REVIEW: The Lemon Twigs Deliver An Unforgettable Performance
6/6 @ Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock
Photos by Leif Zurmuhlen
“Both Brower and The Lemon Twigs had ardent fans screaming for them from the audience, swaying and whipping their hair to-and-fro. Both acts delivered some of the most impressive performances I’ve seen all year.”
Long Island rockers The Lemon Twigs first came across my radar a few years back when I caught a clip of the music video for their song “Corner of My Eye” scrolling through social media.
In it, the two brothers, Brian and Michael D’Addario, strum their guitars in a daylit graveyard on a windy day. The duo stares serenely, singing into the camera like late-1960s heartthrobs (Simpsons fans might just as readily imagine them on the cover of Lisa’s copy of Non-Threatening Boys magazine). Their warm, nostalgic style and angelic voices instantly endeared them to me. At the time, I filed their name away in my head as yet another cool band to throw on when I’m feeling old-fashioned. When the opportunity came up to see them play live, I sprang for it. I found out later that the band was also set to play the Governor’s Ball in New York City the very next day, sharing the stage with larger mainstream acts like Hozier and Olivia Rodrigo.
The touring four-piece—consisting of Reza Matin on drums, vocals, and guitar and Danny Ayala on keys, vocals, and bass alongside the brothers-–played the Bearsville Theater with such precision and skill, it was impossible to look away (I had to force myself to remember to record a little video). Brian leapt into the air over and over again with his sparkly blood red guitar, Michael bantered wryly between songs, and at least once, three of the members all swapped instruments for several of their songs, a feat that never fails to impress.
The band also performed songs from Brian’s solo album, Till the Morning, released this past March, including a personal favorite, “This Summer”, an upbeat power pop-influenced song with contrastingly sad lyrics. The group flew from one song seamlessly into the next. At one point, the foursome left the stage, a fake-out move, and Brian returned to play solo for “When Winter Comes Around”, a gorgeous and folksy-melancholic song that calls to mind Simon & Garfunkel and Paul McCartney. The rest of the band whizzed back on for an incredible energetic cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper”.
New York City’s Brower opened the night, literally setting the stage for a full night of classic rock ‘n roll. Their latest album, Flour, has a swaggery, sneering T. Rex-meets-The Kinks feel to it that’s easy to love. Both Brower and The Lemon Twigs had ardent fans screaming for them from the audience, swaying and whipping their hair to-and-fro. No one can claim either of these bands are all style and no substance—both acts delivered some of the most impressive performances I’ve seen all year.
The following day, still buzzing from the show, I sent a slew of videos to my parents who filled our childhood home with music from the ‘60s and ‘70s (shout out WTRY-FM’s Oldies 98.3). My mom’s response? “Beautiful voices, excellent harmony… so enjoyable!!!” I have to imagine both bands are winning new fans every single day.
