Lemonheads avatar Evan Dando makes for something of an ideal rock star template. Figure a shy guy with an innate pop sensibility, bemused cool and coverboy good looks. Take at least one masterpiece of a record (the Lemonheads’ 1992 album of concise, rocky pop brilliance, It’s a Shame About Ray) and then figure in hard partying, celebrity shagging, the shadowy peril of druggy haze and some “lost years.” What you’ve got is Dando as the perfect denizen of rock-and-roll Babylon. As usual, it’s a case of part myth, part truth and plenty of embellishment. Those “lost years” were really only a couple between the perceived “end” of the Lemonheads in 1998 and Dando’s reemergence in 2000—cleaned up, sober, playing solo shows and the happiest he’d been in years. 2003 saw his solo debut Baby, I’m Bored and more touring. The big surprise came last year in 2006 when Dando reignited the Lemonheads moniker with a self-titled album (aided by Descendents’ All rhythm section Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson) for a staggeringly refreshing batch of songs. And ultimately the proof is in his records: If there’s a guy who really deserves to be a rock star, it’s Dando. Listen to it all—the snotty cover of Suzanne Vega’s “Luka,” the sublime lackadaisy of “It’s a Shame About Ray,” the easy ballad perfection “Into Your Arms” or the joy and abandon of “No Backbone”—and you can hear it for yourself. Opening for the Lemonheads is LA’s Icarus Line, a band that’s achieved its own share of notriety for raw, abrasive music and attitude—both on stage and off.

Sunday, July 22 at 7pm (doors). Town Ballroom, 681 Main Street (852-3900/townballroom.com). $15 advance, $18 at the door (Box Office, New World Record, Tickets.com, Tops Markets).