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The Lizards (band)
The Lizards are an international progressive rock band formed in the spring of 2001 by guitarist and lead singer Carisa Roselle, then member of the folk band The Smiles. Well known for it’s members lime green ties and unique personalities, the band rose to prominance in the mid to late 2000’s. The band is notable for having a constant change of lineup, with most members staying with the band for less than four years. Counting their re-released albums, the band has been awarded 7 gold ablums, and has enjoyed 3 consective years on the pop charts. The band has sold over 13 million albums in the United States, and has had over 20 hit singles.

The Lizards music included songs based on social commentary, inside jokes, and a scientific analysis of the flow of freon through cooling and refrigeration systems. Their 2011 hit “Circle Up” remains a staple at most hockey games.

The band is perhaps even more widley known for their album covers, which often feature the band members either in unusual cirumstances or hiding, than for their actuall music. Their Greatest Hits album cover has been recognized as one of the most iconic works of art in the music industry, while the poster for their Charged, With Intent to Funkifize tour has become the subject of many parodies and imitations.

Formation and early years: Before The Lizards were cool
The band formed in October 1985 in south-west Geneseo, which was rapidly emerging as a cultural spring. It was here that bands such as The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, and Jerry & the Five Pavers were beginning to gain popularity. Founders Jimmy Dunn and Alan Bloomfield were heavily influenced by these bands, but began experimenting with mixing the synthetic, electrodouche sound of the era with a more melodic, bluesy instrumentation. Perhaps it was their invention of the electric washboard and the polyphonic lute that gave them their distinctive sound. The bands name was rumored to have been a reference to the film Dark Creature From Evil Attacks, although bagpiper Dalton Gibbons later stated in his autobiography that while playing at a jam session in the basement of Allegany, the group noticed a copy of The Lamron, which they though pictured a lizard on the front page. It was later discovered that the picture was of President Ronald Reagan, but by then the name had stuck.

The Lizards began playing in local clubs and dive bars, including the then unknown Vital Spot. They soon adopted an awkward, withdrawn stage persona, which eventually carried over into their personal lives. In 1986, headman Steven Tourklouis became interested in the Creeper lifestyle, and began wearing unwashed sweatpants, uncombed hair, and a lime green tie, which soon became his trademark look.

The rebellious “follow all the rules” attitude and bookish social isolation often got them into trouble. After they were thrown out of 3 consecutive gigs for not showing up drunk and leaving their hotel rooms cocaine free, their manager left them in disgust.

After the release of their first LP, the fan following became too much for them. Many members became reclusive and withdrawn. At the 1988 Brotherhood Meeting, which has been described as a Woodstock revival, The Lizards chose to sit in the far back row, and didn’t even perform during their set. The band quickly faded from public image, and by the early 90’s they were relegated to a footnote in the prolific era of Geneseo Mod Music.

Brief Revival and appearance on The Cosby Show
In October 1995, The Lizards reformed after the community service resurgence had swept the Geneseo campus. They signed to Goldschläger Records, and their first studio album, Something Different, when platinum within 2 weeks on the charts. This period became known as the Karissa-Janet era, during which the band wore their famously flamboyant lizard hats and elaborately designed letters.

In February 1996, shortly after Karissa left the band, members David Price and Josh Whiteman pledged to the band. Although producing a few notable singles, such as “So”, and “What Color Does Turkish Captain America Bleed”, the band remained relatively obscure.

Midway through their concert in at Sectionals Music Hall, the bands amplifier malfunctioned, and would play nothing but high pitched, squealing death whines. According to one witness of the concert It was as if Hell itself had been opened up. The amplifier could not be turned down, and it was hardwired into the wall, so it could not even be unplugged. Then all of a sudden, this guy, he was just some guy in the crowd, jumped on stage and grabbed Whiteman’s guitar. He just started bending the notes around, and he seemed to be actually riding the squeal. They finally shut the power to the amp and escorted the man off the stage, but by then the whole crowd was in a frenzy and started chanting for them to bring back the man. It was one of the wildest things I’d ever seen.

That concert goer was Daryl “The Man” James, who went on to be one of the most influencial and important guitarists of the late 90’s. Following the bands new breakthrough success, they revamped their touring circuit, appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman and the 20th aniversary Christmas special of The Cosby Show.

Peak years (2011)
While popular in the urban street areas and the Pacific Northwest, the Lizards still had relativly little success in the deeep south. The band decided to hire banjo player Jane Raffaldi, a southern hick from the white trash state of Alabama. Raffaldi's twangy country vibe fit surprisingly well with the bands sound, and their fanbase doubled almost overnight. Raffaldi remains somewhat of an anomaly in the group, and still insists on driving her '67 Chevy pickup with naked girl mudflaps to concerts rather than ride in the bands lime green Rolls Royce limo.

In February 2011, shortly after the release of Creepin’, drummer Anthony Gebo left the group to join Clarkson. He was replaced by trombonist Steve Barron, who brought a brassier, more powerful sound to the group. The Pike-Barron era Lizards produced a number of memorable recordings, with hit singles such as “Only The Good Love Pie” and “Hearts of Plastic.”

Pike began writing new music for the group, focusing on heavy baselines and a less ‘electric’ feel. At the time, Pike was known to be using heavy amphetamines and drank heavily. Danielle Ward spoke of an incident where he spiked a pie that was intended to be served to the entire band with large amounts of nutmeg, a strong hallucinogenic. Pike earned the nickname “Sly Motherfucker” from then manager David Gibson, as he was consistently showing up to gigs too high to play.

Hiatus from touring and return (2011-2012)
In late spring of 2011, after completing a vast world tour and producing the live album "Machete Don’t Text", the group took an extended hiatus. Leggiero and Haensch left the group to pursue solo careers, but would later return to the group for collaboration projects. The group reunited in the fall of ’11 and began touring with The Risk Management Policy. This brought them onto the pop charts, but the band lost much of its original funk feel. According to manager Luke Haffen, Lutz and trombonist Peter O’Connell fought bitterly over the direction of the groups’ music. O’Connell eventually left the band in mid 2012 to form his own group, The Theta Functions.

As the fan base expanded, they gained a cult like following, similar to the Dead Heads of the Grateful Dead. These overly obsessed fans would follow them on the road from city to city, and became known collectively as The Might Hoard. Pike now holds the title of Minister of Funk of Denmark, though he continues to play with the band.

Band Members
Current
 * Peter "Jester of Tortuga" O’Connell, trombone
 * Topher Pike, Upright bass and Steamroller
 * Jane Raffaldi, banjo
 * Matt “Tower of” Bower, Electric Keyboard
 * Steve Barron, Trombone
 * Jeff Alvarez the tomahawk missile
 * Cam Houser jaw harp
 * Katie Becker electric washboard

Past
 * Johannes Haensch, Bagpipes
 * Anthony Leggiero, Wineglasses partially filled with water
 * John Nichols, Megashark
 * Nicholas Turecamo, drums
 * Malan Malan, Lute
 * Anthony Gebo, cowbell
 * Sebastian “Seabass” Woznicki, Sternum drum
 * Alasdair Mackie, sheep
 * Matt “Hands of Fate” Nanos, guitar
 * Daryl “The Man” James, quitar

Related

 * The Risk Management Policy
 * Alpha Phi Omega