- Better Than Ezra, “Under You”

“But I was caught, like a fleeting thought / Stuck inside Leonard Cohen’s mind”

- Mercury Rev, “A Drop In Time”

“Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld / So I can sigh eternally”

- Nirvana, “Pennyroyal Tea”

It’s almost unbelievable now to think that we almost never heard Leonard Cohen, the singer. A well-regarded poet from the late 1950s through the mid-’60s, it was Judy Collins who encouraged the middle-aged Canadian writer to try his hand at performing his own songs, and the rest is history. She also had a successful cover of Cohen’s “Suzanne”.

Nearing half a century and 12 albums later, Cohen is one of the most celebrated and critically-acclaimed artists of the era. He’s also one of the most covered songwriters alive, with songs like “Suzanne” and “Hallelujah” registering several hundred different recordings alone. To celebrate the arrival of Old Ideas, his first new studio album in eight years, we’ve collected 30 great covers of Cohen songs for your listening pleasure.

For sake of brevity, this list sticks to a one-song-per-artist rule, with other exceptional covers by a musician cited in several cases. The list also doesn’t include any covers of “Hallelujah”, because everyone and their father has covered that one, and only a few come close to the Jeff Buckley version. (A few of the best ones are mentioned in the entries below, if you’d like to look them up for yourself.)

“Avalanche”

Who: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Where: From Her to Eternity (1984)
What: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds recorded a grim cover of “Avalanche”, which became the very first track on their debut album. Not losing a beat after the collapse of Cave’s former band, The Birthday Party, From Her to Eternity was as powerful a release as anything he had put out. (Cave has a number of Cohen covers to his name, including an excellent “I’m Your Man” from the soundtrack album of the same name, and a raucous version of “Tower of Song” on the I’m Your Fan tribute record.)

“Bird on a Wire”

Who: Johnny Cash
Where: American Recordings (1994)
What: Producer Rick Rubin revitalized Johnny Cash’s career with his first American album. Despite his status as a country icon, Cash was unable to find an audience for his new recordings. Rubin set up a studio at Cash’s home and recorded an acoustic set with him, which showcased the emotional power of his famous baritone voice on a combination of Cash originals and cover songs, Cohen’s classic “Bird on a Wire” among them.

Who: Willie Nelson
Where: Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1995)
What: Tower of Song was a mid-’90s tribute album that featured contributions from an all-star cast including Elton John, Bono, Sting, Billy Joel, Don Henley, and Peter Gabriel. Nelson’s countrified cover of “Bird on a Wire” is a highlight among the bunch. (Nelson also covered “Hallelujah” on his Ryan Adams-produced album, Songbird.)

Who: Fairport Convention
Where: Heyday: The BBC Radio Sessions, 1968-1969 (recorded in 1969, released in 1987)
What: As its title spells out, Heyday was a collection of live radio recordings from early in Fairport Convention’s career. Early supporters of Cohen’s, the English folk rockers covered several of his songs in the late 1960s.

“Chelsea Hotel #2”

Who: Lloyd Cole
Where: I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991)
What: The ex-Commotions singer was in the studio working on his second solo album, Don’t Get Weird on Me, Babe, when he recorded this cover, which sounds like it could have been a B-side from his group’s breakout debut, Rattlesnakes. (Cole also performed a nice cover of “Famous Blue Raincoat” on KCRW, which appears on their Rare on Air, Vol. 2 compilation.)

“Everybody Knows”

Who: Concrete Blonde
Where: Pump Up The Volume Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1990)
What: The soundtrack for the Christian Slater pirate radio film Pump Up The Volume acts as a great time capsule for the era of college rock that immediately preceded Nirvana’s Nevermind, featuring tracks from Sonic Youth, Henry Rollins, the Pixies, and Soundgarden. While Cohen’s version was featured in the film – as the theme song for Slater’s radio show, no les – Concrete Blonde’s cover was included on the soundtrack and released as a single.

