Tonic

Vocalist and guitarist Emerson Hart launched the alternative/roots outfit Tonic in 1993 alongside childhood friend Jeff Russo on guitar, bassist Dan Rothchild, and drummer Kevin Shepard. Following local performances throughout Los Angeles, the quartet secured a deal with A&M Records. Jack Joseph Puig, whose credits include Jellyfish and the Black Crowes, produced their first album and infused it with a pronounced roots orientation by incorporating lap steel and mandolin. That record, Lemon Parade, appeared in July 1996. After Dan Rothchild exited and Dan Lavery stepped in, the group supplied tracks to the soundtracks for Scream 2, The X Files, and Clay Pigeons, then resurfaced in 1999 with Sugar. Three years afterward came Head On Straight. Although “Take Me As I Am” achieved widespread airplay on modern rock stations, the group’s peak recognition arrived in early 2003 with a pair of Grammy nominations—one for Best Rock Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal for “Take Me As I Am” and another for Best Rock Album. Tonic entered a hiatus in 2004 yet reconvened in 2008 for touring and to record a self-titled follow-up that surfaced in 2010.