X

Otherwise John Doe with Ad-Rock in Roadside Prophets is best non-Alex Cox Alex Cox movie.

Wild Gift is the only album I kept, btw.

both of their albums are again available stateside.

My unconditional love for X is well documented. I've probably seem them at least a dozen times over the years.

OK, I don't really hate them, they have a couple of classic songs. It's more their attitude and their place in the Hilburnesque LA Rock Pantheon. They're my #1 "I Just Don't Get It" band.

A lot of their songs really bounce and roll along quite nicely. Great hooks for a band that fell outside the circle of commerical success.

Have to say, I agree with Arthur on that.....I hate that shit too.

Still, Billy Zoom is one damn cool motherfucker.

;^p

Ugh...I sure didn't remember Ain't Love Grand being quite this "1985," if you know what I mean. Weird that "Love Shack" is a completely different song than the one The B-52's recorded 4 years later, but still sounds like a B-52's song.

It's recorded two years later than Ain't Love Grand, but, wow, "4th of July" is such a great song (it graced a "Sopranos" episode a couple of years ago too).

The demo version of 4th Of July from the 2cd Beyond and Back comp is even better. A little less slick and eighties-afied.

Ha! I was listening to "Los Angeles" the other day and was struck by how much it reminded me of the B-52s. Not sure if that's a good thing...

Still, I enjoy X in small doses, but have never loved them. I'd like to see what they are like in concert because I've heard nothing but good things. Maybe another reunion tour will happen.

When the fuck is ATP gonna invite them to do Los Angeles in its entirety, as I've been dreaming about for some reason

the B-52s were a big obnoxious convertible jalopy tootin down a dirty back road, and x were some kind of erratic used datsun swerving dangerously, going slow in the fast lane and fast in the slow

Exene's new solo material is great!

For some reason I always assumed I wouldn't like this band. Turns out I was wrong.

what album are you listening to?

They should have had a better career than they did. But Wild Gift is an alltime great record.

I wish they stayed together and did more roots rock like 4th of July.

"More Fun in the New World" right now, also recently dl'ed "Los Angeles." I guess I had kind of mixed them up in my head with the Cramps and so thought they were kitschier/jokier and more rockabilly than they actually are.

The movie "X: The Unheard Music" is great at capturing both the band and the early-mid 80s world that produced them. I knew Zoom had played with Gene Vincent, but I didn't know Bonebreak could tap out Lionel Hampton riffs on the vibes.

I watched this recently and enjoyed it a lot, although I wish there were more extensive live clips.

I like how committed they were (are?) to their personal brands - they were truly living the rockabilly life.

One thing I was wondering about when watching this: was the character of Izzy from the Love & Rockets comics inspired by Exene? Definitely some very strong resemblances both in looks and personality.

I'm in love with Exene's new record.

:-/:

Exene Cervenka, the high priestess of the Southern California punk and alternative music scene for three decades, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the singer for X and the Knitters revealed in a statement issued today.

Cervenka said she underwent tests “after some months of not feeling 100% healthy” and was told she had the inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.

“Although this is obviously unfortunate news,” Cervenka’s statement said, “I am choosing to see the positive in it. I, and X as a band, have supported the Sweet Relief charity since the mid-1990’s; the irony of this is not lost on any of us. Sweet Relief was started as an aide to uninsured artists by musician Victoria Williams when she herself was diagnosed with MS in 1992.”

“While this diagnosis will most certainly mean some changes for me, personally, it will not affect my commitments to the current X U.S. tour, nor will it affect my solo album that is slated for release this fall,” she said.

People with MS can lose control of functions that pass through the brain or spinal cord, but how it affects each person varies widely.

“My focus will certainly be on maintaining my health,” Cervenka, 53, said. “Many people remain strong and continue to live their lives as productively as they had before an MS diagnosis, and I plan to be one of those people.”

