If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Gareth Jones I've been a huge fan of The Lemonheads for over thirty years now, but that fandom doesn't make me gush over everything Evan Dando releases. If anything, it makes me more critical of his releases, so if I think something he releases is great, it's definitely not clouded by fandom. Today, The Lemonheads released a new single, and it's truly great. "In the Margin" doesn't exactly fit into the band's previous forty or so years of music. It's not a rehash of their 90's alt-rock/bubblegrunge, or their earlier more punk albums. This new single is a straight up riff-heavy rock song with The Lemonheads' trademark twang. It's a little grunge, it's a little punk, and it's a little country. "In the Margin" fits in with Dando's decades of music while seeing him moving in a slightly different direction, and helping to reinvigorate his sound. Evan Dando says of his latest single: “I wanted to have a riffy so...

Photo by Cara Totman It takes a lot to get me to go out to the House of Blues. It's just a huge (by my standards) venue that rarely has artists I like playing. Plus, I hate parking near Fenway Park, and in the winter I hate a $5.00 coat check. But, how could I possibly say no to a double bill of Massachusetts rock legends Dinosaur Jr and The Lemonheads? Seeing as this was a Big Rock Show opening up for another band at a huge hometown venue, I assumed this would be a night of big hits for Evan Dando and The Lemonheads. I was happily wrong. Sure, they played a ton of fan favorites, but they were hardly the bigger hits. There was no "Into Your Arms" or "It's a Shame About Ray" played on this Saturday night, and definitely no "Mrs. Robinson." This might have been the first time I've seen The Lemonheads or Evan Dando without them playing "The Outdoor Type." The more well known songs played this night were "If I Could Talk I'd Tell...

Photo by Sam Rich I was all set to bring you the latest single from Austin, TX's Gentlemen Rogues. "Do the Resurrection!" is this great slice of alt/indie/emo. It's an anthemic singalong that is like combining The Replacements and Superchunk. It's absolutely a great song, and everyone needs to listen to it. But then I saw the b-side. "Bloody Rudderless (in Ursa Major)" is described as "...  70% Rudderless' by The Lemonheads ,  25% 'Destination Ursa Major' by Superdrag , and  5% 'When You Sleep' by My Bloody Valentine."  "Destination Ursa Major" and "Rudderless" are two of my absolute favorite songs by two bands I truly love. And then you throw My Bloody Valentine in there? It's this bizarre cover mash up medley where the music for one song is sometimes played over the lyrics to another, and then switches around again. For anyone that loves all three of those bands, covers, and mash ups, "Bloody R...

Photo via Facebook Someone needs to tell Evan Dando it's not 1993 and it's no longer cute to show up to a show two hours late. It's Evan Dando. When the owner of UnchARTed announced he'd be late, the crowd snickered, because of course he'll be late. As the evening got later and later, it turned into an impromptu open mike with friends of the gallery owner (and the gallery owner) performing unscheduled. Then it turned into he'd be there at 9:30, an hour and a half past the 8:00 announced start time. Then it became 9:45. Finally, at 9:55, Evan took the stage. I was at the point at 9:30 that if they had started offering refunds I would have taken one and called it a night. Nothing says "I couldn't care less about this gig" than showing up two hours late. Nothing Evan did after that showed that he did care. He went through the motions of some of his best songs. And these songs are amazing. "Allison's Starting to Happen?" "My Id...

I've always loved Evan Dando's single true solo album Baby I'm Bored. (I'm not counting Live at the Brattle Theater since it's more of a live album, although it might be the best thing Dando has ever released.) I don't really remember it being considered a rousing success, especially since he went back to recording under the name The Lemonheads since then. But, it's beloved by enough people to warrant a two disc vinyl reissue for Record Store Day, with the second disc being filled with unreleased tracks and b-sides. Right now you can hear two songs from the reissue: An alternate version of "Shots is Fired" that features Liv Tyler on vocals and another alternate version, this time of "Rancho Santa Fe." Neither one is drastically different from the album versions. "Shots is Fired" is a bit more raw, and features a clanging guitar that isn't in the album version, and obviously Liv Tyler. "Rancho Sata Fe" feels a lit...