Who: Rufus Wainwright
Where: Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (2006)
What: Rufus Wainwright performed this excellent bossa nova-inflected rendition of “Everybody Knows” in the Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man documentary/concert film. There’s a long history of friendship between the Wainwright and Cohen families—Cohen’s daughter Lorca is the mother of Wainwright’s child, Cohen is name-dropped in the song “Want”, and Wainwright and sister Martha are all over the I’m Your Man concert film. Wainwright also counts a superb version of “Hallelujah” amongst his covers of the older poet’s work.

Who: Julee Cruise
Where: The Art of Being a Girl (2002)
What: The first album from David Lynch’s musical muse in nearly a decade, The Art of Being a Girl marked Cruise’s split from the director of the weird and his long-time musical collaborator, Angelo Badalamenti. The album was a far stylistic leap from the spooky, ethereal dreampop with which she’d made her name, and included this strange, trip-hop cover of “Everybody Knows”.

“Famous Blue Raincoat”

Who: Tori Amos
Where: Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1995)
What: In the year between the hit albums Under the Pink and Boys for Pele, Tori Amos contributed this beautiful piano cover of the popular Cohen song to the all-star tribute album Tower of Song. (Amos has also worked “Suzanne” into her live set at several points over the years.)

Who: Marissa Nadler
Where: Folk Off! (2006)
What: The Boston-based folkstress contributed this somewhat spooky cover of Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat”, a regular piece of her live setlist, to this two-disc compilation that pitted North American and British artists against each other in a good-natured competitive “folk off.”

“First We Take Manhattan”

Who: R.E.M.
Where: I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991)
What: R.E.M. fans still in mourning can seek comfort in the large number of rare tracks and obscurities the band left behind. Among those is a cover of “First We Take Manhattan” from the I’m Your Fan Cohen tribute album, which was also included as a B-side on the U.K. single for “Drive”.

“Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”

Who: The Lemonheads (featuring Liv Tyler)
Where: Varshons (2009)
What: The Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes spent years passing mix tapes to The Lemonheads’ Evan Dando, who later paid tribute by recording an album of covers consisting of songs from those tapes. Varshons includes perhaps the most surprising appearance on this list, when Dando duets with actress Liv Tyler (!?) on “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”.

“I Can’t Forget”

Who: Jarvis Cocker
Where: Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (2006)
What: Highly lauded for his own lyrical skills, the Pulp frontman and solo artist performed this sincere cover of “I Can’t Forget” in the tribute documentary I’m Your Man. (Cocker provides a spoken-word, slight re-interpretation of Cohen’s “Avalanche” lyrics for the Boys Noize and Erol Alkan dance track, “Avalanche (Terminal Velocity)”.)

Who: Pixies
Where: I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991)
What: The Pixies were nearing the end of their recording career when they recorded this poppy cover of “I Can’t Forget” for a tribute album originally commissioned by French music mag Les Inrockuptibles. (Black Francis cited Cohen’s I’m You Man as one of his all-time favorite albums in the 33 1/3 volume on Doolittle.)

“If It Be Your Will”

Who: Antony
Where: Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (2006)
What: Antony Hegarty’s one-off performance in the I’m Your Man tribute documentary manages to make Cohen’s lyrics sound even more heartbreaking than on his original version. (Antony & The Johnsons also performed a great cover of “The Guests” live on BBC4 during the same year.)

“Joan of Arc”

Who: Anna Calvi
Where: B-side to the “Desire” single (2011)
What: British singer/shredder Anna Calvi paid tribute to Leonard Cohen by subtracting the thing he’s most famous from the song: his lyrics. Calvi found the song’s lyrics so atmospheric that she was inspired to write her own instrumental piece that followed the story that unfolds in Cohen’s verses.

“Lover, Lover, Lover”

Who: Ian McCulloch
Where: Mysterio (1992)
What: Singer Ian McCulloch included this very new wave-y cover of “Lover, Lover, Lover” on his second post-Echo and the Bunnymen solo album. (McCulloch must be a big-time Cohen fan, judging by his additional covers of “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”, “Suzanne”, and “There Is A War” appearing on various compilations.)

