The Lemon Twigs (Live from Five)

Summary

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All Of It with WNYC – The Lemon Twigs (Live from Five)

Date: March 20, 2024
Guest: The Lemon Twigs (Brian and Michael D’Addario)
Host: Tiffany Hansen (in for Alison Stewart)

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Episode Overview

This special "Live from Five" episode of All Of It features Long Island’s sibling duo, The Lemon Twigs (Brian and Michael D’Addario). The conversation centers on their forthcoming album A Dream Is All We Know (out May 3, 2024), their creative process, influences from the '60s and '70s, collaboration, the impact of family and theater, and their philosophy on songwriting. The episode is interspersed with intimate live performances, including a debut of a new song, and discussion of their participation in WNYC’s Public Song Project.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction and Latest Work

• The Lemon Twigs perform their new song, “My Golden Years,” from their upcoming album.
• The duo’s retro sound has been compared to the Beach Boys, Beatles, and Bee Gees.
• Their career began as high schoolers; they've since grown as musicians and performers.

Defining "Mersey Beach"

• Both brothers are credited with coining the term “Mersey Beach” to describe their sound.

  • Brian: “It'll go on our Wikipedia page. It'll say it on my tombstone, hopefully.” (05:36)
  • The term combines Merseybeat (Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers) with Southern California’s harmony pop (Beach Boys, Jan and Dean).
  • Michael: “It's New York's the Lonely Town harmony sound…that wonderful, all-encompassing stereo harmony sound.” (06:01)

• There’s a playful admission that “Mersey Beach” is as much a marketing phrase as an organic description of their influences.

  • Brian: "It's as much a marketing phrase as it is a real thing." (06:30)

The Influence of 1968 & Studio Craft

• The liner notes reference 1968, but the brothers clarify this is more a guide than a strict homage.
  • Michael: “I don't know that it's meant to be taken so literally or seriously…They ask you to come up with some way to kind of present it so that…people know what they're getting into before they listen.” (07:05)
• Sonically, '68 means heavy compression, "bussing" (grouping) tracks, and a slightly limited fidelity compared to later eras, but more sophisticated than early '60s.
  • Brian: “'68 allowed for overdubbing. Like, we record our records playing all the instruments and doing one track at a time. But it also didn't have quite the fullness in frequency that the mid-70s, say, had.” (08:39)

Family Influence: Their Father’s Legacy

• Their father, Ronnie D’Addario, is a musician whose love of '60s pop shaped the brothers’ musical upbringing.
  • Brian: “Things had to be sort of interesting, you know, to get his attention. So they had to be kind of uncommon. They had to go in a way that you didn’t necessarily expect—which is also what the great, you know, Beatles or Beach Boys songs do.” (09:35)
  • Michael: “We had tunnel vision...we really only listened to what my dad and mom played and oldies radio, and kind of shunned modern music, really.” (10:12)

Relationship with Modern Music

• Modern bands that resonate tend to "sound like the '60s and '70s."
  • Michael: "...there's lots of bands that we like. They're typically indebted to the '60s and '70s..." (11:01)

Acting Background and Theatricality

• Both brothers have Broadway experience (Les Misérables, Little Mermaid, All My Sons).
  • Brian: “We definitely turn on when the camera’s on or whatever...get into sort of a performance mode, I would say.” (11:46)
  • Performing live and acting have blended to make them comfortable on stage, but their band roots are equally formative.

On Concept Albums and “Go To School”

• Their 2018 album was a musical concept album.
  • Brian: “In that case, I was way more into the story than Michael was...I think it’s more healthy and creative to write without that aim of, like, having to tie songs together in a conscious way. It’s better to just sort of let the song be a vehicle for your subconscious.” (12:43)
  • Not planning more concept albums soon.

Songwriting and Recording Process

• The gap between their last two albums is less than it appears; much time passed between completion and release of Everything Harmony.
  • Brian: “We’re writing, like, way more than that...It’s way easier to write the songs for us than to record them and produce them.” (18:41)
  • Songwriting is individually driven but enhanced by mutual arrangement ideas.

