Evan Griffith Dando, front man, singer, guitarist and songwriter for The Lemonheads, was born on March 4, 1967, in Essex, MA. He grew up in the North Shore of Boston, and while attending Commonwealth High School in 1986 formed a punk-influence band called the Whelps with schoolmates Ben Delly and Jesse Peretz. The band quickly changed its name to Lemonheads after the sweet on the inside, sour on the outside candy. The “The” was added to the name in 1993. Evan has been the only constant member of the band.
Dando was briefly distracted by classes at Skidmore College, before flunking out and focusing on music and girls. The Velvet Underground, The Stooges and Modern Lovers were his main influences. Through the end of the 80s, The Lemonheads released 3 local label albums that got college radio play and were popular in the indie rock scene. Then, first Delly, and one album for Atlantic Records later, Peretz left the band.
Evan cut out for Australia to write songs with some friends, and returned to the US with a new band, a new acoustic guitar/alt rock sound, and the core of It’s A Shame About Ray (1992). Ray was the perfect foil for then-dominant grunge. The songs had a lighter feel, even with darkly themed lyrics (“Drug Buddy”). The album was the group’s breakthrough and at the time their songs seemed to be everywhere. They received even more exposure with their cover of “Mrs. Robinson,” a single cut to promote the video release of The Graduate. The cover was used in Wayne’s World 2 and later The Wolf of Wall Street (during the "arrest" scene).
The Lemonheads produced two more albums, some memorable songs, and had successful tours, before taking a 9-year hiatus from 1996 – 2005. During that time, Evan did some solo and collaboration work, including fronting the MC5 for a 41-date tour. He met and married English super model and musician Elizabeth Moss. The band re-formed and released albums in 2006 and 2009. Their tours often included playing It’s About Ray in its entirety. As of now, Evan Dando is a solo performer once more. His fans hope to hear more from him.
Happy Birthday Evan!
