a2015 LOTUS NM
Lotus NM had recently lost their vocalist, and rehearsal space. Al, Steve, Aaron, and Keith set up to jam in Aaron's living room one evening, and Al began playing this bass line. Fortunately, tape was rolling, and this is the very first take of what was to become Quero Tu Amor. Completely improvised.
Keith was playing around with his effects pedal, came up with this harmonized sound, and then the riff. Lotus NM took it from there, and Keith called it 'Burque Blues.
By the end of rehearsal, the music is all worked out. Virgie adds her lyrics a few days later and Can't Treat Me This Way is another Lotus NM song.
By the time LNM got around to recording this one, Keith had moved to California. Mont had picked up the guitar reins again, so it was recorded with Mont's guitar. A few months later, Keith was in town for a bit, and since it had started off with his idea, LNM asked if he'd like to put his guitar on the song. Without ever hearing Mont's guitar, Keith added his guitar to the LNM bass, drum, keyboard, and vocal tracks. Two different guitarists, two different styles and approach, yet each one unknowingly left space for the other, and both parts work wonderfully well together. Being unable and unwilling to choose one guitar solo over the other, LNM used them both, trading four-bar phrases before bringing them back together at the end.
Steve brought in this song initially as a rock tune, but as LNM got a hold of it, it took on a bit of a Caribbean flavor.
This one came from Al. The blues a la Lotus NM.
A bouncy little pop tune by Al.
A couple of instrumentals Steve had been playing with for awhile. Aaron and Al put the Lotus on them.
Lotus NM asked Keith and Mont to each contribute a solo guitar piece to include on the album. Again, without ever hearing what the other had done, Keith wrote Keith's Lude, and Mont wrote Water of Life. Both pieces were so complimentary, they worked just as well together as separately.
Another love song from Al, and the first LNM studio recording. Doug Geist was conducting recording classes at his studio, Santa Fe Center Studios. His students needed a band to record...Lotus NM needed someone to record them...voila!
Lotus NM tracked this one live at Broadway Studios. Keith cuts loose.
During an LNM rehearsal one evening, Keith suddenly says, "I always wanted to write a song that starts like this:"
