Blå Lotus

Short Bio

Blå Lotus is a progressive rock trio and their motto is, “No six-strings allowed,” formed during the fall of 2016, Blå Lotus was basically three guys with a vision of making heavy prog rock without the aid of a guitar. Heavily influenced by old school progressive acts of yore, they immediately set out to create a fulfilling soundscape equipped with just bass, drums and Hammond organ and a vast array of lengthy jam-based compositions interspersed with heavy stoner-like riffs.

Fredrik Andersson, born February 3rd, 1982, is the keyboardist, songwriter and, where necessary, the singer of Blå Lotus. He began his musical journey in the mid-90’s when he first got acquainted with The Beatles, a source of inspiration and adoration which has ruled supreme ever since. After growing tired of playing trumped for the communal music school, he taught himself how to play the guitar and further down the line bass guitar and drums as well as singing. Passing through other mainstays such as The Who, Doors, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Yes, and Genesis, he developed a rudimentary knowledge of how to record his own songs and over time he went through several bands as a guitarist, drummer, singer, and bassist respectively. After his stint as the guitarist/singer in hard rock trio Stratus, he pondered on the idea of forming yet another trio from the ashes of an abandoned jam band, featuring his bass playing friend Linus Karlsson with whom he shared musical common ground. Only this time he decided to challenge himself on handling the Hammond organ, an instrument of which he yet only had rudimentary skills. Hanging up his guitars on the wall he has since provided himself with an array of vintage organs and keyboards as well as fully concentrated on perfecting his keyboard skills.

Linus Karlsson was born in 1987 and started playing clarinet in the school orchestra at age 10. He moved on to guitar and punk rock in high school, but everyone else was playing guitar so he switched to bass and never looked back. After high school, he moved to Örebro to study, and at the same time joined an indie rock band called Minor Ace. That became his main musical education and he started exploring alternative genres such as post-rock, progressive music and the Swedish folk-rock scene in the 1970´s. Through new friends, he was invited to join a progressive metal band called Marble Halls. They recorded an album, toured a bit throughout Sweden and made a small impact on the local scene. After Minor Ace and Marble Halls disbanded he met up with Fredrik and they started a jam project together that eventually led to the formation of Blå Lotus in the fall of 2016.

With a drumkit in the basement of his middle school, the interest of music Wiktor Nydén began to take form. He spent more or less every recess with the school’s weirdos, taking turns learning new rhythms and fills. Later on, with his first contact with punk, he played in several bands without any big success, but great enjoyment. The love for playing music grew bigger when he came out of the garage and with his high school band overcame the fear of standing on stage and eventually got an appreciation for his drumming. The biggest project he was involved with before Blå Lotus was the Hardcore/punk band called Brainkill, which had a couple of performances during its six years of being active.

Band Members

Fredrik Andersson // Keyboards & Vocals
Linus Karlsson // Bass Guitar
Wiktor Nydén // Drums & Percussion

Hometown

Örebro, Sweden

Style of Music

Progressive Rock, Psychedelic, Heavy Rock

Links

Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube |

Discography

Högtid (2019) Digital Only
Tube Alloys (2018) Digital Only

Latest Release

Melodic, exciting, the band delivers a sound which fills the ear ‘ there is nothing lightweight here, this is all-encompassing progressive rock music which contains strong melodies and is a delight to enjoy.
Kev Rowland – Prog Archives

If you have ever enjoyed the sound of a Hammond Organ in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, then this is essential.
Kev Rowland – Prog Archives

In this album moments of the glorious heavy Hammond, prog past are highlighted and at the same time condensed in an honest and straightforward way. The feeling of fullness that you experience, a fullness that roots in the primordial moments of the genre, has to do with the remarkable and memorable keyboard riffs and all sorts of melodies that do not seek to vainly innovate but to recapitulate elements from the progressive sound mold.
Thomas Sarakintsis Prog Rock Greece

Videos

Skills

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