Valentine's Day sucks. We spend weeks getting faux romance crammed down our throats and then we're stuck spending a ridiculous amount of money to prove we're in love on a day that means nothing to anyone. Plus, most romantic music is outrageously terrible. You know what's better than romantic music? Break up music. Which is what the 2017 If It's Too Loud... Valentine's Day playlist consists of. I might have leaned a bit too heavily on old timey country, but is there anything better for the negative sides of love than classic country? Aside from that, there's a ton of 90s alternative, which my knowledge of sad sack 90s alternative shows what my romantic life was like back in that decade. [Note: There might be two Lemonheads songs, but one is an 80s Ben Deily song and the other is a 2000s Evan Dando one, so it's completely different.] This is perfect for anyone that doesn't give a crap about the most forcibly romantic holiday of the year or that enjo...

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. Once a week we go back and remind you, and help decide if they were any good. Last week while doing some Black Friday shopping (for myself) at a used record store, I came across Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved  in the discount CD bin. I hadn't even thought about this album for about 20 years, so I figured I'd give it another listen. Now, to be fair, I've always hated Kiss. While I gained an appreciation for classic rock bands in my 30s that I hated in my 20s (Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC), the same can't be said for Kiss. Released in 1994, Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved  now stands as a bizarre slice of 1994. The mid-90s was a time of bizarre tribute and compilation albums, and this might stand out as one of t...

Photo by Danny Clinch  Two years ago I first discovered Courtney Barnett when she covered The Lemonheads' "Being Around."  That started off a beautiful relationship of fandom, and I've become pretty obsessed with Barnett ever since. I loved the cover, even though "Being Around" is probably my least favorite Lemonheads song, and it's pretty much guaranteed to be played at every single Lemonheads/Evan Dando show you ever go to. Well, she's back with yet another Lemonheads cover. This time she has an acoustic version of "Paid to Smile," one of my favorite lesser known Lemonheads songs. Nothing is changed in the song. It's a faithful, nearly revenant cover. Let's hope this leads to a Courtney Barnett Lemonheads tribute album. And, if she's taking requests, could we suggest "Mallo Cup" or "Ride With Me?" You can listen to Courtney Barnett's version of "Paid to Smile" below, at around the 5:50...

Ever since last July when I saw Evan Dando join Willy Mason for my last show at TT the Bear's , I've been waiting for a more formal collaboration. The pair has joined with Marciana Jones to form TSP, which stands for The Sandwich Police (either a reference to the meme or the fact that the band is based on Martha's Vineyard, part of the Cape and Islands). TSP have their debut release due out this Friday, and you can listen to the first song, "Splinters," now. "Splinters" leans much more heavily to the folk side of things. Dando has always been at his best with collaborators, and this group might have injected him with the shot of creativity he's been needing. No one truly takes lead vocals with harmonizing throughout. It's exactly what you'll want from Martha's Vineyard's very own indie folk supergroup. TSP's debut EP will be available digitally on Friday, with a physical 7" release available in June from Fat Possum....

There are two things we truly love here at If It's Too Loud...: Free music and covers. We're a little late to the party on this one, but Red Line Roots out of Cambridge, MA released Locals Covering Locals Volume 2  back in April. The concept is pretty simple. They have local roots artists covering other local artists. For me, the stand outs are Haunt the House covering Ian Fitzgerald's "Melinda Down the Line," Sarah Borges covering "Ride With Me" (one of my absolute favorite songs by The Lemonheads/Evan Dando), and new favorite Julie Rhodes covering Jonah Tolchin's "Mockingbird." It's perfect as we all lounge around today post-Thanksgiving, even if some of us are stuck working our normal jobs. To get your copy of Locals Covering Locals Volume 2 , go to Red Line Roots' Bandcamp . They also have Locals Covering Locals Volume 1 and Locals Covering Locals (Live @ Passim) available for free. Locals Covering Locals: Volume 2 by Red L...

