Lotus Brings Its Cyborg Fusion To New Haven

Posted on by

Instrument-brandishing rock classicists versus EDM producers: it's almost a cliche to talk about how they can't agree on much these days.

Still, certain bands bridged the divide between electronic and acoustic dance music years ago, and some of them continue to mine the best practices of both camps. The members of Lotus, who'll be at Toad's Place in New Haven on Jan. 29, came together at Indiana's Goshen College in the late '90s playing jamtronica, a cyborg-fusion of jazz-funk vamps, shifting tempos and level dynamics.

"Germination," Lotus' 2003 live album for Harmonized Records, combined the guitar-led modal jams of their improv-rock forebears with twitchy, rave-like, ambient textures and occasionally elevated BPMs. It was a departure from the tension/release framework practiced by fellow explorers; they seemed intent on establishing a vibe and staying there, improvising around it without gratuitous peaks and valleys: euphoric minimalism, in a scene built on expressionistic displays of virtuosity.

But Lotus also got close to remixers, producers, DJs and other knob-twiddlers. "Copy/Paste/Repeat," released in 2007, was an album of Lotus remixes by Lymbyc Systym, Juan Maclean, DJ Harry and Telepath. Last year, "Gilded Age," their newest album, compiled six original tracks with four of them remixed by Kilowatts, D.V.S., Marley Carroll and Skytree.

"For me, those remixes are a separate thing," said bassist/sampler Jesse Miller. "On the vinyl album, it's six songs and those four bonus songs. We just let them run with it and send us a track, and maybe we'd give some minor feedback. The whole reason is because we think it pushes the music forward. They all did a good job of bringing their own voice to it."

"Gilded Age" is the band's first album of original songs since 2013's "Build." It was recorded in Philadelphia with Jonathan Low, known for his work with the National and the War on Drugs, and features vocals by Steve Yutzy-Burkey on three tracks. As usual, it was recorded live onto analog tape with organic instruments: guitar, piano, bass, piano and percussion.

The band takes advantage of what studios can offer: overdubs, sounds that aren't easily reproduced live, and so on. At one point during recording sessions, Miller hired a string section to play a part he'd written; live, he triggers a sample. "That's our workaround," he said.

In support of "Gilded Age," Lotus is embarking on their most intense tour in years, playing five or six shows a week through the beginning of March and stretching to the West Coast. The venues are intimate, but audiences, perhaps buoyed by an interest in contemporary EDM, are responding.

"I think one of the major factors [in a show's success] is the energy we get back from the crowd," Miller said. "If they're really feeling us, it becomes this feedback loop. The main thing about a tour like this is you can get really exhausted But if you have a good crowd, no matter how you feel, it's an adrenaline rush."

Being around for almost two decades has its advantages; Lotus' recent New Year's run five shows found them performing more than 85 unique songs. They'll perform even more on this tour. They read the crowd and shape-shift, from rock to dance and back. "Every show we try to bring in a variety: longer improv, really tight compositions, the rock element, the dance element." And a tour like this one brings out the best in their group flights. "The easiest thing is to go back to your set patterns [of improvisation]. Sometimes it takes a long tour to push yourself into new territory."

Originally posted here:

Lotus Brings Its Cyborg Fusion To New Haven

246 Silver Birch Avenue, The Beaches, Toronto 3 Bedroom 3 Bathroom Semi-Detached – Video

Posted on by


246 Silver Birch Avenue, The Beaches, Toronto 3 Bedroom 3 Bathroom Semi-Detached
http://www.TorontoPropertySource.com Charming Dutch Colonial on the Exterior With An Incredibly Spacious Modern Interior. This House Has It All! Including: A Large Main Floor Family Room,...

By: Geoff Hartle

Go here to read the rest:

246 Silver Birch Avenue, The Beaches, Toronto 3 Bedroom 3 Bathroom Semi-Detached - Video

Around the Region: Green Cove Springs remembers Lee Bentley and more

Posted on by

BEACHESState of the Beaches

The mayors of Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach will discuss the state of their communities at the Beaches Watch meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Beaches Branch Library, 600 3rd St., Neptune Beach. For more, beacheswatch.com.

BEACHES2015 Chariots of Fur

The 2015 Chariots of Fur 5K and 1-mile Fun Run, benefitting nonprofit St. Francis Animal Hospital, will be 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Sea Walk Pavillion, 75 North 1st Street, Jacksonville Beach. The event will feature a variety of festivities including yoga with your dog. For more, saintfrancisanimalhospital.org.

CLAYLongtime Green Cove Springs public servant dies

Lee Bentley, former Green Cove Springs city clerk, passed away Monday, Jan. 26, after battling cancer. Bentley provided 29 years of dedicated service to the city in many capacities including most recently as city clerk. Known for his extensive knowledge and passion for local history, Bentley also was president of the Clay County Historical Society. Funeral arrangements are pending.

CLAYConstitutional officers luncheon

Read more here:

Around the Region: Green Cove Springs remembers Lee Bentley and more

Beaches, bikies and koalas with chlamydia: John Bishop's Australian adventure

Posted on by

Raising the flag: John Bishop's Australia.

In 1992, John Bishop undertook the mammoth feat of cycling from Sydney back to his home in Liverpool, England. Since then he's become one of Britain's most-loved comics on the back of his dry anecdotes and observations about life and his family. Last year, at age 47, he revisited the Sydney to Cairns leg of the trip, cycling with a BBC camera crew in tow over eight weeks, tackling beaches, bikies and koalas with chlamydia.

