The Lotus Experiment

The Lotus Experiment was born in September, 2005. With the melodic/synth guitar styling's of guitarist Mike LaRoe, the counter-melodic and often driving bass guitar of bassist Richie Andrews, and the collage of drumming influences presented by drummer Dan Lehr, The Lotus Experiment offers a different take on over 25 years of musical genres.

The Lotus Experiment's sound is nearly impossible to categorize as It crosses such a wide range of musical styles and influences. When asked to describe their style, the band often has to fall back on the stock answer "listen to it and you tell us!" Even after hearing the band, listeners still can't put the band's sound in any particular slot which is very uncommon these days. The band admits that the music has a bit of a Pink Floyd meets Tool feel to it, but that still isn't a fair assessment. The only true classification of their music is "The Lotus Experiment."

Mike LaRoe:
Since I was a kid, I always wanted to make music. When I was 12, my dad bought me a bass guitar and rest came naturally. After a year I picked up the guitar and began my love affair. Although I've only played in bands as a bassist, I never felt I could express myself full with it. With guitar, I can compose or follow along, depending where the song needs it.

Although my early influences spawn from entire bands, not just guitar heroes; Jimmy Page taught me the essentials of guitar and that there are still a lot of new things that can be done. Robby Krieger was one of the early guitar players to take the Indian-style seriously, Adam Jones was and is an Icon and he surprises me every time I hear him play. Alex Lifeson for his chords and overall song structure, Aaron Tumer for throwing conventional music theory out the window, David Guilmore for his blues licks and the deft ease with which he plays, and Kim Thayil for his mastery of beauty as well as the odd phrasing and time signature.

Richie Andrews:
My first experience with music was in eighth grade. I was 13, and I signed up for the orchestra class at Mount Ogden Middle School. I played upright bass. I learned enough to get a passing grade, but afterward proceeded to forget everything in the cloudy haze of teenage life. I forgot about music completely. Then when my mother moved from Utah to Florida, I came with her. I was lost and alone, but I had a few Ozzy Osbourne and Scorpion cassettes, and I would while away the hours of my life wailing along with them. One day I was giving a ride to a hitchhiker, and I was just singing, having forgotten he was in my back seat, when I heard "Damn Boy, You Can Sing!". I was deeply embarrassed, but also completely inspired. After that I started singing all the time, training my voice, and bothering anyone who would listen and critique me. I started trying to join bands, but nobody would take me seriously. Except for Mike Laroe. We met through a mutual friend, Ozzy Murua, while Mike was in Florida on vacation from Michigan. He heard me sing, and we decided to start a project together. However, with him in Michigan, and me in Florida, it was impossible to get anything accomplished. So, to occupy my time, I bought my first electric Bass. It was a gorgeous Peavey T-45. I withdrew to my mother's basement, and spent every moment of the next year teaching myself how to play. When Mike moved back to Florida, we started writing songs with my focus still on Vocals, but he heard me jamming on the Bass and realized that he could flow very well with what I was doing. So the focus shifted, and I became the Bass Player. We spent the next several years writing songs and finding our stride. We tried out numerous drummers to no avail. It wasn't until, through a strange twist of fate, we met Dan Lehr, that The Lotus Experiment became a reality.

My influences stretch all across the musical spectrum. I love the sound that Justin Chancellor produces. I am mystified by the oddity of Les Claypool's playing. I marvel at the intensity of Victor Wooten. And I am completely blown away by the non-traditional approach of Steve Swallow. Over the years I have owned many varying and different basses. I have experimented with a plethora of tones, from the typical daisy chain of effects, to the total modeling technology of the Line 6 Bass PODxt live. But I really didn't get to understand what a good bass was until I first picked up my Dingwall. Now, with it, and the wonderful Fender Bassman amp I play through, I am really finding MY tone. I also have a Rocktron Blue Thunder bass preamp that I use sparingly. I have discovered that, with me at least, an awesome clean tone is the absolute best. I have tailored my rig to accommodate that. I primarily play using a pick, but I find that versatility is the way to go. Sometimes I drop the pick in favor of some rigorous slap playing, and sometimes I find myself wanting to pick up a bow. I just like it to sound GOOD!!

Dan Lehr:
Experience: My father, a concert violinist started teachi