EDMOND — Green Lemon, the Edmond-based electronic experimental rock band, will play an Edmond concert for the first time in three years this weekend.

Drummer Chris Cox said the band has been out on tour for 11-12 months at a time for the past four years. They occasionally stop through to play gigs in Oklahoma City.

“When we started, we were in high school and we had no plans,” Cox said. “Our level of success kind of blows my mind sometimes.”

The upcoming concert will be one of the last gigs the band plays this year before it takes a month off.

Guitarist Steve Schaben said it will be interesting to be back in Edmond where it all started. He said the band will play a couple of new tunes.

The band has been on the road for almost a year with a few weeks off to go home. Schaben said one of the challenges about being on the road is they can’t go home every night.

“There’s no time off,” he said. “When you’re done playing a show you don’t get to go home and sleep in your bed.”

Cox said he sometimes washes dishes when they have friends or hosts invite them to their homes for a night. He said it reminds him of that sense of home they don’t have while on tour.

While most of the band members’ families still live in Edmond, half the band lives in Colorado and half in Edmond. The band originally formed in 1999 while the members still were in high school under the name “Grass.”

“We might break out a “Grass” tune or two,” Cox said.

After high school, the band went its separate ways for a couple of years and then reunited under the name “Green Lemon.”

The band will record its second full-length album in January in the Virgin Islands. Schaben said this second album will consist of shorter, catchier tunes than the band’s first album.

“If you work hard and believe in something, something good will happen,” Cox said.



If you go

What you need to know

Green Lemon’s concert begins at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Danny Bob’s Hideout, 70 1/2 E. 15th St. Tickets can be purchased for $8 in advance at Flatire Burgers, at 318 E. Ayers, or $10 at the door. For information about Green Lemon, visit www.greenlemonband.com.

Light shows from another planet- subtle harmonies clashed with dance beats- music festivals played deep in the woods- Green Lemon of Oklahoma City has toured the country, spread their music, and enjoyed every bit of it.

“We did a really crazy festival this past summer,” says Green Lemon drummer Chirs Cox, “It’s called Oregon Country Fair. It was hosted on land owned by Ken Kessey (pioneer of LSD exploration) out in the middle of no where. The whole thing seemed to be a sixties revival. Out of the 15,000 who attended, about half were walking around butt-ass naked. The place was filled with sex and drugs. It was really something.”

Rock/ jam phenomenon Green Lemon is comprised of Jon Cordero on keys/ vocals- Jesse Florvantini on bass/vocals- Chris Cox on drums/ vocals- Wayne Allen on guitar/ vocals- and Steve Schaben on guitar/ vocals.

“It started with me and another guitar player (not in band) playing in my garage,” explains Allen. “ From there it grew because we wanted bring in other people and make bigger music.”

“I was in a Sublime cover band when I joined Green Lemon,” recalls Cox. “ It was Junior year of high school. I remember it was in the middle of band practice when he (Allen) came up to me and said, ‘pack up your shit you’re coming with me.’. And that was it.”


Following high school Green Lemon took a change of scenery and relocated to sunny Ft. Collins, CO (home of Fat Tire Beer). It was there that they would generate a huge following.

“Jesse our bass player was going to Colorado State University (in Ft. Collins),” says Allen. “All of us wanted to keep doing it and further the band, so we all followed him out there.”

“We started putting on free shows at the local venue The Aggie Theater,” adds Cox. “We would do a show there every 2 months when we weren’t touring. Pretty soon, our following was pretty big.”

Since the days of the Aggie Shows Green Lemon has played Wakarusa Music Festival, Jam Off in NYC, 10,000 Lakes, Harvest Fest and many more.

In 2004, Green Lemon was named “New home-grown band of the year” by Home Grown Music Network. The following year, Jambase.com called Green Lemon “One of 10 summer star bands to watch.”


In 2003, Green Lemon released there first self- titled album. It is a collection of sounds that encompass the spirit and feeling of this band. “Whitecap” is a lively instrumental track that carries listeners thru it’s pleasing melody and up tempo electronic rhythm. “Mess” is a track that gets taken to the next level with the strong presence of groovy keyboard undertone coated with sharp guitar.

Some bands are good at recording albums, and some are good on stage. Green Lemon is good at both. Their album music holds as much energy and feeling as when they perform on stage. And their stage performance is filled with enough sound and light to wake up to deadest of the dead. The central strength Green Lemon possesses is its ability to create spontaneous music live. Like many great bands that get put into the jam genre, Green Lemon can capture fantastic unplanned music live, and this dazzles audiences.

This band will give make you want them to succeed; they're great musicians that remind you of yourself and what it's like to go after what you want. When Green Lemon puts on a show, they don’t stop playing until every bit of energy they have is gone. That’s what it’s all about.


See what Green Lemon is doing and check out their current tour.


Posted on Monday, October 22nd 2007

“Trance-based, experimental electronica with vocals” is one way this native Oklahoma band describes their sound, or you could just sum it up in one word: “surreal.”

Edmond born, Green Lemon are currently stationed in Colorado and will be making their way through OKC on Saturday, Sept. 22 and if you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing them live, you’re in for a real tasty treat.

This funky, acid-jazz-meets-roots jam band fronted by guitarists Steve Schaben and Wayne Allen, bassist Jesse Floravanti, keyboardist Jon Coldero and drummer Chris Cox, have gained national recognition playing across the U.S. at a variety of reputable venues and festivals including Wakarusa and 10,000 Lakes in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota earlier this year. Also winning awards such as Homegrown Band of the Year in 2004 from the Homegrown Music Network and dubbed 10 Summer Star Bands to Watch by Relix magazine, Green Lemon have worked hard to establish themselves as a growing staple in America’s live music scene.

After watching them perform, it is easy to understand why Green Lemon have been blessed with such bountiful praise. Once you see this band live, you’re likely to remain in a highly intoxicating, lucid state of euphoria for days.

Blending a variety of influences and styles, Green Lemon’s sound collides into a melting pot of melodic haze that transforms the brainwaves into a pleasing state of bliss.

“We have a huge range of influences among the members of the band, and very few in common…about the only music we all agree on is the music that got the band started in the first place—huge cultural icons like Phish, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and The Beatles. And I’m fairly sure we all still like The Postal Service. As far as the sound we’re going for, it’s something that spans several genres but still has certain unifying factors, like three-part vocal harmonies, heavy use of synthesizers, written-out counter melodies that imply chords as opposed to the use of chords themselves, and electronic styles of music played on organic instruments as opposed to being programmed. We use all these devices while playing electronica, rock and reggae in the hopes that no matter which you’re listening to it’s going to be obvious that it’s Green Lemon,” Schaben said.

The band encourages music enthusiasts to check out a variety of different musical acts and styles so whether the band was one of your favorite local acts for years or if you can only venture to guess what you are in for, stop by and prepare to be sucked into Green Lemon’s soul-quenching sonic sounds.

The show will be at the Bricktown Ballroom, which Schaben told us, in much dismay, was only his second choice of venue. Unfortunately for him, it turns out that the surface of the sun is booked through early next year, but despite the fact that the band will not be able to perform on the sun’s hot surface, they are sure to still rock out with shockingly solar flare.

The show will start at 9 p.m. with openers So Far So Good, and Green Lemon will go on at around 10 p.m. For tickets you can visit www.nonzine.com or you can call the Bricktown Ballroom at 236.4143.

Not too long ago, the term "jamband" simply was a reference to a
fledgling host of musicians enjoying a quiet yet faithful following.

Today, however, jambands hold a place in a legitimate genre of music
that's constantly expanding, one completely receptive to innovation and
originality.

Indeed, it could easily be argued that within the ever-evolving musical
stylings of a jamband lie, in essence, its definitive characteristics.

Quite simply put, there are no limits.

That hasn't been lost on the five members of Green Lemon, slated to
grace the stage at Rafters on St. Simons Island Thursday and Friday
nights.

As far as the Oklahoma-based group's style of play goes, guitar and
vocalist Steve Schaben admits that his personal description is vague:
"It's electronica rock with lots of vocals," he said. "It's kind of
hard to describe your own style."

Schaben does concede, however, that the group's two and three-part
harmonies and high emphasis on lyrics serves to separate the music of
Green Lemon from that of your average jamband.

The spectrum of musical genres from which its members draw their
influences is a broad one.

The result? Live musical fusion.

"I studied jazz in college," said Schaben. "I love the idea of
improvisation. It's purely experimental. I think playing live is the
most beautiful part of music - you're creating an experience."

And so, perhaps the best way to grasp what Green Lemon is all about is
actually experiencing the group's music through live performance.

After all, when it comes down to it, even jambands must set themselves
apart from one another.

"We travel with an amazing light show," Schaben said. "It really gels
and changes with the music.

"As for the music itself, it's different in a lot of ways in terms of
the vocals, the melodies. There's a lot of improvisation. We just
create it while we're there."

Details - Green Lemon are:
•Steve Schaben, guitar & vocals
•Jon Cordero, keyboard & vocals
•Jesse Fioravanti, bass guitar & vocals
•Wayne Allen, guitar & vocals
•Chris Cox, percussion

Can the "jam band" tag be fairly applied to Green Lemon?

"That's kinda what we get portrayed as, but it's pretty different in a lot of regards," said guitarist Steve Schaben.

Green Lemon's brand of danceable jams are big on slow-building, sparse grooves; progressive rock; electronica; and solos that have a point. In short, the band didn't graduate magna cum laude from Jerry Garcia University. Still, jam fans seem to like what they do, and they've found a home among jam bands, living the nomadic summer lifestyle of the festivalgoer.

Concert Plans
Since February, the Edmond-native band has been zigzagging across the country, by plane and automobile, hitting jam-friendly festivals such as the recent DFest in Tulsa. Festivals are a great place for the band to enlarge its fan base, and to stretch out musically.

"There's a lot more improvising in the live show than there is on the disc," said Schaben who said his jazz studies at the University of Central Oklahoma's top-notch program prepared him for Green Lemon's fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants live shows.

Friday's show at the Bricktown Ballroom is one of Green Lemon's frequent homecomings - they tend to return to Oklahoma two or three times a year.

All concertgoers are strongly encouraged to wear white shirts, which will play havoc with the custom black-light setup the band has arranged. As a reward for doing so, the first 100 souls through the door will get a free live disc.

venue: Luna's Bar and Grill
date: 05/12/07
artist seen live: Green Lemon

For those that could not make it to experience Green Lemon on May 12th, you missed a magnificent show. Never hearing this Colorado jam band play before, I went in unsure of what to expect, but Luna Bar was the perfect venue for the occasion.

The light show looked incredible on the brick building behind the stage, and a lot of work was put into the production, from the fog machine to this weird apple cinnamon smell that kept arousing my nostrils.

The music itself was the perfect blend of dub, electronica, folk, and other musical strangeness. Explosions of sound transitioned one song to the next, almost making my brain explode (but in a good way).

At first the audience was chill, but towards the middle of the set people started dancing and in the end everyone was feeling the music pulsate through body and brain.

People I talked with after the show were equally impressed with the band's performance and showmanship. The flow of one song into the next was seamless, and covers from the Cure and others were as impressive as the originals.

Overall the night was amazing and it was a great kickoff to the summer. I highly recommend checking out Green Lemon next time they return to the Chuck. It is truly some of the dopest auditory and visual stimulation I received locally in some time.

Green Lemon's busy summer tour and festival season will include a trip through Texas for four shows in May.

This tour leg will keep the Colorado-based band of Oklahoma natives on the road for three months criss-crossing the country to perform at festivals from Lubbock, Dallas, Austin and Houston. The tour will feature several special collaborations.

The 2007 festival season will find Green Lemon gracing the stages of some of the nation's most prestigious festivals.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create the unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation.

The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres. While guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2.

Green Lemon’s busy summer tour and festival season will include a stop in Lexington for a show at the Buffalo Creek Music Festival hosted by Washington and Lee University. This tour leg will keep the Colorado-based band of Oklahoma natives on the road for three months criss-crossing the country to perform at festivals from Virginia to Minnesota to California. The tour will feature several special collaborations and is expected to continue building on recent successes which include being named the 2007 Band of the Year by the Oklahoma Music Awards.

The band has been named the “New Home Grown Band of the Year” by Leeway’s Home Grown Music Network and listed as a “Top Band to See Live in 2005” by Jambase.com. They were also named “Independent Artist of the Year” by Hapi Skratch Entertainment and “New Groove of the Month” by Jambands.com. Green Lemon won Relix Magazine’s Jam-Off Contest and was nominated for a prestigious Jammy Award. The Jammy Awards are the jamband world’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards. There are eight Jammy Awards handed out annually at a star-studded ceremony in Madison Square Gardens and Green Lemon was one of six nominees for the 2006 New Groove Jammy. In March, they were named the 2007 Band of the Year by the Oklahoma Music Awards program.

The 2007 festival season will find Green Lemon gracing the stages of some of the nation’s most prestigious festivals as well as a few up-and-coming festivals. The band kicked off their 2007 festival line up at Tucson’s Gem and Jam Festival in early February with former Particle guitarist, Charlie Hitchcock, and current String Cheese Incident drummer, Michael Travis, sitting in. The band celebrated Earth Day in April by participating in the Green Apple Festival. Hosted by Relix Magazine, the Green Apple Festival took place simultaneously in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco with Green Lemon performing in Chicago. They’ve also signed on to perform at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, Kansas; DogFest, benefiting the Akita Rescue Unit in Melvern, Kansas; Buffalo Creek Music Festival hosted by Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia; 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and Ashefest in Asheville, North Carolina. More festival shows are still under negotiation and will be announced soon.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create the unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation. The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres. While guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2. Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, but drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5. Add four songwriters within the group to this diversity of musical tastes and you’ve got a recipe for auditory bliss. By merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies, soaring vocals and some shredding guitar solos, Green Lemon inspired Relix Magazine to declare that they “could very well lead the next generation of jambands.”

On Saturday, May 19, the band will headline the festivities at Zollman’s Pavilion on Buffalo Creek in Lexington playing from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am. The Buffalo Creek Music Festival is in its 15th year and is hosted by Washington and Lee students on a farm 5 miles outside of Lexington on the Buffalo Creek. Tickets are just $10 for the entire weekend event and camping is encouraged. Other bands performing during the weekend include The Breakfast, U-Melt and The Bridge among others. Catch Green Lemon’s show on Saturday night and see what Hittin’ The Note Magazine says “happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae.”

For more information about the Green Lemon band, visit www.greenlemonband.com where you’ll find the full tour schedule, fan forums and audio samples, or visit www.myspace.com/greenlemon.

[...]  Green Lemon ­— Oklahoma natives and current Colorado residents, Green Lemon is one of the new generation of jam bands that doesn’t necessarily owe its every note to the Grateful Dead or Phish. Instead, the group looks to the electronica of Lake Trout and the funk of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, adding a dose of reggae to come up with that rarest of things — an original sound that’s still easy on the ears of jam-rock fans. Green Lemon was the Home Grown Music Network’s 2004 Band of the Year, a 2005 Band To Watch on Jambase.com, and received accolades from Relix magazine and Jambands.com. Local jam-friendly rockers Analog Moon open. K. Oliver
Headliners: 9 p.m., $6; 796-2333, headlinerscolumbia.com.  [...]

Next-gen jam band to perform March 22

Green Lemon has hit the road with a vengeance for their 2007 winter tour, which includes three Georgia shows.

On Thursday, March 22 the band will perform at Wiseguy’s at 10:00 p.m.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create a unique sound. The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres - while guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2.

Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, but drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5. Add four songwriters within the group to this diversity of musical tastes and you’ve got a recipe for auditory bliss.

By merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies, soaring vocals and shredding guitar solos, Green Lemon inspired Relix Magazine to declare that they “could very well lead the next generation of jam bands.”

The tour will keep the Colorado-based band of Oklahoma natives on the road for more than three months with coast-to-coast shows. The tour will feature several special collaborations and is expected to continue building on recent successes.

The band has been named the “New Home Grown Band of the Year” by Leeway’s Home Grown Music Network and listed as a “Top Band to See Live in 2005” by Jambase.com. They were also named “Independent Artist of the Year” by Hapi Skratch Entertainment and “New Groove of the Month” by Jambands.com.

The 2007 festival season will find Green Lemon at some of the nation’s most prestigious festivals as well as a few up-and-coming shows. The band kicked off their 2007 festival line up at Tucson’s Gem and Jam Festival in early February with former Particle guitarist Charlie Hitchcock and current String Cheese Incident drummer Michael Travis sitting in.

The band will celebrate Earth Day by participating in the Green Apple Festival in April. Hosted by Relix Magazine, The festival will take place simultaneously in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco with Green Lemon performing in Chicago.

They’ve also signed on to perform at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, Kansas; DogFest, benefiting the Akita Rescue Unit in Melvern, Kansas; Buffalo Creek Music Festival hosted by Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia; 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and Ashefest in Asheville, North Carolina.

For more information about the Green Lemon band, visit their Web site at www.greenlemonband.com or visit www.myspace.com/greenlemon.

Question: How many white-boy rastafarian jam band members does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: six. One to screw in the lightbulb and five to apologize to the rest of humanity for all the racket. Kidding! Just a little harmless jam band humor in honor of the lads of Green Lemon, who arrive in town this week for at least one, and possibly as many as four, shows.

The Oklahoma natives (now hanging in Colorado) play a form of music they call "Reggadelic conceptual improv jam/intergalactic skank music." Translated from the original Latin, that means "very very very long songs which do not so much end as meander to a conclusion." Again: We kid, because we care.

In fact, the Green Lemon sound is to be distinguished from the monotony of other jam bands by its reliance on pulsing Caribbean rhythms and trip-hoppy electronica. The long guitar solos are duly present, but in mercifully limited supply. And the quintet does have a keen melodic instinct, one that owes more to the Police and U2, and even Yes, than to Phish and the String Cheese Incident. The group's home-cooked debut (that's a fancy way of saying the disc is self-released) does clock in at over an hour, with at least one composition busting the ten-minute mark. But it also includes gems like "Mess," an instrumental that sounds like something Sting might have produced back in the day, if he'd been allowed to unwind a little.

So yes, the Green Lemon boys are a jam band, and they have an official Jammy Award nomination to prove it. But they also make some surprisingly compelling noise, even if you're not stoned out of your gourd when you go see them, though it's perfectly fine with us — preferred, actually — if you are. Jam on.

Details:
Green Lemon performs two shows on March 8. The first, a free "Jam on the Patio," will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the University of Miami. Then, at 10 p.m., the band performs at Tobacco Road, 626 S Miami Ave, Miami. Tickets are $5. For more information call 305-374-1198. On March 9, Green Lemon performs at 10 p.m. at Scrap Bar, 216 71st St, Miami Beach. Tickets are $8 and $10. Call 305-865-0100 for more information. Visit the band's Website at www.myspace.com/greenlemon.

Rising star jam band Green Lemon makes its only Oklahoma stop in Muskogee on Saturday night.

Saturday night marks the date for an intergalactic marriage between the electronic loops, reggae rhythms, progressive rock and improvisational jams of Green Lemon.

