The Lemonheads

This article is about the band. For other uses, seeLemonheads (disambiguation).

The Lemonheadsare an Americanalternative rockband formed inBostonin 1986 byEvan Dando,Ben Deily,andJesse Peretz.Dando has remained the band's only constant member.After their initial punk-influenced releases and tours as an independent/college rockband in the late 1980s, the Lemonheads' popularity with a mass audience grew in 1992 with the major label albumIt's a Shame about Ray,which was produced, engineered, and mixed by The Robb Brothers (Bruce Robb,Dee, and Joe). This was followed by a cover ofSimon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson",which eventually became one of the band's most successful singles. The Lemonheads were active until 1997 before going on hiatus, but reformed with a new lineup in 2005 and releasedThe Lemonheadsthe following year. The band released its latest album,Varshons 2,in February 2019.

The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads in 2014
Background information
Origin	Boston,Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock grunge pop-punk jangle pop power pop
Discography	The Lemonheads discography
Years active	1986–1997 2005–present
Labels	Taang! Atlantic TAG Vagrant The End Fire
Members	Evan Dando
Past members	Vess Ruhtenberg Corey Loog Brennan John Strohm Jeff Furtaw Doug Trachten Jesse Peretz Devon Ashley Nic Dalton David Ryan George Berz Bill Gibson Patrick Murphy Ben Daughtry Byron Hoagland Josh Lattanzi John Kent Mark "Budola" Newman Karl Alvarez Bill Stevenson P. David Hazel Kenny Lyon Mark Cutsinger Ben Deily Juliana Hatfield
Website	thelemonheads.net

Since its formation, recording and touring lineups of the band have included co-founders Deily and Peretz,John Strohm(Blake Babies), Doug Trachten,Corey Loog Brennan,Byron Hoagland (Folks on Fire), Ben Daughtrey (Squirrel Bait),Juliana Hatfield(Blake Babies),Nic Dalton(Godstar,Sneeze,the Plunderers), David Ryan (Fuzzy),Patrick "Murph" Murphy(Dinosaur Jr.), George Berz (Dinosaur Jr., Gobblehoof), Josh Lattanzi, Bill Gibson (the Eastern Dark), Mark 'Budola' Newman,Kenny Lyon,Vess Ruhtenberg, Devon Ashley,Karl AlvarezandBill Stevenson(Descendents), P. David Hazel, Farley Glavin, and various others.

History

Early years (1986–1991)

Evan Dando,Ben DeilyandJesse Peretzformed the Lemonheads as teenagers at theCommonwealth SchoolinBoston.The band was originally called the Whelps, until inspiration came from abrand of candy,which Dando noted was "sweet on the inside and sour on the outside."The band recorded and self-released the 7-inch EPLaughing All the Way to the Cleaners.The band's first show was played on August 19, 1986.

After high school, Dando enrolled atSkidmore Collegebut could not maintain his grades and dropped out to pursue a musical career. Having signed to local labelTaang! Records,the Lemonheads released the albumsHate Your Friends(1987),Creator(1988), andLick(1989)with Deily and Dando sharing lead vocals and songwriting duties.Initially they also shared lead guitar and drumming duties as well, but when this became unworkable, they hired drummers such as Doug Trachten,John Strohm,and Mark Natola to fill in the lineup. As all three albums were compiled from various recording sessions from 1986 onward, the lineups on each album varied considerably from song to song. The band enjoyed a good deal ofcollege radioairplay and were popular in the burgeoningindie rockscene, up until Deily left the band in 1989. Dando then recruited David Ryan on drums, andCorey Loog Brennanas a second guitarist, and signed to major labelAtlantic Records,releasing the albumLoveyin August 1990.Straddling punk rock,country musicandheavy metal,Loveywas released a year before the commercial explosion ofgrunge,and failed to chart or produce any songs with serious airplay.