“Master Song”

Who: Beck, Devendra Banhart, and MGMT
Where: Record Club: Songs of Leonard Cohen (2009)
What: Beck’s all-star covers/jam side project took on the entirety of Cohen’s debut album for their second outing. With the help of Devendra Banhart and MGMT, they transform “Master Song” from a tender, acoustic song-poem to a vulgar, old-school hip-hop joint.

“One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong”

Who: Harvey Milk
Where: Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men (1996)
What: The Athens, GA stoner rock group Harvey Milk unplugged for a quiet (uncommon, for them) rendition of “One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong” on their sophomore album. (Their cover of “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy” is included on the Japanese limited edition of Life… The Best Game in Town.)

“So Long, Marianne”

Who: James
Where: I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991)
What: The British band covered “So Long, Marianne” for an early alternative-era Cohen tribute album. At the time primarily known only in the U.K., it would still be two years before they released their breakout hit single “Laid”.

[Note: YouTube has blocked this song in most countries, so here's the Spotify link.]

Who: John Cale and Suzanne Vega
Where: Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village in the 60′s (1999)
What: Cale’s much more famous, of course, in the Cohen covers world for his sublime recording of “Hallelujah”, but his take on this track from Cohen’s debut record came almost a decade later and also features vocals from Suzanne Vega (of “Tom’s Diner” fame).

“Suzanne”

Who: Pearls Before Swine
Where: Balaklava (1967)
What: The first side of Tom Rapp’s surreal, heady sophomore album with Pearls Before Swine served as the singer/songwriter’s unsettling but powerful rail against the Vietnam War. The second side was perhaps more bizarre (if a bit less effective), beginning with this cover of “Suzanne” and ending with the Lord of the Rings-inspired song “Ring Thing” (for which Tolkien was given a joint songwriting credit).

Who: The Flying Lizards
Where: Top Ten (1984)
What: Known best for their bizarre new wave cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)”, The Flying Lizards’ cover of “Suzanne” is even further removed from the source material, featuring icy-cold synths, robotic drumming, and spoken word vocals. This is perhaps the second strangest cover on this list, after Beck’s Record Club entry.

Who: Nina Simone
Where: To Love Somebody (1969)
What: Clumped onto a rushed-out album that also contained three Bob Dylan tunes and two Bee Gees covers, Nina Simone’s cover of “Suzanne” is as bright and cheery as they get.

Who: Roberta Flack
Where: Killing Me Softly (1973)
What: The closing track to Roberta Flack’s Grammy Award-nominated album Killing Me Softly was a cover of the Cohen staple. Flack added orchestral flourishes and lingered on every lyric to create an extensive, nearly-10-minute rendition of the famous song.

Who: Neil Diamond
Where: Stones (1971)
What: While Neil Diamond’s Stones did contain his popular songs “I Am… I Said” and “Crunchy Granola Suite”, many of the tracks on the record are actually covers. Paired up with songs originally performed by Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell, it’s Diamond’s lush, pastoral Leonard Cohen cover that’s a standout.

“Who By Fire”

Who: Coil
Where: Horse Rotorvator (1986)
What: The name of the British industrial/experimental group’s landmark second album comes from a dream in which the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse tear out their steeds’ jawbones and graft them together to build a plow that will tear up the world. The cover of “Who By Fire” included there isn’t as terrifying as one might expect from such an album, but the atmospheric backing vocals are pretty haunting.

Who: The House of Love
Where: I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991)
What: The House of Love may not be as beloved a band to come out of Creation Records as, say, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, or Oasis, but their self-titled debut record really holds up as a great piece of pre-Britpop British indie rock. Their cover of “Who By Fire” was the lead track on the U.K. edition of I’m Your Fan.

“Winter Lady”

Who: Palace Songs
Where: Hope EP (1994)
What: Will Oldham, the man of many changing names, released this EP under the Palace Songs moniker. Chronologically part of a spurt of singles and EPs released between Days in the Wake and Viva Last Blues, it’s more in tune with the full band sound he’d use more in his Bonnie “Prince” Billy days than much of the Palace era. This startling cover is included among Oldham originals.