Originally from Oklahoma, the five-piece heavy hitters now spend more than 10 months out of the year on the road touring. The band’s publicist Jennifer Kalkman said its visit to Max’s Garage at 10 p.m. on Saturday will be Green Lemon’s only Oklahoma performance on its winter tour.

“It will be at least mid-April till they get back this way,” she said.

Green Lemon has come a long way from its humble beginnings playing gigs in its hometown of Edmond and around Oklahoma City to gracing the stages of some of the country’s fastest-growing music festivals.

During the 2006 festival season Green Lemon played two shows at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, Kan. were featured at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minn., SmileFest near Asheville, N.C., Auburn EarthFest, Oklahoma’s Flint Rock Music Festival, Wisconsin’s Feel Good Festival and Missouri’s LegFest, Kalkman said.

The band’s lead guitarist, Steve Schaben, said they are looking forward to coming home for the Max’s Garage show on Saturday and hope all of their faithful homestate fans come out.

“We played in Muskogee at Max’s Garage last year,” he said. “We like it, it’s a really nice venue. Last time we played it was great. I think we had around a hundred, hundred and fifty people.”

The winter tour has gone very well for the Oklahoma boys, Schaben said.

“It is going really good for us right now. We just got back from the West Coast, which went really well on this tour. We had a great turnout at all of our shows. In L.A., we had about 150 and in San Diego over 200. I don’t know what happened but people are really starting to support us,” Schaben said.

Green Lemon’s growing fan base isn’t the only part of the band’s arsenal gaining momentum. The band has been named the “New Home Grown Band of the Year” by Leeway’s Home Grown Music Network and was listed as a “Top Band to See Live in 2005” by Jambase.com. It was in the running for “Independent Artist of the Year” by Hapi Skratch Entertainment and “New Groove of the Month” by Jambands.com. Green Lemon won Relix Magazine’s Jam-Off Contest and was nominated for a Jammy Award, the Grammys of the jamband world. Green Lemon was one of six nominees for the 2006 New Groove Jammy.

Schaben said he couldn’t really say at what level they are or how they got there, to him it’s just all about good music.

“I don’t know. I think we just try to have no expectations at all,” he said. “You try and either you succeed or you don’t. I kind of came in midway through the progression so it’s kind of hard for me to tell, I guess. It’s great, man. I think I am the wrong person to ask about this. I don’t over think things like this, the fame isn’t important, I just focus on the music.”

Although the fame isn’t what’s important to Green Lemon, its fans are, Schaben said.

“We actually had some people on the West Coast that came to all of our West Coast shows,” he said. “Typically they come up to you and tell you that they are going to be at your next show and then you see them at the next one and so on. We actually have a friend in St. Augustine, Fla. who lights his head on fire at all of our shows. He is great.”

The bottom line is that if you want to have fun, dance and see an amazing light show Max’s is the place to be on Saturday, Schaben said.

“It’s really fun. We’ve got very original music and we’ve got a light show that we travel with,” he said. “This is our first tour with a large crew. We have had a tour manager and a tech before but this time we have as many people on our crew as we do in the band. We just hope to see all of our friends out there at Max’s and to make some new ones.”

[...]  ...Saturday is obviously a good night for the color green. The Rumpus Room hosts Green Lemon, a Fort Collins-based band. Although they could be described as a jam band, they bring a wide array of styles and influences together in perfect harmony. Lemon has a very sonic quality that most jam bands do not possess, and the heavy use of electronica and reggae throughout their songs adds even more appeal to an already easy-to-like sound...
 [...]

To some acts, the designation "jam band" is anathema, but Colorado-based group Green Lemon can hardly turn up its nose at a jam community that has so heartily embraced it.
The 8-year-old group has gathered oodles of awards from jam-based organizations, including being named "Top Band to See Live in 2005" by Jambase.com; taking the crown of "2004 New Home Grown Band of the Year" by the Home Grown Music Network; winning Relix magazine's Jam-Off Contest; and scoring a nomination for the 2006 New Groove Jammy in the much-acclaimed annual Jammy Awards.

Here's a band perfectly designed to appeal to laid-back neo-hippies of the 21st century. Its influences include reggae lite and non-threatening hip-hop (à la 311), alternative-rock icons such as U2 and The Police, '70s progressive rock, a little electronica, gentle funk and jazz-based improvisation.

The band itself has dubbed the sound "Reggadelic conceptual improv jam / Intergalactic skank music."

Just days ago, the publication Las Vegas City Life wrote the following about Green Lemon: "Hippie funk you can spin to: played out. Bong-inspired jazz jams: Phished into extinction. Suburban Rasta reggae: Even the Marleys are moving beyond that. Nope, these days to score the attention of the grilled-cheese set you need to do something new--i.e. turn '80s theme songs into spacey and euphoric explorations so superb they could force Axel Foley to trade in his badge for a bag of Aztec Gold."

A groovy quintet of handsome young slacker dudes--baseball caps, either worn backward or jauntily sideways, are well in evidence, as are Polynesian shell necklaces--Green Lemon consists of guitarists Wayne Allen and Steve Schaben, bassist Jesse Fioravanti, keyboards player John Cordero and percussionist Chris Cox. And although they can jam on long improvisations, most of them like to chip in their two cents vocally. All except Cox sing.

Green Lemon formed in 1999 in Oklahoma City and two years later moved to Ft. Collins, Colo. According to its Web site, the band started out playing in dive bars and shacks. But it has since graduated to theaters and cornered the market on playing jam-band festivals as well as playing more than 150 dates of the year on tour.

The near-constant touring has nurtured a growing fan base, dubbed Lemonheads, who faithfully follow jam-band tradition by trailing the band on the road when possible.

Now, the group is coming to Tucson to play this Saturday, Feb. 3, but it's hardly the only band on the bill.

Actually, Green Lemon will be one of many groups to play at the Third Annual Gem and Jam Show, which runs this weekend Feb 2-4 at The Hut, the hip tropical haunt on North Fourth Avenue. The event is something of an accompaniment to the annual Gem & Mineral Show madness that takes over our fair city this time of year.

Gem and Jam activities will include live music, performance painting and "workshops integrating art, music, dance, gems, jewels, mineral, creativity and sustainability."

Among the other musical acts on the bill for the weekend are such up-and-coming artists as Heavyweight Dub Champion, Zilla, Sporque, K23 Orchestra, Abstract Rude, James Christopher, BLVD, Delta Nove, The Glitch Mob, Citizen Ten, J. Tonal, Bender, ELF Gabriel, Phidelity, Chosen Few Children and Souleye. Styles range from reggae to hip-hop, from jam band music to IDM.

Jam band aficionados will be pleased to note that the Tucson date is one of only three at which Green Lemon will welcome a special guest: Charlie Hitchcock, formerly of the space-rock jam band Particle. The combination ought to make for a groovy slice of jam-band nirvana.

Green Lemon has released one CD and one single, "Shoestring," on its own independent label, but the band's real acclaim comes from its live shows.

Thus the band's forthcoming release is a live disc. To determine its tracks, the band has solicited votes from fans at its Web site, greenlemonband.com. Its MySpace site also contains live video of several songs from the 2005 Wakarusa festival.

The songs on which Green Lemon exercises a reggae bounce are pleasant, but its instrumental tracks, such as the Kraftwerk-style "Flight of the Manwe" and trance-inducing musical excursion "Intergalactic Intercourse," will have listeners swooning in a state of musical bliss whether or not they are assisted by chemicals.

Hippie funk you can spin to: played out. Bong-inspired jazz jams: Phished into extinction. Suburban Rasta reggae: Even the Marleys are moving beyond that. Nope, these days to score the attention of the grilled-cheese set you need to do something new -- i.e. turn '80s theme songs into spacey and euphoric explorations so superb they could force Axel Foley to trade in his badge for a bag of Aztec Gold. Fort Collins, Colo., quintet Green Lemon has amassed a serious fan base one-upping Harold Faltermeyer (remember his "Axel F." theme, people?). Odd: At first, yeah, especially when the keyboards are set to vibraphone. Yet when everything lines up -- funked-out bass, disco-pumped beats, sputtering guitars -- it's like downing a bottle of liquid happy. And that alone is enough to explain the group's stack of recent accolades. Throw on Green Lemon's title at Relix magazine's Jam-Off Contest, the band's intense and intricate improves beating out 300 other noodlers for the title, and it's no wonder the band has people spinning. Jeff Inman, popularink@hotmail.com

Green Lemon (with Psychic Pussy)

8 p.m.

Moondoggies West

1750 Rainbow Blvd.

878-3392

$10

After a holiday break, Green Lemon is hitting the road for their 2007 Winter Tour. The 2007 Winter Tour will keep the Colorado-based band on the road for over three months with shows from the West Coast to the East Coast and will feature several special collaborations with performers including Charlie Hitchcock and members of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe in their side project, Blu Sirkut.
The tour kicks off on January 25 in Las Vegas, followed by a three show run with special guest Charlie Hitchcock sitting in. Hitchcock, formerly of Particle, will join Green Lemon in Los Angeles, San Diego and in Tucson, AZ for the Tucson Gem & Jam Show. The tour will then sweep through the ski resort towns of Colorado including a joint show in Breckenridge with Blu Sirkut. Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi will all be juiced as the band heads to their strongholds in the southeast before turning north towards the upper Midwest.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create the unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation. The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres. While guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2. Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, but drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5. Add four songwriters within the group to this diversity of musical tastes and you've got a recipe for auditory bliss. By merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies, soaring vocals and some shredding guitar solos, Green Lemon inspired Relix magazine to declare that they "could very well lead the next generation of jambands."

Green Lemon Winter Tour Dates:
01.25.07 | Moondoggies West | Las Vegas NV
01.26.07 | Oak Creek Brewery | Sedona AZ
01.31.07 | Coconuts | Capistrano Beach CA
02.01.07 | Club Fais Do Do | Los Angeles CA*
02.02.07 | Winston's | San Diego CA*
02.03.07 | 3RD ANNUAL GEM JAM | Tucson AZ*
02.06.07 | Sherpa & Yeti's | Breckenridge CO**
02.07.07 | Timber's | Gunnison CO
02.08.07 | The Eldo | Crested Butte CO
02.09.07 | Quixote's True Blue | Denver CO
02.10.07 | Rumpus Room | Edwards CO
02.16.07 | Mojo's | Columbia MO
02.17.07 | Max's Garage | Muskogee OK
02.21.07 | Club Da Da | Dallas TX
02.22.07 | Stubb's | Austin TX
02.23.07 | Luna's | Lake Charles LA
02.24.07 | Martin's | Jackson MS
02.27.07 | Rick's Café Americain | Starkville MS
02.28.07 | Two Stick | Oxford MS
03.01.07 | Supper Club | Auburn AL
03.02.07 | Base Camp | Birmingham AL
03.03.07 | The Bottling Company | Hattiesburg MS
03.08.07 | University of Miami | Coral Gables FL
03.08.07 | Tobacco Road | Miami FL
03.09.07 | Scrap Bar | Miami Beach FL
03.10.07 | Beachside Tavern | New Smyrna Beach FL
03.14.07 | The Garage | St. Petersburg FL
03.15.07 | The Garage | St. Petersburg FL
03.16.07 | Big Daddy's | Tallahassee FL
03.17.07 | Santa Maria | Saint Augustine FL
03.22.07 | Wiseguy's | Statesboro GA
03.23.07 | The Pour House | Charleston SC
03.24.07 | Club 29 | Decatur GA
03.28.07 | The Lighthouse | Elon NC
03.29.07 | The Soapbox | Wilmington NC
03.31.07 | Headliners | Columbia SC
*w/Charlie Hitchcock
**w/Blu Sirkut



http://www.greenlemonband.com

[...]  Editor's note: Last year, The Oklahoman launched OK 360°, a one-stop destination for the best new music, DVDs and concerts, but one of the most popular new features on the page was the Local Band Q&A. Every week, this feature shines the spotlight on a rising local artist, and at the end of each year, we turn over OK 360° to the local bands, letting them speak out on their favorite events of the past year and their hopes for the coming year. OK 360° wishes all of these bands a happy new year, and we look forward to showcasing at least 50 more bands in 2007.

Green Lemon
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music in 2006?

A:Steve Schaben, guitar: The first Trio Beyond release by John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette and Larry Goldings, "Saudades." I've been waiting to hear Scofield and DeJohnette collaborate for a long time. Now I'm just waiting on a Scofield/Keith Jarrett collaboration, and I can die happy.

Q:What is the best thing that happened to Green Lemon in 2006?

A:Schaben: We started working with Goodpeople Productions out of San Diego in July. They've helped us build our scene much faster than we imagined.

Q:What are your hopes for Green Lemon in 2007?

A:Schaben: A Japanese tour would be nice.

Q:What are your hopes for music in 2007?

A:Schaben: That a wider audience will realize that in addition to being a form of entertainment, music is an art.


Citizen 5
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Scott Sunderman, guitar and vocals: We have the best singer in the world.

A:Jason Long, bass: And she's beautiful. She's hot, she's gorgeous. And we're still really a young band. We're just really getting on our feet and getting going. I think we've went through two different singer changes and a drummer lineup change, and so I think now the best thing is we've found dedicated people that are willing to put their all into the project and really make it happen. Make it work. That's the best thing that's really happened for 2006, is that we're coming together as a band, as a unit, as a family.

A:Ricardo Sasaki, keyboards: I think one of the more difficult things is to find the right people for the band. Fifty percent is music, and 50 percent is people. We're very far on both sides right now, and that's why we're very confident that we can bring that to Oklahoma.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and for music in 2007?

A:Long: To get as much exposure as we can in 2007, really market ourselves to the public. Get our music out there to people. We'd like to make more contacts, record labels, just whoever, just any kind of contact. Just get our music out there in 2007 and really make it a good year. Just play a lot of shows, travel, Dallas, just everywhere. As much music as we can.

A:Sunderman: Get some cool shoes.


The Usual Suspects
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Jimmy Cleveland, guitar and lead vocals: We began using a booking agency which led to more exposure. We started playing higher-end locations, and we really grew in the area of corporate functions and events. 2006 has been a great year, and these last couple of months are a good indicator of where '07 will take us.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Cleveland: To continue to stay fresh with new material; become Oklahoma's most demanded band; and really grow nationally with our corporate connections. We hope to build our name through our Web site, www.usualsuspectsband.us and Myspace. To grow our revenue.

The Keith Daniel Trio

Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?

A:Keith Daniel, piano and vocals: The biggest accomplishment of the Keith Daniel Trio during 2006 would have to be the release of our debut independent album, "Honorable Mention.”

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Daniel: Our hopes for 2007 include increasing awareness of the band, breaking into new venues, reaching a larger audience, selling many CDs and increasing the popularity of our original music.


ReVel
Q: What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Carrie Webber, vocals: We released our debut CD, "Forever and Six Conversations,” in August. We put a lot of work into this CD, and it feels really good to have finished it and have it received so well by those that have heard it.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Webber: To keep playing and writing music. We plan to start playing more out of state but will continue to play our favorite places here in the Oklahoma City area.


Lemma
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Aaron Newman: rhythm guitar and vocals: Recording a new CD is the best thing that's happened in 2006.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Newman: The hope for 2007 is to benefit from the CD whether it be here locally or, if we're lucky, nationally.


The Electric Primadonnas
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Chris Anderson, guitar and vocals: We formed.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Anderson: We are going to release our album on Feb. 3 at the Conservatory (Black Tie Event and Magnificent Bird will be opening). We hope to get a small tour going this summer. Also, we're playing Sunday at the Tap Architecture Garage, 415 N Broadway, for Opening Night.


Waffle
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Mark Wilkinson, vocals: Reuniting with bassist Will Shorter and finally releasing our new CD, "Stimulus.”

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Wilkinson: Look for a major announcement and a brand new CD coming in late 2007.


Superfreak
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Q-Tip, bass: We were able to keep the funk alive.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Q-Tip: KOKO — Keep on keeping on. We are planning to step it up a notch and take the show on the road and play in more cities across the land.


13 Stars
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Jason Deal, guitarist: For us, 2006 was mostly another year of what we've been doing for a long time: playing live shows. It's still great to get on stage, play songs you love and have fun doing it. I think the fact that we've been doing it for seven-plus years shows that the Oklahoma music scene is going strong.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Deal: I think at some point we'd like to record some new songs in 2007. I don't know if we will get a tangible record out, but I'm sure we'll get the beginning stages of it going — and of course, more live shows.


The Rounders
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Ryan Taylor, guitarist: The best thing to happen to us this year was finally signing with a record label (Blind Pig Records) and our acquisition of a new van. Well, it's not really a new van, but it has a lot of space. And curtains.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Taylor: In 2007, we hope to broaden our burgeoning fanbase on Easter Island, triple our band income through an ill-advised investment in pork belly futures and to become the first rock group in U.S. history to play an entire show inside a volcano. That, or getting a booking agent would be nice. As for the music world in general, we eternally long for the return of Paul Anka to the charts.


Metalnutz
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Adam "Ace” Wundr, guitarist: The best thing that happened to Metalnutz was ending more than a decade in retirement following the death of our singer Clive Dodson, and returning to the stage in November. The best thing that happened in music was the release of the new Mastadon album, "Blood Mountain.”

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Wundr: To see heavy metal music take its rightful place as the official genre of the human race, with Metalnutz leading the revolution!


Student Film
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Eric Nauni, drums: For music in 2006, more really great Oklahoma bands got a lot of national attention. That is exciting for us all, I think. For Student Film, I think it would be that we finally got our record finished.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Nauni: We'll be releasing our record in January, and we'll see where that takes us. We've got some other recordings to finish, and if the timing is right, we'll release a couple of EPs as well. I'd love to see more and more independent artists and labels recognized next year. Who knows if it'll happen, but now is the best time if it's going to.


Secant
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Matt Wilson, drums: The best thing that happened to our band in 2006 was an incident called the "doo doo beer.” This fiasco took place after a show we had at the Conservatory with Glass and Ashes and The F------ Wrath, both from Ventura, Calif. Those that saw will never forget.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Wilson: We start off 2007 with a small tour of Texas. We plan on recording some new material and releasing a new album within the coming months. We will embark on a much larger tour in May 2007.


2AM
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Adam Aguilar, vocals and guitar: I'd say the best thing that happened to us was the fact that we were able to stay so busy and gain a larger local following.


Unfolded Earth
Q:What is the best thing that happened in music and to your band in 2006?
A:Robert Sanchez, vocals: The best thing to happen in Unfolded Earth music from 2006 is definitely our new lineup. With Ben Miller on drums and Dave Ogden on bass, the sound that (Robert) Haggard (guitar) and myself were looking for really made a turn for the best.

Q:What are your hopes for your band and music in 2007?

A:Sanchez: With 2007 coming up, I think the best thing we can really hope for is to truly enhance the quality of people's lives through our music, even if it's only for an evening with us live. I think that's worth a lot. Also, our new EP titled "Waiting” will be out at the first of the year, and I hope that helps as well.




 [...]

On the Rate-a-Record segment of "American Bandstand," Dick Clark asked giddy teenagers for music criticism. If it had a "good beat" you could dance to, then it passed the youngins' muster.

