Like Father Like Son(s): The D’Addario Family Business

Taking over the family business

The old adage invokes restaurants, laundromats, corner stores, and the like. In the D’Addario family’s case, though, the family business is . . . 70s AM radio gold. Not quite as cut and dry as a laundromat, but not without precedent either.

Jakob Dylan has the raspy, road weary voice of his father, but no one could match Bob’s lyrical prowess. Sean Ono Lennon, well, you get the idea. Both sons tried keeping up the “family business,” and they weren’t entirely unsuccessful. “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers is a rolling, heart wrenching tune. Sean Ono Lennon’s “Home” hints at the kaleidoscopic swirl of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” with a grungy backdrop to suit the times. But for Sean and Jakob, John and Bob’s shoes proved too large to fill (probably for anyone).

For Brian and Michael D’Addario, though, their father Ronnie’s relative obscurity and anachronous releases mean that his shoes are actually fillable. And fill them his sons do. Eerily so.

Brian and Michael’s band, The Lemon Twigs, live in the same musical neighborhood as Foxygen, Drugdealer, and the probably-cancelled Ariel Pink: They pursue that breezy, golden-hour, 70s radio sound relentlessly, trying to become microcosms of the studio song factories of old, with a fraction of the resources (and a none of the creative constraints). Each band brings their own flavor – Ariel Pink’s sleaze and melodrama, Drugdealer’s tranquil cynicism and pristine recordings – but the D’Addario brothers bring something even more psychedelic: their father’s artistic fingerprints.

Google image search “Ronnie D’Addario” and scroll. Eventually, Brian and Michael will show up. Mixed in with their father’s results because they’ve surpassed him in fame by now. Stay focused though: you might scroll past them once or twice. The resemblance is that close. Even better: shuffle their songs together and go about your day. You don’t have to actively listen, just let it wash over you. Eventually, you’ll find yourself wondering, “is this one from 1975 of 2025?” The way the songs of father and sons can be played together without much discernible sonic difference is surreal. They’re delightfully similar both in fashion sense and songwriting sensibility. Where their contemporaries concoct a facsimile of 70s rock from their influences and preferred vintage timbres, The Lemon Twigs carry the torch like a family heirloom to honor and expand upon. Like father, like sons.

A Manhattan native, Ronnie D’Addario was inspired to make music, like many of his peers, after seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. His home recordings of the 70s and 80s weren’t released until decades later, but listening back to them now, the dude wrote some impeccable tunes (although he’s coy about his own contribution to the musical canon when asked). Aside from his solo work, he was a studio musician for years, working extensively as a touring guitarist with Irish folk musician Tommy Makem. He even met his wife, Susan Hall, while working with her as a sound engineer at Folk City Studio. (and you’d be well-off to listen to their adorable rendition of “Something Stupid”)

Growing up in this rich musical environment, Brian and Michael D’Addario blossomed early. From performing Beach Boys tunes together in the basement, to the broadway stage and feature films as young children, straight on to a recording contract with 4AD as teenagers; after their father Ronnie gave them a taste of the Beatles and The Beach Boys, they were off to the races. Their poise, precision, and energy onstage nowadays suggests prime Beatles, and it’s likely a product of their countless hours performing together throughout their lives (although . . . it could be genetic).

Listening to a Lemon Twigs set back-to-back with one of Ronnie D’Addario’s shows with The Fireman from the 80s, it’s hard to tell where nature and nurture begin and end. How much of it is inherited, and how much came from growing up in a deeply creative household? Whatever the ratio is, it built a true family business. A business selling immaculately blended vocal harmonies, intricately interwoven guitars, and rock balladry that doesn’t mimic the radio hits of the 70s, it stares at them eye-to-eye. This family business is booming, and it leaves me wondering what Brian and Michael’s children would come up with.

Now, if you want to hear for yourself, I’ve compiled a list of Lemon Twigs, Ronnie D’Addario, and Brian D’Addario tracks, shuffled together for maximum surrealism, and maximum enjoyment. Happy listening!

Additional inspiration for the article came from here.