“You Know Who I Am”

Who: Mama Cass Elliot
Where: Dream A Little Dream (1968)
What: The final Mamas & the Papas single, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” became the first Mama Cass solo single after label execs wagered on Elliot being the group’s breakout member. Their bet was good, as the song became a smash hit for the singer. Most of the album’s material was written by Elliot’s friends and Laurel Canyon neighbors, but there’s a sweetly-sung version of Cohen’s “You Know Who I Am” that’s quite pretty, despite a few overbearing psychedelic effects.

Conclusion

And there are some of our favorites. Given how popular Cohen’s songs have been over the last four-and-a0half decades, there are quite literally thousands of covers we couldn’t even begin to include. Please feel free to share your favorites in our comments section.

Whenever I hear anybody do one of my songs, my critical judgments go into immediate, suspended animation. I’m just knocked out when anybody does a cover of mine … First of all, I’m happy that someone has heard the song and is moved to cover it. Second of all, it gives me a completely fresh take on the song, and I can then enter it into my own judgmental process … I think there are songs that are better done than I have done them.”

- Leonard Cohen to KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, February 18, 1997

It’s a good year for singer-songwriter Evan Dando. After a sold-out acoustic tour, alongside former bandmate Juliana Hatfield, Dando returns to the road once again with his old moniker, The Lemonheads. Performing their seminal 1992 LP, It’s a Shame About Ray, the Boston, MA trio – featuring Dando, now alongside guitarist Josh Lattanzi (of The Candles), and drummer Brian Nolan (of American Hi-Fi) - has sketched out a widely ambitious tour that takes them into 2012, with dates lined up everywhere across North America and the UK. What’s more, they plan on putting out an album in February.

But first, they’ll wrap up a handful of West coast gigs here, before shooting overseas for much of December. Starting early January, however, they’ll tour the States again, hitting up a different city every day for the next two-and-a-half months. New York’s The Shining Twins will offer support. Check out the jaw-dropping list of tour dates below.

Finally, on February 7th, The Lemonheads will issue Hotel Sessions (via Hall of Records/Breath of Saltwater), the group’s first album of original material since 2006′s eponymous LP. The new effort will feature 14-tracks that, according to a press release, come from “an intimate recording documenting a Sunday night that Evan Dando spent recording new songs with just an acoustic guitar (and some revealing commentary) in a hotel room in Bondi Beach, Australia.” Some tracks include those that never made it on past releases.

We’ll keep you updated.

The Lemonheads 2011/2012 Tour Dates:
10/21 – Chicago, IL @ Double Door
10/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
10/24 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
10/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
10/28 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
10/29 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
10/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
10/31 – Santa Clara, CA @ The Avalon
11/03 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
11/04 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
11/05 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
11/06 – Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo House of Music
11/30 – Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgwood Rooms
12/01 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
12/02 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds University Student Union
12/04 – Newcastle, UK @ Cluny
12/05 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor Auditorium
12/06 – Manchester, UK @ Ritz
12/07 – Liverpool, UK @ Academy 2
12/08 – Sheffield, UK @ Plug
12/10 – Birmingham, UK @ Academy 2
12/11 – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction
12/12 – London, UK @ Shepherds Bush Empire
12/13 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
01/10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
01/11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
01/12 – Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
01/13 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Casino – Wolf Den
01/14 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
01/16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
01/17 – Toledo, OH @ Frankie’s
01/19 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
01/20 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
01/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
01/22 – Madison, WI @ The High Noon Saloon
01/24 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
01/26 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
01/27 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada
01/28 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
01/29 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
01/30 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
02/01 – Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
02/02 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen
02/03 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
02/04 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
02/06 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
02/07 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush
02/09 – Dallas, TX @ The Door
02/10 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
02/11 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
02/12 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
02/14 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
02/15 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
02/16 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
02/17 – Birmingham, AL @ BottleTree
02/18 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
02/20 – Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
02/22 – Gainesville, FL @ Double Down Live
02/23 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
02/24 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
02/25 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
02/27 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
02/28 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
02/29 – Greenville, SC @ Handlebar
03/02 – Greensboro, NC @ Blind Tiger
03/03 – Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre
03/04 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
03/05 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
03/06 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
03/09 – Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club
03/10 – Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar
03/11 – New Hope, PA @ New HopeWinery
03/13 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
03/14 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s

Aside from a few remaining Stone Temple Pilots tour dates (placed conveniently below), rocker Scott Weiland seemingly doesn’t have much in the way of revenue-generating ventures in progress. With Velvet Revolver going in another direction and last year’s Christmas album not in stores until this Xmas, there’s only one solution: suckle off the teat of rock’s biggest names with a covers compilation.

