I never listened to them much after Lemon Parade, to be honest, but I have always respected the hell out of Tonic. "Open Up Your Eyes" is such a great song, one I can listen to anytime no matter what mood I'm in. A really good band that you're right about...they never got anywhere near the recognition they deserved.
Love seeing this, Craig. They are indeed so good, so underrated and as you write, those first three albums are classic. I was lucky enough to see them a bunch including a great show at the Odeon before Sugar was out where they previewed a bunch of the album. They did an acoustic tour at another point during that early cycle (maybe during the third album era) that was as amazing as you would expect. But the electric shows were unbelievable and demonstrated what an incredible rock band they were. Nice guys too. I interviewed Emerson years later about the 20th anniversary of Lemon Parade and it was great to hear some of the many stories from those days. I imagine they’ve still got one more killer album in ‘em and I hope we’ll hear it one of these days. (In the meantime, I’m glad we get the occasional track in addition to all of the solo stuff Emerson has released!)
Awesome article, Craig. Thank you for that. I've been listening to Tonic for many years, and now that I'm turning 26, I shall not give up on them for at least another year.
Completely agree. Just had the opportunity to see them on tour with Fastball, Sugar Ray, and Gin Blossoms and Tonic stole the show (although Gin Blossoms were great as well and the others were fun to see). Emerson Hart sounds impossibly better than ever and I’ve started rediscovering Tonic and the songs they contributed to the soundtrack of my youth. They were fantastic and I hope you get the chance to see them because they did not - and will not - disappoint. Great band that really doesn’t get the respect or credit they rightfully deserve. And as vocalists go, I haven’t heard anyone sound as good live as Emerson Hart
I never listened to them much after Lemon Parade, to be honest, but I have always respected the hell out of Tonic. "Open Up Your Eyes" is such a great song, one I can listen to anytime no matter what mood I'm in. A really good band that you're right about...they never got anywhere near the recognition they deserved.
Love seeing this, Craig. They are indeed so good, so underrated and as you write, those first three albums are classic. I was lucky enough to see them a bunch including a great show at the Odeon before Sugar was out where they previewed a bunch of the album. They did an acoustic tour at another point during that early cycle (maybe during the third album era) that was as amazing as you would expect. But the electric shows were unbelievable and demonstrated what an incredible rock band they were. Nice guys too. I interviewed Emerson years later about the 20th anniversary of Lemon Parade and it was great to hear some of the many stories from those days. I imagine they’ve still got one more killer album in ‘em and I hope we’ll hear it one of these days. (In the meantime, I’m glad we get the occasional track in addition to all of the solo stuff Emerson has released!)
Awesome article, Craig. Thank you for that. I've been listening to Tonic for many years, and now that I'm turning 26, I shall not give up on them for at least another year.
Completely agree. Just had the opportunity to see them on tour with Fastball, Sugar Ray, and Gin Blossoms and Tonic stole the show (although Gin Blossoms were great as well and the others were fun to see). Emerson Hart sounds impossibly better than ever and I’ve started rediscovering Tonic and the songs they contributed to the soundtrack of my youth. They were fantastic and I hope you get the chance to see them because they did not - and will not - disappoint. Great band that really doesn’t get the respect or credit they rightfully deserve. And as vocalists go, I haven’t heard anyone sound as good live as Emerson Hart