The Lemonheads at The Double Door

Evan Dando formed the now legendary alternative rock band The Lemonheads back in the late eighties while still in high school. Many incarnations of the band had already came and went by the time Dando released the two albums the band remains most well known for, 1991's "It's A Shame About Ray" and it's follow up, 1993's "Come On Feel The Lemonheads". These two albums remain a benchmark of alternative rock's early nineties heyday and both albums are absolutely chock full of the undeniably catchy, but often bittersweet, three minute pop songs that Dando has became so famous for. By the mid-nineties Dando's substance abuse was becoming as legendary as his music, perhaps more so, and after releasing the grossly underrated "Car Button Cloth" in 1996, Dando went into a drug drenched exile and The Lemonheads appeared to have fallen off the face of the earth. In 2003 the newly married and now sober Dando reappeared with with an introspective solo album entitled "Baby I'm Bored". Both the album and subsequent tour recieved rave reviews and inspired many to reasses his back catalogue. With all the renewed interest in the air Dando decided it was time for a new Lemonheads album. Recorded with former Descendents Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez, as well as special guests J Mascis and Garth Hudson of The Band, the self titled album was released in September and sounds for all the world like a follow up to "Come On Feel The Lemonheads". It has been universally hailed by critics and fans alike as a return to form.

So it was in this atmoshpere that Evan Dando and his newest version of The Lemonheads (featuring Devon Ashely on drums and Vess Ruhtenberg on bass) hit Chicago's famed Double Door (located just a few blocks from my apartment) for a two night stand Thursday and Friday (the night I attended). I had witnessed a couple acoustic shows of Evan's at the DD in recent years, but this was my first time seeing him with an incarnation of The Lemonheads since 1994! I had tickets to attend a show on their last tour in '96 but alas, I got sick with pneumonia and couldn't attend. As much as I enjoy the acoustic shows I was really excited to see Evan with a full band again. He hit the stage shortly after 11 and launched into the opening tracks from the new album, "Black Gown" and "Become The Enemy". After a couple songs it became clear that Evan was in a really good mood as he interacted with everybody up front and the guys in the band throughout the show. I can't remember the exact running order of the set but other songs from the new album performed included "Pittsburgh", "Let's Just Laugh", "No Backbone" and "Baby's Home". The new songs sounded great, but of course it was the classics that many people were there for and Evan did not dissapoint delivering "It's A Shame About Ray", "Buddy", "Turnpike Down", "Bit Part", "Allison's Starting To Happen", "Great Big No", "It's About Time", "Down About It", "Rick James Style", "Hospital" and even a pair of pre-"Ray" classics in the form of "Half The Time" and the long time concert favorite "Ride With Me". One thing I was really struck by is how well all the new songs fitted in amongst the classics. They're what I would refer to as "instant classics"!

For the solo acoustic portion of the set Evan performed "Why Do You Do This To Yourself", "My Idea", "Frank Mills", "Skull", "Stove", "Being Around", "Outdoor Type" and shortened versions of "Don't Fear The Reaper" and "Into Your Arms". I think one thing that really seperates The Lemonheads from all the other alternative rock bands to emerge from the late eighties/early nineties is how good Evan is at performing acoustically. Some people feel he's even at his best performing acoustically. The acoustic portion of the set wasn't entirely acoustic though. Evan's guitar started shorting out on him at one point, so he plugged in the new Gretsch he recently mentioned in his blog instead. Once the band rejoined him they delivered some absolutely killer renditions of "Rudderless", "If I Could Talk I'd Tell You", "Confetti" and "Hate Your Friends", and indulged in a bit of jammin' with Evan on drums before exiting the stage. It was one helluva an ending to one helluva show! After they exited the stage I followed Evan and the band downstairs. They were all clearly basking in the post-gig afterglow with smiles and laughs all around. I had a letter for Evan which I gave to him and he was really cool about it. I gave him a couple copies of my CD last time he was in town, but I'm not sure if he remembers me or not.

