where Do I Begin," and "Love is Not Enough," two of many Owen tracks that confess the tragically hilarious truths of life as a musician, with all of its ups and downs: "Love is not enough, we need some money... may we find a place in heaven that doesn't flood when it rains."
[Video] Lil Bibby: "The Greatest"
Follow around Lil Bibby in the official video for "The Greatest", directed by the Elevator guys. Not sure if this soulful joint will land on Bibby's debut 'tape Free Crack, but you still be excited for the project!
[youtube id="8WwTbN66ZjE"]
[RH Premiere] ShowYouSuck: "Rap Game Karate" (prod by Zak Jablow)
"Rap Game Karate" is the first single from AEMMP Hip Hop's forthcoming compilation, The Prerequisite. The album features a great collection of Chicago Hip Hop artists, all compiled by the student run record label of Columbia College. The new record features ShowYouSuck, with production from Zak Jablow and it is quite the banger. The Prerequisite will be released on March 5th, and is the follow-up to last year's Class President, which introduced many to the production Thelonious Martin. Listen and download the song below, and stay tuned for more from AEMMP Hip Hop.