This is a pretty great Friday Freebie for you all. The Blake Babies are currently offering a free download of a concert from 1989 on Noisetrade. If you're unaware of the Blake Babies, they were (are?) a Boston band featuring Juliana Hatfield, Freda Love Smith, and John P. Strohm. The band is currently putting together some expanded reissues of their catalog, and found this in the archives. They found a live concert recorded on 5/9/1989 and decided to put it up for free. It was recorded for Emerson College's WERS, so the quality is really good, especially for 1989. It's really something you need to have. And it's free! To get your copy of Live 5.9.1989 , head over to Noisetrade . Also, be sure to sign up for the band's mailing list on their website to keep up on the reissues.

Even though there were six total acts playing this night for TT the Bear's final blowout week of shows, I'm going to focus on Willy Mason and Evan Dando. The Grown Up Noise started playing maybe five minutes after the doors opened and stopped with maybe 50 people in the venue total, The Dazies played a solo four song acoustic set, and I left before Runner & The Thermodynamics because they went on at 11:30, and I'm a grumpy old man with work the next day. The Thalia Zedek band was great, but I just never can connect with her music. I know it's great and I know I'm losing out, but it just doesn't grab me. This last week of shows at TT the Bear's has been absolutely packed, with insane bills every night. Since the shows were booked last minute, and since Willy Mason isn't in the middle of a tour, I assumed it would just be him with a guitar. Instead he had four other musicians with him, because who could miss TT's last week of shows? They played...

Via Facebook For anyone who doesn't know, last week is was announced that Cambridge, MA club TT the Bear's was closing this summer after over 40 years. This might be the first club closing to truly upset me. By the time I was regularly going to shows (1996?), The Rat was catering to mostly punk and hardcore bands, and Avalon and Axis were always the bigger, corporate clubs (even though they've been replaced by the even more corporate and gigantic House of Blues). TT's had an equal love of national and local bands, and felt like a home base to bands like Letters to Cleo and Lady Lamb the Beekeeper even as they got too big to play a 325 person club. For an example of how great this place was in the late 90s, check out the ad to the left. Jennifer Trynin, Allstonians, Velvet Crush, Boss Hog, Bikini Kill, and a Squirrel Nut Zippers/Magnetic Fields double bill in less than 2 weeks??? Plus, it was the site of the legendary Pixies/Lemonheads pairing on "nu muzik"...

I didn't originally plan to head out to this show, but once Ben Deily announced it would be the final Varsity Drag performance, I had to head out to it. Ben Deily is one of the most underrated songwriters out there today, so when he decides to stop a musical project, you have to make the time to go see it. Varsity Drag's set was pretty much perfect. They opened with favorites "Skinny Ties" and "Summertime." "Summertime" is such a perfect summer song, it fit for the show to be on one of the first amazing spring days of the year. They even played five of Ben's Lemonheads songs in a row (the most I've ever seen them perform in one show), including "Two Weeks In Another Town," "7 Powers," "Ever," and "Second Chance." Oddly enough, there was no mention at any point about this being a final show. They kept the stage banter light and playful. They closed with "Billy Ruane," which was originally...

I first became aware of Courtney Barnett earlier this year because of her amazing cover of The Lemonheads' "Being Around." We've now come full circle, since last night at the Melbourne stop of the Lemonheads' Australian tour, Barnett joined Evan Dando onstage for a duet of the song. "Being Around" has always seemed like a bit of a throwaway novelty song to me, but apparently I'm the only one since it's been played at virtually every Lemonheads/Evan Dando show I've ever been to, to the great joy of the audience. it's still a fantastic cover, and you can see both parties are having a great time. Now we just need a version of "Rudderless" with Evan and Laura Stevenson...

