With the live music community still mourning the loss of Chuck Morris and his son Charley, the  Lotus percussionist’s former bandmate Mike Rempel has translated his grief into a new song, “Loss & Love”. The eight-minute instrumental epic is available now on Bandcamp and raises funds for the Morris family.

Rempel—who left Lotus in 2021 to pursue a career in mindfulness education—noted that he produced “Loss & Love” over the past couple weeks and that it helped him process his grief. The song is simple, with Rempel’s feelings laid bare via gentle acoustic guitar set to distant piano. The emotional gravity of the song coupled with its spotlight on lead guitar inspires comparison to Eddie Hazel‘s 1971 Funkadelic opus, “Maggot Brain”, a composition similarly inspired by the weight of unexpected loss.

Rempel stated that the song represents two sides of grief:

First, it captures the cutting pain of a beloved’s disappearance: the overwhelming sadness and cognitive incomprehension that seems to tear us apart when we can no longer behold the physicality of our loved one’s presence. It’s the experience of loss that, for a time, feels impossible to accept.

Secondly, it captures the grace that can touch our hearts as we, however slowly, learn to let our beloved go. In that letting go, the essence and beauty of our beloved shines through with perfect clarity. We recognize that the gift of having shared this life with our loved one is a gift that can’t be taken away from us and that our love for them is ultimately timeless.

Lotus percussionist Chuck Morris and his 20-year-old son Charley went missing on March 16th while kayaking on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. A search for the two lasted for 24 days until, last weekend, underwater search crews recovered their bodies.

Since Chuck and Charley’s disappearance, the Lotus community has seen an outpouring of support. After the band canceled its appearance at Resonate Suwannee at the end of March, organizers pivoted the Lotus’ timeslot to a drum circle and celebration of life for Chuck and Charley. Lotus went on to host a number of memorial shows featuring members of the extended jam scene

Though Lotus has postponed an April West Coast tour, the band has announced a number of benefit concerts to assist the Morris family. The first shows are set for this weekend, April 21st and 22nd, at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The concerts will feature an array of special guests including Rempel and members of The Disco Biscuits, Thievery Corporation, Ghost Light, The Motet, and more performing with Lotus. “Fee free” tickets to the Denver shows are on sale here.

A fund has been established to support the Morris family’s financial needs. Donations can be made here.

Mike Rempel – “Loss & Love”