MANILA, Philippines – The ‘90s sure was a heady time to be a music fan. Countless bands peaked in both popularity and creativity, and, though grunge arguably led the way, bands of a different, more radio-friendly ilk still managed to shine through. There were several of them, in fact, that separating the mere careerists from the true artists appears like a monumental task. But one band that undoubtedly made waves while keeping lofty standards in song-craft was The Lemonheads, which was formed by singer, guitarist, and chief songwriter Evan Dando with his Boston high school buddies in 1986. The first lineup of the band cut a still-sought-after punk relic, the EP Laughing All the Way to the Cleaners shortly after their formation. On the strength of this one release, Boston-based Taang! Records then took the band under its wing to produce a string of releases that broke all college-radio records: the LPs Hate Your Friends (1987), Creator (1988), and Lick (1989). It was, however, not until Atlantic Records snagged a deal with the boys in 1990 that Dando and his cohorts truly made a killing on all fronts: when hit records, mass-media ubiquity, and having their songs turned into generational anthems of love and despair became the order of the day.
The EP Lovey became a sort of dry run for the big leagues, but it was the three-record salvo that followed that floored the rest of the world: It’s a Shame About Ray (1992), which yielded pop-rock gems “Confetti,” “My Drug Buddy,” “Rudderless,” and title track “It’s a Shame About Ray”; Come on Feel The Lemonheads (1993), which produced arena-sing-along-inducing numbers “Into Your Arms,” “It’s About Time,” and “The Great Big No”; and Car Button Cloth (1996), which brought their legions of followers melodic-candy rockers “It’s All True,” “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You,” and “Hospital”). Evan Dando and his buddies were all over, touring heavily, appearing on Letterman and Leno, and generally being darlings of the indie-rock world.
The pressure escalated and the band went on hiatus in 1997, only to reform in 2005 with a new record deal in tow with Vagrant Records, which released the eponymous The Lemonheads (2006) and the covers collection Varshons (2009). Over time, Dando has gone on oldies tours and even cut the occasional solo record. Flanked by amazing collaborators from The Descendents, Dinosaur Jr., Taking Back Sunday, and fan favorite Juliana Hatfield, among others, Dando’s band has never ceased to please, amaze, and even surprise. Most importantly, fans never stopped clamoring for more. Manila supporters for one, is in for a treat. On December 4, 2014, premier online music portal Pinoytuner (who in recent memory brought us shows by MAE’s Dave Elkins and Moonpools & Caterpillars) is bringing in The Lemonheads in a rare show at White Space along Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati. This one-night-only affair simply cannot be missed, and features opening performances from the country’s best alternative rock acts, Ciudad, Ang Bandang Shirley and Itchyworms.
Tickets are at P2,500 and P4,000 via TicketWorld. More details via Pinoytuner.com. advt