The Lemonheads

One of the big US college bands of the early 1990s, The Lemonheads' frontman, Evan Dando's dreamy romanticism, ear for a Beatles melody and alt. rock roots chimed with the gentler souls of the grunge generation. Originally a hardcore punk act inspired by Husker Du, it was fifth album It's A Shame About Ray (1992) that gave the band their big commercial breakthrough with their storming indie rock cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson becoming a huge anthem of the era. Dando was hailed a heartthrob by a new mainstream audience and their follow-up Come On Feel The Lemonheads (1993) produced the UK Top 20 hit Into Your Arms, but their popularity started to dwindle with the onset of the Brit-pop craze. Dando put together yet another new line-up including J Mascis (Dinosaur Jnr) and Garth Hudson (The Band) for eighth album The Lemonheads (2006) and recruited actress Liv Tyler, model Kate Moss and Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes for the well-received covers record Varshons (2009), but the band failed to recapture their early 1990s heyday.