I don’t know how they do it, but The Lemon Twigs must have the secret to crafting the perfect pop song. Starting with their debut Do Hollywood the brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario have been building a body of work that mixes strong songwriting, brilliant guitar work, and some of the best vocal harmonies around in these perfect ’60s styled pop compositions.

On the heels of the release of their sixth (not counting the limited-release What We Know) full-length Look For Your Mind! The Lemon Twigs rolled into Towson’s The Recher on, what has to be (considering the spate of rainy days), a perfect Saturday evening.

Before I get too far into this, I have to point out that The Lemon Twigs may be on the cusp of a new analog revolution of sorts. With the push for (and now push back against) AI and computer generated songs (and, really, any form of art), The Lemon Twigs stand as a beacon of what continues to be achieved with guitars, bass, and drums – most of which was recorded with old analog equipment.

Baltimore’s own The Smashing Times, a similarly veined 1960s mod band kicked things off with a beautiful set and established the tone for what was to come.

Taking the stage, the D’Addario brothers and bassist Danny Ayala and drummer Reza Matin went straight into new material, “My Golden Years,” one of my personal favorites from Look For Your Mind. Having not seen the band live before, I was immediately blown away by the excitement, energy, and those high jumps by Brian and Michael!

If you are one (like me) who loves three (and even four) part harmonies, you’d be in heaven hearing those pristine lines on songs like “I’ve Got a Broken Heart.” The whole band was incredibly tight – melodic bass lines, blistering guitar solos, and metronomic drumming, it was all there in spades.

Watch the video for the new single, “2 or 3” by The Lemon Twigs below:

The quartet kept the momentum with one catchy banger after another as they played singles “I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You,” “2 or3,” and “Look for Your Mind” before they were even halfway through their set.

I had to think to myself that this must be like what it felt to see bands like the Beach Boys, The Beatles, or the Zombies (the band even played with Colin Blunstone a few years back) perform. The Lemon Twigs even played a song by The Choir – a relatively obscure group from Cleveland – called “I Only Did It ‘Cause I Felt So Lonely.”

The later part of the set saw the classic rock ‘n’ roll stomp of “Bring You Down” a song that borrowed more than a little from artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and the Beach Boys.

In a bit of a change, Brian D’Addario returned to the stage solo for a couple of songs just solo acoustic. I was thoroughly impressed with with how well “If You Give Enough,” an older song from Go to School, sounded stripped down from the recorded instrumentation. But it was the finger picked “Joy” that had the crowd as quiet as I’ve ever seen. The band returned to play the apt “Rock On (Over and Over),” capping a brilliant night.

The setlist included:

My Golden Years
I’ve Got a Broken Heart
What You Were Doing
The One
In My Head
I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You
2 or 3
Church Bells
Look for Your Mind
Flash in the Pan (Brian song)
My Heart Is in Your Hands Tonight
Corner of My Eye
Friday (I’m Gonna Love You)
Ghost Run Free
I Only Did it ‘Cause I Felt So Lonely (The Choir cover)
Yeah I Do
Your True Enemy
Mean to Me
Bring You Down
Nothin’ but You
Fire and Gold

Encore:
If You Give Enough (Brian solo)
Joy (Brian solo)
Rock On (Over and Over)

Check out more photos of The Lemon Twigs rocking The Recher on Saturday, August 16, 2026. All photos are copyright David LaMason:

And check out photos of openers The Smashing Times at The Recher: