Led by Evan Dando, The Lemonheads moved their early sound of Hüsker-Dü influenced punk rock towards catchy, lo-fi rock full of pop sensibilities, also displaying Dando's love of country-rock in its tone. They have become cult figures in the world of alternative rock, building a loyal following of fans, alongside respect from fellow illuminates like Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis.
In the late 80s, The Lemonheads released a number of recordings on various independent labels, focussing on a hardcore punk sound but didn't gain any substantial success outside of their cult following. It was after joining Atlantic Records in 1990 that the band were to find widespread acclaim, through their album, "Lovey," a more melodic and dynamic record than what had come previously. This was followed by 1992's "It's a Shame About Ray," their breakthrough album, which gained significant momentum through their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson," with the Lemonheads being tipped for big things following its release. Dando had become a minor celebrity after this success, with his personal life and battle with drug addiction becoming widely publicised.
After recovering from addiction, "Car Button Cloth" was released in 1995, featuring a new lineup, including former members of Dinosaur Jr. The album received mixed reviews and the band were unable to generate the success they had with previous efforts, which led to an indefinite hiatus.
However, Dando reunited The Lemonheads, releasing their self-titled album in 2005, which reignited enthusiasm for the band. The Lemonheads embarked on several tours following this, finding a resurgence of popularity in the music world. In 2009, they released "Varshons" an album of covers including tracks by Gram Parsons, Wire, Christina Aguilera and GG Allin, which was released to positive critical acclaim.
Seeing The Lemonheads live will take you back to a place in time where ripped, faded jeans were in style and music about youthful angst and the slacker’s boredom filled the airwaves of the college radio station.
Although some of The Lemonheads’ songs might harp on the topic of teenage boredom, they are far from boring live. The band rolls through their setlist at a rapid pace, playing through hit after hit. This intense speed of performance allows them to cram in all our favorite tunes into the setlist.
Main songwriter and lead singer, Evan Dando, still performs his classic grungey, alternative rock music we love so much with the same amount of vigor he always has. The band’s performance is usually simple and straight forward, using very little theatrics, but their strong-suit is their catchy songwriting, and any additive substance of theatrics would take away from their raw, sincere performance. The music always has an energetic feel with Dando’s ever changing chord progressions and blaring guitar solos. The setlist spans across their whole career, but after having celebrated their 20th anniversary of the critically acclaimed album, It’s a Shame About Ray, they have been recently including a larger selection from this hit record.
The band’s short and sweet style of performing is what makes them so great. They have a direct way of performing their music and they don’t need superfluous instrumentation or theatrics to get their energy across. You can expect to have a great time rocking out to classics such as “My Drug Buddy” or you might even here the unique, fast-paced rendition of “Mrs. Robinson”.
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