Formed by estranged childhood friends who serendipitously reunited at a pool hall in 1993, Tonic’s vocalist Emerson Hart and guitarist Jeff Russo later invited bassist Dan Rothchild and drummer Kevin Shepard to join their ranks. Initially wishing to perform under the moniker Radio Flyer, the band settled with the name Tonic before developing a proud reputation as a group of relentlessly gigging musicians. Tonic’s earliest output arrived in 1996 with the debut album “Lemon Parade”. Led by the singles “Open Up Your Eyes”, “If You Could Only See”, and “Soldier’s Daughter” the album spent 57 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 28. Produced by Jack Joseph Puig, the album’s heavy, guitar driven sound would come to define Tonic’s sound on future albums.
Following the release bassist Rothchild was replaced by Dan Lavery and drummer Shepard began to reduce the role in the band. Throughout the late ‘90s Tonic contributed songs to the soundtracks of “Scream 2”, “Clay Pigeons” and “Gossip”, before releasing their sophomore album “Sugar” in 1999. Earning respectable reviews from the critical press “Sugar” peaked at No. 81 on the Billboard 200 aided by the singles “Knock Down Walls” and “You Wanted More”. The record marked the official departure of drummer Shepard with Peter Maloney taking over percussion responsibilities on the release. Following an intense period of touring Tonic returned to release “Head on Straight” in September 2002. The record earned two Grammy nominations for Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for the single “Take Me As I Am”) and Best Rock Album.
A hiatus ensued from 2004 where Hart released the solo album “Cigarettes and Gasoline”, Russo joined the band Low Stars, and Lavery played on tour with The Fray. Following an announcement in 2008, Tonic played their reunion gig in Antioch, Illinois ahead of their greatest hits compilation “A Casual Affair: The Best of Tonic” in 2009. The band’s eponymous fourth studio album “Tonic” was issued by 429 Records in May 2010. Led by the single “Release Me” Tonic supported the album with heavy touring until the tail-end of 2011.
With two Grammy nominations under their belt, the 1993 band Tonic have had, and continue to have much success in the music industry. Their fusion of alternative rock, and post grunge creates a fresh and original sound that creates hit songs and captivates audiences. Although the line-up has changed slightly over the years, the two founders Emerson Hart, and Jeff Russo remain present, and have maintained the credibility of the band.
As well as being talented composers and vocalists, the whole band are talented musicians, supporting themselves entirely, from lead guitar to drums. Seeing these elements of the music performed live is awesome, as it’s something that’s easy to forget when listening to a studio recording. They opened the stage with the title track from their ’99 album Sugar, which had everyone cheering and singing along with them. I was pleased that they played a variety of tracks from their entire career, rather than just focusing on their new material.
The band played through tracks from their self titled album, and when they sand Open Up Your Eyes, they taught us a section of the chorus to sing back to them at intervals, which was awesome as the audience was reasonably small. They are fantastic live, and gave a really strong and dedicated performance.
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