Impact of Pandemic on Creativity

• Pandemic forced logistical changes (moving out of their parents’ house and away from their home studio).
• Isolation during Everything Harmony led to a more subdued, introspective sound, while playing shows recently inspired more "upbeat" material for the new album.
  • Michael: “The last record was pretty down because…it was just…we were in our rooms with, you know, acoustic guitar and stuff, singing quietly.” (21:28)

Importance of Live Performance & Audience Feedback

• Touring directly influences their music; live reactions encourage more energetic songs.
  • Michael: “You might want to...do like a little rock and roll song or something like that as opposed to a ballad just because people fall asleep standing up.” (21:50)

Collaborations & Creative Partnerships

• Sean Ono Lennon co-produced and played bass on “Eyes in the Eyes of the Girl.”

  • Brian: “He has a really good ear for harmony and melody, and he wouldn't suggest something that harmonically didn’t work. You know, he’s like a true musician.” (22:32)
  • Enjoy collaborating with high-caliber musicians who bring ideas but also take direction well.

• Dream collaborations include Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood.

• Past guest: Todd Rundgren—another “musician's musician” who’s easy to work with.

  • Michael: “He’s famous for if you don’t know what you want, he’ll figure out what you want anyway, so...he’s the consummate professional.” (24:03)

Escapism and Instrumentation

• Their music, especially earlier concept albums, leans towards escapism.
  • Brian: “We tend to fall back on this sort of thing that’s just more like joyful...Our lyrics sometimes are...about something true...but...the way it’s all packaged...is just supposed to give you a good feeling.” (25:03)
  • Michael: “The instrumentation is a big part of that...It's pretty ornate with a lot of harmonies and stuff, which...seems escapist.” (25:35)

WNYC’s Public Song Project

• The Lemon Twigs contribute a newly recorded public domain song, “Tired of Me,” inspired by a Henry Burr version from the 1920s.
  • Brian: “I got into Henry Burr through Tiny Tim, who I'm a big fan of.” (30:48)

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Live In-Studio Performances & Notable Segments

• [02:27] “My Golden Years” – debut performance; melodic, reflective song about appreciating fleeting youth.
• [13:55] “Corner Of My Eye” – live rendition from their last album, Everything Harmony; explores emotional longing.
• [26:45] “How Can I Love Her More?” – debut of an upbeat, Turtles-style single from the new album.
  • Michael: “It’s kind of like an upbeat Turtles type tune...I wrote that pretty much alone.” (29:53)

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Memorable Quotes

• “It’ll go on our Wikipedia page. It’ll say it on my tombstone, hopefully.”
  — Brian (re: “Mersey Beach”), (05:36)

• “It’s as much a marketing phrase as it is a real thing.”
  — Brian (on “Mersey Beach”), (06:30)

• “We had tunnel vision...we were presented with...we didn’t know really what was going on in the outside world. Musically, we really only listened to what my dad and mom played and oldies radio...and kind of shunned modern music.”
  — Michael (10:12)

• “We definitely turn on when...the camera's on...get into a sort of performance mode.”
  — Brian (11:46)

• “It’s better to just sort of let the song be a vehicle for your subconscious.”
  — Brian (on songwriting vs. concept albums), (12:43)

• “We’re writing, like, way more than that...It’s way easier to write the songs for us than to record them and produce them.”
  — Brian (18:41)

• "He [Sean Ono Lennon] has a really good ear for harmony and melody...he’s like a true musician.”
  — Brian (22:32)

• "Our lyrics sometimes are...about something true...but...the way it's all packaged...is just supposed to give you a good feeling."
  — Brian (25:03)

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Notable Timestamps

• [01:13] Intro, latest single debut (“A Dream Is All We Know”)
• [02:27] “My Golden Years” (live performance)
• [05:31] Discussion of “Mersey Beach”
• [07:55] The “1968” sound
• [09:35] Their father's influence, musical upbringing
• [11:20] Influence of theater/acting background
• [13:30] Discussion of concept albums
• [13:55] “Corner Of My Eye” (live performance)
• [17:27] Releasing music at a rapid pace
• [20:03] Pandemic impacts
• [21:20] How live shows shaped new music
• [22:32] Collaborating with Sean Ono Lennon
• [24:45] Past work with Todd Rundgren
• [25:03] Escapism and musical philosophy
• [26:45] “How Can I Love Her More?” (live debut)
• [30:48] Public Song Project contribution (“Tired of Me”)

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Conclusion

This “Live from Five” episode gives listeners a blend of insightful dialogue, playful banter, and rich live performances, illuminating The Lemon Twigs’ creative process, vintage influences, and growth as artists. Their commitment to authentic, harmony-driven pop, passion for music history, and joy in songwriting shine throughout the conversation. The episode is punctuated with the debut of a new single, discussions of collaboration with musical icons, and a heartfelt participation in WNYC’s Public Song Project—a testament to their active role in both musical innovation and community engagement.

