POP and JAZZ REVIEWS : Dando Showcases His Writing Skills

Black Francis, the former leader of the now disbanded Pixies, finally has some competition in the category of “notable solo acoustic show by the quirky frontman of a cult-hero underground band that’s vaguely based in Boston.”

Evan Dando, the singer-songwriter of the Lemonheads, headlined McCabe’s on Saturday with a set of songs whose slightly skewed perspective and emotional openness created far more resonance and range than the limited musical setting would suggest.

Tall and long-haired, with teen-idol looks and a warming vulnerability, Dando played it straight and serious, building long sequences of songs--many new, many from the last Lemonheads album--with hardly a break or a comment.

If he was trying to modify his image as a somewhat flaky free spirit, he did a good job--almost too good, since audiences come to this kind of show for a taste of the informality and contact they’d be unlikely to get in the normal rock-show context.

But if nothing else, the first of the evening’s two sets was a great showcase for his songwriting. Dando might be a rocker at heart, but his selections sounded like great folk songs, sometimes with a wisp of country. With their achingly sweet melodies, emotionally tugging chord progressions and candid imagery, they stood firmly on their own.