If Fort Collins had an "American Bandstand," a good number of local concert-goers might be similarly infatuated with the almighty beat, except their phrase would become: "If it's got a groovin' beat and you can groove to it..."

In the past three years, local jam band Green Lemon has built ever-larger cred with their sense of groove. The band, which calls its music "reggadelic conceptual improv jam and intergalactic skank music," has been recognized by some of the most jam-tastic media outlets in the country - in particular jambase.com and Relix Magazine - and their lengthy national tours have left piles of sweaty, danced-out kids in their wake.

Green Lemon brings their energetic live show home to the Aggie Theatre, 204 S. College Avenue in Fort Collins, tonight. Alan Vasquez will open. The show starts at 8 p.m. and htere is no cover.

[...]  Wintertime and the entertaining’s easy.

We’ve snagged the line-up for the best venues in town and have picked out (with a little help, we admit) some of the crème de la crème performances that shouldn’t be skipped. From reggae band Green Lemon’s show at the Rumpus Room to Counting Crows at Vail Snow Daze and the Chinese Acrobats at the Vilar, the next few months are looking just peachy for those ready to have fun.

Dec. 3 – Green Lemon plays at the Rumpus Room in Edwards ($6, shakeyourrumpus.com). Talent buyer Crawford Byers pegged this show as one of the Room’s highlights. “They’re one of the hottest jam bands out there right now, so if you’re into that kind of thing, they’re one of the best doing it right now."

 [...]

After playing prominent national festivals such as Wakarusa and 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota this summer, Green Lemon is set to perform a show at Roxie’s Roost in Tahlequah as part of its fall tour. The fall tour has kept the band on the road for three months with shows in at least 12 states.

The fall tour is expected to continue propelling the band through this break out year, building on recent successes. The band has been touring the country from coast to coast playing over 150 shows a year, has been featured in renowned festivals and has received numerous accolades.

The band was named the “New Home Grown Band of the Year” by Leeway’s Home Grown Music Network and listed as a “Top Band to See Live in 2005” by Jambase.com. They were also named “Independent Artist of the Year” by Hapi Skratch Entertainment who distributes their self-titled CD. Jambands.com recognized them as the “New Groove of the Month” for March 2005.

The band rounded out 2005 by winning Relix Magazine’s Jam-Off Contest. Green Lemon was selected from among over 300 entrants to have a song included on Relix Magazine’s Jam-Off compilation CD. Relix invited the band to perform a winner’s showcase concert in New York City in September 2005 during the prestigious CMJ Music Marathon.

Most recently, the band was nominated for a prestigious Jammy Award. The Jammy Awards are the jamband world’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards. There are eight Jammy Awards handed out annually at a star-studded ceremony in Madison Square Gardens and Green Lemon was one of six nominees for the 2006 New Groove Jammy.

The 2006 festival season found Green Lemon gracing the stages of some of the nation’s most prestigious festivals as well as a few up-and-coming festivals. The band played two shows at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, KS which is quickly becoming regarded as a leading festival. They were also featured at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, MN and SmileFest near Asheville, NC. Fans had the opportunity to see them perform in a more intimate festival setting at Auburn EarthFest, Oklahoma’s Flint Rock Music Festival, Wisconsin’s Feel Good Festival and Missouri’s LegFest. They also shared the stage with Bob Weir and Ratdog, Keller Williams and Taj Mahal at Oklahoma City’s Independence Day Jam.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create the unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation. The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres. While guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2. Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, but drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5. Add four songwriters within the group to this diversity of musical tastes and you’ve got a recipe for auditory bliss. By merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies, soaring vocals and some shredding guitar solos, Green Lemon inspired Relix Magazine to declare that they “could very well lead the next generation of jambands.”

On November 17, the band will perform at Roxie’s Roost. Roxie’s Roost is located at 16471 N. Highway 10. Catch Green Lemon’s show on Friday night and see what Hittin’ The Note Magazine says “happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae.”

What happens when you mix jazz, some funk and a little improvisation together? Colorado jam band Green Lemon, which will hit the stage at Rick's Cafe Americain on Wednesday.

Green Lemon has come a long way from its start in Oklahoma City in 1999. With a euphoric, groovy sound that contains elements of both jazz bands and trance music, the band has recently enjoyed air time on several radio stations with its single "Shoestring."

Though based in Colorado, the band spends much of its time touring the United States, spreading its name and establishing a fan base.

Composed of guitar and vocalist Wayne Allen, bass player Jesse Fioravanti, drummer Chris Cox, keyboardist Jon Cordero and lead guitarist Steve Schaben, Green Lemon is a band that knows when to speed it up and slow it down, as shown by the band's catchy guitar riffs and improvisational know-how. Reminiscent of bands like The Postal Service, Sound Tribe Sector 9 and The Flaming Lips, Green Lemon is influenced by many different styles.

"We really have a whole different crowd everywhere we go," Schaben said. "When we play in the Midwest, we get more of the indie crowd, but we can go to Alabama and find more of the southern hippie crowd. It really depends on where we are."

The band's unique mix of reggae, funk and ska is bound to attract diverse crowds.

"We have a very diverse appreciation for music," Schaben said. "Some of us like funk, while others of us listen to stuff like U2. I think you can see each person's individual tastes for music when they play their instrument."

Green Lemon's diverse sound and eclectic improvisation should contain a song list diverse enough for people with many different musical tastes.

Tomorrow night, a new sound will be coming to Springfield when Green Lemon, an up and coming rock band, begins their fall tour by performing at the Bar Next Door.

The band's notoriety has grown over the past year and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down.

Green Lemon was started in 1999 in Oklahoma, a state not exactly known for its groundbreaking music.

In 2001, the band decided to pack up its gear and head to Ft. Collins, Colorado, a place better suited for a new band trying to make it big.

Over the next few years, Green Lemon's unique sound has gained the attention of several major musical organizations, but it wasn't until recently that the band started generating a lot of buzz in the music world.

They were named the 2004 "New Home Grown Band of the Year" by the Home Grown Music Network.

In 2005, they were named one of the "Top Bands to See Live" by Jambase.com and labeled the "Number One Band You Should Know About" by Relix Magazine.

Green Lemon was awarded "Independent Artist of the Year" by Hapi Skratch Entertainment, "New Groove of the Month" by Jambands.com, and was the headlining band at the 2005 Jam Off in New York City.

The band was also nominated for the 2006 "New Groove" Jammy, the jamband world's equivalent of the Grammy Awards.

The band started out as most garage bands do by playing in local clubs and bars.

Now they've played in more than half of the 50 states and just in the past two years, had appearances in over 27 national festivals, including the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Kansas, and the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota.

Green Lemon consists of five musicians, Wayne Allen on guitar, Jesse Fioravanti on bass, drummer Chris Cox, Jon Cordero on keyboard and lead guitarist Steve Schaben.

Most of the band also performs vocals for the group, which gives the music a varied sound.

Schaben describes their music as "kind of a hybrid between rock, punk and electronica."

Together, the members of the band each bring their own inspiration to their music, creating a fusion of sounds that is captivating fans all over the U.S.

Inspired by reggae, jazz and rock, the band combines each of its member's specific tastes to create an original sound worth checking out.

When asked what his favorite thing about playing in the band was, Schaben said, "Just being in a band. I get to travel and play music for a living."

Green Lemon's music has been described as "euphoric." Chris Clark, a reviewer from Jambands.com who first witnessed Green Lemon on stage at the Wakarusa Festival, said that although he had heard their music before, nothing could have prepared him for experiencing the live performance.

"Green Lemon revealed a high octane performance that, from start to finish, never let up.

Merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies and some shredding guitar solos, they induced a more than sizable crowd into a steady fervor," Clark said on Jambase.com.

Hittin' the Note Magazine describes Green Lemon's music as, "what happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae."

Green Lemon will be playing at the Bar Next Door, which is located at 307 South Avenue, on Sept. 13 at 10 p.m.

After playing in many festivals around the country earlier this year, the Oklahoma jam band known as Green Lemon returns home to kick off their fall tour with three shows in Stillwater, Tulsa and Tahlequah at the Dream Theatre Friday.

Green Lemon is a jam band from Oklahoma that started around the Oklahoma City area. A jam band is a term used to describe bands with a psychedelic rock sound, usually also with influences from jazz, bluegrass, rock, blues, folk rock, country and others. The jam band genre is also known for on-stage improvisation of any style or duration. Other known jam bands were groups such as The Grateful Dead, Phish and Deep Purple.

Green Lemon has been busy over the last few years playing at shows and festivals all over the country and earning nominations, awards and recognitions. They were named the New Home Grown Band of the Year by Leeway’s Home Grown Music Network. Jambase.com listed them as a Top Band to See Live in 2005 and as the New Groove of the Month for March 2005.

In 2005 they also won Relix Magazine’s Jam-Off Contest and were selected from over 300 other bands to have a song included on the Jam-Off compilation CD.

More recently, Green Lemon was nominated for a prestigious Jammy Award, which in the jam band world is equivalent to a Grammy Award.

After all this touring and festival playing, Green Lemon plans to take the months of December and January off and schedule in some time to work on a new CD project.

Jennifer Kalkman, the Green Lemon publicist, said the band has recently teamed with Goodpeople Productions of California who will handle their booking and promotion. They have pledged to throw their support behind Green Lemon in a big way to push them to the next level. On top of that they are using their Boulder, Colo., based publicity firm, Tsunami Publicity to help drive the public relations side of their business.

“Fans will be seeing a lot of changes in areas such as the Web site and exposure as Green Lemon goes to this next level,” said Kalkman.

Kalkman said this is their first time to play at the Dream Theatre, but they have played dozens of times in Tahlequah before. She also said Green Lemon really enjoys the Tahlequah crowd and does not mind floating the river either. The show promises to be good and different since they have written enough songs to fill three albums since their last recording, and being good at on-the-spot-improvising, they will play a variety of their songs with different solos and riffs live.

They have fans here in Tahlequah who will be there, such as Sean Butcher, Bixby junior, who has seen Green Lemon eight times in the last two years. He is a fan of their electronic sound and encourages others to come out and experience the magic of mellow trip tunes.

Green Lemon does have a self-titled CD that has been out since 2003, but does not have the depth and energy they have on stage.

Jambase.com said Green Lemon reveals a high-octane performance that never lets up from start to finish. They also said by merging pumping electronic beats and smooth reggae melodies filled with ripping guitar solos, a Green Lemon show excites the crowd into a celebration. So they have come a long way from their humble beginnings in smoky bars and tin shacks, but a lot of bands start that way.

Green Lemon will perform at the Dream Theatre Friday. For more information about the band, shows and their music, visit www.greenlemonband.com and www.myspace.com/greenlemon.

After playing at prominent national festivals like Wakarusa in Kansas and the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota this summer, Green Lemon will kick off its fall tour with three Oklahoma shows in Stillwater, Tahlequah and Tulsa.

The fall tour will keep the native Edmondites on the road for three months, with shows in at least 12 states.

All of the band members are from Edmond, graduating from Edmond Memorial High School and Edmond North High School within two years of one another, said guitarist Steve Schaben.

After getting as big as they felt they could get in the Oklahoma City area, they moved to Fort Collins, Colo., to pursue their career.

The band's style is "very eclectic," Schaben said. "There's not one word for it. I'd describe it as electronica, funk and rock - a combination of a lot of different stuff."

Green Lemon has received recognition and accolades from numerous entertainment groups and web sites, and they were nominated for a prestigious "Jammy Award," the jam band world's equivalent of the Grammy Awards.

Along with Schaben, band members include guitarist Wayne Allen, keyboardist Jon Cordero, bassist Jesse Fioravanti and drummer Chris Cox.

The band travels with three crew members.

Green Lemon will perform Wednesday at Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater, at Tahlequah's Dream Theatre on Sept. 8 and at the historic Cain's Ballroom Sept. 12 in Tulsa.

For more information and a full tour schedule, visit www.greenlemonband.com.

[...]  10,000 Lakes Festival - Friday

Friday, in retrospect, was easily my favorite day of the entire festival. I explored the campgrounds in the day, and from 6pm until 2am danced non-stop. Three of my favorite performances for the weekend were that night, between Phil Lesh and Joan Osbourne keeping the crowd going until midnight, right into two incredible late-night performances by Green Lemon and Great American Taxi, Vince Herman's new crew. Read on to see what else the day had in store...



...When Life Hands You Green Lemon, Dance Your Ass Off:

One of the handful of smaller acts I was highly anticipating this weekend was Green Lemon. I heard them the first time while doing research for the aforementioned BurningOak Podcast #2. Their track "Flight of Manwe" was enough for me to disregard all other activities Saturday night and get my butt over to the Saloon Stage for some DANCIN'. There's simply no other way to describe it, since their show is so electronic and energetic. After walking in to the band covering The Beatles' "Dear Prudence," they proceeded to play a handful of originals, all culminating into an incredible "Flight of Manwe," before going into a couple more originals if I recall correctly. Overall a very intense show that lived up to all of my expectations for the band. If I ever receive a copy of this, though I doubt I will, you can expect it to be up on this site immediately.


 [...]

Four songwriters, on-the-spot improvisation and an exploding fan base.

Guitarist Steve Schaben technically is still the new guy, but after doing 150 shows during his first year with Green Lemon he seems like an old hand. No surprise, considering he was a friend and fan before joining the up-and-coming Edmond group. All of the band members except Chris Cox are graduates of Edmond Memorial High School and Cox is a graduate of Edmond North High School.

?I?ve known these guys for quite a while,? Schaben said. ?I used to listen to the band before I was in it, and I had blues band with the bass player when I was 15. So, I had a relationship with them beforehand and that?s helped me.?

Formed in 1999, the band had a different lead guitarist, and a different name.

?They were called Grass at first,? Schaben said. ?In 2001 they relocated to Ft. Collins, Colorado, to get more exposure to a bigger music scene. That?s when they discovered there were about 1,500 bands with ?grass? in the name. So they compromised on new name, Green Lemon, and started playing around Ft. Collins a lot, doing bar gigs and opening for touring acts.

The band began touring on its own in 2002, a year before they recorded their first album.

Since then, Green Lemon has toured the country, taking their unique sound to both coasts and crisscrossing the heartland more times than they care to count. They also returned home to central Oklahoma.

Green Lemon has a sound that even Schaben finds hard to describe. He said that?s a good thing and attributes it to the eclectic mix of influences each member brings to the group. Schaben studied jazz at the University of Central Oklahoma, but his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2. Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, while drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5.

?It?s really a crockpot of different things,? Schaben said.

The band blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create a unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation. In 2005 they were featured in several renowned festivals and received numerous accolades.

The band was named the ?New Home Grown Band of the Year? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network and listed as a ?Top Band to See Live in 2005? by Jambase.com. They also were named ?Independent Artist of the Year? by Hapi Skratch Entertainment, the distributors of Green Lemon?s self-titled CD. Jambands.com recognized them as the ?New Groove of the Month? for March 2005.

The band rounded out the spectacular year by winning Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off Contest. Green Lemon was selected from among over 300 entrants to have a song included on Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off compilation CD. Relix invited the band to perform a winner?s showcase concert in New York City in September during the prestigious CMJ Music Marathon.

Most recently, the band was nominated for a coveted Jammy Award.

?The Jammy Awards are the jamband world?s equivalent of the Grammy Awards,? Schaben said.

There are eight Jammy Awards handed out annually at a ceremony in Madison Square Gardens. Green Lemon was one of six nominees for the 2006 New Groove Jammy.

While many musicians talk about jamming, Green Lemon makes improvised jam sessions an integral part of their stage show.

?A lot of other bands will write out a chord progression and have a solo instrument improvise over a progression,? Schaben explained. ?We?ll have chords and changes, then invent melodies to take you from one chord to next. But a lot of times nothing is planned out, it?ll just be a static jam in one key, with all the changes coming from different chord phrasing or metric modulation.?

?It?s more cohesive, like spontaneous songwriting,? he said. ?Everyone tries to invent smaller parts instead of one instrument taking the lead. We haven?t mastered it yet, but it?s an idea that not a whole lot of bands attempt. I think it makes jams more interesting than when you have one instrument as the sole source of melody.?

There are four songwriters in the band, which also contributes to having a unique sound. Schaben said, ?Usually, one person brings an idea to the group. They?ll have the lyrics written out and the chord progression and style, but everything, even the style, is subject to change. We get input from everyone on how it should sound, what kind of chord voicings it should have ? everything.?

So, while the band?s unique sound is a natural outgrowth of the individual members? interests and influence, it does take some cultivating. Schaben said they wouldn?t have it any other way.

?It?s a really great thing to not be readily categorized,? he said. ?The best classical composers of their eras, like Beethoven and Bartok, were so great because they were so different from what came before them.?

?When people can?t categorize your music it?s harder to develop a following,? he said. ?People want to hear something familiar to them, they want a consistent sound. We don?t do that. We all have different opinions and backgrounds in music. It?s really a challenge to get any style pinned down when we?re trying to write a song.?

?When you do that, it?s harder for people to instantly love your music, but the people who are listening are listening for right reasons,? he said.

More and more people are choosing to listen, too. With more than fifty shows under their belt this year, 2006 has been and will continue to be a busy year for the band.

According to publicist Jennifer Kalkman, ?The 2006 festival season will find Green Lemon gracing the stages of some of the nation?s most prestigious festivals, as well as a few up-and-coming festivals.?

Green Lemon played two shows at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, Kansas, which Kalkman said is quickly becoming regarded as a leading festival.

?They?ll also be featured at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota., and SmileFest near Asheville, North Carolina,? Kalkman said. ?By the time summer comes to a close, fans will have had the opportunity to see them perform in a more intimate festival setting at Auburn EarthFest, Oklahoma?s Flint Rock Music Festival, Wisconsin?s Feel Good Festival and Missouri?s LegFest. They?ve also been selected to perform at Widespread Panic After Parties on the West Coast in July.?

It is becoming difficult to find live music venues in Oklahoma City that will accommodate a crowd of their size. ?There are a lot of smaller metal venues or techno club venues, but not a whole lot of large size live music venues in area, short of the arenas,? Schaben said. But this summer, they will play at the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre for the first time.

On July 4, Green Lemon will perform at the OKC Independence Day Jam, sharing the stage with legends of the jamband world. Former Grateful Dead member, Bob Weir, and his new band, Ratdog, will headline the show which will also feature Keller Williams and the lead singer from the popular band String Cheese Incident. ?It?s great to be part of a top notch show like this in our home market,? Schaben said. ?The fans here are great, and when they find a good local band they respond with a vengeance and really try to support the local artist. Oklahomans want to get out and see good live music.?

To learn more about this local band and find out where you can see them next, visit their Web site at www.greenlemonband.com.

Why: With its electronica and reggae sounds, Green Lemon is infectiously danceable. The band originated in Edmond in 1999. In 2001, the musicians packed their gear and headed to Fort Collins, Colo., to pursue their future in higher elevations. The band, featuring singer-guitarist Wayne Allen, guitarist Steve Schaben, bassist Jesse Fioravanti, percussionist Chris Cox and keyboardist Jon Cordero, splits its time between Colorado and Oklahoma. See them perform at the Independence Day Jam with Bob Weir and RatDog, Taj Mahal, Michael Kang of the String Cheese Incident and Keller Williams.

