Lotus Blake's Page

Name

Lotus Blake

About Me

The music of Lotus Blake’s debut EP, Love is War, springs from the vision of Mathieu Blake, also known as Matthew Blake Wallace, and occupies a pale dream-world cross-pollinated by the psychedelic 60s, the moody atmospherics of shoegaze guitar rock, and Nick Cave dramatics. Mathieu presides over his chugging, raucous band in a rough croon descended from Jim Morrison and David Bowie; but Lotus Blake’s roots lie not in outer space, but the earthy hard rock of Smashing Pumpkins and Guns N’ Roses.

Mathieu assembled his rock and roll army in Louisville, KY, after spending years perfecting his craft. He felt called to music early on, he says, but during his woodshed years struggled with shoddy equipment and a dearth of collaborators. Because of a chance meeting, he says, all that changed, and Mathieu set out on a creative odyssey that has sustained him through illness and family tragedy.


“I was down in Texas,” he says, “and met this guy who named his first kid Axl. Next day, he called my hotel and said, ‘I know what it’s like to play on shitty equipment.’ He sent a Les Paul to the hotel. It was amazing. It was my gift from God moment. I knew, from then on, that I was supposed to play music.”

Years later, with Mathieu still playing the same orange Les Paul, Lotus Blake’s debut EP, Love is War, is ready. To flesh out the sound, Mathieu recruited an army of musicians—organ, piano, accordion, strings, and horns adorn Love is War—to abet Lotus Blake’s core: guitarist Matt Novak, bassist Keith Sampson, and drummer Tony Gantt. Between February 2009 and March 2010, the band put it all on tape at Louisville’s Downtown Recording in sessions produced by Downtown’s owner, impresario, and partner of MCB Records, Nick Stevens. Love is War is an urgent musical document that soothes only long enough so that you’re off guard whenever the next hook jumps out of the speakers and knocks you flat.

Lotus Blake, recently signed to MCB Records, has plans to take the show on the road in the fall; but in the meantime, Mathieu is savoring the completion of a debut EP.

After polishing his songs and pouring his heart into Lotus Blake and Love is War, Matthieu says, the time has come.

“I’m ready to go,” he says.

Smoke/Drink?

yes/yes

Band Question - Genre:

Rock N' Roll

Band Question -Band Members:

Mathieu Blake- vocals/guitar/noise machines
Disco Danny Shaw- keys/vocal
Matt Novak- guitar/vocal
Keith Sampson- bass
Old Forrester- drums

Band Question - Sounds like:

Happiness, not blues.

My favorite comparisons have been....
"...fuckin' David Bowie meets Black Sabbath, meets The fuckin' Smashing Pumpkins."
"Yes with David Bowie as the lead singer."
"The Ramones if The Clash would've taught them how to actually play their instruments."

Band Question - Musical Influences:

Guns N' Roses, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Clash, Oasis, Supergrass, Louis Armstrong, Yes.