According to Antiquiet, the blandly-titled A Compilation Of Scott Weiland’s Cover Songs sees Weiland tackling tracks by some big-name musical heavyweights, including Radiohead, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Stone Roses, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, and The Flaming Lips. Mr. Weiland apologizes now if most of the tracks end up sounding the same.

The entire package is available to download for a mere $15 (that’s more than what his memoir is going for on Amazon). For those in need of a preview of Weiland’s homages, check out the stream of STP covering The Beatles’ “Revolution” back in 2001. The album’s tracklist can be found immediately underneath that.

Stone Temple Pilots – “Revolution” (Beatles cover)

A Compilation Of Scott Weiland’s Cover Songs Tracklist:
01. I Am The Resurrection (Stone Roses)
02. Personality Crisis (New York Dolls)
03. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle (Nirvana)
04. Let Down (Radiohead)
05. Into Your Arms (The Lemonheads)
06. Dead Flowers (The Rolling Stones)
07. Waiting For Superman (The Flaming Lips)
08. Revolution (The Beatles)
09. But Not Tonight (Depeche Mode)
10. Reel Around The Fountain (The Smiths)
11. Fame (David Bowie)
12. Jean Genie (David Bowie)

Stone Temple Pilots 2011 Tour Dates:
09/02 – Virginia Beach,VA @ 5th Street Stage
09/04 – Rockford, IL @ On The Waterfront
09/07 – Niagara Falls, NY @ The Rapids Theatre
09/08 – Orillia, ON @ Casino Rama
09/10 – Newark, NJ @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
09/11 – Albany, NY @ Palace Theatre
09/13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
09/14 – Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Amphitheater
09/16 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s
09/17 – Concho, OK @ Lucky Star Casino
09/24 – Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theater at Palms

Penned in Australia during 1992, The Lemonhead‘s It’s a Shame About Ray propelled the Bostonians into modest international popularity. After performing the album in its entirety for a 2010 Australian tour, the Evan Dando-led band have scheduled 30 U.S. dates once again featuring It’s a Shame About Ray from beginning to end.

For the tour, beginning September 30th in Little Rock, AR, Dando will perform the album’s 13-tracks alongside guitarist Josh Lattanzi (The Candles) and drummer Brian Nolan (American Hi-Fi). With It’s a Shame About Ray clocking in at around 30-minutes, it’s likely the band will perform favorites from their extensive nine album catalog.

Check out the entire list of tour stops below,  as well as the video for the band’s classic cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”.

The Lemonheads 2011 Tour Dates:
09/30 – Little Rock, AR @ Dreamland Ballroom
10/01 – Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm & Blues
10/02 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/03 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
10/04 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
10/05 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/07 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
10/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/12 – Boston, MA @ The Paradise
10/13 – Milford, CT @ Daniel Street
10/14 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
10/15 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street (downstairs)
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
10/18 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
10/19 – Akron, OH @ Musica
10/21 – Chicago, IL @ Double Door
10/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7^th Street Entry
10/24 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
10/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
10/28 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
10/29 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
10/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
10/31 – Santa Clara, CA @ The Avalon
11/03 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
11/04 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
11/05 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
11/06 – Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo House of Music
11/30 – Portsmouth @ Wedgewood Rooms
12/01 – Nottingham @ Rescue Rooms
12/02 – Leeds @ Cockpit
12/03 – Newcastle @ TBA
12/05 – Glasgow @ Oran Mor Auditorium
12/06 – Manchester @ Ritz
12/07 – Sheffield @ Plug
12/09 – Liverpool @ Academy 2
12/10 – Birmingham @ Academy 2
12/12 – Brighton @ Concorde 2
12/13 – London @ Shepherds Bush Empire