Transcript

[Michael's Party Shop Announcer]

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[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

I'm going to put you on, nephew.

[Brian Daddario]

All right, unc.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

Been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back. Listener supported WNYC Studios I'm Tiffany Hansen.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

And you're listening to all of It.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

My Dream is on. All I Know is all I've got to show for my.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

And that is the latest single from Long Island's own the Lemon Twigs. The title track of their forthcoming album A Dream is All We Know. It will be the sibling duo's fifth album following last year's critically acclaimed Everything Harmony, an album Favorably compared to mid-60s Beach Boys, the Beatles and Bee Gees by reviewers. Following its release, Paste magazine called the Lemon Twigs the new princes of rock and roll. Their forthcoming album captures more of the long haired duo's masterful retro sound that began on their debut, recorded and released when they were still two high schoolers from Hicksville Today, brothers Brian and Michael Daddario. Did I say that right, you guys?

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah, yeah. Daddario. Daddario.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

All right, we're good, dinadario. We'll get there.

[Brian Daddario]

It's a bit like tomato, Tomato.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Nice. Okay, well, we'll go. We'll just. Maybe I'll just change it every time I say it. They're here with me in WNYC Studio 5 to preview the new album which is out May 3rd, and play some songs live. Brian, Michael, welcome to all of it.

[Brian Daddario]

Thank you, thank you.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

And hey, how about Nice in stereo? Let's just get started with a song. How about My Golden Years? Let's look a take art there.

[Michael Daddario]

That sounds good. Yeah.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

My golden years how can I try and push down my fears? Cuz in the blink of a. And I'll watch these golden years fly.

[Michael Daddario]

By.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

In time I hope that I can show all the world the love in my mind I know if only I try I'll get these golden years.

[Michael Daddario]

To shine.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

How can I get near it if all I do is fear it so Bad so bad well, no well, no now though so much has passed the only thing true is not thinking less and in the blink of the night I'll watch these golden years fly by Thinking back on the many times I cried what could have been if I stood up tall and tried Whoa, yeah and now I know that I can't get these golden years to.

[Michael Daddario]

Show.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

That was my golden years performed by the Lemon Twigs, here with us in studio today. This is all of it. I'm Tiffany Hansen in for Alison Stewart, the Lemon Twigs, also known as Brian and Michael Daddario. Brian, let's start with you.

[Brian Daddario]

Sure.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

You guys have been credited with coining the term Mersey Beach.

[Michael Daddario]

Yep.

[Brian Daddario]

It'll go on our Wikipedia page. It'll say it on my tombstone, hopefully.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

So what is.

[Brian Daddario]

Is a combination, a perfect, I would say perfect combination of the Beatles, Mersey Jerry and the Pacemaker's sound. And the Beach Boys, Southern California, Jan and Dean. The Trade winds. Who else? Bruce and Terry.

[Michael Daddario]

It's New York's the Lonely Town harmony sound. Yes. That wonderful, all encompassing stereo harmony sounds.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Like Jan and Dean. Yeah, that's Shannon Dean. That was good.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

All right.

[Brian Daddario]

We're hoping it'll sweep the nation like a wildfire.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

I mean, it already is now. So I'm wondering then, since you coined the phrase, you really view it as a thing, like a real thing? It's not just a marketing phrase for you?

[Brian Daddario]

It's as much a marketing phrase as it is a real thing, I would say.

[Michael Daddario]

Right, yeah. It's equal.

[Brian Daddario]

I wouldn't say we had any sort of conscious. Put any conscious effort into combining those sounds. But when it comes to our, you know, biggest influences, I would say it neatly describes our biggest influences.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

All right, well, in the liner notes to A Dream Is all we know, there's a focus on the year 1968. So I'm wondering what. Why are you giving me that look?

