Combining elements of jam bands and electronic dance rock, Lotus was formed by brothers Jesse Miller (bass/sampler) and Luke Miller (guitar/keyboards), Steve Clemens (drums), Chuck Morris (percussion), and Mike Rempel (guitar) while they were attending Goshen College in Indiana in 1999. They recorded their debut album, Vibes, in concert in the fall of 2001 and self-released it in 2002. A second live album, Germination, was released on Harmonized Records in May 2003. Nomad, the group's first studio recording, followed in September 2004. The Strength of Weak Ties, another studio album, appeared in April 2006. Lotus was signed to the SCI Fidelity label for its third live album, a double disc called Escaping Sargasso Sea, released in May 2007. Five months later, Copy/Paste/Repeat: Lotus Remixed was issued in November 2007. Lotus' third studio album, Hammerstrike, came out about a year later. In March 2023, percussionist Chuck Morris and his son went missing during a kayaking trip in Arkansas. 24 days after their absence was reported to the authorities, Morris and his son were found dead on April 9, 2023 Morris was 46 years old. ~ William Ruhlmann