The jam community recently suffered an immeasurable tragedy with the passing of Chuck Morris — percussionist of beloved jam staple, Lotus — and his son, Charley. Covering events like this is always a delicate matter, which is why 303 Magazine let other news outlets take the lead on this particular event. However, we wanted to honor Chuck and Charley’s legacy, nonetheless.
So, we spoke to the people who knew him best: musicians he played with for well over a decade, including Luke and Jesse Miller, Michael Rempel and Jeff Ervine. They shed light on a funny, warm, talented man that brought excitement and unabashed joy to all those whose lives he entered. Their words are below.
This piece is a celebration of a wonderful father, artist and human being that added light to those whose lives he touched.
Luke Miller
Founding member and guitarist/keyboardist of Lotus.
303 Magazine: What is your favorite moment on stage with Chuck?
Luke Miller: There was one time we were in Ohio playing our festival, Summerdance. We had just finished the last notes of our set; I looked over and Chuck was crowd surfing. He had the biggest smile on his face.
Can you talk about the early days of playing with Chuck? What made you love playing with him?
We started Lotus in college in this little Indiana town called Goshen. Chuck lived in town but didn’t go to the college. There weren’t many percussionists in town and Chuck was actually known as more of a drummer back then. We were trying to take the band in a more instrumental and electronic direction, so we wanted to add percussion to our sound. We invited Chuck to play with us and he fit in immediately. He had the jam band background but was also listening to electronic music. He started collecting different Latin and African percussion instruments and working on electronic sounds shortly after.
The thing that made me love playing with him was the focus and energy he brought to his playing. For Chuck, percussion was all about filling in between the other music. He was always focusing on what other people were playing so he could pick his spots. But when it came time for Chuck to be in the spotlight, he would raise the energy level and really dig in on the congas or bongos.
How did Chuck inspire you?
One thing that inspired me about Chuck was his balance of work and play. He would work his ass off — be it at rehearsal or some remodeling thing he was doing on the side — but then he would go out and hang harder and longer than anyone.
Do you have a favorite story about Chuck and/or Charley?
After one High Sierra Festival out in Quincy, CA, we rented a house in Tahoe and were hanging out with Chuck, Charley, Jennie, Amelia and a couple of friends from college. Lake Tahoe was still super cold from the mountain runoff but Chuck and Charley jumped right in and were swimming around, having a great time. After swimming in the lake, we hung out in the hot tub.
Charley was very smart, but also a bit reserved around larger groups. However, we started opening up more and chatting that night. It was really cool for me to hear Charley’s thoughts since I watched him grow up from a newborn into a teenager.
If there’s one thing you want the world to know about Chuck and Charley, what would it be?
Our nickname for Chuck was “Wildcard” because he was always doing something completely unexpected. It was this completely open energy that people knew him for. He instantly made friends with people everywhere we went. He was also a great father. When Red Rocks re-opened after the pandemic, Lotus played the first 4 shows without any openers, so we had the whole backstage to ourselves. Charley was up hanging out like he was one of us. Charley had grown up with his dad playing in a band so he always kept it cool. But they took a picture together, one that was going around the internet a lot recently. Chuck has his arm around Charley and Charley has a big smile on his face. And from that picture, I knew that Charley was really proud and impressed by his dad and Chuck was super proud of the young man that Charley had become.
Any final thoughts you want to share with the world?
We made the final show Chuck played with Lotus into a live album on quadruple vinyl called Live in Steel City. It was the last show of our winter tour in Pittsburgh — we had been playing five to six nights a week for the last six weeks and the band was firing on all cylinders. Chuck was particularly locked in. That album is coming out in July.
Order Live in Steel City here.
Michael Rempel
Former guitarist for Lotus and was in the band for 14 years. He now works as a producer and songwriter as well as a mindfulness practitioner and coach.
303 Magazine: Can you talk a little bit about the early days of playing with Chuck? What made you know that you loved playing with him?
Michael Rempel: Lotus had been playing together for a few years before Chuck joined the project. We had crossed paths with him several times over those years because he’d played in some other local bands around Goshen, Indiana where we lived at the time. It must’ve been sometime in 2001 when we had a gig at the Madison Oyster Bar in South Bend, IN, and Chuck showed up with his congas. He wasn’t a member of the band yet and I don’t remember if we formally invited him or if he just randomly showed up with his drums — most likely the latter. In any case, he sat in with us that night and I can still vividly remember watching him play. He was playing his heart out and seemed completely absorbed in the flow of the music in a full-bodied way. His musical expression was so spirited and I remember thinking, “We gotta get that guy in the band!”
How did Chuck inspire you?
There are two particular character traits I’d love to highlight about Chuck that really inspired me:
His personality was childlike and playful. He seemed to have a lot of curiosity, and he had this out-of-left-field kind of spontaneity in his actions and expressions. He often seemed to me like a kid in a man’s body. While on tour, he could be unpredictable in a way that was disruptive or even downright frustrating: so often we just didn’t know where he was but at the end of the day, you couldn’t help but love the guy. There was something endearing about his way of being. It was a quality of innocence where, if a moment ago you were frustrated at him, you’d inevitably end up shaking your head and grinning at his strangeness. We so often referred to him as the “Wildcard.” At times, he was truly hard to understand. Sometimes his use of language was genuinely cryptic, leaving all of us completely baffled. But again, there was a quality of innocence about the way he expressed himself that made it impossible not to feel endeared to him. Chuck was as unique as they come.
