The show was all it promised to be; Evan Dando, stringy-limbed and stringy-haired as ever, full of the old chestnuts that one expects to hear from a band who has now been around for nigh on two decades, banging away on his guitar with effortless (if slightly apathetic) abandon. There were moments bordering on pure beauty (Big Gay Heart and The Outdoor Type spring to mind) but mainly pure fun. Imagine a sea of middle-aged mostly ex-boy-geeks-cum-man-geeks, wearing the same T-shirts they were wearing in 1992 but looking as if someone had just squashed them down a bit making them shorter and rounder (and balder), bopping violently to Bit Part and Great Big No. And though we're pretty sure that save maybe three songs, the playlist was exactly the same as it was when we saw them two years ago (I say them but I mean Dando as the lineup is always changing), it was exactly what we paid for.
I confess that my favourite Lemonheads tracks have often been their covers (Frank Mills, Different Drum, yes, also the one that they don't talk about anymore) and therefore their June '09 release, Varshons, a mainly alt-country covers album produced by Gibby Haynes (of the Butthole Surfers) is the right recipe in my book. I read somewhere that the track picks were based largely on the mix tapes Haynes used to make for Dando which totally makes sense given the higgledy-piggledy nature of the track list. Ranging from an iffy Liv Tyler-assisted cover of Leonard Cohen's Hey, There's No Way to Say Goodbye to a thoroughly excellent Laying with Linda (a take on G.G. Allin which rocked live), it offers up a good mix overall. Though I have to say I don't really get the pairing with Tyler and even less the one with Mossy on Dirty Robot, I can't blame the boys for wanting to hang out with two of the hottest women north of 30.
On the whole Varshons is just okay, but in terms of seeing what Dando and Haynes do with such a diverse pool, it's worth it just to experience their double act which I think is ultimately pretty successful. I certainly hope Haynes is in on the promised next album. I will also say that this album seems to convey more fun than their last self-titled effort, fun sorely needed based on the soul-destroying ennui Dando sometimes/often displayed live this past Saturday. And although I still derive real joy from hearing Rudderless, I really can't say I blame him. As my husband pointed out, imagine writing a riff one afternoon when you're 18 and it's still the main thing anyone wants to hear you play when you're 42?
As for me and my first official foray into modern music, I think this was less than successful - an aging band playing even older songs. Next week I promise to find something a little more this century.
