Rick’s CafZ hosts another Grammy-nominated rock band tonight. Platinum-selling artists Tonic rocks the stage at 10 p.m.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Tonic and have been working on getting them to play here for years,” Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s CafZ said. “I’m real proud to finally have them play at Rick’s.”
Since the release of Head On Straight in September, vocalist-guitarist Emerson Hart, bassist Dan Lavery and guitarist Jeff Russo have been busy with all the areas of promoting a new CD. Part of their promotion landed them on the Caroline Rhea Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
“Jay is a fun, great guy. He gave off a good feeling that trickled all over. It was great to play on his show,” Lavery said.
A favorite part of promoting for the band is touring. Tonic began their acoustic tour March 1 and will continue until May making a stop tomorrow in Oxford and in Jackson at Hal & Mal’s on Friday. The idea of an acoustic tour came from an “Acoustic Christmas Show” they did in Florida.
“This tour is a lot more intimate. We get direct feedback from the audience and get to have a lot fun with them,” Lavery said. “The acoustic shows allow the audience to get to know us as people. Sometimes we will get up and go to the bar and make a drink on stage for someone.”
Lavery adds that during their set they will talk about how the band wrote songs and what they are about to them. Tonic’s set will include favorite songs from their last two CDs Lemon Parade and Sugar plus new songs from Head On Straight.
“When a band as big as Tonic does a small venue acoustic tour, it shows that they really appreciate their fans. It also shows that they really appreciate who made them this big,” Welch said.
For Tonic’s latest album they enlisted the help of producer Bob Rock. Rock is best known for working with Metallica, Our Lady Peace, The Cult and countless others. Tonic traveled to Rock’s home in Maui and recorded the album in close to seven weeks.
“We sent him a demo of 14 songs and when we got there we picked one song, worked on it until it was finished,” Lavery said. “It was a blast working with him and being in Maui didn’t hurt either.”
When it was completely finished they ended up with 12 tracks. Russo stated in their press release that this CD reflects how the band felt while recording it and was inspired by their personal lives as well as how making and touring behind their last two albums affected them.
“This is definitely the most personal and focused album we’ve ever made. I took a lot of time writing the lyrics. It’s a real album and a lot deeper lyrically than a lot of music out there today,” Hart said in their press release.
Tonic got together in the Los Angeles music scene in 1994. Though most people think their name comes from the beverage, Lavery said it is a musical reference. Many of their influences string from the ’70s, including the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Elton John. Lavery said the “real” songwriters he listened to when he was younger made a big impact on his musical taste.
“So many bands that play here really admire Tonic and they often list them as one of their musical influences,” Welch said. Tonic is a big influence for Memphis band Ingram Hill. Hart helped the guys on their last CD. “Ingram Hill has a lot of respect for them and Tonic has actually taken the time to help them with some of their songs. That says a lot about what kind of guys Tonic is.”
Tonic performed a few years back at the Humphrey Coliseum opening for the Goo Goo Dolls. Lavery said the guys love playing in Mississippi and are excited about their performance tonight. Tickets are $8 in advance, can be picked up at Rick’s or online at www.rickscafe.net and will be $10 at the door.
“It won’t be an in-your-face coliseum rock show but I think it will still be very, very cool. An intimate night with Tonic, up close and personal,” Welch said.
For more information on Tonic and their newest album Head On Straight, go to their Web site at www.toniconline.com.