After 18 years together, local cover band The Termites made a big move in 2006 and added a female vocalist. The lineup change opened up endless possibilities for the group, which performs at The Tropics (formerly the Lincoln Park Grille) in Kettering on Friday.

Today, Chris Drake (vocals), Tim O’Brien (vocals, guitar), Terry O’Brien (keyboards, vocals), Greg Sunshein (guitar), Dave Sunshein (bass) and Chuck Esposito (drums) have a repertoire of more than 200 songs, running the gamut from The Mama & Papas and Creedence Clearwater Revival to Adele and Kid Rock.

The Termites, minus Drake and Terry O’Brien, sat down recently to discuss their band.

O’Brien: “We’ve expanded to add a few newer songs that we can pull out when we have to, but typically people like the older stuff, so that’s what we tend to stick with.”

Greg Sunshein: “We used to do more hard-driving ’60s stuff like Vanilla Fudge and things like that.”

O’Brien: “We have a lot of dance songs primarily from the ’60s and ’70s. We have a few slow songs, but they’re mostly fast dance songs by The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and a lot of one-hit wonders like ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Louie, Louie.’ It’s three-chord rock.”

A feminine touch

Greg Sunshein: “Since we added Chris six years ago, we’re a garage band with a nice singer.”

O’Brien: “Bringing in a female singer was a conscious decision. We needed to step it up and offer more variety, and she really has brought a whole new flavor to the band.”

Dave Sunshein: “A female puts some class into your act.”

O’Brien: “Since she joined we’ve added maybe a dozen songs for me and my brother. They’re all for her, because we recognize she’s got the better voice and we want to highlight that.”

At The Tropics

O’Brien: “The Tropics has a really good sound system. The guy who runs the sound there is great. He does a good job. He’s really into it. The owner, Bill (Mangan), is a nice guy. He treats us good, so we want him to do well.”

Greg Sunshein: “We used to play there a lot when it was Lincoln Park Grill. We played on the floor by the bar. The people were right in your face. That was always fun.”

O’Brien: “We played Lincoln Park Grille on New Year’s Eve and we used to always get a good crowd. We’ll be back at The Tropics for this New Year’s and we’re hoping we’re able to do the same this year.”