[Michael Daddario]

Oh, no, no, no, no. There's no. You're like, no, no, this is all correct. This is all information. But I don't know that it's meant to be taken so literally or seriously. It's kind of like. Like, you know, you make a record and then they kind of ask you to come up with some way to kind of present it so that it's. Maybe people know what they're getting into before they listen to it.

[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

But.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah, but. So. So for us, you know, these are things. And it's certainly more accurate than it would be, I guess, if somebody else.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Wrote it, you know, so. So. But 1968 was a year is a year that you connect with musically especially.

[Brian Daddario]

I think, sonically, like, I would say, like, the sonics of the record fit neatly into that. It's another thing that fits very neatly.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

So describe 1968 sonically for me.

[Michael Daddario]

Well, I guess, like, the record has a lot of. I don't know, the record has a lot of compression, a lot of busing things together and.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Bussing things together.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah. You know, it kind of. You take the drums and you fuse them together and you put them through a compressor. You take that, put it with the bass. Because you have a limited kind of number of tracks that you're working with, because they were working with low track numbers on their tape machines and stuff. But it's not as primitive as earlier than that. And the stereo image is kind of wider and it's kind of just.

[Brian Daddario]

Yeah, 68 allowed for overdubbing. Like, we record our records playing all the instruments and doing one track at a time. But it also didn't have quite the fullness in frequency that the mid-70s, say, had.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah, sure.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

I want to bring your dad in. No, he's not here. Ronnie Daddario, also a musician. His website says he grew up listening to 1960s pop music. I think as kids, we are drawn to what our parents are listening to a lot of the time. I remember specifically songs that were on the radio when I was in my mom's Opal and I was a little kid driving around. I can tell you exactly what that feels like and what that day feels like. So how does that influence from your dad affect all of this attraction for you to that specific.

[Brian Daddario]

Well, a number of ways, because he's a musician as well, as you said, and he. When we were first writing songs, you know, there was the influence of, like, not only, like, I love this music, but there was the influence of, like, just when it came to melody and chords, things had to be sort of interesting, you know, to get his attention. So they had to be kind of uncommon. They had to go in a way that you didn't necessarily expect.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah.

[Brian Daddario]

Which is also what the great, you know, Beatles or Beach Boys songs do. They modulate a lot. They go from key to key and, you know, things like that. So that was the biggest.

[Michael Daddario]

But in a pop format, you know, you're doing that and. And you're able to put it into this pop format. But I mean, of course, just the era of music and everything is entirely. We were kind of. We had tunnel vision, you know, like, we were. We were presented with we didn't know really what was going on in the outside world. Yeah. Musically, we really only listened to what my dad and mom played and oldies, radio and stuff, and. And kind of shunned modern music, really.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Is there modern music you connect with?

[Brian Daddario]

Yeah, I would say, like. Like, Royal Trucks was like the. The last modern thing that I was.

[Michael Daddario]

But modern. You know, it's like, they're not really modern at this point.

[Brian Daddario]

Your last album came out in 2019. I was into that.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah. We.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

There's lots of.

[Michael Daddario]

No, but they're banned, you know, from the 90s. Oh, right, right, right, right, right. Great band. You know, there's lots of bands that we like. They're typically indebted to the 60s and 70s, though. They. They typically have a sound that's reminiscent of that era.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

So both of you have also had acting careers. You've been on Broadway. Brian, you were in the Little Mermaid, Les Mis. Michael, you were in All My Sons on Broadway. So I'm wondering how that professional theater experience, you know, influences your approach to live performances like this one here as the Lemon Twigs.

[Brian Daddario]

Well, I think we're a little bit more used to it. I guess. We definitely turn on when, you know, the camera's on or whatever. Maybe. I don't know, we get into sort of a performance mode, I would say.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Are you a character?

[Brian Daddario]

No, just, like, a little bit more focused than we would be if we weren't performing. Yeah, but that's probably the case for non, you know, actors without that experience, too.

[Michael Daddario]

I think that. That we also, you know, simultaneously. We were playing a lot of shows when we were kids in bands and stuff, so. So it's hard to chalk that up to the acting or whatever, because we were kind of always performing in different contexts.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Your 2018 album, go to School, was, quote, a musical by the Lemon Twigs. It's a concept album. So. Talk about the challenges of creating a concept album.