How did the original trip come about and why retrace it?

In 1992, I was going out with a girl and I didn't want to get married so I came up with this idea that I'd do my last big adventure, which was to ride a bicycle back from Australia. It took me 10 months and when I got home, I married her [wife of 22 years, Melanie], but you would do if you spent 10 months on a bicycle, you'd marry anyone. Then when I got into showbusiness and the life that I lead now, Australia was something that kept nagging at me - it was unfinished business because I'd never been since. When you travel with a camera crew, it gives you access to things you don't get otherwise. There were parts of Australia I skirted through last time, this time I was able to embed myself in - that was the thing I was looking for.

On the road: John Bishop recreated a cycling trip he did 22 years earlier.

The scenes with the koala being tested for chlamydia are pretty gruesome. Did you know what you would be facing?

Advertisement

No. And what surprised me was that I'd neven been that close to one and I've got an Englishman's view of a koala, I think it's a small little cuddly thing but they're massive. I mean, that was like a man in a koala suit, this big bloke lying down.

What do you want the program to reflect about Australia?

The impression I had of Australia in 1992 is the same I left with now. It's the people. I just think the people are amazing, there's a real warmth and friendliness. We did the stereotypical things, the snakes, the spiders and stuff, but when you get further into the series it's the people that dominate. You can travel wherever you want to in the world and you will always connect with somebody but in Australia it feels like you connect with everybody.

Continued here:

Beaches, bikies and koalas with chlamydia: John Bishop's Australian adventure

Rediscovered Astronomy – Space Rocket Launch Fireballs Updates – Video

Posted on by


Rediscovered Astronomy - Space Rocket Launch Fireballs Updates
Rediscovered Astronomy will treat you with information about astronomy, space, and aerospace -aeronautics and astronautics alike. We especially focus on news from astronomers, astrophyscists,...

By: Rediscovered Astronomy

See the original post:

Rediscovered Astronomy - Space Rocket Launch Fireballs Updates - Video

'Astro-archaeological' discovery from the dawn of time

Posted on by

Scientists led by University of Birmingham asteroseismologists have discovered a solar system with 5 Earth-sized planets dating back to the dawn of the Galaxy.

Thanks to the NASA Kepler mission, the scientists announced today (Tuesday 27 January 2015) in The Astrophysical Journal the observation of a Sun-like star (Kepler-444) hosting 5 planets with sizes between Mercury and Venus.

Kepler-444 was formed 11.2 billion years ago, when the Universe was less than 20% its current age. This is the oldest known system of terrestrial-sized planets in our Galaxy - 2 and a half times older than the Earth.

The team carried out the research using asteroseismology - listening to the natural resonances of the host star which are caused by sound trapped within it. These oscillations lead to miniscule changes or pulses in its brightness which allow the researchers to measure its diameter, mass and age. The planets were then detected from the dimming that occurs when the planets transited, or passed across, the stellar disc. This fractional fading in the intensity of the light received from the star enables scientists to accurately measure the size of the planets relative to the size of the star.

Dr Tiago Campante, from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, who led the research, said: 'There are far-reaching implications for this discovery. We now know that Earth-sized planets have formed throughout most of the Universe's 13.8 billion year history, which could provide scope for the existence of ancient life in the Galaxy.

'By the time the Earth formed, the planets in this system were already older than our planet is today. This discovery may now help to pinpoint the beginning of what we might call the "era of planet formation".'

Professor Bill Chaplin, from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, who has been leading the team studying solar-type stars using asteroseismology for the Kepler Mission, said: 'The first discoveries of exoplanets around other Sun-like stars in our Galaxy have fuelled efforts to find other worlds like Earth and other terrestrial planets outside our Solar System.

'We are now getting first glimpses of the variety of Galactic environments conducive to the formation of these small worlds. As a result, the path towards a more complete understanding of early planet formation in the Galaxy is now unfolding before us.'

###

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Go here to read the rest:

'Astro-archaeological' discovery from the dawn of time

Promise Of Artificial Intelligence Showcased In Austin

Posted on by

Updated: Monday, January 26 2015, 08:11 PM CST

There is a fun side to Artificial Intelligence. At today's Artificial Intelligence Open House in Austin we got to see robots that had learned to play soccer against each other.

But AI has its more serious side: for example in the area of search and rescue. Brittany Duncan, from Texas A&M University, was at the AI Open House showing off a search and rescue drone quad-copter. She says a smarter drone can handle the flying while the pilot focuses on the search. "It's kind of like you're driving down the road looking for a doughnut shop," she says. "Well it's easier to have your passenger look for the doughnut shop than it is for you to look for it yourself while you're driving."

And this same artificial intelligence can be adapted to other tasks. Pascal Bercher, from Ulm University in Germany says AI can add to the user's ability to do a task, for instance product knowledge to help someone trying to install their home theater. He adds, "The user doesn't even need to fully understand the system. He does not need the compatibility of certain cables and all the different parts of the devices."

That's the kind of stuff the crowd at the AI Open House wanted to hear. If robots are going to keep getting smarter and faster-- we want them on our team.

By Fred Cantu

Follow us on Twitter @keyetv and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!

Continue reading here:

Promise Of Artificial Intelligence Showcased In Austin