Back in 1999 Lotus formed at a small liberal arts school in Indiana. The original members were twin brothers Jesse and Luke Miller, Mike Greenfield and Mike Rempel. Then in 2001, they added Chuck Morris to the mix.They have described their sound as jamtronica, which incorporates aspects of electronic, jam rock, funk, jazz and anything else you can think of.In support of their 10th album Build, to be released Feb. 19, Lotus is set to start an expansive four-month tour.You can listen to two of the singles they have released from this album, but seeing them live is the best way to experience their music.In preparation for their sold-out show Feb. 24 at Higher Ground, the Cynic had the opportunity to interview original member Jesse Miller.Jesse plays the bass and sampler for Lotus and is one of their main composers.Vermont Cynic (VC): Lotus is about to embark onits longest tour to date and youre beginning the tour right here in Burlington. Was there any particular reason why you decided to start off here?Jesse Miller (JM): It was really just the way the routing worked out. But weve been playing Burlington on a really regular basis. Were usually there once or twice a year for the last six years I believe. We havent been out there for a little while, so Im glad were able to get there for this tour.VC: So, do you have any favorite cities to perform in?JM: Hmm, well, Denvers really fun because they have a great space there and great company. I love to play in Philly, because thats my hometown. Fayetteville is a lot of fun too.VC: So you like playing for bigger audiences in general?JM: Yeah of course! Who doesnt?VC: This tour is to help promote your new album Build thats set to come out Feb. 19. In your previous albums you and your brother Luke were the main composers of the music. Was there a similar dynamic in place when composing this album? JM: Yeah Luke and I wrote all the material and produced it. We make sure it all sounds good. Weve always seen the whole process through from beginning to end.VC: What were some of the influences on your new album?JM: Well weve been working on recording a lot of different things. The focus of this album was making it similar to the energy of our live shows. Its instrumental, its electronic oriented, its pretty energized.I think its the most cohesive album weve made. We recorded so many different things that we were able to really focus in on the ones that went on the album. I think it really has a continuous tone thats throughout the whole album. VC: A lot of Lotuss reputation has been gained through touring and word of mouth from fans. You guys are particularly active in the music festival community, have you ever considered starting your own music festival?JM: Its something we think about every now and then. Playing at so many festivals has allowed us to see how much work goes into planning and organizing the whole thing.The one thing that I fear is that if we started some sort of an event, then all of our energy might start going into producing the event instead of writing new music. Thats one thing thats always made me a little wary of it. Id rather be a musician than a promoter. VC: Lotus was formed at Goshen College, which is a Mennonite school and if Im not mistaken you and your brother were raised in a Mennonite family.As I understand it, having a strong work ethic is very important to the Mennonite culture. Did your family support you and your brothers decision to become professional musicians, or did they not consider that a legitimate career?JM: Theyve always been supportive. They know that were going to be good at whatever were doing. I dont think there was the concern of oh get a real career, or if there was, it was never expressed to me.I wouldnt really describe my parents as huge music lovers; at least theyre not as interested in it as I am. I think they definitely understand the power of music and why its something that we want to invest our time and careers into.VC: Since your parents werent all that into music, how did you and your brother become so involved with it?JM: Well we took some piano lessons when we were younger and got that basic background, but I stopped doing it after a few years. I was just always drawn to music; the art form really spoke to me. In high school we started a band and played pretty bad, so I stopped doing that.That started to lead me into doing more composition and focusing on that more. Eventually I went to school to study composition, but for the entire time I was also playing in a band.There wasnt any sort of clash bang moment; it was always just something that was a part of my life that continued to develop.VC: Have you and your brother always been able to bond over music? And do you have any problems working in a band together?JM: I wouldnt say that we have any problems. We treat it more as a business relationship and like an art relationship.Were actually not super close. Like when were working on music were usually just sending things to each other back and forth, because he lives in Denver and I live in Philadelphia.Were not usually sitting in the same room working on things. Pretty much from birth I think both of us have enjoyed working on things alone, but then we turn it into a collaboration. VC: So I have one last silly question before I let you go. If you had a spirit animal, what would it be?JM: (laughs) Hmm, I dont really know what that is, but maybe a manatee? VC: Cool, we like manatees! Well thank you very much for your time and were super excited to see you guys at Higher Ground!