[Brian Daddario]

Well, you kind of. In that case, I was way more into the story than Michael was, and I would kind of say to him, you know, your song has to be about this. You know, write a song about this. And I had this sort of feeling of, like, really wanting to go through with it because we had the impetus of the idea. And, you know, in retrospect, I don't dislike the album, but I think it's more healthy and creative to write without that aim of, like, having to tie songs together in a conscious way. It's better to just sort of let the song be a vehicle for your subconscious.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

So no more concept Albums coming from the Lemon Twig?

[Brian Daddario]

Probably not.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

That's the headline. Any. Any idea that it might. That go to school, might actually go to a stage show?

[Michael Daddario]

I don't know. There was interest a while ago, but it's kind of like if that were to work, we'd have to be really into it. And it seems like.

[Brian Daddario]

It seems like something we could possibly do when it's a little bit further.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Away, further in the rear view. All right, well, let's get to some more music here. How about. Let's hear Corner Of My Eye.

[Michael Daddario]

Sure.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Another little slurp of water.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

I've got.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

A wonderful feeling that's ripe for being wrong.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

Lately the Lord's got me kneeling.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

It'S been hard to get along but when I've got you in the corner of my eye all my moments are the same when day or night.

[Michael Daddario]

I.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

Saw you twice before Now I really want to see you more I play.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

The game of heartbreak the emptiness remains.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

But how much loneliness can a man take? Til he tries to take the rain.

[Michael Daddario]

But when I've got you in the.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

Corner of my eye all my moments are the same when day or night.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

I saw you twice before Now I really wanna see you I know that.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

I won't forget you.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

May not be.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

Wise I might regret you.

[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

But when.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

I've got you in the corner of my eye all my moments are the same when day or night.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

I saw you twice before Now I really wanna see you more.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

When I've got you in the corner of my eye all my moments are the same Same one day or night.

[Additional Vocalist / Singer]

I saw you twice before Now I really want to see you more I saw you twice before Now I really want to see you more I saw you twice before Now I really wanna see you more.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

That'S the Lemon Twigs here on all of it. You are listening to us live in studio. That song Corner Of My Eye came from your last album, Everything Harmony, which will turn a year old on May 5th. That's just two days after the release of this new album called A Dream Is All We Know. I'm gonna say, that seems like a really tight turnaround.

[Brian Daddario]

Well, there was quite a bit of time between finishing Everything Harmony and releasing that, maybe about nine months. And so in that interim, we weren't touring and we really got into working on A Dream Is All We Know in that time. We weren't like fully signed to capture tracks at that point. And, you know, there were things like, you know, manufacturing things that happened.

[Michael Daddario]

Takes a long time. Yeah, it took a long Time to get it straight, you know, But, I.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Mean, there are musicians who will tell you it takes me 10 years to come out with another album.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

So, I mean, I look at what you said, nine months, and I think, holy cow, that's like more than a song a month.

[Brian Daddario]

Yeah. I mean, we're writing, like, way more than that. You know, it's just. It's way easier to write the songs for us than to record them and. And produce them. So why is that? I think it's just more fun to write songs for us, you know, it's like. I don't know. It's just really fun.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah. Yeah. It's such. And it's. And we just get kind of melodic ideas a lot of the time, but carrying out. And having the time to carry them out and produce them the correct way. Yeah. To produce them in really the right.

[Brian Daddario]

Way, where strings and things like that.

[Michael Daddario]

Yes. Certain ones need that kind of thing.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

So one of you will say, hey, I got an idea for this thing I'm hearing in my head, and play it, and then next thing you know, it's a song.

[Michael Daddario]

Right. I mean, and we'll do that a lot independently, too, you know, more so than we do it together. Get an idea. I'll get an idea.

[Brian Daddario]

But we get arrangement ideas. When we're just playing each other what we've written, the other person will get arrangement ideas. And it helps to have a pool of songs, you know.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Right. So you talked about, you know, the recording process for you and how different that is from the songwriting process. You recorded everything. Harmony between 20. 20, 2021. That's major pandemic era. So how did that affect things?