When: 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Where: Zoo Amphitheatre, 2101 NE 50.

What made you want to be in a band?

Steve Schaben, guitar: I met a friend in the fifth grade who had a guitar; that kind sparked it for me.

Is he a band member?

Schaben: No, but Big G still plays around Oklahoma City.

So, why the name Green Lemon?

Schaben: Before the band relocated to Colorado, we were known as Grass. A lot of bands were named Grass or had Grass in their name. We fought over names until we agreed on Green Lemon.

How do you compare your style to your musical heroes?

Schaben: We all have different heroes. We have a lot of electronica in our music. It's mixed into every song with different aspects such as the reggae songs with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh. We also want the synth-oriented electronic sound. I am a big jazz fan, but it stays pretty far from my musical heroes. Wayne, the other guitarist, likes U2. You can hear the electronica in his playing.

Would you ever cut your songs for radio play?

Schaben: I don't think we would. If you were to cut "White Cat" to four minutes, it would be meaningless. The great thing about that song is that it goes through a series of modulations. That is what drives the song. It leads into the ending and makes it more significant.

Reggae is an underrated genre. Do you play it to bring more attention to it or is just a fun thing to write?

Schaben: Absolutely. We try to incorporate the electronica aspect into it. There are things about reggae that have been completely untapped, because it is an underplayed and underrated genre.

What's your craziest fan experience?

Schaben: One time when we were in Wilmington, in North Carolina, and our bus was kind of a renovated school bus. The radiator cracked, and we were sitting there looking at it because we didn't know what to do. A redneck in a pickup pulls up and says, "I think I can fix this radiator leak. Yeah, go get me some pepper." Just ground black pepper. For some reason, our bass player goes in and buys a container of pepper which he pours it into the radiator. Of course, it does nothing. And so they give him some money, and he says he'll come back and fix it tomorrow. We get picked up by our opening band, with all our equipment, to go down to the show and play the show.

We get back to the bus about 4 a.m. and the bus has been broken into: All of the money is missing, the entire safe is stolen. Of course, we don't hear from redneck the next day. He's not answering his phone. Probably gave us a fake phone number. Basically, we learned to lock the bus up pretty good.

What lessons have you learned on the road?

Schaben: Don't trust rednecks and crackheads. Everything that's happened, good or bad, it's all led to this kind of progression that has very much changed who I am, my outlook on just the world in general. I don't know that I'd take any of that back. Also, don't buy buses that are older than you are.

-- Chris Colberg



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Green Lemon Band Q & A: Green Lemon

Green Lemon is a homegrown band from Edmond. They are returning to their stomping grounds to play the Independence Day Jam at the Zoo Amphitheatre on July 4th

LOOK: How long have you guys been playing together?

A: Our group has been together, in one form or another, since November of 1999. Since our conception we have undergone two lineup changes, but our approach has changed very little over the years. We started off as a six-piece and over the course of time with the demands of life on the road, we now are a five piece.

LOOK: What has been the progression from an unknown band in Edmond to now?

A: We started out with an amazing amount of support from our friends and have been fortunate to have a good fan base in OK since our inception. In the beginning we had a party-filled birth that came to a zenith every weekend out in the vast fields of Oklahoma where we could drink and play with our peers under the stars. The experiences that came from that strong and musically fun beginning are the reason we are still here.

LOOK: Where do you feel that Green Lemon fits in the scheme of things?

A: That used to be a question that would kill us to answer because, just like out relentless struggle to not conform, we did not want to be pigeonholed into a certain type of music. As if to say that by slapping a label like "rock" or "jam" on us you would somehow wrap up all the wonderful and diverse personality traits and songwriting abilities of our members into a nice little bland package. If we went under the umbrella of "rock" then all of a sudden we are exactly the same type of band as Matchbox 20. I am not saying that is bad, it's just inaccurate.

LOOK: Green Lemon has been away from Oklahoma for some time now. What is it like to come back to where it all started?

A: In a sense, we never really left. Although we are now from Fort Collins, Colo., our roots and so much of who we are will always be in Oklahoma. It is what made us who we are.

LOOK: All music comes from some inspiration or event, what drives Green Lemon?

A: There are many different songwriters in our band with very different muses and driving forces in their heads. As a whole, I'd say our band's encompassing drive is probably faith. Not necessarily in the religious sense, but rather in the sense that every member of our band has given up everything for music, it is all we have.

LOOK: Where does the name Green Lemon come from?

A: We used to be called Grass during our early years as a six piece. The name change happened when we moved to Colorado together. It means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?

This summer, between playing prominent national festivals such as Wakarusa in Kansas and 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota, Green Lemon will host a hometown mini-festival of their own. In its fourth year, Green Lemon's Jam It Up the Poudre Celebration has expanded to fill two days this June at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre near Fort Collins, CO. Twelve bands will perform June 17 and 18 with Green Lemon headlining both nights.

Taking place on June 17 and 18, Jam It Up the Poudre IV will feature four national acts in addition to Green Lemon including Papa Mali, Backyard Tire Fire, 56 Hope Road and Middle Rhythm Session. Many of the area's favorite bands such as 3 Peas, Octopus Nebula, Prism, Kinetix, Vinny and the Jets and Laughing Gas Treatment will provide support for this two-day celebration. Oklahoma band Reido will also make the journey to Colorado to participate. Camping is available at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre which is located 13.7 miles up the Poudre Canyon, northwest of Fort Collins.


http://www.greenlemonband.com
[Published on 5/30/2006]

[...]  ...Headlining the festival on Friday night will be Central Oklahoma natives Green Lemon. Their electronica-infused power rock has hints of reggae, funk and new-wave music and can please fans of anything from Taking Heads to Toots and the Maytals. The quintet was recently nominated for a Jammy Award for best new groove, and represented Oklahoma well in the Big Apple. This is a perfect chance to catch the trance close to home before they head off to do big festivals in Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Carolina. For information about this dynamic band, visit greenlemonband.com.  [...]

Why: Oklahoma musicians are continuing to push the envelope of musical diversity. Green Lemon, a band originally from Edmond, is no exception. The five-piece, electronic-rock-impro-
visational-jam band is one of seven bands from across the nation nominated for a "New Groove" Jammy Award at the sixth annual Jammys, an awards show honoring all music invisible to the pop-music radar. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on over the next year.

When: Thursday.

Where: The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York.


How long have you guys been playing together?
Matt Fioravanti, bass and vocals: Six years, except for Steve, who joined the band a year and a half ago.

How have things progressed over those six years? Give me a quick chronological history of Green Lemon.

Wayne Allen, guitar and vocals: Like, in '99 and 2000, we were playing field parties and bars. Then we moved to Colorado, and we were basically doing the same thing, except in Colorado there are obviously not that many field parties. We came back here for Christmas in 2001, and it was weird after being gone for just four or five months -- our scene had quadrupled in size. When we lived in Oklahoma, we were playing every week and a half or so at different bars or parties. So, when we moved away and didn't play here for, like, four months, we came back, and our scene had just multiplied. We played a show for Christmas, and we sold it out. If you don't play a market too much, you can actually make more money and have better shows.

Fioravanti: Yeah, so we started out gradually. I think our first tour was, like, three or four shows long. We booked it ourselves, and it was a complete disaster. We played this Vietnamese or Israeli restaurant. We showed up, and they didn't even know we were supposed to be playing. We made, like, four dollars from the show, and the opening band took it, so we didn't make anything.


What are the Jammys? And how did you get nominated for a Jammy?
Steve Schaben, guitar and vocals: The Jammys are the Grammys for people who are not on the pop radar. The Mars Volta are up for a Jammy this year.

Fioravanti: We were nominated for "New Groove." Basically, this means that, according to their national radar of new indie and jam bands, we just popped up on it in the last year. That is good because it means that as far as the jam band scene is concerned, the entire nation knows we exist. It is kind of a beginning.


Being from Oklahoma, how do you feel this has affected you and your music?
Fioravanti: Lincoln, the member that left, said it best. He said that bands from Oklahoma are always very broad, original and strange-sounding, because he thinks that the strongest subconscious area of creating abstract music is the Midwest. Like, the coasts are very active and aggressive, but the Midwest has a very strong subliminal backbone. It is interesting that the bands that make it out of Oklahoma aren't the ones that specify in advance what they are. They are sort of these weird conglomerations of musical influence that are generally unclassifiable. There is something to be said for that. Look what these bands are doing.

The band rounded out the spectacular year by winning Relix Magazine's Jam-Off Contest. Green Lemon was selected from among over 300 entrants to have a song included on Relix Magazine's Jam-Off compilation CD. Relix invited the band to perform a winner's showcase concert in New York City in September during the prestigious CMJ Music Marathon.

Most recently, the band has been nominated for a prestigious Jammy Award. The Jammy Awards are the jamband world's equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Eight Jammys will be handed out at a star-studded ceremony at Madison Square Garden on April 20. Performers at the ceremony will include Peter Frampton, Blues Traveler, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Little Feat, Joe Satriani, moe and many more. Jammy nominees include The Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Phish and The Grateful Dead along with other high-profile artists. Green Lemon is one of six nominees for the New Groove Jammy. Fans can vote for Green Lemon by visiting www.jammys.com.

The 2006 festival season will find Green Lemon gracing the stages of some of the nation's most prestigious festivals as well as a few up-and-coming festivals. The band will play two shows at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, KS which is quickly becoming regarded as a leading festival. They'll also be featured at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, MN and SmileFest near Asheville, NC. Fans will have the opportunity to see them perform in a more intimate festival setting at Auburn, Alabama's EarthFest, Wisconsin's Feel Good Festival and Missouri's LegFest.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create the unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation. The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres. While guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2. Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, but drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5. Add four songwriters within the group to this diversity of musical tastes and you've got a recipe for auditory bliss. By merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies, soaring vocals and some shredding guitar solos, Green Lemon inspired Relix Magazine to declare that they "could very well lead the next generation of jambands."

Green Lemon will perform at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa on April 12. Catch the show on Wednesday night and see what Hittin' The Note Magazine says "happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae." Cain's Ballroom is located at 423 N. Main. Call 918-584-2306 for more show information. On Friday night, April 14, the band will perform at Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater. Eskimo Joe's is located at 501 W. Elm. Call 405-372-8896 for more information.

When South Carolina's MetroBeat Magazine caught up with this relentlessly touring group last January, they found that, "Green Lemon is hardly your typical jam band. Transcending the usual neo-hippie mix of Grateful Dead, Phish and String Cheese Incident-inspired improvisation, the Colorado-based band delivers a wildly eclectic sound that broadly expands the territory a jam band can cover without sacrificing its core."?

For more information about the Green Lemon band, visit www.greenlemonband.com where you'll find the full tour schedule, fan forums and audio samples.

Squeezing its way into the national music scene, the Fort Collins-grown band Green Lemon is enjoying its fresh success.

A jam band ? think Phish or Widespread Panic ? with a heart for touring and everything that goes with it ? you know what that means ? Green Lemon has emerged from the Colorado music scene to garner recognition nationwide.

The group was recently nominated for the 2006 New Groove Jammy Award. The Jammy Awards, produced by Relix Magazine and Jambands.com, are the Grammy equivalent for jam bands. Eight awards for achievement will be handed out April 20 in a New York City ceremony, and Green Lemon is competing against five other up-and-coming acts.

Steve Schaben, guitarist, said what sets the band apart from other jam bands is the vocals.

?Most jam bands concentrate a lot on the music but when it comes to the lyrics, they are not given as much thought,? Schaben said. ?Of course, there are always some exceptions.?

All five members contribute to vocals with Schaben and Wayne Allen on guitar, Jonathan Cordero on keyboard, Chris Cox on drums, and Jesse Fioravanti on bass. The result is a sound infused with electronic beats, a touch of soothing reggae, a little rock and a hint of funk.

The goal is to make music that no one has ever made before, Schaben said.

Originally from Oklahoma City, Okla., which isn?t exactly the Hollywood of the music industry, the band relocated to Fort Collins in 2001, just two years after its formation.

?That?s where the band got its real start I guess,? Schaben said. ?The band didn?t evolve its own style until moving to Fort Collins.?

Schaben joined Green Lemon last December when the former guitarist asked Schaben to fill in for him. Schaben grew up with the guys in Oklahoma and was thrilled with the opportunity.

?It?s really hard to find musicians who are dedicated to doing something unique and creating an overall sound,? he said.

But Green Lemon?s journey has not been without its bumps along the road, literally. When the band first took to the road, it traveled in a luxurious converted school bus that quickly became notorious for breakdowns. After breaking down a final time on Schaben?s 21st birthday last year, the band upgraded to a more reliable charter bus.

Aside from the occasional blown tire or needing to be towed out of the mud at 4 a.m., Schaben said this year?s tour is going smoothly.

?Last year we toured for 10 months straight, so this year is a cakewalk for us,? he said.
The guys have definitely collected their share of stories while on the road.

Schaben recalled an after-show party in St. Petersberg, Fla., with a bunch of fans.
?A bunch of deadheads were tripped out on acid,? he said. ?We were the most sober ones there, which is surprising. But, hey, the more drugs you take, the better we sound,? Schaben said.

Green Lemon is also catching the eyes of some in the industry.

In addition to its nomination for the Jammy, Green Lemon was named ?2004 New Home Grown Band of the Year? by the Home Grown Music Network and ?Independent Artist of the Year? by Hapi Skratch Entertainment.

The band also won Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off Contest last year, got a song on the Relix?s Jam-Off compilation CD, and was invited to perform in New York City during the CMJ Music Marathon.

Now, Green Lemon is back in the Fort, kicking off summer tour dates at the Aggie Theater March 31 and at Quixote?s in Denver on April 1.

Cox said he is excited to come home for awhile. He?ll hang out with friends and will hopes to hit the slopes.

While in NC, Cox and Schaben said visiting Steakout Saloon is a must.
?I am definitely a regular there when I am in town,? Cox said.

Other than practicing a bit, Schaben hopes to spend time vegging and getting juiced up for the rest of the tour.

[...]  Popular jam band Green Lemon and Southern rockers Shady Deal will bring a mixture of rock, reggae, jazz and blues-influenced music to Oxford Wednesday at 7 p.m at the Library.

Green Lemon, a five-piece group consisting of guitarist/vocalist Wayne Allen, percussionist Chris Cox, keyboardist/vocalist Jon Cordero, bassist/ vocalist Jesse Fioravanti and guitarist/vocalist Steve Schaben will perform material from its 2003 self-titled debut, as well as other original songs, according to Green Lemon's publicist, Jennifer Kalkman.

"[Green Lemon's] music is eclectic and represents a wide variety of talents and tastes from within the band," Kalkman said.

Shady Deal will perform a variety of their blues-infused Southern rock, according to lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Jesse Hammock.

"It's a rock concert with a rotating set list," said Austin Marshall, drummer and vocalist in Shady Deal. "The music and unexpected covers add to the show. Also, it's music you can dance to."

According to Marshall, Wednesday night's show should prove a good time for audience members as well as the band.

"Along with the fans having a blast, we are having a blast on stage," Marshall said. "We love to play music because it is a good time for all of us."

According to Kalkman, Green Lemon was named "Independent Artist of the Year" in 2004 by Hapi Skratch Entertainment and was called "Top Band to See Live in 2005" by http://www.jambase.com.

The group was recently nominated for a Jammy award (the Grammy equivalent on the jam-band scene) and played over 150 shows and festivals last year, Kalkman said.

Shady Deal is currently recording a sophomore album with Grammy award-winning producer Jim Dickinson while band members Pendley, Marshall and Curtis work on finishing degrees at Ole Miss.

The band also is scheduled to perform at the High Sierra Music Festival in California this summer with bands including Nickel Creek and My Morning Jacket, according to road manager John Henning.

"It's a rock 'n' roll show, and if you like rock 'n' roll, come on out," Hammock said. "Plus, there might be some pretty girls there."

 [...]

Green Lemon?s 2006 Winter Tour is set to return to Auburn for a two-night stand on March 3 and March 4 in honor of Quixote?s one-year anniversary. Quixote?s has become a fixture of Auburn nightlife during the past year, while becoming Green Lemon?s favorite stop as they tour the country.

The Winter Tour is expected to propel the band into what many believe will be a break out year, building on the successes of 2005. The Colorado-based band had an outstanding year during 2005. The band toured the country from coast to coast playing over 150 shows, was featured in renowned festivals and received numerous accolades.

The band was named the ?New Home Grown Band of the Year? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network and listed as a ?Top Band to See Live in 2005? by Jambase.com. They were also named ?Independent Artist of the Year? by Hapi Skratch Entertainment who distributes their self-titled CD. Jambands.com recognized them as the ?New Groove of the Month? for March 2005.

This honor puts them in the running to be nominated for a coveted Jammy award in early 2006. Green Lemon was selected to play two shows at the 2005 Wakarusa Festival which draws fans from across the nation to Lawrence, Kansas each June. They?ve already confirmed a third straight year at Wakarusa for 2006. They were also featured at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Michigan, SummerCamp Festival in Illinois, Firelake Festival in South Carolina and the Feel Good Festival in Wisconsin.

The band rounded out the spectacular year by winning Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off Contest. Green Lemon was selected from among over 300 entrants to have a song included on Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off compilation CD. Relix invited the band to perform a winner?s showcase concert in New York City in September during the prestigious CMJ Music Marathon.

Green Lemon blends progressive rock, reggae, electronica and on-the-spot jam improvisation to create the unique sound that is attracting an exploding fan base across the nation. The band members draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical genres. While guitarist Steve Schaben studied jazz in college, his fellow guitarist, Wayne Allen, prefers the sound of Irish rockers U2. Keyboardist Jon Cordero and bassist Jesse Fioravanti listen to indie rock, but drummer Chris Cox enjoys reggae and Maroon 5. Add four songwriters within the group to this diversity of musical tastes and you?ve got a recipe for auditory bliss. By merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies, soaring vocals and some shredding guitar solos, Green Lemon inspired Relix Magazine to declare that they ?could very well lead the next generation of jambands.?

Green Lemon will perform at Quixote?s big anniversary bash on both March 3 and 4. Catch the shows on Friday and Saturday night and see what Hittin? The Note Magazine says ?happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae.? On March 3, the show is open to ages 19 and up while Saturday?s age requirement is 21. Quixote?s is located at 129 N. College Street. Call 334-501-8447 for more show information.

When South Carolina?s MetroBeat Magazine caught up with this relentlessly touring group last January, they found that, ?Green Lemon is hardly your typical jam band. Transcending the usual neo-hippie mix of Grateful Dead, Phish and String Cheese Incident-inspired improvisation, the Colorado-based band delivers a wildly eclectic sound that broadly expands the territory a jam band can cover without sacrificing its core.?

When the band visited Auburn in June, TheCornerNews.com said, ?I've seen quite a few live shows in Auburn, but I'd have to say this show ranked in my top three. Usually when a band plays Auburn, they bring a watered down show; but Green Lemon pulled out all the stops. Complete with a full light show that only added to the intoxicating sounds they provided.? Green Lemon guitarist Wayne Allen said, ?We always travel with a light show and light technician because every show is important to us and we want each audience to hear a unique show and enjoy an incredible visual experience as well.?

