SUMMERDANCE 2022: ASHES IN THE WIND (INTERVIEW W/ MIKE GREENFIELD & TIM PALMIERI)
Another Summerdance has come and gone like ashes carried by the winds of change. At this point Lotus and Nelson Ledges have carved their initials into my creative makeup. Into my soul. I’ve explored the depths of myself and others on those grounds time and time again. This year was no different. The weekend oscillated back and forth, from light to darkness, as most things in this world often do. Anxieties were alleviated by the graceful nature of the sonic threads that unraveled from the stage after sundown. We embraced new endeavors with open arms but stayed planted in our conviction for the truth. The faces of open-minded friends put us at ease while others opposed the growth, ultimately, our feelings receded and gave us the space to bloom.
Last years Summerdance was the last time that I used drugs and alcohol. It provided me with painful but blatant moments of clarity which I then utilized to execute some major lifestyle changes. I lost and found myself in the spatial moments of divine timing that always seem to float amidst The Ledges. I battled my addiction there. I fell in and out of love there. I made a fool of myself and watched loved ones make fools of themselves. It’s all taught me a lot. I find solace in the fact that coincidences are merely safe words for those who lack a certain level of spiritual perception. Everything happens exactly how it is supposed to. It is up to us to accept the lessons and apply them to our lives. Summerdance has always shown me that in the past and this year was no different.
To experience this past weekend completely sober, open to any and all energy that was thrown my way, was a profoundly empowering experience. On top of that, it was my first time seeing guitarist Tim Palmieri play with the band. There were intense moments of gratitude and unfamiliarity whirled into a cathartic cocktail of mixed emotions. It reinforced how much this music means to me. And the fact that I can honestly say that makes me happy. It’s easy to get caught up in the powders, booze, and psychedelics. I did for well over a decade. It’s not that there is anything wrong with substances, but the music is the ticket to ride, that’s what transports us to where we need to go, and a lot of us sometimes forget that.
With all that being said, I am looking forward to the future of Lotus. This weekend showed and proved the collective happiness of the band and crew. It’s wildly apparent that every single member is having fun on stage and wholeheartedly wants to be there. Underneath it all, that’s what cradles and comforts the psychological health of a band and allows them to evolve. Do I miss Mike Rempel? Absolutely, but like I previously stated, everything happens exactly how it is supposed to.
(I had a chance to do an impromptu interview with drummer Mike Greenfield and guitarist Tim Palmieiri in my RV after the first night. Hope you enjoy it!)
< Zachary Franck interviewing Mike Greenfield & Tim Palmieri 9/3/22 >
ZF: Tim, not only was last night my first time seeing you with the band, it was night one of your first Summerdance. How does it feel?
TP: It feels great. It was a success. You know, the second set at a festival is always a fun experience because we’re warm and nobody is going anywhere so we’re stretching out.
ZF: And Mike, how does it feel with Tim onstage at The Ledges instead of Rempel?
MG: It’s funny, I was just telling Tim how Summerdance, in comparison to Sacred Rose which we just played, is such a different experience. A lot of other festivals we go to we hardly have any time to set up and we’re playing in front of people that don’t always know us. At Summerdance we get to really soundcheck and we’re relaxed, people are here to see us, and that gives us another level of comfort. Luke can really dig deep into setlists and we can stretch things out.
ZF: For sure. Summerdance is special. It has had a big impact on me. Not only is this weekend my first fully sober music festival, this is also the last place I partied. I’ve always felt that live music possesses great spiritual power, especially a lot of the earlier songs in the Lotus discography, what are your thoughts on that?
TP: The spiritual factor is absolutely important to me. I am praying. I am losing myself so it’s also meditation. It’s therapy. It’s religion. It’s all those things. Even though it’s analytical, there are notes to remember and all that, but you get to mix it up and be yourself. The driving force is your spirit behind the music. Notes and rhythms are universal, they are their own language and anybody can be moved by them. And vibrations… I don’t want to get to deep here so stop me if I do (laughs), I’m sending out vibrations with the guitar and people are vibrating off of them and sending them back.
ZF: Like a game of ping pong.
TP: Yes. So absolutely, I believe in the spiritual power of it.
MG: It’s a very interesting concept, right? It can almost go two ways. Let’s say you’re feeling down and you hear a beautiful song, it can bring you up. And sometimes that can be really helpful and therapeutic. But then sometimes you want the music to compliment the way you’re feeling.
TP: Blues.
MG: Yeah! Sure, you’re bummed out and you go into your bedroom and paint the walls black and write some bad poetry and you listen to some deep blues. It just compliments the mood. It’s powerful and it can go either way. Both aspects are important. And it’s totally up to the person listening, so whatever we’re throwing out, it’s affecting them, and like Tim said, they’re throwing it back. It’s a beautiful big happening.
TP: And then to tie it into the Lotus thing… it’s instrumental, without words, it appeals to everyone. I think the music is very spiritual by nature. Umbilical Moonrise for example is just textural and pretty.
