Staff Editor on June 23rd, 2014

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By JD REINHOLDZ

It’s ironic that six songs into his show Thursday at the Roxy Theatre, during the chorus of “Love is Not a Roof Against The Rain,” Dean Wareham asked “What have I done with my life?” Because, frankly, the answer to that is, “What hasn’t he?”

As if it’s not enough to have fronted one of the most beloved indie-rock combos of the 80’s (Galaxie 500), Wareham went on to make one of the most universally hailed albums of the 90’s (Luna’s “Penthouse”), toured supporting the Velvet Underground, has recorded a brace of astounding cover versions (from Wire to Jonathan Richman to Beat Happening to Fred Neil and more), provided music to a series of Andy Warhol films and in recent years scored several Noah Baumbach movies (while acting in a few too). Oh, he also wrote a rather stellar rock autobiography, “Black Postcards.”

And that was all before, at age 50, he released his first solo album, a record that is, without a doubt one of the best of his career. Songs from that Jim James-produced, self-titled album that filled out most of his set Thursday, from “Babes in the Woods,” where Wareham used his (often undervalued) guitar chops to full effect, to the metronomic “Dancer Disappears.” And there was “Holding Pattern,” by far the most uptempo moment of the show, with Wareham’s wife Britta Phillips and new recruits drummer Roger Brogan and multi-instrumentalist Raymond Richards, expanding the sound and transforming them into a “rock combo.”

Much has been made of Wareham, always seen as the epitome of the New York music scene, swapping coasts for the easier West Coast lifestyle, and it’s the addition of the latter two musicians – longtime members of the Los Angeles recording community – that finally makes the transition complete, and makes his band a truly local affair. Though considering Luna once covered “Sweet Child of Mine,” by quintessential L.A. band Guns N’ Roses, maybe he already had his foot in the door here.

Wareham threw in just a pair of Luna songs at the Roxy, including ‘Tiger Lily,” though excluding its “Bewitched” album-mate “California (All the Way Home),” but he left the enthusiastic crowd far from disappointed, delving deep into his Galaxie 500 songbook. The band’s timeless debut single “Tugboat” (1988) drew a spirited roar early in the set, and “Blue Thunder” was once again a showcase for Wareham’s dreamy guitar. And of course what else to whet the appetite of the eager fans, than one of the aforementioned cover versions, with the band closing the night with a sublimely intense take (via Galaxie 500) on New Order’s “Ceremony.”

While it might have taken Wareham 25-plus years to finally release a solo album, maybe it’s a hint of a new beginning. Considering his jovial interaction with the Roxy crowd, the relaxed comfort level with his new band and that he is making some of the best music to date, it would seem as if the West Coast agrees with him. As the Ramones, those other icons of New York cool, once sang, “Out there having fun, in the warm California sun …”

JD Reinholdz is an occasional contributor to Buzz Bands LA.