For more information about the Green Lemon band, visit www.greenlemonband.com where you?ll find the full tour schedule, fan forums and audio samples.

[...]  One hails from the East while the other has made its home in the West. The music of the former is described as "aggressive improvisational rock 'n' roll" while the latter, more reluctant to acquiesce to a single genre, has dubbed its sound as "reggadelic conceptual improv jam/intergalactic skank music."

Both are bands that have tasted success at a relatively early stage in their careers; both are in the midst of an extensive touring schedule, and neither plan on taking a breather anytime soon. They are RAQ and Green Lemon, part of the newest generation of jam bands, and they're coming to a venue near you -- The Bank Nightclub and Concert Venue.

Some would assume that Burlington, Vermonters RAQ have it easy, coming from an area that made Phish live-music luminaries. But a pre-existing jam scene doesn't always equate to bigger crowds, nor are Burlington scenesters eager to accept just any new band, though it definitely helps if you're as talented and dynamic as RAQ.

Formed by bassist Jay Burwick and guitarist Chris Michetti, RAQ arrived at its current lineup with drummer Greg Stukey and keyboardist (and primary songwriter) Todd Stoops in 2002, their first national tour following shortly after. Time on the road, two albums, some encouraging media attention and plenty of practice later, the quartet's music has progressed from vaguely Phishy jams to an original melding of funky jazz, progressive stylings a la Frank Zappa, and plenty of hard, rockin' grooves.

"We have strong songwriting skills and within our compositions, we have the ability to be spontaneous and creative," Stukey says. Of course, putting on a good live show is desperately important, especially when the grassroots touring model is a given, and RAQ is doing its best to bring it, full on.

"The key is variety," says Stukey. "If you look at festivals like Bonnaroo, you understand that [the genre] is extremely diverse, and no one is really a 'jam band' in the traditional sense of the word. The idea is that, if you offer a lot of different things, with the key ingredient being spontaneity, anything can happen at any time."

Stukey says that RAQ gets most excited by the element of surprise: "Every show is different in its own way, which is great 'cause you never see the same show twice. Sure, we have a set list, but you never know where it's gonna take you.

"Playing off the excitement and energy of the crowd is also a huge element of the music, and knowing that people are getting into it and having a good time is ultimately satisfying."

With a vision of where they want to be in five years (selling out Madison Square Garden), RAQ is currently striving toward "becoming the best at what we do and making people happy," says Stukey. If the buzz is any indication, they're undoubtedly on the right track.

RAQ, Fri., Feb. 24, 8 p.m., $7 advance/$10 at the door.

Green Lemon's 2005 touring year should have been subtitled "A Series of Inconvenient and Sometimes Disastrous Events." While driving through a mountain town last April, the band's converted school bus collided with an 800-pound elk. Incessant auto problems followed, and a few breakdowns later, a "good Samaritan" who offered to help them instead ran off with the band's travel fund while they performed nearby.

Later that same tour, traveling back to their Colorado home base, the bus broke down yet again, and guitarist Steve Schaban's 21st birthday was celebrated at a truck stop while the band waited for a mechanic to come and make repairs.

In the face of all these spirit-deflating circumstances, though, the band has remained remarkably resilient. In fact, it's received enough positive recognition to more than willingly keep up the pace, and was one of 13 winners of the Relix Magazine Jam Off contest, performing the closing set at the winner's showcase concert in New York City in September.

Established in 1999 as a casual way for four Oklahoma City high school kids to share musical ideas and jams, Green Lemon eventually developed into a garage reggae-rock band of fresh musicians looking to have a good time. "We thought we'd maybe get a gig at a party or something," says drummer Chris Cox of these early days.

After graduation and some half-hearted attempts at college, Cox, guitarist Wayne Allen, bassist Jesse Fioravanti and keyboardist Jon Cordero quickly figured out that they enjoyed performing much more than having a "real job," and since the music scene in Oklahoma was far from thriving, they made a collective shift to Colorado, planting roots in Fort Collins in 2000. "We started making a serious attempt at becoming musicians," says Cox. "We were gigging regularly, living together, writing together and just really working on creating our own sound."

Green Lemon started touring in earnest in 2003, and released a self-titled debut later that year. Experimentation, the addition of Schaben in 2004, and a more thorough convergence of the members' various influences brought the band to its present sound, which fuses rolling, funkified rhythms with New Wave electronica, crunchy, Zeppelin-inspired drums and delightfully melodious vocals. "We really know how to hold a melody in the middle of a jam," says Cox. "We take it to a new level."

The band picked up the pace in 2005, playing almost 200 shows and visiting the Bay area four times in less than a year, the first show drawing barely a dozen, the last, nearly 90.

And Green Lemon is definitely looking forward to coming back to The Bank. "Bill is one of our favorite people to work with," Cox enthuses, speaking of Bank owner Bill Hillman. "He's just really genuine and he seems like he really wants to see this scene go somewhere." Hopefully, with a little help from Green Lemon, it will.

 [...]

Alright, let?s get something straight?a green lemon is not a lime, a ripening lemon or even a weird genetic mutant fruit. In fact, in terms of the fruit world there?s no such thing as a green lemon, okay maybe there is but that?s not the point. The point is that if you?re talking about the music world, Green Lemon, does exist and they are ready to break out and show you what they?re working with.

Ever wondered what it would sound like to mix electronica beats with smooth reggae, add some crazy guitar solos and humor just for kicks? If you put a check mark next to the above question, then Green Lemon might just be what you?re looking for.
Home grown in Oklahoma City, that?s in Oklahoma, Green Lemon has been the rising star of the jam-band scene since 2001, when they headed to Colorado to pursue their future in music. Since then, they have been touring the U.S., playing every club, bar, dive, tin shack and festival in their path. Green Lemon?s music has been described as everything from ?euphoric? to a ?blend of trance and huge jams,? noted by their impressive press kit (which included Lemonheads and other fun lemon-y candy), describes how they weave an array of sounds together to make thirteen captivating songs on their latest self-titled release. So who is this band anyway?

If you broke down Green Lemon, this is what you?d find: Wayne Allen singing, with Steve Schaben ripping on the guitar, as Jesse Fioravanti plays the bass, Chris Cox rocks the percussion, and Jon Cordero fingers the key. So just how good are these guys?

The list of praises Green Lemon can point to is lengthy, but just to name a few they have been named ?New Home Grown Band of the Year? by the Home Grown Music Network, Relix Magazine has featured them several times and won their jamoff in New York City, and were even awarded the ?Independent Artist of the Year,? by Hapi Skratch Entertainment.

But it?s time to set their accolades aside and get down to brass tacks here. While I?m not one to pop a jam-band album in (unless it?s to pop it right back out), I can say that it wasn?t as much of a chore to enjoy the versatile tracks on Green Lemon. I?m not going to tell you that the band helped me reach euphoria or that I wasn?t tempted to scan the tracks in hopes of finding one that stuck with me, which I did find in tracks three, nine and ten. But I will tell you that after forcing my antsy fingers to stay put, I discovered the appeal I imagine most hardcore jambanders hear when they listen to Green Lemon. Good amounts of noodling, paired by sing-song lyrics and just that feel-good vibe so many jam-bands offer.

You personalities who prefer to listen in kaleidocscopic rhapsody should definitely head on down to Soapbox on February 18 to experience the music anomaly known as Green Lemon.

Dear Prudence never sounded so good?

It was last Thursday and it was the psychedelic electronic jam band called Green Lemon at Rascal?s that covered that popular Beatle?s tune. Strobe-lights and all.

A crowd of about 50 tie-dye wearing, twenty-something people turned up for the Pink Floyd-esque band.

Brad Lautenschlager, a junior at Winona State University studying recreation and tourism, thought it was the best show he?s seen in Winona.

?My favorite song would be Flight of Manwe,? Lautenschlager said. ?Their sound is an electric Phish-y perpetual groove jam band with a very unique sound.?

He said that his friends from Ft. Collins, Col., first turned him on to Green Lemon.

?It was really cool that Rascal?s was able to book such a tight show,? Lautenschlager said.

Some of the other songs on the set list included For Them, Love, Red Alert, Dirty Weather, and White Cap.

Green Lemon formed in 1999 in the Midwestern suburban town of Edmond, Okla., and then moved out to Ft. Collins, Col., in 2001 to ?pursue their futures.?

?Shoestring,? their follow-up album to the 2003 self-titled ?Green Lemon,? was released in 2004 with rave reviews.

The band members are Wayne Allen on guitar and vocals, Jesse Fioravanti on bass and vocals, Chris Cox on percussions, Jon Cordero on the keys and vocals and Steve Schaben on guitar and vocals.

Schaben said his music is inspired by jazz musician John Scofield, but also mentioned U2, Death Cab for Cutie and David Gilmore.

?Classification [of our music] is a bit unnecessary,? Schaben said in telephone interview the following day. ?Technically, we?re in a box of a lot of genres.?

In a tired and scratchy voice, Schaben said he had just woken up because they partied in Winona until 6 a.m. The phone call was at 4:30 p.m.

?I really liked it [in Winona], there?s good support for live music,? Schaben said.

Recently dubbed the ?New Home Grown Band of 2004? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network and listed as one of the ?Top Bands to See Live in 2005? by JamBase.com, their reggae influenced sound is getting nation-wide attention.

For more information about Green Lemon visit their web site at www.greenlemonband.com.

The best musicians are the ones who are difficult to categorize.

At least that's the theory of Green Lemon guitarist and vocalist Steve Schaben. "I think, as with any art form, it's important to have as much variety as possible in your art form," Schaben said.

The band members are influenced by everything from jazz to indie rock to reggae, which is why Green Lemon's sound defies labels.

"We play a lot of different genres of music," Schaben said. "We even incorporate the different genres into each of our songs."

That mix of genres results in a sound that is organic, techno, dance beat, reggae and indie rock.

"It's like champagne and caviar, but with mayonnaise," Wayne Allen said.

Schaben quickly agreed with the analogy offered by his fellow guitarist and vocalist. "I don't know what that means exactly, but, yeah, that's about right," Schaben said.

Schaben said the band has four song writers, with each drawing influences from a variety of musical genres. While he studied jazz in college for a while, Allen likes Irish rockers U2, Jon Cordero (keys and vocals) and Jesse Fioravanti (bass and vocals) prefer indie rock, and percussionist Chris Cox "likes reggae ... and Maroon 5, but you should probably add a disclaimer that he just doesn't know yet that he doesn't really like them," Schaben said.

So how did these guys with such different interests in music come together? Everyone except Schaben started getting together to jam back in 1999 while in high school in Oklahoma City. Looking for something fresh and new, Allen said, the band made a move to Colorado after graduation, where they lived together. "We were able to play and write together," Allen said. "As a result we were able to create our own sound."

Schaben said he joined the band a little more than a year ago, but has been enjoying the ride.

And a long road it has been. The band has been busy playing shows and touring all over the country. And they rarely take time off, despite the inconvenient breakdowns of their tour bus, such as the one tire blowout they endured Tuesday afternoon while traveling through Missouri on their way to their Wednesday night gig in St. Louis. "It's not really surprising anymore," Schaben said. "We buy old buses so there are going to problems."

But they love to tour. "We get to travel around and play music. There's nothing better than that," Schaben said while getting the thumbs up from his bandmates for his answer.

Schaben said they are hoping that their continuous touring will afford them the opportunity to get back in the studio to record a follow up to their 2003 self-titled debut album. "We have so much material now we'll probably have to do a double album," Schaben said. Which they hope they'll be able to do soon.

In the mean time, they're having the time of their lives. "It's not even like a real job," Schaben said. "It's like ... a perpetual recess."

Green Lemon is coming to Carbondale tonight [Feb. 2], making a stop at the Hangar 9 and playing with local jam band Defined Perception. The closest adjective Green Lemon came up with to describe their sound is "reggadelic," a mix between psychedelic doodling electronica, a little bit of blue rock jamming and, of course, reggae.

The Pulse stole some time from guitarist Steve Schaben and bassist Matt Fioravanti, [who on the band's web site calls himself Jesse] before their tour stop in St. Paul, Minn., for [questions.]

Pulse: So how's your tour going so far?
Matt: "Pretty good. It started out with a bang."
Steve: "We're really only a week into it so it's hard to say. Our drummer's already overdosed and our bus broke down several times." [laughing]

Pulse: Has anything really crazy/memorable happened yet?
Matt: Something that I can remember is the light guy throwing himself down a set of concrete stairs and getting the cops called on us. That was just like two days ago."

Pulse: How did you guys all meet? When did you start making music?
Matt: "We basically all went to the same high school except Chris Cox, the drummer. Either way we've all somehow known each other. I was in a band with Steve when I was in early high school playing blues. Before that I was in a band with Jon [Cordero, keyboard/vocals] playing Green Day covers. So we've all been musically involved lightly until 1999 when the band actually formed."

Pulse: Now about your name. Obviously you get asked all the time...
Matt: "We'll just dissuade any suspicions that there's anything deep behind it. Our name used to be Grass and that's what our band was. Basically, we were surprised to find that any one word band name was taken. So, you gotta go with two words. And we picked two words that we liked. Well, it took about 5 months of arguing until we decided the one word that would do it was "green." It was a vague term that somehow describes something about the music. And...I have no idea how 'lemon' came along."

Pulse: Do you have a lot of people coming up and asking you about it, like, "Green Lemon, do you really mean a lime?" or something stupid like that?
Steve: "I hear that about every three shows, actually. I really almost think it means that band names are meaningless because no one or two word phrase is going to completely describe the music that you play."

Pulse: What's it like being on the road? What do you do to pass the time?
Matt: "Fast food, poor climate control. We don't bathe."
Steve: "We bathe in alcohol twice weekly though."
Matt: "Yes, vodka. Other than that, you've got no privacy basically."

Pulse: Why did you make the move from Oklahoma to Ft. Collins? Was it more for shaping your music style or just to get into a better scene?
Matt: "After I graduated high school, I was going to move to Boulder, [Colo.] This was before the band was serious and I didn't really care if the band came or not, but they decided that they wanted to leave too. Yes it helped shape the music huge because you talk about moving from some place like Oklahoma City where the music scene is hardly there, and then to a place like Fort Collins, [Colo.] where there's like 5,000 bands. You've got a lot more competition and you've got to get a lot better."

Pulse: What are your influences?
Matt: "Video games. A lot of the video gamey-sounding stuff is our keyboardist. He really has a lot of melodies in his head that sound video gamey because they're so plight-y and lofty. Mainly video games. Bands come second."

Pulse: Why do you tour with a light show? Does it help create a mood or do you not trust other people to do it right?
Steve: "Our light show travels with us every where we go, his name's Rusty Reynolds. It does help create the mood. There are definitely certain lighting programs that go well with certain transitions of songs, and just the mood of a certain song."

Pulse: What kind of experience will we get from this show?
Matt: "The least I can promise is that it will be unforgettable because we are a band that honestly you cannot classify. And even if you don't like us, you won't forget us, because you won't forget how bad you didn't like us."

If you want to find some great entertainment this weekend, look no further than Quixote?s this Saturday. That is where Green Lemon is playing. Yes, I know. I am so glad that they have come back to Auburn; it?s been ages since their last performance (in ???). Well, worry no more. I have it on high authority that they love us here in Auburn, because of the ?good vibes and great fans? they take good care of us.? They are currently on a tour of the Eastern US, doing almost 150 shows annually.

That is pretty good, considering they have only been together since 1999. Green Lemon started in Oklahoma (something I am sure all of you will forgive them for) during the height of jam band popularity. What kind of influences make a jam band, anyway? Well, they give credit to just about everybody: ?Phish to U2 to Will Smith.? Just open up a blender and squash in a little bit of high class (perhaps some champagne) and a lot of down to earth (that would be your cheese sandwich) and blend until smooth. They quickly decided that Oklahoma was not the best venue for their unique mix of talents and moved to Ft. Collins, Colorado to pursue their art. It didn?t take long for their eclectic music to take them all over the US, where they found their way to us.

Since then, they have won all kinds of awards; from ?New Home Grown Band of 2004? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network to ?New Groove of the Month? by Jambands.com. In July of last year they were one of 13 winners of the Relix Magazine Jam Off Contest. The winners are to be featured on a compilation CD, which will then be distributed nationwide. Cool, huh? To top off the accolades with this accomplishment, Green Lemon was featured in a showcase from the magazine coordinating with New York City?s CMJ Music Marathon in September 2004.

The band?s website is: http://www.greenlemonband.com. The welcome screen comes complete with music from the band, so you can immediately sample what these guys have to offer. This site has a lot to offer their fans. There is a forum, which is loaded with questions and general admiration from fans all over the US. There is a merchandise area, of course, where one can purchase items with those cute and fuzzy (perhaps more than a little unique) Green Lemon poster pictures on them, and one can pick up an album or two. There is a fan page, with pictures of fans at various concerts. There is even an art page. They have released one album, self titled, and a single called ?Shoestring? to listen to in between gigs. The band members each have a different selection to offer you. Matt prefers ?Yo Check it Out,? Steve favors ?Los Feds,? Chris likes ?A Love Ballad.? And Wayne flexes his decision making skills by picking the most popular at any given moment, and Jonathan decided wisely to tell me that they are all equally fabulous. Fortunately, we now have the thrill and the pleasure to listen to them live, so we can make our own decisions of what is the best of the best here. Nothing beats the energy and thrill of being squished next to a couple hundred of your closest friends, sweating and dancing to a live performance by Green Lemon. So mark your calendars, brush your hair and check your breath before Saturday and head over to Quixote?s on the 4th to jam with Green Lemon.

[...]  Jam band Green Lemon will come back to town to play at the Orpheum Stage Door Theatre, 216 State St., at 9 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $6 at the door, and the Dave Band will open the show.

Green Lemon, which finds common ground between reggae and electronica dance music, had a busy year in 2005, with a featured slot at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota and winning Relix magazine's "Jam-Off" contest. The magazine said Green Lemon "could very well lead the next generation of jam bands."
 [...]

Jam band Green Lemon will take the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday in the University Center Encore at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Admission is $6 or free for UWSP students with ID.


Green Lemon had an outstanding year during 2005. The band toured the country from coast to coast playing more than 150 shows, was featured in renowned festivals and received numerous accolades.


The band has been named the "New Home Grown Band of the Year" by Leeway's Home Grown Music Network and was listed as a "Top Band to See Live in 2005" by Jambase.com. The band also was named "Independent Artist of the Year" by Hapi Skratch Entertainment, which distributes its self-titled compact disc. Jambands.com recognized the band as the "New Groove of the Month" for March 2005. This honor puts it in the running to be nominated for a coveted Jammy award this year.


For more information about the band, go to the Web site www.greenlemonband.com.