I was such a huge Lemonheads fan growing up. All those beautiful songs he played Friday night were a huge part of the soundtrack to my life. They helped get me through some pretty rough times, and for that I shall forever be grateful. It was a really, really awesome night for me, as were the acoustics shows I saw him do there in '04 and '05. On my way out the door I bought one of the new Lemonheads t-shirts. I used to have a Lemonheads T for damn near everyday of the week in my early teens. I still have a couple of them and I wore one on Friday. I had no idea it would be such a conversation starter. It was quite the hit! The new shirt's really cool to.

In closing, I just want to mention how much it warms my heart to see Evan get the respect he so deserves nowadays. I've been saying that he's one of the very best singer/songwriters to emerge from the late eighties/early nineties for many years now. He's probably THE best, as far as I'm concerned. That wasn't always a popular opinion, but now I'm seeing words like "legendary" and even "genius" bandied about in the music press concering Evan all the time. It feels good to be vindicated with the passage of time. And I know it must feel pretty damn good for Evan himself. One of the things that's so cool about Evan is he comes from a punk background, but then he as he got a little older he got heavily into people like Gram Parsons and started writing these country tinged ballads. Hell, he was doing "alt-country" long before the phrase had been coined. And I don't know of many people in the "singer/songwriter" mold that come from the punk background that he does. He's always walked that line and that's a big part of his whole aesthetic. It's a pretty interesting juxtaposition, when you think about it. Evan's into all sorts of different music and those varied influences show up throughout his best work. Pop, punk, country, psychedelia etc. There's a bit of all that in Evan's songs. He's basically created a sound all his own. It's often described as "pop/punk" but it doesn't sound anything like other "pop/punk" bands. When it all comes down to it, the guy is one of a kind. And the way he marries words and melody IS genius, I think. All's I know is he's got an unbelievable back catalogue of brilliant songs and he's got a real knack for making songs written by others all his own to. I could listen to the guy sing the telephone book and I'd be happy! He's just that good! It sure is great to have him back recording and touring again. The world needs Evan Dando and The Lemonheads right now like never before!

The Road To Escondido

Back in 1970 Eric Clapton released his self-titled debut as a solo artist. It was his cover of "After Midnight", penned by an obscure Oklahoma based singer/songwriter by the name of J.J. Cale, that supplied him with his first top forty hit. From that point on, Cale's rootsy, laidback synthesis of rock, blues and country influenced the direction that Clapton would take throughout his early solo career. In 1977 he covered Cale's "Cocaine" for his massive "Slowhand" album. The next year he recorded Cale's "I'll Make Love To You Anytime" for the "Slowhand" follow up "Backless", and he covered yet another Cale song, "Travelin' Light", as recently as 2001 for "Reptile". But the two men had never recorded together. That is until now.

In 2004 Cale was among the artists invited to take part in Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival. Clapton sat in for Cale's set which was among the highlights of the three day festival. It was then that Clapton approached Cale about making an album together. Long an admirer of Cale's skills as a producer and engineer, Clapton's original plan was for Cale to produce an Eric Clapton album. At some point during the sessions Clapton decided to make it a true 50/50 collaboration similar to his 2001 album with B.B. King, "Riding With The King". It took some convincing on Clapton's part, but the publicity shy Cale eventually relented and "The Road To Escondido" was born.

All but three of the fourteen "Escondido" tracks were penned by Cale. The exceptions being the old Brownie McGhee standard "Sporting Life Blues", "Hard To Thrill" (which Clapton co-wrote with John Mayer) and "Three Little Girls" (written by Clapton for his three young daughters). Highlights include "Danger", "Heads In Georgia", "Sporting Life Blues", "Hard To Thrill", "Who Am I Telling You" and "Ride The River".

