Evan Dando says goodbye to Brazil: With a little help from my friends
One of Evan Dando’s persona that most people should ignore (mainly due to the controversies that naturally gain more space in the media) is his generosity. Much has been said about one of the Lemonheads’ biggest hits, “Into Your Arms,” but little has been said about the song’s origins. For starters, it’s also a cover of, in this case, Robyn St. Clare (The Hummingbirds). But a cover that’s also a part of one of the most successful albums of the band “Come on Feel….” with the intention of redirecting the royalties to the author, Evan’s friend, who at the time was going through financial troubles. However, Evan is not limited to charity for charity’s sake, as the greatest favor he does to those around him is precisely encouraging them to be themselves and believe in the value of what they do.
Already in Brazil, over the course of the last exciting 3 months, Evan has been doing the opposite of established artists like Zé Ramalho – who in a controversial statement stated that he would no longer serve as a “ladder” for beginner and/or little known artists. In all of his 4 appearances here, he has surrounded himself with young and local musicians, including making the Twinpines his support band in 2 “electric” shows. Furthermore, he has opened his “international” platform to young people like Tex, who accompanied him brilliantly in “Mrs Robinson” and “It’s a shame about Ray” in his first solo show at Sesc. Not to mention the new art for the official Evan Dando/Lemonheads t-shirts, by Magoo Félix, as you know, a local illustrator. Look, with my 7 years of dedication to cultural journalism, I haven’t heard of a mainstream artist with this degree of altruism in such a competitive space.
And on the last Sunday before his trip to Argentina this week (hello Evan, we are waiting for the “full report” you promised me about this trip), the Lemonheads front man was, as he himself said in his interview with me, “committing his cool side”. He meant doing another show alongside Twinpines. Now, with the opening act of Plazma, a band that features guitarist (and “roadie to the stars”) Lirinha Morini. While fans miles away want to know what the Lemonheads’ new lineup is, I’m afraid to say that it only exists in the “Cloud”. Today, Lemonheads is practically an entity invoked by Evan Dando, who invites not only competent musicians to ceremonies (or rather, stages), but who share his ideas and visions about music as an instrument, above all, peacemaker, and not just as more a commodity (for example, Coldplay’s embarrassing feats in São Paulo for the sole purpose of going viral).
Unlike Chris Martin, Evan is a rock star who doesn’t let himself be limited – let alone intimidated – by the rules of showbizz which consist in saying that a musical event must happen in a specific place and within a specific time. According to fan/informant Caíque Silva, who fulfilled the dream of seeing him up close after running out of tickets for the two solo performances at Sesc, Evan’s euphoria surpassed the square meters of the Fabrique: “The show was fantastic, it was packed the house, Evan’s interaction with the audience, his happiness on his face, he even played the drums on “Mrs Robinson”. At the end of the show, Evan quickly leaves the stage and kind of ends up out of nowhere. After a few minutes he he leaves Fabrique running with his drum kit and sticks, the crowd follows him on the street, he stops and starts playing, several people take a picture with him, (including me) until the security guard follows him and he returns to Fabrique “, he tells.
In this post, we’re going to tell you a little more about these “characters” embraced by Evan, as well as the city of São Paulo itself, which he points out as his future home, in a house he admits to having bought in Serra da Cantareira. The American, apparently, is feeling more São Paulo than ever: he even had his cell phone stolen “gently” (as he points out), in addition to loving Filial’s menu and having gone crazy with London Calling records. Now, all that remains is to watch a Corinthians match, but that is a task for another respected gringa, Taylor Swift (yes, an inside joke).
Evan Dando + Twinpines play Lemonheads no Fabrique
Get to know Plazma (photos via Lirinha):
With a full-bodied sound that is reminiscent of a mix between Counting Crows and Blues Traveler – thanks to the vocalist’s incredible timbre, Plazma surprised anyone who was just waiting for a simple opening act at Fabrique in the middle of Sunday. With a concise set list of only 7 songs, the band that accounts for decades on the road (with gaps longer than desired) demonstrated that it’s still in the game, captivating the audience that was there for “Confetti” and, the coolest thing, even being praised by Evan Dando himself, who heard the sound from the backstage. With such a blessing, I doubt they won’t dare embark on a national tour soon.
Get to know Tex:
Chico Teixeira’s son and Antonia’s nephew joined Evan on the Sesc stage at 3-03 to play “It’s a shame about Ray” and “Mrs. Robinson”.
From now on, wait for the “mini-tour” to land for a single date in Argentina and its 100% inflation. A good trip for Evan and Antonia, who by the way makes her debut as a roadie after promoting, social media and PR for the Lemonheads. But above all, let it be a brief farewell, because even though the word “saudade” doesn’t exist in the “gringo” dialect, it’s the one that comes closest to what I feel about Evan and all the friends he gave me every time I go back to this series.
Nos vemos pronto.
Ps: And by the way, Chris Martin, next time in SP just make sure Evan is available, right?
