Collaborating with other local performers and establishing relationships is key for local bands. Connections are easily made in the Toledo area music scene, and one never knows who might provide and opportunity to advance a music career. Renegade Lemonade, an area psychedelic jam band, knows a lot about those relationships, which is how the band has come to perform twice on The Man Cave with Jeff Lamb. (The performances are available on YouTube.) Lamb, a DJ in Toledo for 30 years, started a show about 10 years ago, the Man Cave, to showcase local talent.
Showcasing Renegade Lemonade’s eclectic range of covers and original tunes, the band is fronted by Rebecca and Mike Hallock, who also perform acoustic sets together. Readers can see both Renegade and The Hallocks in various local venues in the coming months. Toledo City Paper talked with Mike Hallock about the band’s origins and their past and future performances.
Freshly Squeezed
Renegade Lemonade formed a few years ago, though The Hallocks have been together and performing for a while. “We met through another band and hit it off, playing acoustically together. We decided to form our own band, but went through a few different performers before we found the Renegade Lemonade we’re playing with now.”
Along with Mike and Rebecca, Renegade Lemonade is made up of Marco Karia and Steve Danielak. “We all have (musical) backgrounds playing with other groups,” explains Mike. “We’ve had a few line-up changes, but we’ve had this line-up consistently for the past year.”
Going with the flow has allowed the band to find the right members, and the right name. “Rebecca came up with [the name Renegade Lemonade],” Mike explained, “when we were driving to dinner one night. We were going back and forth trying to figure out words/names of things that felt smooth, [that rolled off the tongue] and Renegade Lemonade just flowed together.”
Sweet Success
Sweet SuccessPast experiences have also flowed together with current opportunities. Longtime local DJ Jeff Lamb hosts ‘The Man Cave’, a show where he “reaches out to bands in the area, and [Mike] said we’d be happy to play. After our first show there we found out Jeff’s wife and daughter were fans and had seen me perform in other bands. We ended up playing a second time as a surprise to Jeff’s wife for her birthday”
The two Man Cave performances are great examples of the band’s talent. “We play mostly covers, but we play them with justice,” Mike explained. “We jam out Grateful Dead songs, just seeing where they go. We’ve been working on our own originals, too. Years ago when we started, we were playing mainly Rebecca’s original tunes.” And they still play those originals for live performances.
If you follow Renegade Lemonade to see their upcoming shows, some are listed as Duo performances. “Those are full-blown acoustic shows with just Becca and I,” said Mike. “We sing 50/50, and I’m on percussion. We do many different things musically with just the two of us; maybe the same songs, but a different feel and show.”
Upcoming shows will be performed around the area, from Port Clinton to Luna Pier. And there is talk of a Renegade Lemonade album. “That’s a goal for sure, but we still have a busy year with about two or three shows a week,” Mike said, “and next year we’re looking to make a music video and get some of our originals down. We think it’s important to express ourselves and get people out to support local bars and local music.” If you’re looking for a good time, take a sip of Renegade Lemonade
Information and upcoming tour dates can be found on Renegade Lemonade’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/sailinglemonade