The album kicks off into high gear with the immensly catchy opening track, "Danger". A prime candidate for radio play, "Danger" features the organ work of the late, great Billy Preston. (Preston graces much of the album with his sublime B-3 playing. It was the last major sessions he was involved in and the album is dedicated to his memory.) "Danger" is followed by the haunting "Heads In Georgia", the first of many tracks in which Clapton and Cale sing in unison. It's built on a swampy, atmospheric vibe. So atmospheric in fact, it's quasi-psychedelic, yet still firmly rooted in the blues. But it's track five, Clapton and Cale's cover of Brownie McGhee's "Sporting Life Blues", that many reviewers have singled out for praise, and rightfully so. It to features the two men's unision singing, and like "Heads In Georgia" a world weary vibe prevails. This is the kind of song that only artists of Cale and Clapton's age and stature could pull off, and it's all topped off with a delicious, jazz inflected solo from Clapton. (Presumably played on the vintage Gibson L-5 he used for much of the "Reptile" album and subsequent tour.) "Hard To Thrill" is a moody blues in A minor. Sung by Clapton, it contains some vibrant Strat interplay between him and the song's co-author, John Mayer. This is some tasty stuff, but it's track thirteen, the gorgeous "Who Am I Telling You", that stands out as the album's true highlight. Of all the "Escondido" tracks, this is the song most reminscent of the Cale influenced material Clapton recorded in the late seventies. In fact, it sounds for all the world like a long lost outtake from "Backless"! It's also one of a handful of "Escondido" tracks to feature the ever so distinctive slide guitar of Derek Trucks, and it was his work on these sessions that won him a spot in Clapton's touring band. "Who Am I Telling You" is followed by the album's closing track and first single, "Ride The River". Built upon one of Cale's trademark country/blues shuffles, "Ride The River" was both the first and last song cut for the sessions. It seems they weren't satisfied with the "feel" of the initial recording so they opted to re-record it. It's that second version that appears here and it finds Clapton dusting off his old "Journeyman"-era chorus pedal/wah-wah set up to great effect! Only trouble is his leads are a bit buried in the mix, and this is definitely Clapton's own doing, as he did the same with some of his leads on his last album, "Back Home".

Co-produced by Cale, Clapton and his right hand man Simon Climie, "Escondido" is probably a bit more polished than most of Cale's albums, but it's still very much an organic recording. Like Bob Dylan's recent "Modern Times", "Escondido" is the kind of album where you can really hear the sound of the room it was cut in. The kind of album that really captures the blood, sweat and tears of the musicians involved. In other words, the kind of album that people just don't make anymore! And beyond that, it's a guitar player's delight! Clapton himself takes the lion's share of the leads here and he's in prime form throughout, as is Cale. Other players appearing include Albert Lee ("Dead End Road"), Doyle Bramhall and the afformentioned Derek Trucks and John Mayer. The solos that Trucks delivers go a long way in proving just why he's considered to be the best slide guitarist on the planet right now. In a recent interview Cale claimed that no fewer than five guitars were present at most sessions. A lot of these guitar parts are the kind of subtle shading that you may hardly even notice at first glance, but if you were to take them out altogether you would have an entirely different recording on your hands. Clapton has long been a master of this type of layering, as has Cale.

This is a four star album all the way. It's instantly appealing, yet it does get better with repeated listens. It's an album filled with the kind of rootsy, blues based music that completely transcends the time and space in which it was made. And although "laidback" is an adjective commonly ascribed to both Cale and Clapton, this is by no means an album to be filed under "easy listening". It is populated with a handful of very enjoyable, upbeat, country/blues numbers, but the real meat of the album is songs like "Heads In Georgia", "Sporting Life Blues", "Hard To Thrill" and "Who Am I Telling You". Songs that find these two 60 plus year old survivors confronting their pasts and their futures. But even as they sing of their own mortality they do so with a wink in their eye that suggests the kind of wisdom that can only be achieved with age. And that, ladies and gentleman, is what "The Road To Escondido" is all about.

They're currently streaming the album over at ericclapton.com.