Lemon Knife is a Chicago-based hard rock duo (primarily bass and drums--sometimes the bassist switches to guitar) with punk edges, classic rock sensibilities, and literate lyrics on a wide variety of topics. They have since played 50+ shows at a variety of Chicago venues and events, including North Lawndale Arts Festival, Windy City Hot Dog Fest, Beat Kitchen, Cubby Bear, and Reggie's, alongside several memorable DIY shows. Their tracks have received radio play by stations such as WKQX’s Demo 312, WIIT, and WRSE, the band has appeared for live sessions on WHPK and WZRD, and their song Cold Burn has received 2000+ streams on Spotify after resonating with the asexual community.
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Price Range: $100 and up
Gig Length: 40 - 120 minutes
Languages: English
Lemon Knife is a Chicago-based hard rock duo with punk edges, classic rock sensibilities, and literate lyrics on a wide variety of topics. Formed by kindred nerds Mia Blixt-Shehan (bass, vocals, guitar) and John Retterer-Moore (drums, vocals, lyrics) in the spring of 2017, they have since played 50+ shows at a variety of Chicago venues and events, including North Lawndale Arts Festival, Windy City Hot Dog Fest, Beat Kitchen, Cubby Bear, and Reggie's, alongside several memorable DIY shows. Their tracks have received radio play by stations such as WKQX’s Demo 312, WIIT, and WRSE, the band has appeared for live sessions on WHPK and WZRD, and their song Cold Burn has received 2000+ streams on Spotify after resonating with the asexual community.
They released their first album, Songs About Water and Death, in April 2018, their second album, I Know That
This is Vitriol, in December 2019, and their third album, Endlessly Expanding, in May 2021, which also saw the
release of their first music video for the song Two Atomic Heroes. Their latest album, Ignite!, which was
released in January 2023, is their most sonically varied to date, including the dancey garage punk of the title
track, the haunting folk of Kirkwald in a Day, and the southern rock of Grow Old in Maine. Finally, the Earth EP, released in March 2024, largely sees the band returning to its riff-rock roots.
We've listed equipment we'd like the venue/event organizer to provide in Stage/Setup requirements. If there is anything they can't provide, we're willing to source it for an increased fee.
| January 12, 2023 • All-day event | Chicago venue show (Albany Park) |
| December 16, 2022 • All-day event | Chicago venue show (Lincoln Park) |
| June 30, 2022 • 7:00pm - 11:30pm | Chicago venue show (Albany Park) |
| June 11, 2022 • 7:00pm - 11:30pm | Chicago venue show (Logan Square) |
| May 13, 2022 • 7:00pm - 11:59pm | Private event |
Primarily originals--we have 40 we can play as of April 2022 and more are always being written (including a fourth album with a late 2022/2023 release)
Typically, 10-20% of our set is covers--we're not a cover band but enjoy sprinkling them through the set. We're certainly open to doing more covers for the right gig (we've done a couple of tribute sets for Halloween that were a ton of fun), as long as we can sneak in some of ours! Covers we can bring out (different every show by default--feel free to request any in particular ahead of time!):
The B-52s - Rock Lobster, Love Shack
Bad Religion - 21st Century Digital Boy, American Jesus
Band of Horses - Funeral
The Breeders - Cannonball
Cake - Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle
The Cars - You're All I've Got Tonight
Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles
Death - Politicians in My Eyes
Death from Above 1979 - Black History Month
Devo - Uncontrollable Urge
Flaming Lips - The W.A.N.D.
Flobots - Mayday!!!
Foo Fighters - DOA, All My Life
Green Day - Welcome to Paradise, American Idiot, Longview
Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta
The Hives - Hate to Say I Told You So
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
Johnny Cash and June Carter - Jackson (punk version)
Iggy Pop - Paraguay
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
Liz Phair - Divorce Song
Modest Mouse - Doin' the Cockroach
Muse - Hysteria, Time is Running Out
My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Kicks
Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
Porcupine Tree - Blackest Eyes
The Protomen - The Hounds
Queen - Sheer Heart Attack, Hammer to Fall
Queens of the Stone Age - A Song for the Dead, My God is the Sun, You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire
Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
R.E.M. - Living Well is the Best Revenge
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop
The Replacements - Bastards of Young
Royal Blood - Figure It Out
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
The Strokes - Reptilia
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Ballad of the Sin Eater
U2 - Vertigo
Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns, and Money; Ain't That Pretty at All (punk/Pixies-inspired version)
The Who - The Real Me, My Generation
Wilson Pickett - Land of 1000 Dances (punk version)
Royal Blood, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, Wolfmother, Patti Smith, The B-52s, The Clash, Devo, The Who, The Replacements, Blue Oyster Cult, Frank Turner, Rage Against the Machine, Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, The Strokes
PA system
Mic stand (any, for bass player)
Boom mic stand (for drummer)
Drum kit (anything with the basics will do; we have cymbals and snare)
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