Buried Treasure: Evan Dando and Ben Kweller, “It’s Up To You”

“We are the the cops, the crooks, the cats, the blind, the geniuses. It’s time to take out your ear plugs!”

It’s funny what gets stuck in your memory. When I was in my early 20s, I drove down from upstate New York to The Village Underground in Manhattan to watch Evan Dando of the Lemonheads play a solo show. I’d spent much of my college years playing Lemonheads records on repeat, so I was fairly psyched to see him in person. And, for the record, it was a very good gig (Dando has a reputation for erratic performances.) The opening act was Ben Kweller, a New York City songwriter I’d never heard of. His debut album wasn’t out yet.* But he was already on top of his game, and I was entranced by his mastery of the whole singer-songwriter thing. Anyone can strum an acoustic guitar, blow into a harmonica, and sing, but it takes an artist to turn it into art.

Kweller joined Dando later in the evening to sing “It’s Up To You,” a song they wrote together that has never appeared on record. It’s a Dylan-y, surrealist folk song about taking the bull by the horns and getting out of your own way. I only heard it that one time, until randomly Googling it and finding a video of it on YouTube, taken from that very gig. But I remember the sugary chorus like it was yesterday. What a thrill to hear it again, all these years later. Click on the video below, if you’re so inclined. It’s up to you, of course.

* Before launching his solo career, Kweller fronted the Texas alt-rock band Radish, but I’d never heard of them either.