Anthony Lai, Daniel Lai, Bonnie Lai, Ian Kushnir, Matthew Rossie and Sarah Storti perform in their band, Delirious Love.

Though the name might be unfamiliar to some, Delirious Love continues to capture the hearts of audiences from Taylor to Manchester with its charismatic and original approach to some of pop rock’s influential music.
Delirious Love will perform at the 11th annual Cruisin’ Downriver from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at The News-Herald Newspapers’ Cruisin’ Downriver booth, located at Southgate Lincoln Mercury dealership in Southgate.
The band will be only one featured item at the booth on cruisin’ Saturday. The News-Herald will be giving away its popular 2010 classic car calendar, which features the 12 winners from last year’s online contest. It will also be selling official Cruisin’ Downriver T-Shirts ($15 each), a as well as a unique “Cruisin’ Downriver Drivers Club” T-shirt ($10).
The official Cruisin’ Downriver T-shirt features this year’s logo on the front. The drivers’ club shirt, a generic gray number created earlier this year by the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber, also will be available Thursday night at the kickoff car show.
With more than 30 years of combined experience among its members, Delirious Love, a Dearborn-based classic rock band, is one of the Downriver area’s up-and-coming musical groups.
Founded in 2008 by rhythm guitarist and band front man Anthony Lai, the band quickly found its groove performing at community fairs, bars and restaurants along the I-94 corridor.
The band features Lai on rhythm/lead guitar and lead vocals, Bonnie Lai on keyboard and backup vocals, Ian “the Kush” Kushnir on drums, Matthew Rossie on saxophone and Daniel Lai on bass guitar. Vocalist Sarah Storti joins the group part time.
“We really got our start performing at little odds and ends venues,” Daniel Lai said. “When you are just starting off, you have to play anywhere that will let you. It takes a lot of faith to book an unknown cover band, especially because we’re just a little drop in the bigger bucket of bands in Michigan.”
Though heavily influenced by The Beatles, the band’s repertoire includes hits from Motown and Chuck Berry to Neil Diamond (the band took its name from one of Diamond’s hit songs) and the early hits of the 1960s and ’70s, with a select few songs from the ’80s thrown in “for good measure.”
“Few things are more satisfying than seeing someone’s reaction to playing one of their favorite songs,” Anthony Lai said.
The brothers have been playing together in various bands for 10 years. They launched their first band, Small-LaiZ in Galveston, Texas, in 1999 while in high school. The duo continued in Texas with their band Fated until Anthony moved to Michigan in 2002 to pursue an education in music at Henry Ford Community College and Wayne State University.
Anthony, who recently released his first album of all original material, said he credits his parents and grandparents for his success as a musician.
“My grandparents bought me a guitar (when I was 13),” he said. “My mom told me she wouldn’t buy me an amplifier unless I promised to practice every day, so I did.”
Bonnie Lai, 27, said she has been singing since she was old enough to hold a microphone.
“I've been singing since I was 3 and playing piano since I was 4,” she said. “My family is a musical family: Mom plays piano and organ, dad plays guitar, and all my sisters and brothers have sung or played instruments.
“I started performing in church singing when I was 6 and playing keyboard when I was 8. I couldn't stop singing and learning to play new instruments ever since.”
Her love of music eventually led her down the path to Henry Ford Community College, where she met and married Anthony in 2009.
“I was pretty heavily influenced by my family and high school and college choral and band directors in terms of helping me be the musician I am today,” she said. “In terms of style, Ella Fitzgerald was by far my biggest influence. Though I like many different styles of music, Jazz, ’50s and ’60s pop, and ’60s and ’70s rock are probably my favorites.”
Performing in Delirious Love has been an enjoyable experience for the band members.
“The best part of being in Delirious Love is the amount of fun I have on stage performing with the other band members,” Bonnie said. “It's never a dull moment. Plus, it's really awesome being in a band that can do so many styles of music and has the full three-part harmony a lot of times.”
Kushnir provides the much-needed comic relief with his quick wit and stories of grandeur during practice sessions.
Kushnir has been performing in bands for 14 years, beginning in the fourth grade.
“We have a lot of fun together,” he said.
Kushnir said he enjoys playing all types of music as long as “it’s not bad.”
Rossie, the youngest member of the band, has been performing for 10 years.
“My dad played saxophone back when he was in school, and our family had an old 1960s Martin alto saxophone, so once I got into middle school band I decided to give it a shot, and I’m very glad I did,” he said.
Rossie said he enjoys the opportunity to perform with Delirious Love.
“There is nothing quite like the reaction of a listener who just really digs what you're doing,” he said. “Music is a universal language that speaks to everyone in one way or another, and I love being part of that.”
For more information on Delirious Love, search for “Delirious Love” on Facebook.com or call 1-313-806-1208.