Breakthrough and height of fame (1992–1997)

Dando cut his losses and flew to Australia to write some songs with friendsNic DaltonandTom Morgan.These songs formed the basis forIt's a Shame about Ray,the Lemonheads' breakthrough album. In the intervening time, Jesse Peretz had left music, and had taken up a career in photography and film; he would remain as the band photographer, and would eventually go on to direct music videos, TV shows, and feature films. Replacing Peretz in the band wasJuliana Hatfield,who provided bass and backing vocals. Hatfield would leave the band shortly after recording the album to found her own band, the Juliana Hatfield Three, and would be replaced on bass by Nic Dalton. A cover of "Mrs. Robinson"(recorded to promote the video release and the 25th anniversary ofThe Graduate) was released as a single and got them the most exposure they had had so far. This cover was also used in the filmWayne's World 2and inMartin Scorsese's 2013 filmThe Wolf of Wall Street.When theRayalbum was reissued, the track was tacked on to the end.The band enjoyed some success on college radio as well as mainstream exposure. The title track, "It's a Shame About Ray",also saw commercial success. During 1992–1993, Dando's face graced many magazine covers, and he was included inPeople's 50 Most Beautiful People list.

Now consisting of Dando, Dalton, and Ryan, the band officially renamed themselves from "Lemonheads" to "the Lemonheads" prior to the release ofCome on Feel the Lemonheadsin October 1993.Though no longer playing bass, Hatfield did appear as a backing singer on many of the tracks. The album also featured guest appearances bysteel guitaristSneaky Pete Kleinowand singersBelinda CarlisleandRick James.This was a successful album with tracks such as "Big Gay Heart" and "It's About Time." The band enjoyed modest mainstream success, this time with the single "Into Your Arms"(their highest charting UK hit to date).Writer Robyn St. Clare made the first recording of this song in 1990 as part of Love Positions with Nic Dalton.

Dando befriendedOasisand appeared at the band's live shows. The cracks were beginning to show, and after one particularly disjointed interview with Dando almost unable to speak, having lost his voice after smokingcrack cocaine,he admitted to having a drug problem.The band went on hiatus and Dando went into rehab.

In 1996, Dando re-formed the Lemonheads with a completely new lineup, including drummer Murph (formerly ofDinosaur Jr.), bassist Bill Gibson (formerly of the Eastern Dark), and guitarist John Strohm (formerly of theBlake Babies;Strohm had also played drums with the Lemonheads during their early years). This band produced another Lemonheads album,Car Button Cloth.While featuring jangly guitar songs such as "If I Could Talk I'd Tell You," this set also showed off the darker side of Dando's writing.

The band contributed toSchoolhouse Rock! Rocks,a 1996 tribute album forSchoolhouse Rock!creator Thomas G. Yohe, which contained remakes of many popularSchoolhouse Rock!songs – the Lemonheads offered their take on "My Hero Zero." Previously, the band had contributed to a Kiss tribute album, recording Kiss' 1977 song "Plaster Caster" forKiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved(1994).

The band toured successfully in 1997 and played a final gig at the UK'sReading Festival.Following a cameo line in theBBC's all-star cover version ofLou Reed's "Perfect Day"(which reached number one in theUK Singles Chart), Dando continued to play live solo shows.

Hiatus (1998–2004)

Atlantic releasedThe Best of the Lemonheadsin August 1998.Through 1998 and 2004 Evan Dando undertook some solo tours performing the band's songs but an official reunion was never confirmed. During this time, Dando released a live albumLive at the Brattle Theatrein 2001, and a solo album in 2003, titledBaby I'm Bored.He also co-wrote the song "The Last High" withCourtney Taylor-Taylorofthe Dandy Warholsfor the albumWelcome to the Monkey Houseby the Dandy Warhols.

Reunion (2005–present)

The Lemonheads at Shepherd's Bush Empire, September 2005

After a nine-year hiatus, the band reformed in the summer of 2005 with a recording lineup bolstered byBill StevensonandKarl Alvarez,members ofDescendents.The live lineup during this period fluctuated, with Stevenson and George Berz (Dinosaur Jr.) both sitting in on drums during 2005, whileJosh Lattanzi—chiefly known for his work withBen Kweller—has frequently taken on bass duties for live shows.