The second character trait I want to highlight is that Chuck was one of the most non-judgmental people I knew. He loved people. He was open to people. He accepted people as they were. As a result, in my experience, being with him was easy. His openness and acceptance towards me made it easy for me to relax into myself and just be me. As his hotel roommate over so many years — especially while in Philadelphia for rehearsing or recording — his non-judgmental openness was a true gift to me. I could be pissed, sad or jovial — it didn’t matter. Chuck accepted me how I was. And the amazing thing from my vantage point is that he was that way with almost everyone. I’m so inspired by that. Whenever I notice myself holding a judgment towards someone else, I want to be more like Chuck and remember that it’s possible to simply stay open and curious towards everyone. Accepting people unconditionally was a gift that Chuck was naturally good at giving.
READ: Review — Lotus Captivated Red Rocks for the Fourteenth Time
Jeff Ervine
Lead guitarist for the Denver-based band, Genetics, and a longtime friend of Chuck.
303 Magazine: What is your favorite moment on stage with Chuck?
Jeff Ervine: This is such a difficult question. Every moment on stage with him was my favorite so I can’t pick one out but I think the best thing about being on stage with Chuck was just the way he made us comfortable in any situation. It could be a huge gig or an absolute flop but if Chuck was there, everything was going to be alright. He had experienced pretty much everything in terms of performing on stage so having him around was very much like having a big brother in the group. We always looked up to him and he always looked out for us. No matter what.
Can you talk about the early days of playing with Chuck? What made you know that you loved playing with him?
We knew right away that playing with him was the best. He just had this awesome ear for finding little spaces in the music to shine within. He was such a great listener, both onstage and off. Every song he played with us sounded better because of him, and conversely will never be the same without him. We never gave him any direction. We always just told him to do whatever he thought sounded good and he loved having that freedom. Many of our guests would have to hold on for dear life through some of our stuff but I guess Chuck was just hooked on the ride. He was always coming back for more, at full speed. That’s how we knew, even from early on. He also started calling us out of the blue to tell us some random fact he just learned or chat about music, but mostly just to say “Hi”. We all agreed: “This guy is awesome.”
How did Chuck inspire you?
I’ve always kept a pretty tight, very small circle of friends. When Chuck showed up, he wouldn’t let us NOT be his friends. He hung out with us that first time and just kicked the door down. He did that with anyone he enjoyed. He kept up with everyone he knew. He would do anything for his friends and he didn’t care how big his circle got. He had more than enough love for everyone he met and I just couldn’t figure out where it all came from. His open heart and free spirit were absolutely infectious to be around.
Do you have a favorite story about Chuck?
Man, so many to pick from, there’s no way I can commit to one favorite. One really special time was when we took him up to a music festival we were playing in British Colombia, Canada. We traveled all the way up there together and spent the weekend playing sets and just having the most incredible time with him. We got into some truly legendary tomfoolery that week. He wasn’t the best navigator on the road. He was always more interested in showing us some deep-cut song he found or looking out the window asking me to stop for berries, sweet corn or whatever else was being sold on the side of the road. He was always just happy to take it all in, very much in the moment.
If there’s one thing you want the world to know about Chuck, what would it be?
Chuck and Charley would have loved to meet you. They were seriously two of the kindest people I’ve ever known.
Any final thoughts you want to share with the world?
Chuck’s friendship was one of the best gifts we ever received. If there’s something he taught me by example, it was to stay in touch with the ones you care about. Give your old friend a call at random just to say hi. Go out of your way to help someone. If you have a friend in need, put them under your wing for a while. Chuck always did these things and our world was a better place because of it. Let’s keep it going.
Jesse Miller
Longtime bass player, synth player and sampler for Lotus, and a member of the electronic jazz-funk trio Octave Cat.
303 Magazine: What is your favorite moment on stage with Chuck?
Jesse Miller: I can’t remember exactly what show this was but we were doing some sort of themed costume show in Colorado years ago. Chuck shows up in this ridiculous homemade seabird costume that included some very cumbersome wings and a mask. I feel like the wings maybe even had some built-in mechanics for moving them by pulling a string. Either way, it was not ideal for performing. I’m not sure how much of the set he got through before needing to start to take off elements of the outfit. The whole thing was so over-the-top that it cracked me up.
Can you talk a little bit about the early days of playing with Chuck? What made you know that you loved playing with him?
We started taking inspiration from electronic music early on. It is hard to imagine now, but at the time the idea of combining jam music with electronic music was quite rare. The addition of percussion and Chuck’s adoption of the HandSonic for electronic percussion sounds helped get us go further into those dance grooves.
Percussion can be loud and dominating or can add nuance to a groove. Chuck was often subtle to a fault. It was a great asset because he always wanted to leave room for the drums and melodic elements and to serve the song, but I would try to get him to step out a bit more and play some lead parts during shows.
Do you have a favorite story about Chuck?
Chuck would often hang out late on the bus after shows after I went to sleep so there could often be a wild story the next morning. One time, he was adamantly demanding that someone fess up to eating his food from the previous night. It took one of the crew members showing him a video of him eating that very same food and talking about how good it was to convince him that he was the one that needed to fess up.
If there’s one thing you want the world to know about Chuck and/or Charley, what would it be?
They were both great, kind, thoughtful people. I didn’t know Charley all that well as most of my time with him was when he was a toddler, but by all accounts a great kid with tons of potential. Chuck was super unique as a musician and a person. Very open to making new friends, always down to jam or hang out with seemingly anyone. They are both deeply missed.