[Brian Daddario]

Well, I mean, we decided to move out of our parents maybe about a year into the Pandemic, Maybe a little less six months. And the recording studio was there for, you know, our whole career up until that point. And so we moved to this place in midtown that was just a rehearsal studio. And I mean, the Pandemic, it was just, you know, we only had. We could only record or whatever, but we weren't necessarily more productive because our.

[Michael Daddario]

Got pretty sick of each other.

[Brian Daddario]

Yeah. I don't know. Yeah, it just.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Well, welcome.

[Michael Daddario]

I just.

[Brian Daddario]

I tend to forget that whole thing.

[Michael Daddario]

Well, we have bad memories in general.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Oh, all right. Not specifically of the Pandemic, but just in general. You guys don't. Yeah.

[Michael Daddario]

Retain a lot. That's not musical.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Well, can you remember how the process was different from just as compared to the process for this current album?

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Well, like, just how it felt.

[Michael Daddario]

Well, when we. We went to finish the album in San Francisco and it was just Brian and I and an engineer, our friend Rias.

[Brian Daddario]

The Everything Harmony.

[Michael Daddario]

The Everything Harmony album. Yeah. And I guess it was, you know, more isolated. Way more isolated.

[Brian Daddario]

We hadn't played any shows. Like, we had played a lot of shows this past year.

[Michael Daddario]

That's true.

[Brian Daddario]

And that did kind of form the.

[Michael Daddario]

Album because we wanted more upbeat stuff. The last record was pretty down because, I mean, it was just.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Michael Daddario]

And we were in our rooms with, you know, acoustic guitar and stuff, singing quietly.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

And you say touring and being in front of live audiences affects the work. Is that like, oh, everybody. That seems to really resonate with people.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah, for sure. That's. That's. That. That's typically what it is. You know, you might want to. You have more of a reason to do like a little rock and roll song or something like that as opposed to a ballad just because people fall asleep standing up.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Okay. I want to talk about collaboration. There's a song on A Dream is all we know. That is co produced by Sean Ono Lennon, who is also featured on bass, and it's called the Eyes in the Eyes of the Girl. So what I want to talk about specifically is collaboration and how you approach that.

[Brian Daddario]

Well, we typically don't do all that much on our records, aside from bring people in to play, and we generally have pretty, you know, specific ideas about what we want them to play. But it was really nice working with Sean because he has a really good ear for harmony and melody, and he wouldn't suggest something that harmonically didn't work. You know, he's like a true musician, you know, and so it's always good when you get to play with someone who's bringing in, you know, something and also who can take direction well and things like that, you know, and also.

[Michael Daddario]

Has ideas, you know, sometimes you kind of got to work with somebody and they have an idea and you go, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, but, you know, you're not going to do that. But that wasn't the situation with him. And luckily with most of the people that we collaborate, I mean, you find out pretty quick if it doesn't work that well to work with somebody.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Any dream collaborations, now's the time.

[Brian Daddario]

McCartney. McCartney would be cool.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah. McCartney, Jeff Lynn.

[Brian Daddario]

Yep.

[Michael Daddario]

Paul. Roy Wood.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Paul, if you're listening, Roy Wood.

[Michael Daddario]

Roy Wood, Yeah.

[Brian Daddario]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

You had guest appearances on previous albums?

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Todd Ruddingren. How was that unique?

[Michael Daddario]

Well, similar, similarly to Sean, he said somebody who's a really Great musician. So.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Right. A musician's musician.

[Michael Daddario]

Right.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

For sure.

[Michael Daddario]

And when you're. When that's the situation, it's pretty easy. It's just a matter of getting the performance on tape or whatever, or, you know, knowing what you want. And I think that with Todd, he's famous for if you don't know what you want, he'll figure out what you want anyway, so. Or something. An alternative. So, yeah, he's the consummate professional. We had him on stage and playing with us, too, and. And he was handed a guitar that was very difficult guitar to play. He played it very, very well. He didn't want anything in his monitor. You know, he's just can. He can just work with anything. Is. There's my point. Hmm.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

You have said. You've said about the album we talked about Go to School, that obviously it's a concept album. It's very escapist in its storytelling, generally speaking. Do you think your work overall has kind of an escapist bent?