On September 14 and 15, 2005, Dando, Stevenson and Lattanzi performed two shows atShepherd's Bush Empirein London as part of theATP Don't Look Backseries, where they playedIt's a Shame About Rayin its entirety.

In April 2006, the Lemonheads were signed toVagrant Records.The album, simply titledThe Lemonheads,was released on September 26, 2006, in the United States and one day earlier in the UK; the album featured special guestsGarth HudsonandJ Mascison select tracks. To promote the album Dando toured the UK, Europe and US in late 2006 with a band consisting of Vess Ruhtenberg (bass) and Devon Ashley (drums) of the Pieces. In the US, they toured with Vietnam andHymns (band)as support. The same lineup toured again in 2007 and 2008. The recording lineup of Dando, Alvarez and Stevenson played live for the first time together on a 20-date US tour in late 2007.

While the Lemonheads reformed, co-founder Deily received a degree fromHarvard University.He currently works as an AssociateCreative Directorin the advertising industry. His power pop/punk band, Varsity Drag, completed a 25-city European tour during January and February 2007, performing their own material alongside several Deily compositions from the first four Lemonheads releases. Varsity Drag continues to perform periodically in the Boston Area.

A deluxe reissue of Lemonheads' 1992 albumIt's a Shame About Raywas released in March 2008 (US) and April 2008 (UK) onRhino Records,which featuresdemos,B-sidesand aDVDissue of the previously VHS-onlyTwo Weeks In Australia,featuring footage from the band's Australian tour in the wake of their breakthrough album's release. To promote the reissue, the lineup of Dando, Ruhtenberg and Ashley performed the album in full at a number of gigs between March and May 2008. Later in 2008 the band toured again in Europe with Vess Ruhtenberg and P. David Hazel (drums) of Beta Male.

On April 23, 2008, at the inauguralNMEUS Awards ceremony at the El Rey in Los Angeles, Dando received the classic album award forIt's A Shame About Ray,and also performed "My Drug Buddy" and the album's title track acoustically. According to reports, soon after receiving the award, Dando deposited it into a garbage can, telling a minder "I don't want this".

On June 23, 2009, the Lemonheads releasedVarshons– a collection of eleven covers, including tracks byGram Parsons,Wire,GG Allin,andChristina Aguilera.The album also featured actressLiv Tylerperforming aduetonLeonard Cohen's "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye".Despite several websites reporting a release date of September 13, 2008, the album was not released on this date. Later, in a blog post on the band's MySpace page, Dando hinted at a March 2009 release. On March 27, 2009, it was announced that Varshons would be released on June 23 onThe End Records.

In an August 2007 interview, drummerBill Stevensonstated that he was going to produce the Lemonheads' ninth album of original material.As of August 2010, however, announcements of a new album have not yet been released.

In September 2010 the Lemonheads announced an Australian tour playing all thirteen songs from the 1992 albumIt's a Shame about Ray,plus a selection of songs from other albums.

On February 7, 2012, the Lemonheads will release Hotel Sessions on Hall of Records/Breath of Saltwater – an intimate recording documenting a Sunday night that Evan Dando spent recording new songs with just an acoustic guitar (and some revealing commentary) in a hotel room in Bondi Beach, Australia. The 14 songs include some that never made it to an official Lemonheads album, but Dando says, "the" Into Your Arms "I did here is better than the one on the album (I like it anyway)."

The Lemonheads completed a 9-week U.S. tour in spring of 2012 playing all thirteen songs from the 1992 albumIt's a Shame about Ray,plus a selection of songs from other albums. Lead singerEvan Dandorecruited drummerChuck Treeceand formerTaking Back Sundaylead guitaristFred Mascherinoto play bass.

Juliana Hatfieldrejoined the Lemonheads for a late 2012 tour supportingthe Psychedelic Furs.

On September 17, 2012, Ryan Adams tweeted that he would be playing drums on a new 'punker sounding' Lemonheads album as well as producing it. He also announced that Evan Dando would be joined on the record by Juliana Hatfield and, for the first time since 1989's Lick, co-founder and original co-songwriter Ben Deily. Like the earlier Bill Stevenson produced sessions, however, no album was released.

