One day they’ll make a movie about Townes Van Zandt – the out-of-sorts troubadour who inspired everyone from Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris through to The Lemonheads’ Evan Dando.
Out 9th September, new single ‘Rake’, is the haunting first single from their forthcoming release Townesville that coincides with their upcoming UK and European ‘Love Chant’ tour. A tribute to the immortal songwriting of Townes Van Zandt, the project serves as a natural extension of Evan Dando’s lifelong trajectory as a song collector, wanderer, and authentic American troubadour.
Dando and Van Zandt have shared an unspoken lineage. Neither writes or interprets music as a mere performance; for both, a song is a survival mechanism, stripped of pretence and laid bare. Produced by Antonia Teixeira in Nashville, the record balances raw intimate acoustic arrangements with deep global roots.
The single features renowned Brazilian musician Almir Sater, whose intricate, grounding work on the 10-string viola caipira brings an unexpected, bone-deep resonance to Van Zandt’s dark lyrics. The collaboration connects three distinct lines of traditional roots music: Van Zandt’s austere folk storytelling, Dando’s intuitive indie-country delivery, and Sater’s rich, meditative, pantaneiro instrumentals. Together, the trio of influences turns “Rake” into an uncanny, haunting masterpiece proving that true folk poetry carries the same weight, whether born in the Texas dust, the Boston pavement, or the heart of Brazil.
“The Lemonheads are one of my favourite bands” Jimmy Fallon
“If there’s one trait that binds the full Lemonheads discography from start to finish, it’s the ability to line their angst with an optimistic sheen.” BANDCAMP
THE LEMONHEADS
TOUR DATES
17 Sep: Monroes, Gaillimh, Ireland
18 Sep: The Grand Social, Dublin, Ireland
19 Sep: Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Ireland
20 Sep: Subscription Rooms, Stroud, UK
22 Sep: Chalk, Brighton, UK
23 Sep: The 1865, Southampton, UK
24 Sep: O2 Academy, Oxford, UK
25 Sep: O2 Academy, Liverpool, UK
27 Sep: Arena, Torquay, UK
28 Sep: Dreamland, Margate, UK
30 Sep: The Picturedrome, Holmfirth, UK
01 Oct: Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
02 Oct: Troxy, London, UK
03 Oct: Roadmender, Northampton, UK
05 Oct: Digital, Newcastle, UK
06 Oct: SWG3, Glasgow, UK
07 Oct: Albert Hall, Manchester, UK
09 Oct: Electric, Bristol, UK
10 Oct: O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK
11 Oct: Rock City, Nottingham, UK
13 Oct: Cactus Club, Brugge, Belgium
14 Oct: Le Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
15 Oct: Tivoli, Utrecht, Netherlands
16 Oct: Die Kantine, Koln, Germany
18 Oct: Paard, The Hague, Netherlands
19 Oct: Vera, Groningen, Netherlands
20 Oct: Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany
21 Oct: Metropol, Berlin, Germany
23 Oct: Kulturhaus, Fallenbrunnen, Germany
24 Oct: Spazio 211, Turin, Italy
25 Oct: Monk, Rome, Italy
26 Oct: Arci Bellezza, Milan, Italy