ZF: Yeah, I think the whole Mennonite upbringing subconsciously came through the Millers’ songwriting in the early days. All of you guys have toured pretty aggressively over the years, how does it feel to step into something that is fresh, new, and exciting.
MG: It is awesome. I first met Tim twenty years ago when I was with a band called The Ally and I remember we were opening for his band in Connecticut. I saw him play and was like, “Who the fuck is this guy!?” - it was awesome. Lucky enough our paths ended up crossing in all these different ways. Sometimes we were just on the same bill together and sometimes we’d play together in little side projects. So when Rempel told us he was leaving, Tim was the first guy that I thought about, honestly. I was the one who called him. He’s so good and even though he’s coming from a little bit of a different place musically, he can veer his playing to fit our sound while still being true to himself. The combination of those worlds, I think, has really brought the band up to a new level. It’s really fun to be a part of it and to watch it as a spectator. This whole band has a different vibe and I’ve been loving it. I can’t believe it’s about to be a year already.
TP: As an artist, you want to feel fresh, fresh and new is great. It’s like the joy of living. I mean, for these guys, if you play the same song for ten to fifteen years and then I come into it with something new, it’s probably pretty exciting for them. But it’s exciting for me because these are all great songs. I get to play a hundred new great songs that I’ve never played before in my life, and get to solo through and experiment, so it’s a lot of fun for me. The fans know the tunes better than I do (laughs).
ZF: Mike, I remember when I was in Philly with you and you showed me that Destroyer demo with Tim just going off before he had played any shows with the band.
MG: Oh yeah!
ZF: And that’s his wheelhouse in a way - it’s very emotional, heavy, and driving.
TP: Yeah, it’s psychedelic rock!
ZF: Exactly, but to see Tim play songs like Blue Giant, Livingston Storm, and Did Fatt, which have more subtle intricacies with a throughline of that early Lotus vibe… I was curious to see what would happen. That Livingston jam last night really impressed me.
TP: Oh wonderful. I loved Blue Giant.
ZF: I wanted to get your thoughts on that area of the songbook.
TP: I love Did Fatt too because it’s technical but it’s just wonderfully guitar driven. This band is teaching me a lot about nuance. I did grow up playing jazz and jazz-fusion so I can take guitar solos without distortion. I didn’t always have to shred, I took a lot of clean solos, but I still played a lot of notes. Lotus is teaching me more about nuance and minimalism. And I want to get to that spiritual place we spoke about, so if I express myself with all these notes, how do I do it with a quarter of them.
ZF: Like Miles said, “It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play.”
TP: Yeah, so space is important and looking at the music macro instead of micro. It’s actually a lot of fun and it’s learning for me. I get to play with sound which is fun because a lot of my projects have been about notes.
ZF: It’s definitely a lot of sound design. So everybody knows how important the rhythm section is. The connection between the bassist and the drummer provides depth that cannot be found elsewhere, but when a lead guitarist and a drummer can link up and bring the music up another level…
TP: Amen!
ZF: If you look at Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell or Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve, it just takes the music to new heights.
TP: Jimmy Page and John Bonham, Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen.
ZF: Exactly. So I just wanted to get your thoughts on that because that’s what squeezes the extra juice out of the jams.
MG: Yeah, I’m always trying to listen to everybody but especially with Tim, if he’s starting to take more of a lead and incorporating specific patterns, I’ll really focus and try to compliment whatever he’s doing. Whether it’s just playing a supporting role or trying to latch on to whatever he’s doing rhythmically. Always listening to Timmy! (Laughs)
TP: Well, stream of consciousness! If I’m jamming, wandering, exploring, and he’s dialed in and listening, we can change the direction of a jam immediately. I mean, Phish does it all the time. We’re going to keep pushing the groove, any polyrhythms we do have to serve the dance element, the funk of it all, which is fun too. I’m all about overlapping polyrhythms. But you hit the nail on the head, I think the drummer and guitar connection is the foundation of rock AND roll. It’s just the way it is. Anytime I’m sitting in with a band, I’m getting dialed in with the drummer. Yes, I know what key I’m in, but what is he doing that I can play off of and match the energy? That’s where the natural scale of the jams are. If he’s at a three then I shouldn’t be at a seven. Once I take the lead, he has to match my energy.
MG: Tim’s energy and onstage presence has definitely had a positive effect on the rest of the band. He really enjoys where he’s at in the moment and that makes us happy. There are certain songs where he really blows us away - like we said before, Destroyer is one of them. On Flower Sermon he takes a jazzier solo which is really cool to hear him tap into.
ZF: Definitely. Well, I’ll let you guys go and get ready for night two. I hope the setlist is good.
MG: It’s funny, Luke even said, “Man writing set lists can be so tough, to put all these songs together and keep it fresh while looking at what we did last year and at the last show, it can be a challenge.”
TP: We don’t want to break the jam band code. We don’t want to be reported.
ZF: I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend. Don’t make me start a thread on Phantasy Tour.
