10 Quick Ones with ROX of THE LOTUS – April 2018

According to the bands bio: “FThe Lotus is a band with a rather unique approach to their sound and craft. With roots in Italy, yet currently based in Manchester, UK, the project set out to defy conventions and blur the lines between different styles and genre. From psychedelia to pop and rock, The Lotus embarked on a visionary and characterful musical journey, with so many excellent variables to contribute to the depth of their sound. Their music echoes the experimental musings of bands such as Pink Floyd or Tangerine Dream, while also exploring alternative rock melodies that remind of Muse, U2, Kings Of Leon or The Stone Roses, just to mention a few. The band’s debut album, Forgotten Silence, was actually released in 2011, while they followed up with Tomorrow EP in 2013 and Awakening in 2015. Currently, the band has teamed up with producer Paul Reeve, known for his work with Muse, and they are working on their upcoming new album. ”  We get vocalist / bassist Rox to discuss new music, influences, and more in our 10 Quick Ones…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our latest single “Five Days To Shine” is basically a sad love song: it talks about a man waiting 5 days for a girl to come back but eventually she won’t. It’s a very intimate, slow and serene song which is very different from our previous releases due to its almost absence of drums and guitars. We wanted it to be the simplest but more incisive song in our setlist, considering that Five days to shine will be included in our forthcoming album. We filmed the music video completely by ourselves though, and we guess not everyone caught the meaning: there’s a man representing the ‘creator’, who’s trying to reproduce his first work but continues to fail and eventually gives up. We filmed all the scene in a beautiful abandoned place in Manchester, called Hulme Hippodrome.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Each one of us had different experiences that led us to understand we wanted to be musicians, but the common thing is obviously the music itself. I (Rox) am grown listening to Queen and Pink Floyd and being a musician was the natural consequence. I particularly remember when I saw Live at Wembley 86 by Queen: in that moment I realised I wanted to play piano and sing like Freddie Mercury!

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

I’d say Queen, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Muse and Slipknot. Yes, we know, all these bands together in one sentence makes any sense! But that, actually reflects our ‘non-genre’: we compose and play the music we like, without forcing our creativity to settle in only one world.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

Well, we would obviously ask Rick Rubin to produce our next album! He basically has gold in his hands (and ears), so it would be a success, guaranteed. I really hope one day we will have the opportunity to meet him, at least, and talk about music, life, and any other interesting things: he’s a mastermind!

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

Our music is something that changes in time and space. It’s like a speech. We don’t care too much about genres or definitions. We only care about delivering a basic sensation. This is a work that put us in a status of constant research. We never know what we are going to do until we do it, so just listen and see what’s happen!

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

The best thing of being a musician is being a dreamer even if you’re not a kid anymore. Think out of the box, live the day and never give up: that’s what being a musician means for us.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Luca is the cook…like Heisenberg! He gets the drinks as well…and guitars. Obviously, he also replied to this question, and he’s talking about himself in third person. By the way, we are Italian man, we all cook!

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

Personally, I can’t think about my life without music and without playing an instrument. I am also a music producer, and if I weren’t in The Lotus I would have probably started a new band. Luca instead is a great photographer, so I guess he would have continued that path. In general, we think music completely fulfills our lives and we couldn’t live without it.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?

We did a lot! Today the music industry is full of Wolves and when you’re young and with a dream, is very easy to become an easy prey. We did a disastrous tour in the USA organized by a ‘surreal’ agency called “Red Dragon Booking”. They messed up everything and we ended up playing a few gigs in 3 months. An impressive waste of money. By the way, that wasn’t a failure at all, as we met a lot of lovely people that now we are happy to call friends!

10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

We would love to be at the Abbey Road Studios in 1975, when Pink Floyd were recording Wish You Were Here. We would love to be there when Syd Barrett came into the studio: those emotions must be unique. And Pink Floyd perfectly translated those emotions into music.

THE LOTUS LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

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Category: Interviews