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Lemon Joy lays out a rockin' set with an acoustic touch and a lyrical sensibility not found in your average L.A. band. A tight weave of vocal harmonies atop clean guitar, steady bass, subtle keys, and a varied arsenal of percussion provides the signature sound of this West L.A. fivesome. With a versatility born of hard practice and diverse influences, the band scales easily from a coffee house groove to rock club volume. Lemon Joy is Arthur Gu, guitar and vocals; Carl Q., percussion and vocals; Nic Rongavilla on bass; Kelly Jao, keyboards and vocals; and Bryan Torralba on drums. They've been compared to acts as varied as Crowded House, Trashcan Sinatras, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the Replacements. Singer/keyboardist
Kelly Jao is a classically trained pianist and singer, thankfully bringing back the high end to our harmonies to resurrect The Lemon Joy Wall of Sound. As the first new instrument to join Lemon Joy in years, her piano opens up musical opportunities for the band and adds another dimension to our already varied repertoire. Drummer
Bryan Torralba's steady presence behind the kit since his days with a student orchestra accounts for his diverse musical background, keen insight into rhythm, and band spirit. Although rocker blood flows through his veins, its source is a jazz player's heart, as the saxophone was the first instrument to call his name. Torralba can also dabble in guitar, bass, piano, and vocals when duty calls. |
Singer/guitarist
Arthur Gu cut his musical teeth over the course of a decade in L.A. bands such as Albert the Hippo, Violet Crumble, Charmed, and Tick. Also, during five years of intensive guitar studies he studied with such notables as classical guitar virtuoso Celine Romero, an influence that emerges in the Latin feel of such Lemon Joy standards as Angry Love Song and Bittersweet Anubis Rex. Gu's lyrics, similarly complex and polished, explore the depths of the human psyche.
Singer/percussionist
extraordinaire Carl Q., the holder of the second longest tenure
in the band, comes from a long line of musical Qs. Long before there was even a word "karaoke," he was singing along with every song he heard, nearly landing himself at the helm of an Alice Cooper cover band in college as a result. He's also been shaking things and hitting them with sticks since he was wee. He cites--and wields--such influences as Arabic music, '80s hardcore, and channeling of French legend Serge Gainsbourg.
Bassist
Nic Rongavilla, another of the Lemon Joy veterans, has been in the greater L.A. music scene since 1997. Early on, he hopped from band to band before landing a year-long gig on bass with Britpop-influenced Helsinki. Moving on from there, he then spent a short stint as rhythm guitarist for Vertugo before joining Lemon Joy--and resuming bassist duties--in May 2003.