X (LA)
From Punkopedia - The Punk, Hardcore, and Indie Encyclopedia
| X | |
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 X on the cover of their 1997 collection Beyond and Back: The X Anthology. L to R:Doe, Zoom, Cervenka, Bonebrake | |
| Music genre(s) | Punk Rock, Punkabilly |
| Homebase | Los Angeles, CA |
| Years active | 1977-1986, 1993-Present |
| Current Status | Active |
| Notable Records | Los Angeles, Wild Gift, Under The Big Black Sun |
| Label(s) | Slash Records |
| Website | X - the band - official website |
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X is a noted punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1977. While they achieved only limited mainstream success, they were widely considered one of the most accessible and tuneful of Los Angeles' many punk bands. Their landmark 1980 record Los Angeles resonated so loudly with the artisans of the city it is named after, that the band received an Official Certificate of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles in acknowledgment of their important contributions to Los Angeles music and culture. They were hugely influential on various genres of music, including punk, hardcore, and folk.
Original members were Exene Cervenka (born Christine Cervenka, vocals), John Doe (born John Duchac, bass and vocals), Billy Zoom (born Tyson Kindell, guitar) and DJ Bonebrake (born Donald J. Bonebrake, drums). After Zoom retired from the band, Tony Gilkyson replaced him on guitar. Zoom reunited with X in 1998. The original line-up now tours sporadically.
Their albums had a hard-driving sound that occasionally flirted with country and blues; one critic suggests that X "were not just one of the greatest punk bands, but one of the greatest live rock acts of all time."
In many ways — from songwriting to performances — X were arguably a bit more sophisticated and diverse than many of their punk peers (except Cervenka, all band members had previous musical experience before forming X.) One critic writes that X were "too self-conscious, artsy and ambitious to simply spew" in typical punk fashion
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[edit] History
[edit] Los Angeles
X's first record deal was with pioneering indepedent label Dangerhouse, for which the band produced two singles, "Los Angeles" and "Adult Books." The Dangerhouse session version of "Los Angeles" was also featured in a Dangerhouse compilation called "Yes LA", a picture disc that featured other early-punk era LA bands like The Weirdos and Black Randy. As the band became the flag bearer for the local scene, a larger independent label, Slash, signed the band to issue its first LP.
The result was their first LP release, the appropriately titled Los Angeles (1980) (produced by The Doors' keyboard player, Ray Manzarek), was a minor hit and well received by the underground press and mainstream media. Much of X's early material had a rockabilly edge. Doe and Cervenka co-wrote most of the group's songs, and their slightly off-kilter harmony vocals remain perhaps the group's most distinctive element. Their lyrics tended to be straight-out poetry, and comparisons to Charles Bukowski and Raymond Chandler were made from the start.
[edit] Wild Gift and Under The Big Black Sun
Their follow-up effort, 1981's Wild Gift, broadened the band's profile when it was named "Record of the Year" by Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and Village Voice. Their first two records were released on Slash Records and similar in style.
X signed to Elektra in 1982 to release Under the Big Black Sun, which marked a slight departure from their trademark sound. While still fast and loud, the album's country leanings were evolving and its raw punk sound was channeling raw metal guitar power chords. The album was heavily influenced by the tragic, premature death of Exene Cervenka's elder sister Mirielle (Mary) in an automobile accident in 1980. Three songs on the album, "Riding With Mary," "Come Back To Me," and the title track all directly relate to the tragedy. A fourth, a high-speed version of Lead Belly's "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes," was indirectly attributed to Exene Cervenka's mournful state of mind years later. The stark black & white cover art and title were also a reflection of the somber mood of the band during this time. Nonetheless, this album remains Exene's favorite X album (see liner notes of the recent CD release for affirmation).
[edit] 1986-Present
Zoom left the group in 1986, the year in which the feature-length documentary film, X: The Unheard Music was released. He was briefly replaced by Alvin, then by Tony Gilkyson, formerly of the band Lone Justice, for See How We Are. The album found X even further from their punk origins, yet still maintained a punchy, energetic hard rock sound. After touring for the album, X went on an extended hiatus.
Both Doe and Cervenka have released solo albums; Doe moved more toward roots music in his solo work. Since 1986, Doe has also maintained a busy second career as an actor, appearing in such films as Oliver Stone's Salvador, Allison Anders' Border Radio and Sugar Town, the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire, Miguel Arteta's The Good Girl, Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, and the independent feature Roadside Prophets, in which he starred with The Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz. He was a regular cast member of the television series Roswell on WB Television Network and UPN.
X regrouped in the early 1990s to record and, though the band has not released an album of new material since 1993, it continues to perform live, with Zoom once again on guitar. X: The Unheard Music was released on DVD in 2005, as was the concert DVD X: Live In Los Angeles, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the band’s landmark debut album, Los Angeles.
In summer 2006, X toured North America on the "As The World Burns" Tour 2006 with the Rollins Band and Riverboat Gamblers.
[edit] Discography
- Los Angeles (1980)
- Wild Gift (1981)
- Under the Big Black Sun (1982)
- More Fun in the New World (1983)
- Ain't Love Grand! (1985)
- See How We Are (1987)
- Live at the Whisky a Go-Go (1988 - Live)
- Hey Zeus! (1993)
- Unclogged (1995 - Live)
- Beyond and Back: The X Anthology (1997)
- The Best: Make the Music Go Bang! (2004)
[edit] Filmography
- The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
- Urgh! A Music War (1981)
- X: The Unheard Music (1986) [4]
- Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003)
- X - Live In Los Angeles (2005)
