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The Lemon Twigs at The Casbah

The Lemon Twigs

The Lemon Twigs ignite the torch of 70’s progressive art rock for millennials in search of a new teen sensation.

Strolling into the Casbah, 50 yard parking spot and a doorman handshake later (*Ben is the man!), the legendary Casbah is warming up to the classic rock-tinged sounds of Savoy Motel. Hippie sheek is the on-stage wardrobe and stage center are 2 women rockin the shit out of the drums and guitar. The excitement in the crowd is palpable and making me thirsty.

I order a Tullamore Dew and draft of IPA before claiming my row 2 standing position ready to experience the hype and rock ‘n roll glory that is The Lemon Twigs; Close enough to feel the intimacy when the moments are right! I glance behind me and see that tastemakers Tim Pyles (91x) and Rosey Bystrak (SoundDiego) are ready for sonic lighter fluid to be splashed around the crowd and set ablaze. The brothers D’Addario, are underage and only allowed inside 5 min before they are scheduled to take the stage.  The Who’s “My Generation” is priming the youthful audience of seekers who spontaneously erupt into a frenzied cheer once the boys step onto the stage.  Whether you heard about them through their association with Foxygen or their recent appearance on The Tonight Show, this is that gem of a Casbah show before the band no longer performs at spaces this intimate.

The Lemon Twigs are superb musicians, well exposed and studied in their father’s vinyl collection which, in addition to Zeppelin and The Beatles, must have included Supertramp and Todd Rundgren.  The drummer Michael is like a more controlled version of Keith Moon, funneling a chaotic soul of rock ‘n roll while masterfully twirling his drumstick when it’s not striking skin.  Singer and guitarist Brian D’Addario enthusiastically jumps around stage and appeases a love-struck crowd with their breakout single “These Words”.  A small fight breaks out in the crowd between two 20-something cinnamon whisky dicks who got a little too excited to hear their new favorite song.  The conflict interrupts the flow enough for Brian to call them out on the mic with a classic “Can’t we all just get along here?”  They may need to hire a biker gang as their security…

Did this show satisfy on the level of seeing TV on the Radio or Cold War Kids at the Casbah in the early 2000’s aboard their meteoric rise to the top? Perhaps not, but The Lemon Twigs are definitely worthy of the buzz and making 70’s Soft Rock cool again.

Review by: Craig Schreiber
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