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Lemondrop Rockband
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“It’s only rock and roll but I like it”, so on a tip from an old friend and rocker I dropped in recently at Gabe’s Backstage Lounge in Highwood, a northern suburb of Chicago, to see Lemondrop, a resurrected, home grown, Chicago rock band. The house was rockin’. “The music never stopped”. I was curious as to why they were off the music scene of late and was informed that the group took a two year hiatus in order to regroup and write new material. Today they have ramped up the music with great new licks. If the crowd’s enthusiasm and standing ovation for them at Gabe’s is any indication, the reformulated four person group and it’s new songs will be even bigger hits than in the past.
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Dave Hoffheimer, Lead Guitar and Vocalist
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Lemondrop is pure rock and roll with a smattering of blues influence due to the blues experience of Dave Hoffheimer, lead guitar and front singer and Brian Shrago, drummer, who formed a blues band in their teens. Dave’s vocal style vibrates along with his guitar and gives an unusual handle to both their original music tracks and their creative renditions of some favorite covers of The Grateful Dead and Cheap Trick, among other classic rock groups. Shrago, whose idol is Neil Peart of Rush, drives his drum as backbone aggressively, and deftly backs up the rhythms.
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Brian Shrago, Drummer
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Interviewing Hoffheimer and drummer, Brian Shrago wasn’t easy. Their “groupies” encircled them, happy to have them back and eager to buy their CDs. However, I was able to forcefully push for an interview. I had to know how the band was formed. I was aware that Shrago and Hoffhemer met as counselors at summer camp but I was curious to know more.
As Dave explained, early on, in the 1980s, they both had talent and a desire to be rock and roll idols. In their very early teens, Shrago’s mother got them tickets to a Springsteen concert and the dream was “born in the USA.” Their generation wanted to grow up to be rockers just as earlier generations wanted to be ballplayers. The Rolling Stones, Kiss, Cheap Trick, Lenny Kravitz, The Cult, The Grateful Dead, The Beasties, Rush, Pink Floyd and others were their idols. Rockers took the place of heroes like Joltin’ Joe and Babe Ruth. Hits to Lemondrop’s generation were musical, not Stan Musial.
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Mark Raymond
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Hoffheimer and Shrago’s youthful collaborations covered the 80s and the 90s. In the year 2000 Lemondrop was born with two guitars, bass and drums. However, personal problems, specifically the love of drink of one of the guitarists broke the band apart. There have been several incarnations since the earliest days but today’s group, comprised by the two of them and second guitar played by Mark Raymond and bass player Chris Derfler, both veteran musicians, is a matured, seasoned and musically creative team. The fusion of their respective instruments melds into some very exciting songs and their maturation enriched the music, not to mention their personal lives.
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Chris Derfler, Bass
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Lemondrop finally has its act together. The group is gearing up to play some favorite venues in the Chicagoland area this winter and will be taking the act on the road and “rockin’ in the USA” this summer. Appearances are scheduled in Detroit and Grand Rapids Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri and Cincinnati, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana.
For further information on the summer schedule, more visuals, streaming video, music audio and future concerts go to: www.myspace.com/lemondroprock or, just go to www.myspace.com and look for Lemondrop CDs are also available at: www.cdbaby.com/cd/lemondrop at $12.99.
Next appearances that are booked are:
Red Line Tap, 7006 North Glenwood Avenue, Chicago on February 9th, 2008 at 8pm. Their phone number is: 773-274-5463. Website: www.heartlandcafe.com/rl_index.htm. There will be a $5.00 entry fee.
The Elbow Room, 2871 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago on February 19th at 9pm. Their phone number is 773-549-5549. There will be a $7.00 entry fee.
Website: www.elbowroomchicago.com.
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