[Brian Daddario]

It could. Yeah. I mean, maybe less so the last album, because it was more about, like, day to day life. And it dealt with some, you know, more slightly heavier feelings, everything, harmony. But we tend to fall back on this sort of thing that's just more like joyful. I mean, I think our lyrics sometimes are. They usually are about something true that's really happened.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah.

[Brian Daddario]

But I think that just the whole. The way it's all packaged and stuff like that, it's just supposed to give you a good feeling.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah. I think that the instrumentation is a big part of that and kind of the. That, like, use of, you know, harpsichord and kind of fun instruments that people don't typically. You know, it's not this real raw thing with, like, you know, just a straight rock band or just an acoustic guitar. Often it's pretty ornate with a lot of harmonies and stuff, which I think seems escapist.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Right.

[Michael Daddario]

You know, has that feel.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Right.

[Michael Daddario]

Right.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Well, we're gonna take a quick break. We are talking with the Lemon Twigs about their forthcoming album, A Dream Is All We Know. And we're gonna do some music when we come back. How's that sound?

[Michael Daddario]

Cool.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

All right. You're listening to all of It. I'm Tiffany Hansen, in for Alison Stewart. You're listening to all of It. I'm Tiffany Hansen, in for Alison Stewart, and we are talking with the Lemon Twigs about their forthcoming album, A Dream Is All We Know. Forthcoming as in out on May 3rd.

[Michael Daddario]

3Rd.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

And Michael and Brian. I said let's play some music. So let's play some music.

[Brian Daddario]

How about Cool.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

My baby works real hard and she comes home late each night she knows that I really love her and I get to cryin when she's not right by my side she knows that I would never say a bad thing about.

[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

Her.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

But has she found just what she's looking for? She walks right through that door and I say I miss you blood I don't think it's enough and I'm left here wondering My baby sets her mind and she always gets her prize she turns out right she never falters and I get to wondering what is really on her mind I hope that she would never think that I would ever doubt her but has she found just what she's looking for? She walks right through that door and I say I miss you But I don't think it's enough and I'm left here wondering how can I love her more than before Say a bad thing about her say a bad thing about our love say a bad thing about us say a bad thing about our.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Love.

[Song Lyrics / Vocalist]

What has she found? Just what she's looking for she walks right through that door and I say I miss you But I don't think it's enough and I' ma let oh has she found just what she's looking for? She walks right through that and I say I miss you but I don't think it's enough and I'm left here wondering how can I love her more than before?

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

That song, in case you couldn't tell from the last line, is called how can I love her more?

[Brian Daddario]

That's its debut.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

I like it. So tell me about that. Tell me about this song.

[Michael Daddario]

It's kind of like an upbeat turtles type tune, you know? Yeah, I wrote that pretty much alone. And. Yeah, we're gonna do a video for it like next week or something.

[Brian Daddario]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

All right, so we got the scoop.

[Michael Daddario]

Yeah, yeah, you got the scoop.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

All right, so before we let you go because we're running out of time here, I want to mention that all of it is in the midst of our 2024 public song project. Listeners invited to submit songs based on work in the public domain. You can join our public song project by going to wnyc.org publicsongproject Another part of this project is that we have some guest contributors. I think we all know where this is going. You guys are included in the guest contribution. So tell us about that.

[Brian Daddario]

Well, we just finished mixing it last night. It's a song called Tired of Me, I'm Blanking on the writers right now, but I know a version by Henry Burr that was done in about 1920. And I got into Henry Burr through Tiny Tim, who I'm a big fan of.

[Michael Daddario]

We're both fans of Tiny Tim fans.

[Brian Daddario]

And he loves Henry Burr's voice.

[Michael Daddario]

And we love Burr's voice, too. Yeah, we just love this song. And we did kind of like a. It's not really country, but it's got kind of a swing country feel. But it's. It's a really great song, I think. I think we did a good job.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Well, we'll hear that, won't we?

[Brian Daddario]

Yes, we can be the judge of that.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

That's right. We've been talking with the Lemon Twigs. A Dream is All We Know is their forthcoming album. It's coming out May 3rd. Thank you so much for being in studio with us.

[Michael Daddario]

Thanks for having us.

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[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

I' ma put you on, nephew.

[Brian Daddario]

All right, unc.

[Tiffany Hansen (Host)]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[Casual Speaker / Nephew]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.