Heads up, ’90s kids! Seminal alternative bands The Lemonheads and Dishwalla will be heading to Manila this December.
The Lemonheads will play on Dec. 4 at Whitespace on Chino Roces Ave. Ext. in Makati; Dishwalla will perform at Megatent in Libis, Quezon City, on Dec. 6, following its canceled gig at the recently concluded La Union Soul Surf Festival due to inclement weather.
Boston-born
The Lemonheads, a Boston-born band of which front man Evan Dando has been the only constant member, gained fame in 1992 with its major label album “It’s a Shame about Ray,” which spawned fan favorites “My Drug Buddy” and the title track.
The band’s punk-inflected rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which was recorded to celebrate the 25th anniversary video release of “The Graduate,” gained such massive airplay that the single was included in the re-release of “Ray.”
The track was also featured in Mike Myers’ cult comedy classic “Wayne’s World” 2 and, most recently, in the 2013 Leonardo DiCaprio starrer “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
The band then released its “Come On Feel the Lemonheads” LP in 1993, which produced the singles “It’s About Time,” “Big Gay Heart,” “The Great Big No,” and the chart-topper “Into Your Arms.”
Dando also landed on People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful” list that year, cementing the band’s “heartthrob” status among the college crowd.
Next came the 1996 album “Car Button Cloth” with the radio favorite “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You,” whose jangly, breezy tune belied the darker, troubled tone of Dando’s lyrics.
After releasing a “best of” album in 1998, the band went on an eight-year hiatus, then jumped right back on the touring circuit with a brand-new lineup that has included the likes of Juliana Hatfield and Ryan Adams in recent years.
The Lemonheads also released two new albums: 2006’s eponymous album and 2009’s “Varshons,” consisting entirely of 11 cover songs from the obscure to pop balladry—Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”; Liv Tyler doing a duet with Dando on Leonard Cohen’s “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”; and model Kate Moss lent her vocals on Arling & Cameron’s “Dirty Robot.”
In December, The Lemonheads will tour Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.
California alt-rock band
“Counting Blue Cars” was the song that propelled Dishwalla, the alt-rock band from Santa Barbara, California, into mainstream fame in the mid-’90s. It was also the band’s most successful single off its 1995 debut album “Pet Your Friends,” winning numerous awards and staying on the charts for a long time, with “Charlie Brown’s Parents” close on its heels as a crowd favorite during live performances.
Dishwalla’s sophomore release, 1998’s “And You Think You Know What Life’s About” (whose most notable track is the melancholy “Until I Wake Up”), achieved modest success compared to its predecessor.
Nevertheless the band enjoyed a solid following throughout the years, its songs featured in a host of films and television dramas that included “Empire Records,” “Blast from the Past,” “Smallville,” “The OC” and “Charmed.”
The new millennium saw the band dishing out mellower and more languid songs with the 2002 album “Opaline,” which spawned senti-rock staples “Angels or Devils,” “Every Little Thing,” “Candleburn,” “Home,” and the radio hit “Somewhere in the Middle.”
Meanwhile, Dishwalla’s harder-edged tunes came in the form of “Collide” and “Coral Sky” from its eponymous fourth album, released in 2005.
The band currently consists of original members Rodney Browning Cravens (guitar), Scot Alexander (bass), George Pendergast (drums) and Jim Wood (keyboards). Tripdavon vocalist and longtime friend Justin Fox replaced original front man J.R. Richards in 2008, following the latter’s official departure from the band.
“The Lemonheads: Live in Manila” with Itchyworms and Ciudad as front acts will start at 8 p.m.; gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets sell for P4,168 (Gold) and P2,605 (Silver) each; e-mail tickets@pinoytuner.
com.
“Dishwalla Live in Manila” featuring Up Dharma Down and Wolfgang as opening acts will start at 6:30 p.m.; gates open at 5 p.m. Tickets are priced at P4,011.70 (VIP) and P1,823.50 (regular) each; prices are inclusive of service charge. La Union Soul Surf ticket holders will get free entrance to the Dishwalla concert.
Tickets to both shows are also available at ticketworld.com.ph and Ticketworld outlets.