The jam band, Green Lemon, will pay a visit to Rascal?s in Winona on Jan. 26.
In 2005, the band toured the country from coast to coast playing over 150 shows.
The band was named the ?New Home Grown Band of the Year? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network and listed as a ?Top Band to See Live in 2005? by Jambase.com.
They were also named ?Independent Artist of the Year? by Hapi Skratch Entertainment who distributes their self-titled CD.
Jambands.com recognized them as the ?New Groove of the Month? for March 2005, an honor that could potentially nominate them for a Jammy award early this year.
Green Lemon was selected to play two shows at the Wakarusa Festival, which draws fans from across the nation to Lawrence, Kansas each June.
They were also featured at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Michigan, SummerCamp Festival in Illinois, Firelake Festival in South Carolina and the Feel Good Festival in Wisconsin.
The band rounded out the year by winning Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off Contest.
From more than 300 entrants, Green Lemon was chosen to have a song included on Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off compilation CD.
Relix also invited the band to perform at a winner?s showcase concert in New York City in September during the CMJ Music Marathon.
Despite a successful year, the band still had some difficulties.
In April, as the band was leaving the mountain town of Durango, they struck an 800-pound elk at 4:00 a.m.
The converted school bus that the band toured in was badly damaged.
The bus was repaired and dubbed ?The Elkslayer,? but it continued to break down as the band traveled through the southeastern U.S.
Once, while they were stranded, a thief posing as a good samaritan stole the band fund from the bus on the side of the road while Green Lemon performed nearby.
The band decided to get a new vehicle, but the bus died again before they could return home to Colorado with it.
During the breakdown, guitarist Steve Schaben was forced to celebrate his 21st birthday in the parking lot of a small town truck stop while waiting overnight for a mechanic to repair the bus.
Road flares replaced birthday candles and fellow band members had to walk two miles to purchase beer to mark the rite of passage.
Green Lemon has since then acquired a new charter bus to make touring more comfortable.
For more information on the Rascal?s show, call 507-454-2173.
To learn more about the band, visit their website at www.greenlemonband.com to find the full tour schedule, fan forums and audio samples.

In a generation of mass redefining indie-rock groups, Green Lemon is taking a route different from most of today's newcomers: They call it "reggadelic."

That's what you would think thumbing through song by song of Green Lemon's self-titled album, realizing that each tune was created with an island reggae rhythm filled full of mellow electronic hooks and given a psychedelic groove.

Green Lemon started out in Oklahoma City where it hosted its first open-air concert. The event, the Get Down, was a huge success and kick-started the Green Lemon's touring career. Oklahoma City venues that heard of the Get Down from the raves of the 1,200 witnesses were eager to book Green Lemon, and the band found itself touring from coast to coast.

Leeway's Home Grown Music Network gave Green Lemon the "New Home Grown Band of 2004" award and JamBase.com called Green Lemon one of the "Top Bands to See Live in 2005."

With four of the five members contributing vocals, Green Lemon doesn't have a true front man. But the band rounds itself out with guitarist Wayne Allen, bassist Jesse Fioravanti, percussionist Chris Cox, guitarist Steve Schaben and keyboard specialist Jon Cordero.

It was a packed house at Eskimo Joe?s Saturday night as Green Lemon graced the Stillwater hotspot, bringing a much needed new feel to the Eskimo Joe?s atmosphere. Combined with the invigorating array of lights and tantalizing jams the room was overloaded with energy. From start to finish the crowd was immediately consumed, leading to constant dancing and swaying that never wore out. Green Lemon?s sound brings together techno, the funky elements of rock, and not mention a hint of reggae. This band has it all. Spawning from Oklahoma City area in 1999, this Oklahoma band that now resides in Ft. Collins, Colorado has made quite an impression in the jam band community throughout the years. Hittin? The Note Magazine said ?This band is what happens when 5 guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots or dub reggae.? This was a one of a kind show to Stillwater, and Green Lemon will keep jamming on the road as they head up the Midwest.

Organic techno-rock chemists Green Lemon will mix up a tasty tincture in both Tulsa and Tahlequah the second week of January.

Wrapping up a very successful 2005, the celestial quintet is taking on the Midwest by storm in 2006. They'll stop by the Cain's side-bar, also known as Bob's, on Thursday, Jan. 12, then head into Tahlequah for a Friday, Jan. 13 engagement at the most beautiful music venue in Oklahoma - Roxie's Roost.

Green Lemon was recently selected as one of 13 Headlining Winners in the Relix Jamoff 2005, named as Homegrown Music Network's "New Band of the Year," and Jambase.com named them as a "Top Band to See Live in 2005." And they gave us plenty of live shows fully equipped with pro audio, an intense yet pleasurable light show and an unlimited supply of booty shakin' dub-style reggae and trance tunes.

The band is Chris Cox on drums, Matt Fioravanti on bass and vocals, Jon Cordero on synthesizers, sounds and vocals, Steve Schaben on intergalactic guitar and Wayne Allen on sub-earth guitar, vocals and hats. We at The Current thought we had a lot of head gear, but Allen's collection of brims is awe inspiring and will probably be formed into a shrine by several screaming young women by the end of the year.

Catch Green Lemon in Tulsa at Bob's on Jan. 12, or stay closer to home and catch them at Roxie's Roost on Jan. 13. Tickets for the Tulsa show are available at the Cain's Box Office, located at 423 N. Main in downtown Tulsa, any Albertson's Customer Service desk, by phone at (918) 584-2306, or online at www.startickets.com. Advanced tickets are $8, $10 at the door, and the doors open at 7pm.

Roxie's Roost will not only be less of a drive, but a later show which allows all involved to relax and enjoy the evening that much more. Tickets are $7 at the door, which opens at 8pm and the show begins at 10pm with one man funk phenomenon Joe Mack, followed by a three hour brain tickling, compliments of Green Lemon. For more information please call (918) 458-9531 or logon to www.roxiesroost.com. Of course, for all things Green Lemon, logon the web at www.greenlemonband.com.

[...]  Green Lemon - "Mess"

"We're very different from most bands on the jamband scene. We have a cohesive sound where no one really leads and everyone is all ears," says Steve Schaben (guitar, vocals). Green Lemon dishes out organic techno spliced with reggae and funk and have quietly become one of the most touted up-and-coming bands, playing festivals as big as Wakarusa this past summer. The band has jammed with members of The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey's McGee and Galactic. Wayne Allen (guitar, vocals), Jesse Fioravanti (bass, vocals), Chris Cox (percussion) and Jon Cordero (keys, vocals) could very well lead the next generation of jambands.  [...]

Local jam-band Green Lemon finds national recognition.

What could happen to a jam band in one year? They could name you.

JamBands.com could name you ?New Groove of the Month? for March 2005. Hapi Skratch Records could name you ?Independent Artist of 2004.? Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network could name you the ?New Home Grown Band of the Year.? What about being named ?One of the Top Bands to See Live in 2005? by Jambase.com?

What else could you name a jam band in one year? You could name them one of the winners of the ?Relix Magazine Jam Off? and ask them to headline a winner?s showcase concert during the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.

The Fort Collins jam band named Green Lemon has been awarded all of these names. Recently, it was announced that they will be featured on a compilation CD along with twelve other bands that will be distributed by Relix to magazine subscribers and music event attendees from the winner?s showcase concert last month.

Green Lemon is composed of Wayne Allen and Steve Schaben on guitar and vocals, Jonathon Cordero on keyboard and vocals, Chris Cox on drums and vocals and Jesse Fioravanti on bass and vocals. The Bullhorn had a chance to sit down with Fioravanti to find out what?s at the core of this young, successful band.

Rocky Mountain Bullhorn: How has this recent recognition influenced Green Lemon?
Jesse Fioravanti: It boosts your self-esteem. It doesn?t go to our heads. Just like this, right now, this publicity is great for Green Lemon. It reminds you of all your fans. All the press we?ve gotten has been a blessing.

RMB: What about the city of Fort Collins? How has this city impacted Green Lemon?
JF: Fort Collins has something very special. We all moved to Fort Collins after high school from Oklahoma. ... Fort Collins, since, has always been another home base for us. It?s where Green Lemon was first inspired, where we first started to grow our musical roots. There is so much jam band culture here. Fort Collins is why we are here; it?s why we are a band.

RMB: Who are the biggest influences on Green Lemon?s music?
JF: I would say other bands; they?re the ones you really learn from the most. We have a big influence on each other, too. We?re always trying new sounds, always striving to make our music better together. We always try to make it work, but sometimes you just have to let it go and move on when it?s not working. That, to me, is the best part: how we influence each other.

RMB: So, how would you describe Green Lemon?s music?
JF: Diversity and variety. We have a multitude of genres that we use. I would describe us as ?organic electronica,? which is taking real instruments to create synthetic sounds. We also have a lot of emotion on stage and through our lyrics. We feel strong about our songs; it translates to our audience. Our music is our heart.

RMB: What is Green Lemon?s mission statement?
JF: To feel our music fitting, to be able to reach and touch our fans through a Green Lemon voice in order to obtain musical enlightenment.

? ? ? ? ?
Green Lemon will be at Quixotes True Blue, 2637 Welton St., Denver, on Friday, October 14, and at the Aggie Theatre, 204 S. College Ave., Fort Collins, on Saturday, October 15.

Green Lemon is an unlikely jam band. Instead of bowing down to granola icons such as Jerry Garcia or Trey Anastasio, the band mines roots-reggae and electronica for a past/future hybrid.

"Electronic music is something we all love," said Green Lemon bassist Jesse Fioravanti. "We use instruments to make this music, not computers. But combining the old and the new is something that's been done before. For instance, lots of people mix jazz and funk. Well, funk is from the '90s and jazz is from the '20s."

The group looks to Radiohead's most bizarre release, "Kid A," for constant inspiration.

"That record is a major milestone," Fioravanti said. "The effects are perfect."

Green Lemon's live show is just that: a show. According to Fioravanti, the band has used a light tech since its first gig. Green Lemon's current light show crams arena-worthy sensory overload into the clubs.

"We try to keep things visually stimulating," Fioravanti explained. "And the light show influences the way we play. If the lights start going crazy, we do, too. In a way, our light tech jams with us."

Green Lemon's 2003 self-titled debut included 13 resin-soaked tunes. The quintet plans to cut its second full-length album this year. They've amassed a reservoir of more than 30 unreleased tunes.

"We played a two-hour show last week and didn't play one song from our record," Fioravanti said. "We'd like to put a double-CD out next, but that would cost, like, $20,000."

The Oklahoma-based group formed in 1999. Its members cut their teeth playing chemically fueled field parties. Fioravanti concedes that the band members all have disparate musical palettes.

"It's just like the rest of the world," Fioravanti said.

Green Lemon, which began its ascension to national attention in Edmond, has come one step closer to establishing themselves as one of the heavies among their freeflowing and experimental musical set.

Recently chosen to headline the '05 Relix Magazine Jam-Off Thursday in New York City, the band has spent time touring, and collecting a loyal fan base and elaborate setlists, though they have yet to release a major label album.

They are now based out of Ft. Collins, Colo., but still return to Oklahoma on a regular basis to check back on the fans that were there from the start. Their next concert in Oklahoma will be Oct. 29 at Bricktown Live.

The Relix Jam-Off contest was comprised of more than 300 unsigned bands and whittled down to 13 finalists, and five who would be featured in the showcase performance at the Lion's Den.

There will also be a compilation CD later in the year.

Green Lemon plays unusually conceptual and ethereal music, laced with dub reggae and all the usual flourishes of improv that make jambands so endearing to fans.

They have developed a sound that stretches across several genres, and because they resist settling on one sound, they have developed a place of their own among the cultures of jambands.

With more exposure coming through the Jam-Off, Green Lemon hopes to capitalize and secure themselves a career as professional musicians.

For more information on Green Lemon, visit www.greenlemonband.com

Colorado's Green Lemon band will visit Indiana for an Aug. 13 show.

Green Lemon performs at Uncle Fester's at 430 E. Kirkwood in Bloomington. Call (812) 323-1023 for more show information.

Green Lemon kicked off its 2005 tour in January juiced about recent national recognition. They've already racked up road warrior status, playing to crowds in 18 states and across the southern tier of states from one end of the country to the other before taking on the Midwest this summer.

This year, Green Lemon has been named the "New Home Grown Band of the Year" by Leeway's Home Grown Music Network and was listed as "One of the Top Bands to See Live in 2005" by Jambase.com.

Recently, it was announced that they are one of the winners of the "Relix Magazine Jam Off" and will be featured
along with 12 other bands on a compilation CD distributed by Relix to
magazine subscribers and music event attendees.

Hittin' The Note Magazine says Green Lemon's sound is the result of what "happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae."

For more information about Green Lemon band, visit www.greenlemonband.com

Relix Jam-Off winners, Green Lemon, will visit Birmingham for a show at Workplay on October 1st following their Winner?s Showcase Concert in New York City. Green Lemon was selected from among over 300 entrants to have a song included on Relix Magazine?s Jam-Off compilation CD which will be distributed to the publication?s subscribers and at music events throughout the year.

Green Lemon kicked off its 2005 tour in January juiced about recent national recognition and they?ve racked up road warrior status having played over 130 shows to crowds in 25 states from coast to coast. The country is sitting up and taking notice as the recognition keeps pouring in for this young and exciting band.

This year, in addition to winning the Relix Jam-Off contest, Green Lemon has been honored by being named the ?New Home Grown Band of the Year? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network and being listed as ?One of the Top Bands to See Live in 2005? by Jambase.com. They were named the ?New Groove of the Month? for March 2005 by JamBands.com and Hapi Skratch Records named them the ?Independent Artist of 2004.?

But the relentless touring that is helping the band win over an exploding fan base is not uneventful. In April, as the band was leaving the mountain town of Durango in their home state of Colorado, they ran into an 800-pound elk at 4:00 am. The converted school bus that the band toured in was pretty banged up. While the bus was being repaired, they scrambled to rent U-Haul trucks and called on friends to help them get to their next few shows. Even though the repaired bus was outfitted with a killer set of teeth on the front grill and dubbed ?The Elkslayer,? it was never quite the same.

The bus continued to break down as the band traveled through the southeastern U.S. Once, while they were stranded, a robber posing as a good Samaritan stole the band fund from the bus on the side of the road while the band performed nearby. The band decided that the bus had to go. But before they could get back home to Colorado with it, it broke down one last time. Unfortunately, this time guitarist Steve Schaben was forced to celebrate his 21st birthday in the parking lot of a small town truck stop while waiting overnight for a mechanic to repair the bus. Road flares replaced birthday candles and fellow band members had to walk two miles to purchase beer to mark the rite of passage. The band is now grateful to be touring in a converted charter bus in a great deal more comfort and without the breakdowns.

Although the band hails from Colorado, all of the band members grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma and the band got its start in the Oklahoma City market. After getting as big as the Oklahoma City market could support, the band packed up their gear and moved from Oklahoma to Ft. Collins, Colorado to further their music careers in 2001. They haven?t looked back since. With a loyal following of Lemonheads, they continue to fill venues across the country and expand their reputation as rising stars.

Green Lemon will perform at Workplay on October 1st. Catch the show on Saturday night and see what Hittin? The Note Magazine says ?happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae.? ?Workplay is the most amazing venue,? said Green Lemon guitarist Steve Schaben. ?We can?t wait to get back to Birmingham and Workplay.? The venue is located at 500 23rd Avenue S. Call 205-380-4082 for more information.

When South Carolina?s MetroBeat Magazine caught up with this relentlessly touring group in January, they found that, ?Green Lemon is hardly your typical jam band. Transcending the usual neo-hippie mix of Grateful Dead, Phish and String Cheese Incident-inspired improvisation, the Colorado-based band delivers a wildly eclectic sound that broadly expands the territory a jam band can cover without sacrificing its core.?

When the band visited Auburn in June, TheCornerNews.com said, ?I've seen quite a few live shows in Auburn, but I'd have to say this show ranked in my top three. Usually when a band plays Auburn, they bring a watered down show; but Green Lemon pulled out all the stops. Complete with a full light show that only added to the intoxicating sounds they provided.? Green Lemon guitarist Wayne Allen said, ?We always travel with a light show and light technician because every show is important to us and we want each audience to hear a unique show and enjoy an incredible visual experience as well.?

For more information about the Green Lemon band, visit www.greenlemonband.com where you?ll find the full tour schedule, fan forums and audio samples.

[...]  Jambands' March New Groove of the Month Green Lemon was dually impressive. Although I'd heard plenty of their music beforehand, nothing on disc compared to the energy of the Oklahoma native's live show. Green Lemon revealed a high octane performance that from start to finish, never let up. Merging pumping electronica beats with smooth reggae melodies and some shredding guitar solos, they induced a more than sizable crowd into a steady fervor making many wonder just who this band was.  [...]

[...]  GREEN LEMON

While Green Lemon began as a rather straightforward garage reggae band, experimentation, lineup changes and a more thorough convergence of the members' various influences brought them to their present sound, which fuses rolling, funkified rhythms with New Wave electronica, Zeppelin-inspired percussion and delightfully melodious vocals.

The last time Green Lemon came to town, they played a rockin' show to a small throng of fans at The Bank. They make another stop at that St. Petersburg venue for their 2005 national tour, so if you missed their "reggadelic/conceptual/improv jam/intergalactic skank" last time, don't make that mistake again. (The Bank Nightclub & Concert Venue, St. Petersburg)  [...]

Like usual, I went out Thursday on a quest to hear a good band. I checked the calendar and I saw that Green Lemon was playing Quixotes.

Now I was thinking to myself 'isn't a green lemon just a lime?' I soon found out that it's much more. The Ft. Colins, Colorado band had Quixotes on fire Thursday night.

I've seen quite a few live shows in Auburn, but I'd have to say this show ranked in my top three. Usually when a band plays Auburn, they bring a watered down show; but Green Lemon pulled out all the stops. Complete with a full light show that only added to the intoxicating sounds they provided.

The band?s press kit classifies their music as Reggabelic Conceptual, Improv Jam/Intergalactic Skank Music. I would have to say it was more of a elecronica/rock fusion that kept crowd moving from beginning to end.

Chris Cox, the band?s drummer, says that they've been on the road touring since January and they have one more week before they head home. Then, he said, "we're only there for about a week before we go back out again."

With such a demanding schedule you'd think the guys would be tired, but Chris said they ?do it for the love of their craft.?
That love translates well into their stage show too. The energy they bring on stage can be seen by the crowd?s pulsating, sweat-dripping bodies.

If you missed them, you missed a real treat. Don't worry though, Chris says they're making plans to come back in the fall. For more on the band check out their Web site, www.greenlemonband.com.

Green Lemon loves this town.

Oklahoma-bred, but now calling Colorado home, the reggae tinged quintet has been heating up something fierce this year int he jam-band market.

The band has been pegged as a must-see up-and-comer by Web magazines like Jambands.com and Jambase.com, and thanks to the band's relentless touring schedule, the entire nation cannot help but check this band out.

Green Lemon's momentum should continue to gain steam this summer.

The group recently appeared at the second Wakarusa Festival in Kansas, and is coming into town this weekend for a pair of shows at two of Charleston's most esteemed venues.

Tonight the band will be playing beachside on the stage of the Windjammer on the Isle of Palms.

The show will start around 10 p.m. with a cover charge of $5. For information on the show, call 886-8596.