The Lemonheads played a seven-date tour in Ireland and the UK in October 2015.

On August 14, 2017,Atlantic Recordsdivested the Lemonheads' back catalog toFire Records,which released several of the band's albums in the UK.

A second album of covers (the band's first album in a decade), titledVarshons 2,was released in 2019.

Musical style

Musically, the band has been classified asalternative rock,grunge,jangle pop,power pop,andpop-punk.

Personnel

During the earliest years, the band consisted of Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando and Deily shared singing and songwriting duties; when recording or performing live each would sing and play guitar on their own compositions while the other would play drums. When the arrangement became unworkable, they hired additional drummers including Doug Trachten and John Strohm. On most of the first three albums (released by independent label TAANG!), songs from various recording sessions and live tracks are mixed, so instrumentation varies considerably from track-to-track depending on who was in the band when the tracks were recorded. CD versions of these albums were also released with bonus tracks from even later lineups of the band.

When Deily quit the band in 1989, Dando replaced him with guitarist Corey Loog Brennan and drummer Mark Natola. Natola would be replaced by drummer David Ryan prior to the band's first major label album,Lovey.Following the recording ofLovey,founding bass player Jesse Peretz left the band to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking, and Brennan left to concentrate on his career as a college professor.

On their breakout album,It's a Shame About Ray,Juliana Hatfield had joined on bass guitar and backing vocals. She would remain the backing vocalist for the follow-up albumCome on Feel the Lemonheads,but would be replaced on bass guitar by Nic Dalton. John Strohm, who had previously played drums with the band during their early years, toured with the band as a second guitarist in support of these albums.

Starting with 1996'sCar Button Clothand continuing through the present, the band membership has been fluid, with the name the Lemonheads generally being used by whomever Evan Dando had recruited to record and/or play with at the time. Their last official release was 2019's collection of cover songsVarshons 2,which followed on from their prior release, 2009'sVarshons.Several announcements of albums of new material or tours involving any number of musicians have been announced over the years since then, most recently a 2012 project involving Ben Deily, Juliana Hatfield, and Ryan Adams, but as yet no major recordings or substantial tours have materialized.

Below is an approximate timeline of membership in the Lemonheads. Other than Evan Dando, the band has rarely had a stable lineup. The timeline below shows only members which were primary recording or touring members. It does not include guest musicians, or ephemeral lineups which only appeared on stage under the Lemonheads moniker for one-off shows or brief appearances. Dates of membership are approximate based on known shows and recordings.

Evan Dando

• Vocals (1986–present)
• Guitar (1986–present)
• Drums (1986–1989)

Ben Deily

• Vocals (1986–1989)
• Guitar (1986–1989)
• Drums (1986–1989)

Jesse Peretz

• Bass (1986–1991)

Doug Trachten

• Drums (1987)

John Strohm

• Drums (1988)
• Guitar (1994–1997)

Mark Natola

• Drums (1989)

Corey "Loog" Brennan

• Guitar (1989–1991)

Juliana Hatfield

• Bass (1991–1992)
• Backing vocals (1991–1993)

David Ryan

• Drums (1989–1994)

Nic Dalton

• Bass (1992–1994)

Patrick "Murph" Murphy

• Drums (1996–1998)

Bill Gibson

• Bass (1996–1998)

Bill Stevenson

• Drums (2005–2007)

Karl Alvarez

• Bass (2005–2007)

Devon Ashley

• Drums (2008–2010)

Vess Ruhtenberg

• Bass (2008–2010)

Farley Glavin

• Bass (2014–present)

Membership timeline

Discography

Main article:The Lemonheads discography

Studio albums

• Hate Your Friends(1987)
• Creator(1988)
• Lick(1989)
• Lovey(1990)
• It's a Shame About Ray(1992)
• Come on Feel the Lemonheads(1993)
• Car Button Cloth(1996)
• The Lemonheads(2006)
• Varshons(2009)
• Varshons 2(2019)

See also

• All
• Black Flag
• Bullet LaVolta
• Smudge

External links

• The Lemonheads official site
• The Lemonheads official Instagram
• Ben Deily official site
• The LemonheadsatIMDb