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. There are no family obligations, you can celebrate pretty much anyway you want (including staying inside and watching movies), it's the one time of the year my fascination with the macabre isn't considered weird, and candy, candy, candy. To celebrate, here is an alternative mix of season appropriate songs. I avoided the completely obvious ones you'll hear at least 10 times today no matter what ("Monster Mash," "Werewolf of London," "Thriller"). Instead, I went with some classic hip hop (Geto Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince), punk (Ramones, The Dead Milkmen), 80s and 90s favorites (Dinosaur Jr, Letters to Cleo), current favorites (Benjamin Booker, Sallie Ford), and, of course, a smidge of metal. It's longer than our normal mixes, but 31 is 13 backwards, and 2 hours is about as long as trick or treating lasts. Plus, I love Halloween. Enjoy!

I really don't know anything about Courtney Barnett, but when you cover the Lemonheads you're almost guaranteed to have me check it out. "Bein' Around" might be my least favorite Lemonheads song, but it's still a Lemonheads song. It's not that it's a bad song, but it just seems to be the one song that always gets played at every  Lemonheads/Evan Dando show.  Courtney Barnett has a really fresh take on the song. Gone is the slight country drawl in Evan's original, replaced by a dreamy, more ethereal sound. It's a way to make a song I've heard roughly 10,000 times new again, and is totally worth a listen. To learn more about Courtney Barnett, check out her website . For more information on what Evan Dando and the Lemonheads are up to, check out their criminally out of date website . (Also, I have listened to some of her own music. It's pretty spectacular. Go here to watch her beyond great "Avant Gardener."

To help celebrate/promote the reissues of their first three albums, the Lemonheads are releasing videos for individual songs featuring archival footage of the band. The latest is for "Ever," my personal favorite of Ben Deily's Lemonheads material. Originally released on Lick , the video features footage of their very first gig at The Rat in Boston back in August 1986. There is also footage of one of Deily's final shows with the band in 1989, along with some down time at quarries in IN. I love this approach of new videos with old footage and can't wait for more. To get your own copies of the long awaited reissues of Hate Your Friends, Lick, and Creator, head over to the Fire Records website . For the Lemonheads and Evan Dando news, head over to the Lemonheads website . If you're in the Boston area, you can see Ben Deily's current band, Varsity Drag , at TT the Bear's in Cambridge on 3/19.   Lemonheads, "Ever" (Official) 2014, w/re-...

While we wait impatiently for the first sounds to emerge from the next Lemonheads album featuring Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Juliana Hatfield (aka the LH-Punk All-Stars) and produced by Ryan Adams, we can tide ourselves over with this brand new video for the Lick classic "A Circle of One." According to Ben Deily's Facebook page, this is the first of multiple videos to commemorate the reissue of the first three Lemonheads albums on Fire Records.  In the video for "A Circle of One," you get to see footage of the band from '86-'89, mostly clowning around at home with friends. The "Art Truck" from the Creator  tour is also featured, as well as a cameo from Husker Du's Grant Hart. Keep an eye out for more videos. For more information on Evan Dando and the Lemonheads, head on over to the official Lemonheads webpage . To check out Ben Deily's current band Varsity Drag, check out his website . And finally, go to the Fire Records website ...

Almost a full year ago, Fire Records announced they were reissuing the criminally long out of print first three Lemonheads albums, Hate Your Friends, Creator, and Lick.  Since then, there has been virtually no information released. Are there gobs of previously unreleased tracks and/or alternate versions of songs? Or is it just a straight remaster with maybe an extra song on the end? In the day of bands announcing a new album on their website with a link to download that album immediately, a year is an excruciatingly long time to wait. This week, Fire Records posted some of the remastered tracks on Soundcloud, which shows that this is actually happening. Listen to the 5 tracks here .