As posted on their website, The Lemonheads have released a set of five U.S. tour dates, all following a Dando U.K. solo outing at the end of May. The Lemonheads will touch down in D.C. on June 18th, and play a gig in West Chester, Pennsylvania the next day. In July, the Boston band has scheduled three shows on consecutive days in New England, including a free afternoon show at the Waterfront Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

There should be more dates coming, judging by the wording on the website (dates referred to as “the lastest [sic] confirmed Lemonheads shows”). Tickets will eventually be available here.

The Lemonheads 2010 Tour Dates:
06/18 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
06/19 – West Chester, PA @ The Note
07/08 – Milford, CT @ Daniel Street
07/09 – Providence, RI @ Jerky’s Live Music Hall
07/10 – Newburyport, MA @ Waterfront Park

According to ALTsounds, Dando will hit the road for six weeks, performing a mixture of Lemonheads’ classics (there were some, right?), tracks from his solo releases, and some of the covers from the aforementioned, Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers) produced record. The venues seem to promise intimate gatherings, so all you girls who have seen Reality Bites a few too many times can get a glimpse into what Ethan Hawke’s character would be like 20 years later. The Candles support.

Evan Dando 2010 Tour Dates:
01/29 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
01/30 – New York, NY @ Joe’s Pub
01/31 – Bordentown, NJ @ The Record Collector Store
02/03 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
02/04 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
02/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
02/06 – Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Café
02/09 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
02/10 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
02/11 – Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds
02/12 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
02/13 – Orlando, FL @ The Backbooth
02/16 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
02/17 – Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
02/18 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
02/19 – Chicago, IL @ Double Door
02/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
02/21 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
02/23 – Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar
02/24 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Alternative Lounging (Outdoor)
02/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café
02/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord
03/03 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
03/06 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

The Boston outfit has left longtime label Vagrant Records in favor of Brooklyn based The End Records, where it will share a home with such acts as Australian goth rockers Virgin Black, German metal band Enemy of the Sun, and Japan’s favorite masters of darkness and sorrow, Dir en grey. To celebrate the joyous occasion, The Lemonheads will release what is described as the band’s long-awaited covers collection – key word: long-awaited – on June 23rd.

Entitled Varshons, the 11-track endeavor, which marks the first full-length release since 2006′s self-titled effort, is billed as a “a mix tape slipped to you by a music-obsessed friend anxious.” You know, the type of mix tape that features Lemonheads takes on Leonard Cohen, Wire, Gram Parsons, and Townes Van Zandt? Per The End Records:

Filled with obscure nuggets, the tracks on Varshons cut a wide swath, jumping from early British psychedelic to Dutch electronica and like all good mix tapes, you never know what is coming next.

Yeah, seriously. After Varshons and their signing with The End Records, The Lemonheads could make their ninth album of original material – also expected this year – featuring entirely autotune and banjo and I wouldn’t be surprised.

Varshons Tracklist:
01. I Just Can’t Take It Anymore (Gram Parsons)
02. Fragile (Wire)
03. Layin’ Up With Linda (G.G. Allin)
04. Waiting Around To Die (Townes Van Zandt)
05. Green Fuz (Randy Alvey & Green Fuz)
06. Yesterlove (Sam Gopal)
07. Dirty Robot (w/ Kate Moss) (Arling & Cameron)
08. Dandelion Seeds (July)
09. Mexico (Fuckemos)
10. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye (feat. Liv Tyler) (Leonard Cohen)
11. Beautiful (Linda Perry)

The Lemonheads 2009 Tour Dates:
04/01 – Brisbane, AU @ The Zoo
04/02 – Byron Bay, AU @ The Great Northern Hotel
04/03 – Melbourne, AU @ The Corner Hotel
04/04 – Hobart, AU @ The Republic Bar
04/05 – Sydney, AU @ The Annandale Hotel