THE LEMONHEADS are performing at Santiago Alquimista in Lisbon on October 24.
An American alternative rock band, The Lemonheads was created in 1986 with the only constant member of the band being singer / guitarist Evan Dando. Although the band had been around for quite some time, they only reached real heights in 1992 with the release of their album, It’s a Shame About Ray.
The band’s name is said to have come from a sweet that Dando had tasted which was sweet on the inside but sour on the outside, believed to be a metaphor of the band’s music.
Having released a number of albums in the early years, including Hate Your Friends, Lick, Creator and Lovey, Lemonheads’ sound wasn’t terribly successful with audiences – the latter album having a grunge sound, which wouldn’t prove popular for at least another year.
Due to the band’s disappointing sales, Dando decided to have a break and so travelled to Australia where he would work on further songs with friends Nic Dalton and Tom Morgan. These would be the songs that would form the basis of their breakthrough album, It’s a Shame About Ray.
The band enjoyed quite a bit of success on college radio, and modest mainstream exposure. During 1992-1993, Dando’s face graced many magazine covers, and he was also included in People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People list.
Prior to the release of their next album, Come On Feel The Lemonheads, the group officially changed their name from Lemonheads to The Lemonheads. Shortly afterwards, they achieved greater success with the release of the single, Into Your Arms – it would be their greatest selling single in the UK.
The group befriended Oasis, frequently performing alongside them in concert, but soon cracks began to show and Dando admitted to being a drug addict.
In 1996, the group produced another album entitled Car Button Cloth which showcased the darker side of The Lemonheads. However, it demonstrated that all was not well with Dando. They toured successfully in 1997 before he continued within the music industry, solo, releasing two albums, Live at the Brattle Theatre and Baby I’m Bored which saw him performing live throughout the world.
In 2005, the band announced to the world that they would be re-forming. The following year they signed up to Vagrant Records, and released an album, simply entitled The Lemonheads. Tours throughout the UK, US and Europe were followed by the release of a deluxe version of their 1992 hit album, It’s a Shame About Ray, for which Dando won a classic album award at the NME US Awards ceremony this year.
A covers album, Varshons, is to be released this month.
Check them out at www.myspace.com/thelemonheads
