Rating: NNNNN
Dando just dandy
Evan Dando has never made any bones about being the genuine first-rate rock ‘n’ roll weirdo that Spin magazine labels him – he’s proud of the title. But despite his manicured flakiness, he was far from playing the burnout many might have expected at Lee’s Monday night. For the better part of two hours, Dando blew through an impressive roster of songs, his and not, acting more giddy teenager than rock ‘n’ roll suicide.
Between playing a portable radio through the microphone and mounting a jam with members of opening act All Systems Go! ( John Kastner , Karl Alvarez and Dean Dallas Bentley ), including an amusing cover of Freebird, Dando was frolicky but contained.
Upcoming: The Unintended at the Horseshoe
Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor , Rick White from Eric’s Trip and Elevator and Toronto superheroes the Sadies have joined forces, called themselves the Unintended , made a stunning psych-country record and hit the road. Supergroups – and this is definitely a T.O. version – usually fail to deliver the goods or, as David Crosby put it, wind up “sacrificed at the altar of ego.” The Unintended seem optimistic that such won’t be their fate.
Dallas Good , hanging out at his place with White and bassist Sean Dean , is quick to dismiss the ego problem. “We’re having a lot of fun. We really respect each other, and we’re not very confrontational.”
The eponymous album is mellow, with a beautiful dreamy quality that floats in the ether. As White puts it, “It’s not a band that would offend anybody, unless you hate nice music.”
The band hasn’t been showcasing their respective groups’ songs, preferring to give the Unintended’s new tunes the spotlight. What you get on the album is pretty much what you’ll get live. See for yourself this Friday (May 7) when the psych-twangers hit the Horseshoe (370 Queen West).