Saturday night Green Lemon will be kicking it downtown with a headlining gig at Cumberland's. That show will start around 10 p.m. with a $5 cover. For information, call 577-9469.

[...]  Green Lemon

Despite hailing from the Heartland (Oklahoma to be exact), Green Lemon isn't your typical roots-rock outfit. Combining elements of rock, reggae, electronica and pop, this quintets recipe for success includes appearances at 10,000 Lakes, Camp Reggae and Wakarusa. The band clearly commands a dedicated following. It was the winner of our online poll for festival breakouts.  [...]

[...]  Seepeoples & Green Lemon ::
04.02.05 :: The Pour House Music Hall :: Raleigh, NC

[...] Originally from Oklahoma, Green Lemon started up the festivities, setting the table for the East coast electro-rockers, SeepeopleS. Though many had not heard much about them prior to the show, Green Lemon provided a surprisingly excellent set that featured tireless genre-hopping. At times, they were emulating euphoric techno grooves similar to The New Deal but with an infusion of funk and reggae influences. At other times, it was a crosspollination of Phish, Shootyz Groove, and The Disco Biscuits with a pop edge similar to 311. When reading up on these guys, I was not aware they had a sound that stretched this far, but maybe I'm hearing it differently than others. Regardless of impressions and expectations, the band did not disappoint, appeasing even the toughest critics with their eclectic combination of varied styles.

They opened the celebration with a Jekyll and Hyde song named "Vitamin Death." An aggressive tune at the onset, almost punkish, it featured heavy guitar riffs, Jon Cordero's rant, and some interesting vocal harmonies. They pulled a 360 in the middle, slowing the song to a mesmerizing crawl highlighted by Chris Cox's ambient cymbal work and Cordero's well placed vocals. Segueing out of the opener was a signature song from their repertoire named "Whitecap." Peaking guitar riffs, slapstick bass lines, and shared vocal duties were combined with an airy keyboard groove to produce a tight Green Lemon staple. "Yo check it out," a tune I tagged as "Pop-Funk," featured bassist Matt Fioravonti on lead vocals with support from guitarist Wayne Allen. This song changed up the set and displayed another avenue of Green Lemon's varied songwriting. Preceding the finale was a ten minute moon ride called "Los Federales." The song would have been perfect for a techno club in space, exhibiting a tight improvised breakdown between the hard working quintet. An excellent vocal harmony by Cordero and Fioravonti added great impact to a song that featured Steve Schaben chiming in for a lengthy guitar solo. They managed to squeeze in a hard edge rap/rock song ala The Beastie Boys to cap off their opening set which clocked in around an hour. While still relatively new on the scene, the band displayed professionalism by graciously thanking HGMN and SeepeopleS for sharing the stage on the festive evening.  [...]

The band Green Lemon wants attention. It?s not just about playing music, it?s about putting on a good show. With a huge lighting rig and a keyboardist/vocalist painted head-to-toe with tribal designs, the band has no trouble with either.

The quintet known as Green Lemon came together in 1999 in Oklahoma. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Steve Schaben, guitarist and vocalist Wayne Allen, bassist and vocalist Jesse Fioravanti, drummer Chris Cox and keyboardist and vocalist Jon Cordero.
Originally called Grass, the group of high school friends started out jamming at each other?s houses and house parties.
After a couple of years, the band moved to Fort Collins, Colo. But there was a problem.

?When we moved up to Fort Collins, there was a already a band called Grass,? Cordero said. ?So we changed the name.?

The band became Green Lemon.
Playing a mix of styles like reggae, dance, housebeat and jazz, the group strives to make every show, and every song, a new experience.

?There's a couple of opinions and emotions expressed in the songs,? Cordero said. ?It really jumps song to song.?

Cordero said some songs can be carefree and are made to take the listener?s mind off everything else, leaving only the music. But he pointed out that the band prefers to leave political topics alone. ?We leave politicians to talk about (politics), and we play the music,? he said.

The group has a formulaic approach to writing and touring. ?We go out for a couple months, month and half, go back to Fort Collins and work on new material, then go back out,? Cordero said.

Green Lemon has found success on the road and credited its booking agent for ?getting after? venues to open doors for its shows. They also credit word of mouth for increasing the band?s popularity.

The band got to take a break from touring in 2003 when it recorded its first, and so far only, full-length album as Green Lemon. The self-titled debut was recorded in Fort Collins at the ?Blasting Room,? the recording studio of Colorado punk-rock/reggae band The Descendants.

?Albums are incredible,? Cordero said. ?You really get to take your time and break it down and get possible solutions for the songs. In the studio you have a whole different way of looking at it.?

But the band?s reputation is still centered in the live shows. The quintet tries to make its shows enjoyable.
?It needs to be musically and visually receptive,? Cordero said. ?We carry lighting rigs. We have an awesome lighting guy, Rusty Reynolds, who?s a huge part of the music and show.?
Cordero and the rest of the band also go beyond the show?s natural aesthetic.
?Painting ourselves up and jumping up (are) ways to nab attention,? he said.
Green Lemon seems to be headed in a bigger direction, and it?s not lost on the band.

?We want to take this band to the moon,? Cordero said, sounding almost serious. ?We?re not stopping till we get a gig on the moon, the Taj Mahal, too ? anywhere we can get our feet wet.?
The band is no stranger to the college scene or Auburn.

?College towns are the best,? Cordero said. Then he quipped, ?Usually the drunker the crowd, the better we sound.?
But Cordero had endearing memories of Auburn to add.

?Auburn is one of our favorite crowds to come to,? he said. ?(We get) a lot of radio play, and kids are receptive to the sound and what we have to say.?

A few weeks ago, I was cruising jambands.com and meeting my weekly quota of formulaic neo-hippie activities when I came across Green Lemon, a band whose music was acknowledged as "New Groove of the Month" for March 2005. Curiosity spurred me to browse the Audio Live Music Archive (a valuable resource for legally acquired live music recordings) and I downloaded a few of their shows without delay. I was not disappointed. Songs like "Intergalactic Intercourse" delve into new-wave, electronic funk, while "Los Federales" offers tight riffs, Zeppelin-inspired percussion and fresh vocal harmonies. The all-male quintet is not above covers, either, and their catalog includes an unexpectedly good, reggae-fied version of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You." Green Lemon visits Florida on their spring tour and you can enjoy their self-described "reggadelic/conceptual/improv jam" music in St. Petersburg this evening. 8 p.m. $5 (ages 18 and up only). The Bank Nightclub and Concert Venue, 1919 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, 727-898-4488. www.greenlemonband.com

Oklahoma-based Green Lemon, the Home Grown Music Network's Band of the Year for 2004, is a jam-infused reggae band that's received critical praise recently from outlets like Relix magazine, which called Green Lemon a "vibrant band" with "an almost hypnotic, groove-based sound."

The band's name came from members' lvoe of Southern soul singer Al Green and country bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson - although its members admit their sound is nothing like either artist. Influences include modern-day bands such as Radiohead, Ween, Weezer, Talking Heads and Phish.

"It's really an eclectic blend," Green Lemon bassist and vocalist Matthew Fioravanti said during a phone interview. "If you listen to the CD you hear lots of electronica, some organic techno, some more ballad-ish songs - slower, more melodious. We always try to keep it not too complex."

Green Lemon's members met in high school, and formed the band in 1999. The current tour began in December and will run through the end of the year, with short two or three-day breaks.

Details: 10 p.m. Monday (doors open at 9 p.m.) with Creekside at Marrz Theatre, 15 S. Front St.

"Green Lemon is making new music and taking over the world "

I remember when I first received that strange package filled with sour candies and a penguin-covered CD here at the KyndMusic offices. I put it on, heard a song and said to myself ?oh, a techno band,? took the CD off and moved on. But something drew me back and I put it on an again and said ?oh, a prog-rock band.? And the cycle continued as I kept being pulled back in and each time I played it I heard something different; techno, prog-rock, reggae, new wave, rock n? roll, and so on. But what I most often heard was just plain damn good and mind-expanding music.

So I contacted these self-described ?space cadets? and spoke with them about Hale-Bopp, Alf, Russian tribes, the Queen of England and the new music they make that is taking the world by storm.

KyndMusic: So far you?ve been named as Homegrown Band of the Year, Jambase?s Band to See and Groove of the Month, and a KyndMusic Featured Artist. Who are you paying and how does it feel to be going so high so fast?

Green Lemon: (laughing) we?re paying the Queen of England and we just bought a jumbo jet the other day?but it is nice I guess. We feel very flattered that there have been so many people out there that are supportive and receptive to our musical crusade. If there?s any speed to our ascent, it would be because of them.

KM: Speaking of ?them,? you refer to yourselves as "spokespeople for the Midwestern subconscious cultural landscape." What is that landscape?

GL: Well, it?s Alf, Jeopardy, Monster truck shows on Sunday, the Keebler Elves, and the feeling that something weird is happening on both coasts.

KM: (laughing) Alf, the Keebler Elves and frightened Republicans are all very different constituencies. How do you become spokespeople for all?

GL: We just happen to have microphones really. And we?re all the same anyhow.

KM: True enough. Where do you think Green Lemon fits into "jam" scene?

GL: I don?t think ?jam band? is a complete description of our music although the term ?jam? is a great idea though as it means that you?re creating something you have never done right before the audience's eyes. It makes it a much bigger risk because it makes it more personal to you and the fans. And by jamming I mean where the entire band is communicating with one another and moving in and out of each others parts so in a few ways we definitely fit in the jam scene, but in a lot of ways we don't. If the jam scene is the solar system, we are Hale-Bopp: we come back every once in a while, but most of the time we are just space cadets.

KM: (laughing) ok, well, not long ago, one of the founding members, Lincoln, left the band. Why and how has his absence affected what you do and how you sound?

GL: His reasons for leaving would best be described by him.

KM: Ok, Lincoln is available by remote hook-up?

Lincoln: I got tired of leaving all the time. The only place we never really left was a bar.

GL: And as for our current sound, it?s changed of course. Steve and Lincoln are both very talented guitarists with very different approaches and in this band it?s not our way to have Steve play all of Lincoln's guitar parts note for note. He has to have the freedom to move any direction he wants at all times and so, in the end, what comes out of the P. A. speakers is a very different sound than what was coming out three months ago. The new sound definitely has more of a jazzy essence to it since that is Steve's primary field of study.

KM: With Steve?s jazz background, do you see the band going off into a more improvisational direction?

GL: Yeah, we?ll be using some of Steve's influences to add to our current improv. skills, once we have some time off the road. It?ll be interesting to see how our improv. skills develop.

KM: How would you describe your music to someone new?

GL: It?s hard to accurately describe our sound in a few words but if we were to try maybe it would be "Eclectic Blend" or some other such vague term so as to leave the rest unexplained or up to each individual to determine themselves.

You know it?s like offering several guests a taste of a new recipe; each person that samples the dish might describe the way it tastes differently and the recipe it self may turn out different each time you make it. The same could be said of trying to describe our music.

KM: With the new sound and the momentum you guys are building, are there any plans for another album, live or studio?

GL: In terms of a studio recording we have a great deal of new music that is ready for a studio project and our live shows are filled with the new material. The problem with this is that at a live performance, many fans that own our CD want to hear songs they recognize. And these days, a high percentage of the songs on our set lists have not been recorded, therefore, people don't recognize some of the songs unless they are fans that have attended several shows. For instance we played a 2 hour set the other night in Columbia, SC that had only one song from the CD on it. The rest was post cd writing. It is frustrating to have new material that we can?t afford to get out on CD at the moment, but we are working on it. Our goal is to have the next studio album in the works by winter 2005.

As to a live album, the answer is not yet. If we were ever to release a live disc it would have to be the most perfect live performance we could ever do. Since we always take big risks, it is almost impossible to get any live recordings that please all of our member?s picky ears from beginning to end.

KM: What are some of those new songs that you?re debuting and want to record?

GL: ?Kanonen,? ?Jag Depanzer,? ?Evergreen,? ?A Love Ballad,? ?Yellowstone,? ?Mouth Full of Sand,? ?Turtles,? ?Ishmael,? ?Spartanburg,? ?Yo Check it Out,? ?Different Faces,? ?Smack by the Pound,? ?Bear Attack? and more. Live MP3's can be downloaded from Archive.org and most of these songs are on various shows listed on the site.

KM: Cool. Well now on to the important stuff. Regarding your self-titled debut CD, why penguins?

GL: Because penguins are the most important living creature on Earth. They run the show. The Earth, in all its grandeur and perfection, is nothing but a giant biological lab experiment set up by them. Plus they are pretty cool looking.

KM: (laughing) Ok, and finally, why does Jon always draw all over himself?

GL: Well we normally keep him in his cage on the school bus. When show time comes and we let him out he goes straight to the nearest paint store and gets freaky. We are not really sure why he does it but we think it has something to do with his Russian background and his people?s ancient tradition of painting up before a battle. He thinks his keyboards are semi-automatic spear launchers and that we, the band, are his fellow tribesmen. Strange guy, strange band.

Calling all Lemonheads! If you weren't around to catch Green Lemon's show in February, you're in luck. The Green Lemon band will be back in Elon at the Lighthouse Tavern on April 6 with a sound that's guaranteed to make it a night worthwhile.

Hailing from Oklahoma, Green Lemon formed in 2000 while the band members were still in high school. Though they had known each other for years, it wasn't until senior year of high school that they decided to create the band, originally calling themselves by the name of "Grass." Two albums, new band members and five years later, Green Lemon is bringing a fresh perspective to the genre of jam.

"We started in a garage like most bands, now here we are today," said Chris Cox, drummer for the band.

"We were friends in high school and would get together and play music," said Wayne Allen, guitarist and vocalist. "Slowly we started writing our own songs and playing parties. Over the years, we have evolved into what is now Green Lemon."

With influences ranging from Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Phish, and R&B, Green Lemon is able to fuse all the elements of techno, reggae, funk and rock to create a sound any jam band lover would enjoy. There's a little bit of something for everyone though, whether it's a craving for smooth melodies, moveable beats or just a good time. The band does mostly original material and spends a lot of time perfecting the music.

"Our sound can be described as a sort of euphoric techno mixed with reggae influences," said Jon Cordero, keyboardist and main vocalist for the group.

"Rehearsal is trial and error most of the time," said Matt Fioravanti, bassist and vocalist for the band. "One of us will come to the practice room with most of a song and then figure out how to make it swim through the gauntlet with trials of different avenues. In the end, we generally don't play a song unless every member is happy with the sound. If something about the song displeases someone we take it back to the practice room until we are all happy again."

But on the stage is where the band really shines and comes together.

"A large part of what the listener hears at a show is improvised," said Steve Schaben, guitarist and vocalist. "There are two basic types of improvisation in the band: the kind in which one or two of us 'solo' and the rest of the band responds and the kind in which the entire band creates a uniform, cohesive, layered, group improvisation."

"What really gets me going," Cox said, "is seeing everyone dancing and having a good time."

The band has been touring relentlessly promoting their newest album, "Shoestring" and because of their love for performing.

"One of my favorite things about this band is the feeling I get onstage when we're all connected and free of any inhibitions when we're playing," Fioravanti said.

The Green Lemon band will be performing at 11 p.m. April 6 at Lighthouse. Cover charge is $5.

You know it's going to be an interesting conversation when bass/vocalist Jesse Fioravanti of the jam-oriented band Green Lemon starts out by asking if we've heard about the band's yellow school bus running into an elk.

Ouch.

"It's been a rough week," Fioravanti said before a show this week in Oklahoma City. "We just started out on this two-month tour in the mountain towns in Colorado. We had played this show and were driving to a friend's house at 3 or 4 in the morning and creamed into this 800-pound elk.

"Oh man, he wasn't even on the road, he was on this cliff and came running toward the bus. I think Wayne (Allen) flew off his bunk when we hit it."

And who won?

"Well, I think we won; the elk didn't make it, but it cost us about a grand to fix it," Fioravanti said.

For the last couple of years, Green Lemon, which performs tonight at Crossroads Cafe, has been making an impact from coast to coast, although in a little less destructive manner. Green Lemon members are the self-proclaimed "spokespeople for the Midwestern subconscious cultural landscape." The band is currently listed on Jambands.com as the "New Groove of the Month" and one of the "Top Bands to See Live in 2005." Earlier this year, Green Lemon was named the New Home Grown Network Band of the Year for 2004.

The folks at Jambase.com say Green Lemon's music "surrealistically fuses island, jam, acid jazz, funk and electronica with a stream of vocals flowing throughout that'll make your mouth water. Their music is euphoric."

"A lot of good things have happened to us in the last year or so," Fioravanti said. "We have a very heavy electronic sound in every song we do. We play reggae and rock, and the only thing we do the same from song to song is we have strong vocals, love to harmonize and have a lot of electronic sounds."

Not bad for a bunch of Oklahoma cowpokes, including Allen, guitar/vocals; Chris Cox, percussion; Jon Cordero, keyboards/vocal; and Steve Schaben, guitar/vocals.

"We had an awesome time the first time we played in Huntsville and there was a good response," Fioravanti said. "Auburn has also always been good to us; they cook us lunch and dinner there.

"You hear that if you can master Athens (Ga.) and Atlanta you've got it made, but as it turned out we actually found better scenes in Alabama and South Carolina."

Oklahoma is not exactly a haven for jam oriented music. The Sooner State is usually one that you drive through on your travels or on your way to see live music in places like Denver, Austin and St. Louis.

Not any more. Oklahoma's own Green Lemon (Wayne Allen-guitar, vocals, Jesse Fioravanti-bass, vocals, Chris Cox-percussion, Jon Cordero-keys, vocals and Steve Schaben-guitar, vocals) are helping to place a state best known for its cowboys and Wild West shows on the national music map.

Their story began one summer in New England, where a group of fellow rowers met. "Everyone but our drummer were on the same rowing team," Green Lemon bassist Jesse Fioravanti explained. "He (Chris Cox) was on the North Dunbury rowing team and was a bitter rival in the field until we met him."

After joining together that summer, the members of Green Lemon returned to their hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma to begin their musical voyage. Starting a band in Oklahoma wasn't exactly the easiest.

"Oklahoma is probably one of the more difficult music scenes in the entire Midwest. There is not much of a music scene there to begin with," Fioravanti stated.

Combining elements of reggae, electronic, rock and funk with whimsical vocals and a barrage of energy, their sound borders popular music and jam music. Merging island sounds with Midwestern backgrounds and college aged party spirit, Green Lemon offers a fresh interpretation of American and Caribbean styles.

"We used to be reggadelic conceptual impro-jam, but nowadays it seems we are more into electronic universe reggae, disco Jupiter rock. There have been so many descriptions," Fioravanti admitted. "They can lump us wherever they like," Fioravanti said. "We personally think that we belong in the disco Jupiter, booty rock genre, but that is such a limited crowd. The label ?jamband' is a bland way of describing so many different kinds of music. We like the original meaning of the term; it means you as a band would create an original experience for your audience rather than one you created for so many others. But now it has turned into a descriptive term for just about everything indescribable."

