Lotus band members include Mike Greenfield, Tim Palmieri, Luke Miller, Jesse Miller, and Chuck Morris. Lotus is a multi-genre jam band.
Formed in 1999, initially featuring Steve Clemens, Luke Miller, Mike Rempel, Andy Parada, and Joel Jimenez, the band gained early fame as something called a “jamtronica” band wherein they would mix in electronica into the realm of jazz bands, which is a uniquely “rock” genre and aesthetic.
What is now known as Lotus band would coalesce quickly, within a year of their formation, and since 1999 the band has released 13 studio albums, an impressive 73 live albums, and 2 EPs.
The band is best known for its live shows which often feature themes, elaborate lighting, and a measure of genre-mashing beyond rock or electronica.
Mike Greenfield – Drummer
| Age: | 50 |
| Date of Birth: | March 1973 |
| Place of Birth: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Lotus band members include Mike Greenfield who has played drums for the band since 2009. The Lotus band member age is 50 years old.
Though Greenfield joined the band a full decade after their official lineup was solidified, he has more than made up for the lost time by becoming the tightest drummer they have ever had.
In fact, the drummer’s history with the group runs deeper than simply joining the band in 2009, as he had played with them on and off throughout the noughties. Greenfield’s first interaction with the band was back in 2002 when he and his then-band, The Ally, opened for Lotus when they were playing in Greenfield’s native Philadelphia.
Since joining the band in 2009, Greenfield has remained their premier drummer, going so far as to bring his wife and children along for the ride during the band’s grueling touring schedule.
Tim Palmieri – Guitarist
| Age: | 44 |
| Date of Birth: | March 1, 1979 |
| Place of Birth: | East Haven, Connecticut |
Tim Palmieri is the most recent member to join Lotus. The Lotus band member age is 44 years old.
Though he may have joined the band in mid-2021, the guitarist has a long history of playing live music and has made his bones playing with a variety of prominent bands and musicians.
Just going off his website, Palmieri has toured or played alongside:
- The Z3
- Snarky Puppy
- Melvin Sparks
- Karl Denson
- Bill Evans
and fifteen more artists that would extend this segment of the article just to name. Aside from touring with a bunch of exciting acts, Palmieri is also known to perform as a solo act and is something of a mythic figure on his native East Coast.
Lastly, the guitarist is also a teacher and regularly takes classes in the New England area.
Luke Miller – Guitarist And Keyboardist
| Age: | 43 |
| Date of Birth: | July 1979 |
| Place of Birth: | Denver, Colorado |
Luke Miller is the guitarist and Keyboardist for Lotus and one of the band leaders alongside his brother. The Lotus band member age is 43.
Luke is the last remaining member of the original lineup that first started the band in August 1998 at Goshen College. Since then, Luke has become not only the band leader, but the guiding voice of the entire project so to speak.
However, the same tenacity which led Luke to start the band has helped him find fame and creativity in different avenues. Modern audiences may know him more as Luke the Knife, his DJ and pop side project, or even as Sugar Nova, his most recent indie-pop collaboration with vocalist Rachel Eisenstat.
Jesse Miller – Bassist And Sampler
| Age: | 43 |
| Date of Birth: | July 1979 |
| Place of Birth: | Denver, Colorado |
Jesse Miller is the bassist and sampler for Lotus and responsible for many of the electronic elements. The Lotus band member age is the same as Luke.
Like Luke, Jesse was part of the formation of Lotus back in 1998, but due to his engagements with other bands during his college years, he didn’t officially join Lotus until a year later, when the band’s official lineup more or less coalesced.
As Lotus’s sampler, Jesse is responsible for the more electronica side of the band’s music which has become as close of a representation of their style as any genre in their multi-genre arsenal can be.
Despite his oeuvre being heavily based on electronica, according to an interview with Tinnitist.com, the musician is heavily influenced by Jazz and Ska music and initially started out in a Ska band.
Chuck Morris – Percussionist
| Age: | 47 |
| Date of Birth: | 1975 |
| Place of Birth: | Kansas City, Missouri |
Chuck Morris is the percussionist and beatsmith of the Lotus band. The Lotus band member age is 47 years old.
Morris joined the band back in 2001, and it was only after his addition that the band started turning into the instrumental jam band that they are now known. In fact, they released their debut album, which was a collection of the tours they went on while with Morris in 2001, in the following year in 2002.
Since then, Morris has continued his work with the band but has also branched out into different avenues. The drummer spent much of the 2010s also working on a side project with his friend, Anthony Fugate, called Nunchuck.
According to an interview with Westword, the percussionist was excited to be able to use sounds and beats he couldn’t in Lotus in his new project.
Lotus Band Former Members
Throughout its 20-year history, Lotus has had many members. Lotus band members also include Steve Clemens, Mike Rempel, Andy Parada, and Joel Jimenez.
Steve Clemens – Drummer
Steve Clemens was the original drummer of the group back in 1998. Like Jesse and Luke, he went to Goshen College.
However, unlike Jesse and Luke, Clemens chose not to continue with the band post-college, and quietly removed himself. Still, the once-drummer would remain good friends with the rest of the band.
Over 17 years after his departure, that friendship would end up helping the band in a pinch when Clemens made a surprise, one-off, return to the band in 2016, helping the band out during Mike Greenfield’s absence, who had to excuse himself because his daughter was being born.
Andy Parada – Percussionist
Andy Parada was the original percussionist of the group back in the late 90s. Parada met Jesse and Luke in college.
Through the sheer act of living on the same floor, the percussionist and sometime drummer started jamming with Jesse, Luke, and Steve, who had already been drumming together. Parada had played in a couple of Latin bands together with Joel Jimenez.
Though Parada was important during the early months of the group, he would slowly disappear from the band.
Joel Jimenez – Bassist
Joel Jimenez was the original bassist of the group. Jimenez joined the group through Parada.
As stated above, Parada had played in some Latin bands with Jimenez, and the latter joined up with the band during their jamming sessions. Unlike Parada, Jimenez stuck around with the band long after he stopped playing in it, and was running sound for the band into 2002.
Mike Rempel – Guitarist
Mike Rempel was the original guitarist for Lotus and one of the founding members. Alongside Jesse and Luke, he was seminal in the group’s origins.
Unlike Clemens, Parada, and Jimenez, Mike remained a member of the group long after their college years. In fact, Rempel would remain a part of the group up until June 2021.
After 23 years in the band, the guitarist stated that he would be taking a break from music. According to an article by Live for Live Music, Rempel decided to step away from the band and live music as a whole to devote his time to personal coaching.
Sadly, per his website, Rempel has stepped away from coaching too. As of Fall 2022, he has decided to focus on himself, though he has stated that he will return to coaching sometime in 2023.
Lotus Band Members Chuck Morris Missing
Lotus Band member Chuck Morris and his son Charley are currently missing. According to NWA Online, they have been missing since last Thursday.
The article, and various other publications, report that the percussionist and his son went kayaking around 11 A.M. on Thursday and were supposed to return by 2 P.M. on the same day. However, they didn’t and the family reported them missing around 4 P.M.
Sadly, the family can’t help but worry as one of the kayaks was found late at night the same day, while another was found the next morning. The authorities also found one of the life jackets the men were wearing.
According to 5 News Online, the family held a vigil for the two missing kayakers on Saturday, March 18 at the Lost Bridge Village near the lake they went missing. Some concerned people have also set up a GoFundMe page for the family, and it has surpassed its $50,000 goal by raising over $53,416 as of the writing of this article.