Glamour Pop rock band The Lemon Twigs recently performed at A&R Music Bar in Columbus, Ohio as part of their U.S. fall tour.
While they’ve been on several tours, performing over 250 concerts, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live and opening for The Killers, they’re still mostly viewed as a small band.
The band was formed in 2015 by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, sons of 1970s musician Ronnie D’Addario. Drawing influences from their father and other musicians from that era like Todd Rungren, The Beatles and T. Rex, The Lemon Twigs put out their first widely released album “Do Hollywood” in 2016, showcasing their unique style to the world.
With hits like “I Wanna Prove to You,” “These Words” and “As Long As We’re Together,” 17-year-old Brian and 15-year-old Michael had already proven to be one of the most talented and unique music groups working today.
While many current musicians may feel drum-machine produced trap beats, launchpads, synthesizers, samples and auto tuned vocals are essential to writing a song, The Lemon Twigs use a more classic instrumentation: guitar, bass, piano, drums and a retro style of vocals, especially when it comes to harmonies.
Songs like “Ghost Run Free,” “Live in Favor of Tomorrow” and “In My Head” showcase excellent vocal harmonies that have not been present in music since The Beach Boys and The Monkees.
The range in both the D’Addario’s voices give each of their songs a different feel.
While “When Winter Comes Around,” “Corner Of My Eye” and “Everyday Is The Worst Day Of My Life” showcase softer vocals, similar to Bread or Seals and Crofts, songs like “Foolin’ Around,” “Tailor Made” and “Queen of My School” showcase a rougher, yet intentional, style of vocals, similar to The Rolling Stones or The Who.
In 2018, The Lemon Twigs released a concept album titled Go To School. The album follows a chimpanzee named Shane who is raised by humans and delves into the struggles he experiences in school.
Releasing a rock opera as just their second album is another factor that puts them up there with rock legends, as the music industry has not seen too many rock operas since The Who’s Tommy and Quadrophenia and Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Their next album, “Songs For The General Public,” took everything from their previous records and expanded upon it.
Rock legend Iggy Pop commented on the album. He said, “. . . [T]hey have so much energy and so many ideas bursting out I would say it should maybe be called Songs Beyond The General Public, because maybe it’s just a little too good! I love listening to vocalists like Wayne Coyne or The Lemon Twigs. who can really bring forth that old sort of pop-rock sensibility from the early-mid sixties and can handle that…”
Earlier this year, The Lemon Twigs released their latest album, “Everything Harmony,” which received the 18th best album of the year on Metacritic. Despite its high reviews, it was a fairly quiet release and is difficult to find in most common stores that sell vinyl records.
Now 26 and 24, Brian and Michael D’Addario are wrapping up their 2023 U.S. Fall Tour.
It is a wonder why The Lemon Twigs are not as popular as other modern artists despite their high praise from other musicians and their strong admiration from fans that allow them to keep touring and producing highly original rock music.
The Lemon Twigs are available to stream on services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. Keep a look out for upcoming tour dates, and always remember to live in favor of tomorrow.