For a young band, Green Lemon possesses a knack for playing live and getting their name out to the public. Recently, they did an extended trek throughout the southern parts of the country, hitting major markets in Nashville, Atlanta and Raleigh, as well as stops in South Carolina and Alabama. The band will be touring hard for the next few months, hitting places throughout the western half of the country and landing an opening gig for fellow Midwest band, Umphrey's McGee at the end of March in Tulsa.

With one album under their belts, the band is looking forward to making another later this year. While their freshman album seems mostly representative of the Green Lemon sound, one can't help but wonder what kind of album the future may hold for the Oklahoma youngsters.

"We have so much new music that is ready for the studio that we play live. The problem is that, when we play live, people that own our CD recognize only the songs from it. These days more than half our set lists are music that is not on any recording so people don't recognize it unless they attend a lot of shows," Fioravanti said.

Their repertoire, through constant song writing and extensive touring, has continued to grow exponentially, but much of the band's material anxiously waits being put to use in the studio.

"It is actually very hard to get the original music from one of our heads on to tape," Fioravanti explained. "Many of the original compositions we have in our heads are sometimes beyond our skill level. So, since we don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend just trying to nail that one riff, we sometimes have to simplify things we don't want to."

With dates scheduled through the end of May, Green Lemon will be exposing many more audiences throughout most areas of the country to their disco Jupiter rock. This is a band that has the potential to do big things, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

"The beauty of being up-and-coming is that you have this original energy and life that many older, more experienced bands lose. The ugly (part) about it is that you're not there yet. It is the hardest part of a band's existence; full of the most sacrifice and the least money, but the dream is still bright in our heads," Fioravanti said.

There's an insatiable appetite for jam band music from sea to shining sea. Green Lemon is riding the wave all over America, playing a hippie-friendly amalgam of reggae, electronica and acid jazz. Manager Les James said they're filling larger venues like the new Bricktown Live and old Cain's Ballroom. Booked non-stop, the first leg of their 2005 "Post-Ironic" tour will hit nine states. Green Lemon intends to play the Netherlands and Jamaica this year as well.

Based now in Fort Collins, Colo., the native Okie quintet came up as Grass in Edmond when they were teenagers. Now 20-something, Wayne Allen (guitar), Jesse Fioravanti (bass), Chris Cox (percussion), Jon Cordero (keys) and Steve Schaben (guitar) describe their genre as "Reggadelic, conceptual improv jam/intergalactic skank music."

They played 13 national festivals last summer. "Wakarusa at Clinton Lake near Lawrence was the highlight," Cox said. "It was definitely the best in all aspects. The vibe and land were great. Fantastic music for the money (74 bands, 3 days, $75). It was just the right size. But it's going to blow up in the next few years."

"Oklahoma needs better taste by the people who book shows. Besides Tulsa, not many bands come here. It's all metal or bands you've never heard of," said Cox. "Kids really are willing to listen to something new. Fort Collins has been beautiful. It's like a really big small town that people migrate to."

What's missed about Oklahoma besides family and friends?

"Taco Bueno, Braum's and Ted's Cafe Escondido. We have great Mexican food here. All Colorado has is Tex-Mex," said Cox.

Green Lemon have learned it's not all peace and love on the road. "There was a 22 ounce glass bottle thrwon at our bass player's face. It broke one of his teeth and sliced his lip," Cox said. "At Wakarusa, a storm came over and lightning struck right by our tent," Cordero added. "Coming down from Yosemite National Park the brakes on our RV caught on fire and we had to put them out."

Maybe worse has been the occasional boorish behavior by other bands. "Sound checking in front of your fans like we just did (laughs all around). Being rude to people who are helping you out. Talking s-t about other bands. A positive word goes a lot further than being an a-hole and showing your ego. We had a war start between our street team and another band's street team in Charleston, SC. Both teams were ripping posters down and our dates weren't even conflicting."

Records that have changed GL's lives: Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense," Queen's "A Night at the Opera," and Hosty Trio's "10 Pound Hammer/One Too Heavy."

Allen scolded Corder when he named names about what bands are musical torture. "Our management told us not to do that," he hissed.

GL described their fans fondly. "Young and wild sorority girls who come out and shake their a-," Cox used both hands to reveal his favorite make-out music. "I like reggae because it has that (smack-smack) beat."

W.A. Mozart, Bob Marley and Jerry Garcia are Green Lemon's dream bill of departed musicians back for one more show.

Bill's Molehill
Justin Williams (sax), Kevin Campbell (drums) and Zach Winters (rhythm guitar) opened in a project that needs practice. There's no doubt Bill's Molehill should keep on keeping on. Williams' audacious honking reverberated across long space grooves and detective noir soundtrack. Guys in caps, (wool, ball) danced in place, stabbing the air.

Green Lemon
They played in a dim, unsafely overcrowded room filled with fog machine haze. Green Lemon's volume had the upperhand over nuance. The jams were long as a Methodist sermon. People waited on the sidewalk to get in for lemon aid of nuevo ska and Southern rock stirred with an Okie funk stick. The show was a thicker version of Green Lemon's self-titled record, whose impression is Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey visits the 'burbs.

Green Lemon kicked off its 2005 tour a few weeks ago and hit the road dripping with success having just been named the ?New Home Grown Band of the Year? by Leeway?s Home Grown Music Network and being listed as ?One of the Top Bands to See Live in 2005? by Jambase.com. The Green Lemon guys were recently featured in the September/October issue of Relix Magazine where they were named the number one band you should know about.

The Green Lemon band regularly tours across the country and they played 14 national festivals during the spring and summer of 2004. This first tour leg of 2005 will take them through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Musicians Wayne Allen, Matt Fioravanti, Chris Cox, Jonathan Cordero and Steve Schaben all grew up in Edmond, Ok. where the band honed its unique sound. In 2001, the band packed up their gear and moved to Ft. Collins, Co. to further their careers and they haven't looked back since. With a loyal following of Lemonheads, they continue to fill venues across the country and expand their reputation as rising stars.

Catch the Lemons at Rhythm & Brews and see what Hittin? The Note Magazine says ?happens when five guys from Oklahoma are pinned down in a collision of futuristic electronic music and the historic roots of dub reggae.?

[...]  WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU (GREEN) LEMONS

While we're on the subject of young, up-and-coming bands, there's a chance to make lemonade this weekend when Green Lemon plays Charleston.

The band claims to play "reggadelic-conceptual-improv-jam-to-intergalactic-skankin'-music." (We certainly couldn't make that up.) Green Lemon has managed turn quite a few heads since its formation in Oklahoma in 1999.

After moving to Colorado in 2001, things began to take shape for Green Lemon's musical direction, even if the band's description of its own sound makes very little sense.

This quintet merges dual lead guitars, bass, keyboards and percussion for a sound that touches on bouncing reggae grooves and touches of psychedelic rock.

Having already received attention from Relix Magazine, Green Lemon has found a great deal of success out West, playing several festivals and touring the club circuit. In 2005, Green Lemon seems determined to make an impact on the East Coast. Green Lemon will likely add even more fans to its Charleston support group Friday night as the band makes its headlining debut at the Music Farm. Tickets are $7, and the show starts around 10 p.m.  [...]

They've been named the "New Homegrown Band of the Year" by Leeway's Homegrown Music Network and have been listed as "One of the Top Bands to See Live in 2005" by JamBase.com. Relix Magazine named them the No. 1 band you should know about - and they're kicking off their 2005 tour with four stops in the Sooner state.

Wayne Allen, Matt Fioravanti, Chris Cox, Jonathan Cordero and Steve Schaben - better known as Green Lemon - currently are based in Fort Collins, Colo., but are natives of Edmond. They're getting their nine-state tour off to an Okie-fied start with shows scheduled for Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom Wednesday, Norman's Brothers Eatery and Pub Friday and Roxie's in Tahlequah Saturday. The group played Mike's College Bar in Stillwater Jan. 25.

"We love playing Oklahoma and seeing our old friends every chance we get," said bassist Matt Fioravanti in a statement. "The turnout is great and the band always feeds off the enthusiasm of our Oklahoma fans and friends."

For a complete schedule and more information, visit greenlemonband.com.

[...]  Mebane, NC ? To celebrate ten years of spreading the word about great independent music, Leeway's Home Grown Music Network (HGMN) has put together a show that focuses squarely on the future. On April 2nd, 2005, a double-bill of exciting new talent will take the stage at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, NC.

Oklahoma's Green Lemon is rapidly making a name for themselves on the live concert circuit. Their energetic, diverse sound has fans cheering and has drawn repeated high praise from radio station personnel, venue owners, festival promoters, record store owners, and music websites. JamBase.com called Green Lemon "euphoric" and "the sound we've been waiting for" and named them a must-see band for 2005. They were also named #1 "Band You Should Know About" by Relix Magazine. From sweeping soundscapes to new-wave electronica and focused funk-rock, Green Lemon has shown just how capable they are at creating wildly diverse moods and emotions. Their self-titled debut disc has become a constant favorite at HGMN headquarters and their joyful live shows may be the best-kept secret in the land right now.  [...]

Calling themselves ?Reggadelic/Conceptual/Improv/Jam,? this Colorado by way of Oklahoma group has been making waves nationwide with their joyfully surrealistic music. Their self-titled debut release contains 13 energetic gems that range from an Asia-like progressive (prog) rock to tightly woven rock-reggae fare.

?Whitecap? opens up the CD with a wonderfully meandering and atmospheric sound and minimal lyrics that are phrased with a pop sensibility. It segues gently into ?Mess,? a funky new wave number that combines 70?s bass-popping with some positively hypnotic keyboards.

The next song that really grabbed my attention was ?Flight of Manwe,? an upbeat techno piece that brings to mind 80?s sensation Flock of Seagulls with its soaring keyboards and rapid rhythms.

In the middle of the CD is the great combination of ?Intergalactic Intercourse? and the follow-up ?Intergalactic Cigarette.? The first is more of the same airy, atmospheric music, kind of a new wave funk, with some beautiful soundscapes being created on various levels. The cigarette is a short piece of percussion chaos that rolls its way into the whimsical reggae of ?Right Now.?

?Los Federales,? the 11th song the disc is to me one of the best. It seamlessly blends the aforementioned prog sounds and reggae-rock, creating a wonderfully chaotic but heavily textured piece. It is a very memorable song, with tight riffs, fun percussion and subconscious tweaks. The thunderous chorus has some great phrasing and the echoing voice, reminiscent of early Bowie, is mind-bending.

When it comes right down to it Green Lemon brings me back to a conversation among friends that took place in a Bickfords restaurant at 1 am around 1990. It was a discussion, and argument, about the merits of the Grateful Dead school and the Yes/early Genesis school of music. The discussion was getting heated when one of us, and I can?t remember who, injected this thought: ?man, how sweet would it be if Yes would take that wild trippy prog shit they do and just start jamming with it like Jerry?? It stopped the conversation cold and I have been searching ever since for a band that can do it. I?ve found them.

Green Lemon, at its best, takes progressive stylings, jams them like Jerry and throws in a bit of reggae just to keep it interesting. They are the band that I have been waiting for.

[...]  Green Lemon is a vibrant band that?s currently generating quite a buzz with its self-described ?Reggadelic/Conceptual/Improv Jam? music. Whether that?s an appropriate moniker is open for debate, but the band has an almost hypnotic groove-based sound that flits across genres with reckless abandon and a sense of fun highlighted by the often-whimsical lyrics. Guitarist Lincoln Greenhaw says, ?We grew up in Oklahoma without a real music subculture, so we got a chance to evolve into our thing.?

Formed in 1999, the band moved to Colorado in 2001, where it built up a steady fanbase that?s spreading regionally and nationally, thanks to many festival gigs and steady touring. On its selftitled album, Green Lemon creates tightly woven sonic soundscapes that are rich in melody and texture. Despite the fact the band cites Ween, The Cure and Talking Heads as influences, echoes of Pink Floyd and Caravan?and even the Ozric Tentacles?surface amid off-kilter but infectious rock-reggae explorations. The album boasts some memorable material, such as the progrock/ techno meanderings of ?Whitecap? and ?Flight of Manwe,? as well as the delicate ?Dinner at Chili?s and ?Cab Fare,? which segues nicely into the atmospheric ?Core of Me.?

The band likes to think of itself as the spokesperson for the subconscious, Midwestern cultural landscape. Its music is certainly a melting pot of styles and ideas or, as Greenhaw puts it, ?We?re kind of an elastic genre and we like to play with people?s expectations.?  [...]

The Ft. Collins, CO-based band known as Green Lemon has been rolling all over the states dripping some sweet lemon juice on many newly acquired fans. Green Lemon played the Joshua Tree Music Festival earlier this spring and will soon be hitting California again to jam at two local festivals, Baja Bash and Grassfest as well as a few other club dates along the coast. Apparently, their reggadelic conceptual improv jam sound isn't so bitter after all!

The talent runs deep among the five artists that make up the band as they each bring their own unique style to the group. Band members include Wayne Allen (guitar, vocals), Chris Cox (drums,vocals), Jonathan Cordero (keyboards, vocals), Jesse Fioravanti (bass, vocals), and Lincoln Greenhaw (guitar, vocals). The Green Lemon guys will be taking their diversified sound on the road to play in over 12 national festivals this summer. Recently, after playing at the Wakarusa Music Fest in Kansas, one reviewer claimed that Green Lemon was "easily one of the best new bands."

Green Lemon is scheduled to play at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, CA on Tuesday, July 27th, and also at Sherwin's Folley in Mammoth Lakes, CA on Thursday, July 29th and Friday, July 30th before hitting Baja Bash that weekend. After the Bash, the Lemon will be at Winston's in San Diego on Tuesday, August 3rd. To find additional tour dates in CA, check out their website at www.greenlemonband.com.

For all of you Lemonheads living in the Sunshine State, or in some other music loving state for that matter, make your way out to a local venue or festival and see if you too aren't squeezed in all the right places by the harmonics of Green Lemon!

[...]  So there I am, finally making way to the second stage in an effort to find out a bit more of Green Lemon, a band that caught my attention at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. Walking along the path towards the side stage seemed like we were in a scene from Willow, the movie with all the little people. Tall trees and a naturally shaded path stretched along the walk and carried an ambience to a fairy tale land. With a spring in my step, I approached the Lemon and realized that I was never permitted to stop, not even for a moment. Blending trance and huge jams together, they sounded like the result of a one-night stand between Particle and String Cheese. This funk ship lifted off and brought the sun down, sparkling with potential.  [...]

[...]  Green Lemon took to the opposing late night duties, pumping trance induced grooves that went well into the morning. Within minutes I could tell that this was in every way possible a late night band, and I Thought they were great at what they do. With a group of folks dancing along into the wee morning hours, the second half of the first day proved to come together.  [...]

[...]  Friday's lineup consists of a great mix of jam bands to help fans settle into the campground and set the mood for the weekend, including jam giants Max Creek, ekoostik hookah, The Derek Trucks Band, Green Lemon, and Addison Groove Project, among many others.  [...]

[...]  The second annual Joshua Tree Music Festival is happening May 7-9, celebrating another three-day camping and music festival in the magical Mojave. The funk factor will be high with a wildly eclectic and divergent lineup. Enjoy the nu-funk soul of The Soul of John Black, the magic carpet ride of Hamsa Lila, Reggie Watts and Maktub, The Slip, Hammond-heavy jams by MamaSutra, dance floor demolition by ALO, and the Afrobeat of Albino. Also on hand to raise the vibe will be the beautiful newgrass of Mary and Mars, Bauhaus cumbias by Very Be Careful, reggaedelic conceptual improv by Green Lemon, Haale's Sufi-inspired lyrics and massive tribal beats, the Southern-fried boogie rock 'n' soul of Captain Soularcat, and the Gil Scott Heron-esque groove of Alfred Howard and the K23 Orchestra. Check out the full lineup at JoshuaTreeMusicFestival.com. Dancing under the stars is a given!  [...]

When you think of the jam scene, ?80s pop outfits such as Flock of Seagulls don?t usually enter the mind. Green Lemon, however, is hardly your typical jam band. Transcending the usual neo-hippie mix of Grateful Dead, Phish and String Cheese Incident-inspired improvisation, the Colorado-based band delivers a wildly eclectic sound that broadly expands the territory a jam band can cover without sacrificing its core. Released last summer, Green Lemon?s first official album touches on everything from new wave and dreamy Pink Floyd-like pop-rock to funk and reggae.

?We like to keep our options open as much as possible,? guitarist Wayne Allen says. ?We have three songwriters pretty much, and basically we all have different backgrounds in what we grew up listening to, so we try to go different directions as much as possible.?

In addition to Allen, the band consists of bassist Matt Fioravanti, guitarist Lincoln Greenshaw, keyboardist Jonathan Cordero and drummer Christopher Cox. All five members share vocal duties.

Although jam aficionados make up a large portion of Green Lemon?s audience, Allen says the band wants to avoid being pigeonholed into one particular scene.

?I personally don?t think we?re a jam band, but we get a lot of jam band fans at our shows,? he says. ?We basically just want to get our music out to as many people as possible. Whether it?s a hippie kid or a pop-radio kid, it really doesn?t matter. I think everyone has the right to enjoy good music. A lot of hippie bands have a following where if you don?t have dreads and you?re not dirty, then you?re not worthy to be at the show. But we?ve never been that way. Overall, we just want people to have a good time.?

The members of Green Lemon also have quite a sense of humor. On their latest album, a song titled ?Intergalactic Intercourse? is followed by ?Intergalactic Cigarette,? and their live shows are noted for wacky cover songs that have included South Park character Chef?s ?Chocolate Salty Balls? and Britney Spears? ?Hit Me Baby.?

?We definitely have a little bit of a Ween influence,? Allen says. ?We like to at least have one or two stupid songs per set that can make people laugh. And sometimes, we?ll dress up at our shows just to keep it fun. We?ll all wear like a stupid costume to a show. We pretty much figure that if we look like complete dipshits up on stage, then the crowd isn?t going to be afraid to get out on the dance floor.?

Originally formed in 1999 while its members were still in high school in Oklahoma City, the band moved to Fort Collins, Colo., in 2001 after Fioravanti and Cox returned from eight months spent on the Virgin Islands. Allen admits that the band was drawn to the Rocky Mountain State because of its burgeoning music scene.

?The local scene there is just amazing,? he says. ?There are so many good local bands. It was tough getting into the scene, but once you get in it, the people are great. They really like to support the local music scene there.?

Allen also appreciates the diversity of the Fort Collins scene, and is quite proud of the fact that local resident Bill Stevenson of Descendents and Black Flag fame made a guest appearance on their album, which was recorded at Stevenson?s The Blasting Room studio.

?Obviously, we?re nowhere near the same musically, but we all got along great,? Allen says of Stevenson. ?He?s a great guy and he?s a great drummer.?

Currently on their first major national tour, Green Lemon hopes to generate a buzz through relentless touring and follow a similar grassroots path that led String Cheese Incident to widespread success.

?If we do make it, it?s going to be from our live shows,? Allen says. ?I don?t think we?ll ever be a band that gets success through radio.?

Green Lemon performs Thursday, Jan. 8 at The Joint, 1393-100 Tiger Blvd., Clemson. Showtime is 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $3. For more info, call 864-654-4100 or visit www.thejointlive.com.