This week on Midday Music, the Lemon Twigs joined Evan Miller for a live studio session and interview ahead of their October 2nd performance at A&R Bar in Columbus. Brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario front the New York City-based band. They were backed in WYSO’s studios by two long-time collaborators, bassist Danny Ayala and drummer Reza Matin. The Lemon Twigs released their fourth studio album, Everything Harmony, in May 2023, to critical acclaim. The album also reached No. 78 on the UK album charts, and No. 6 in Scotland. In the interview, the brothers spoke about starting the Lemon Twigs while still in their teens, and reflect on how their songwriting and recording process have evolved in the years since.
Brian and Michael D'Addario, 26- and 24-years old, respectively, had an artistic upbringing. As a child, Brian performed in Broadway productions of Les Miserables and The Little Mermaid. Michael also acted in several stage productions, as well as HBO’s 2008 miniseries John Adams and the 2012 horror film Sinister. Yet, Brian told Evan, “We always played music. It was always what we wanted to do.” Alongside their acting careers, the brothers pursued music. In elementary school, they played in a band with Danny Ayala, who now plays bass with the band again. By the end of high school, the brothers were writing and recording their music seriously, and decided to go on tour. At the time, Michael was only 16 years old. In the interview, Brian reflected on how touring has changed in the eight years since the band first took to the road.
“All the logistics are pretty much the same, but I think we’re much more satisfied with what we’re doing now, in the lineup of the group and the songs that we choose to play. We’ve lived with them longer. All those songs were like, ‘we have to play these ten songs,’ because they were the only songs we had in the beginning. Now we can be more selective.”
The D'Addario brothers say they still perform songs from their debut album, Do Hollywood. But at this point, Brian told Evan, playing the songs is “kind of like a cover.” While the band has always had a “retro” sound, emulating the sound of 60’s and 70’s rockers, their new album, Everything Harmony, features soaring, falsetto harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys. Brian attributes some of the band’s current vocal prowess to Danny Ayala’s return to the Lemon Twigs.
“It’s a nice thing. The three of us started playing together–Danny, Michael, and I– and then for a while we were playing with other musicians. And Just this year Danny came back, and it’s been great. We’ve really missed that aspect of the band”
The D'Addario brothers also spoke about doing session work for artists like Weyes Blood and Tim Heidecker. While playing music on other musicians' albums can be fun, they told Evan that time constraints mean that they have to be selective about which projects to contribute to. “Because we do so much touring and stuff, we don’t have a lot of time to do our own thing,” Brian said, “I wouldn't want to be a studio musician full time. But if the project is something that’s cool, then it’s always cool to do it. If you can be of use.”
The Lemon Twigs performed alongside fellow NYC musician Joanna Sternberg at A&R Bar on Monday, October 2nd. A full list of upcoming tour dates, and updates about album releases, can be found on the band’s website.
Text by Peter Day, adapted from an interview by Evan Miller.
