Jeff Russo was a lonely musician in L.A. until he randomly walked into a pool hall and found his long- time friend from the past, Emerson Hart.

That day Tonic emerged onto the music scene.

It started when Russo and Hart began writing songs together and performing in clubs.

They met drummer Kevin Shepard one night at the Kibitz Room, a hot spot for late night jams. Soon after, they added bassist Dan Rothchild, and Tonic was complete.

In 1996, Tonic headed into the studio to record 12 songs for its debut album “Lemon Parade,” produced by Jack Joseph Puig, who is well-known for his work with the Black Crowes and Jellyfish.

The end result of the record was a parade of diverse songs filled with heart and a love for powerful rock ‘n’ roll.

The group’s single “Open Up Your Eyes” received some heavy radio play, but the breakthrough song, “If You Could Only See,” helped the band make its mark.

However, the songs on the rest of the album are not to be ignored. Hart pens his lyrics to match the intensity of the band’s music.

From the fast-moving “Casual Affair” to the final song, “My Old Man,” Hart finds a happy medium writing about abuse, love, pompous men and his Irish roots.

Hart has said a lot of his songs come from his dreams. The title song “Lemon Parade” is a good example.

Hart dreamt of an ugly-duckling girl who kids were throwing lemons at from their lemonade stand, a press release explained. Hart was riding by on his three-speed Schwinn and witnessed what went on. Later he saw her grown-up and realized how gorgeous she was.

Perhaps the most amazing song on the album, besides the ever-popular singles, is “Celtic Aggression.” The song speaks of immigrants from Ireland moving to America, only to find that they’ve lost their heritage and experienced what the song calls a “death of culture.”

In a short time, Tonic’s songs have found their way to MTV, VH-1 and Canada’s video show MuchMusic. MTV’s “12 Angry Viewers” gave the video for “Open Up Your Eyes” the highest ratings of the week that it was aired.

Tonic has also appeared on talk shows such as “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Vibe” and the “Keenan Ivory Wayans Show.”

This helped Tonic gain the enthusiasm it needed to support a nationwide tour.

Soon after “Lemon Parade” went platinum, Tonic, a band that loves to play, was headlining a heavily scheduled North American Tour, playing over 300 shows in under two years.

Currently, Tonic has been recording some B-sides and finding some time to play more shows. The band has been restructuring, including adding bassist Dan Lavery in its tour lineup.

After playing at Veishea this weekend, Tonic will be heading to New York the next day to headline a live show that will be broadcasted by MTV.

Tonic has finally arrived. The popular band has a busy touring schedule and has trouble finding time to work on material for its next album.

The band’s amazing guitar work along with its distinctive vocals will continue to drive it further into the ranks of other popular rock bands.

Tonic’s well-rounded, impressively-mastered songs are predicted to continue climbing the charts as band members pour themselves forward into rock ‘n’ roll history.

Tonic will play at Rock Veishea Saturday night.

Tickets are $3 in advance or $5 the night of the show. A $5 advanced ticket package is also available for tickets to both Dew the Rec and Rock Veishea.

Tickets are open to Iowa State students, faculty and staff, alumni and Ames residents.