dave - guitar & vocals, mark - guitar & vocals, chris - bass & vocals, brian - drums & vocals
The band lemondrop will play the Avoca West Elementary School Student Council benefit.
The student council is sponsoring a benefit to raise money for their “Help Fund.” The Avoca West student Council has donated thousands of dollars in the past to women and children’s shelters, the Red Cross, Hurricane Katrina and Tsunami Relief, as well as clothing and food drives.
Second grade teacher Dave Hoffheimer, who is one of the Avoca West faculty members responsible for helping to put on the event, offered lemondrop as a way to replenish the low Student Council funds. “Every year the Student Council has bake sales and raffles to raise money for specific causes chosen by the students. We always end up giving away more money than we take in, so this particular event is to get the Student Council back in a position to continue in that fashion. The members of lemondrop are more than happy to help. The evening promises to be a lot of fun!” said Hoffheimer.
The concert is for Avoca School District students and their families only. There will be a door donation of $5, soft drinks and snacks will be $1 each, and lemondrop CDs will be sold for $10. There will also be a raffle for an electric guitar and amplifier. Tickets will be $5.
The Avoca community is a very giving group of people. We always come through in a time of need, and we are teaching our children to continue with that tradition. It is especially important for children to learn this act of giving without any expectation of any return. We are fortunate to live without worry as to weather or not we will have dinner tonight. This is not true everywhere, and it is our duty to put our efforts into helping others who need it.
Mark Raymond, one of the lemondrop guitarists, has a daughter at Avoca who contributes to the energy in the band and helps to spread the word for the cause. He and Dave Hoffheimer met last year when his daughter was in Hoffheimer’s class. Drummer Brian Shrago is a long-time friend of Hoffheimer’s, back to before they could drive. (Shrago was out of town for the show, Avoca parent Howie Winestock sat in on drums.) Bass player Chris Derfler met Hoffheimer through an Avoca parent who had a student in Hoffheimer’s class four years ago.
“This is truly an Avoca event. It means a lot to us, the school, and the community. We are looking forward to this being the first annual lemondrop concert.”
The Avoca West Student Council raised $17,187 on Friday, February 29th, 2008. The concert was a huge success!
{rock 'n me}
Influences
the rolling stones, the cult, the pixies, the grateful dead, the beatles, paul stanley, cheap trick, NYCSmoke, toast, the ginge, johnny winter, buckcherry
lemondrop has resurfaced on the chicagoland music scene after a couple years hiatus and is ready to rock once again! leadman dave hoffheimer has gotten the band back together and has written some great new licks that are sure to become instant favorites! stay tuned for info on show dates as the band is gearing up to play your favorite local venues this winter! lemondrop comes from pure rock & roll. dave and mark play guitars like it's the only thing to do. brian pounds his shiny new kit into the ground, and chris rounds it out with the low end. the new album, marilyn dream, is high energy rock & roll from start to finish. come party with lemondrop!
{bad luck}
{candy-o}
Chicago Splash Magazine, January 2008 - Lemondrop Review - Rock and Roll is Not Dead, They're Here Again.
By Candy Shore
Lemondrop Rockband.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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 for $9.99.
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.
Now playing: SOUPYGATO SHOW #191 -- , featuring music by LEMONDROP!
There are several ways to listen to the SoupyGato Show – the easiest is to visit our website: www. soupygato. com – or subscribe to the show by visiting http://www. gcast. com/u/soupygato/main -- and it will download to your Itunes, Ipod, etc.
SoupyGato Show #191
The Everybodyfields -- Lonely Anywhere Lemondrop -- What To Do Spiraling -- Victory Kiss Glenn Thomas Butterhorn -- Sugar Creek Waltz
Blackk Jack -- Way Down Brett Knickerbocker -- Lullaby For A Hotel Single The Evil Seagulls -- Eclipse Justin Peterson and the Rehearsals -- Rearrange Blood Raw -- Almost There
The Everybodyfields -- Don't Turn Around Lemondrop -- Marilyn Dream Glenn Thomas Butterhorn -- By The August Moon The Evil Seagulls -- She Came Along Like The Wind The Handcuffs -- I'm Not Laughing
I hope Spring has sprung for you. I'm looking forward to billing with you sometime soonish. Let me know when in June might work for you! We're playing next weekend, but I know you're busy. Send us some of your rockin' good luck!
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