Lemonheads to play It’s A Shame About Ray in its entirety at High Noon Saloon
First a scruffy underground band and then an overground sensation thanks in part to a Simon And Garfunkel cover and bandleader Evan Dando’s good looks, The Lemonheads have always had a way with light, strummy power-pop. Even after dancing with the cocaine devil during the ’90s, Dando has a vibe that remains as breezy and laconic as ever. The 2009 album Varshons, produced by the Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes and featuring guest vocals from Liv Tyler and Kate Moss, is entirely covers, with Dando and company giving a low-key rock sheen to material from the obvious-but-tasteful (Gram Parsons, Leonard Cohen, and Townes Van Zandt) to the more unusual (Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and a Nick Cave-lite take on the GG Allin murder ballad, “Layin’ Up With Linda”). But you are unlikely to hear any covers but “Mrs. Robinson” this tour: Like Weezer, X, and Springsteen, among other examples of late, the group is skipping a set list to play right through an album—in this case, 1992’s It’s A Shame About Ray.
See the band take a spin through that album when it comes to the High Noon Saloon Jan. 22. It’s not too soon to start making plans for next year.