In April at the Stagecoach country music festival in Indio, where she sang with the Knitters, Cervenka said backstage that she had been trying to reduce her travel time and time away from her home in Missouri by concentrating performances in short bursts. The Stagecoach set came on the same weekend of a duo performance she gave at the Getty Center in Malibu with her longtime partner in X and the Knitters, John Doe.

“I fly out, do a few shows, see everybody I want to see,” she said, “and then I go home again.”

goddamn I love this band. I know this isn't saying anything new but John Doe + Exene is like my favorite vocal harmony combo

I spent a whole summer listening to Wild Gift, wishing I had the sort of relationship that would have inspired these songs.

X!!!! Whatta band! One of the best live acts I ever saw, especially w/ Billy Zoom. The first three records were flawless, and they were all very good. Yeah - tons o' love.

Recently watched The Decline of Western Civilization for the first time: I had dug this band before (esp. "We're Desperate" and "Adult Books") but now I can't seem to get enough of them. Definitely one of the greatest bands of all time.

Def go an watch The Unheard Music. It's a doc on X and no one else. VERY GOOD!

Definitely one of the greatest bands of all time.

co-sign

man I was just thinkin about this band and I start seeing what they're up to an I guess Exene had to cancel a tour 'cause her MS got brutal on her. Feel so bad about the Knoxville show, what could be more terrifying than to have your body just quit on you onstage.

A Message from Exene - 4/8/11

as you probably know by now, i was diagnosed with ms. i have been doing relatively well. i thought i could handle sxsw in austin, and a short solo tour. however, i got sick in austin during sx, it is a hard event even under the best of circumstances. it didn't seem that hot to me, but heat is very bad for those of us with ms. i started feeling bad almost as soon as i started playing on wednesday and by sunday night, i had a terrible headache and couldn't get out of bed. i didn't feel any better by wednesday so i called my neurologist and got a prescription for steroids. i started to improve a little and thought i'd be okay to start my southwest southeast tour on the following friday. in retrospect, i should have called off the tour then and there. but i didn't want to cancel. kevin seconds, who was on the tour with me, met me in austin, and we played our first show. but i wasn't getting better.in knoxville tn, a week later, i was fatigued and having a hard time functioning. when i took the stage that night, i was surprised to discover that my right hand and arm were not responding to my commands, and i couldn't play guitar. i apologized to the audience, talked alot, and sang acapella. because i had driven ten hours from new orleans, i hoped it was just fatigue from gripping the steering wheel so long. but i knew the tour was over. the next morning, after i called my booking agent and gave her the news, i sat down with kevin seconds and explained to him that i was too sick to continue, and would only be going as far as memphis. i apologized. my friend flew into memphis and drove me home, where i am now. i wouldn't have made it as far as i did without the help of my friends and the kindness of fans strangers along the way. i am not an invincible road warrior anymore. the easiest part of touring is the hour on stage. the driving and staying with friends and finding hotels and advancing the shows and hauling around merch and guitars is the hard part. i've never cancelled a tour before but it is more important for me to regain my health than continue. i never know when my ms will strike, and this was certainly bad timing for an attack. my apologies to the clubs, the fans, my label, and mr. seconds for this unfortunate event. ~Exene~

I had heard about some health problems but man oh man that's awful news. Crossed fingers and best wishes.

FWIW, I went for the pre-sale in NYC this morning and there was no "waiting line," you were sent right through and even though there were clearly people fighting over the same prime tickets, there were and still are plenty of seats for sale. The balcony seats are pretty affordable, so I don't doubt they'll see most of their tickets, but it'll take some time to sell out.

FYI, pre-sale code for today was X1977

https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=Los+Lobos

pre-sale for today is just for ones listed here, not all of them listed above

But some may be for sale on etix

Fat Possum has a big X sale, vinyl for every album is $15, CD's $5.

Actually it's a warehouse sale, so prices apply to all artists

Bummer:

Due to circumstances beyond our control X & Los Lobos will be unable to embark on the 99 Years of Rock’n’Roll Tour. Both bands and our crews worked hard and were looking forward to this tour. We love & value our fans and are extremely disappointed at this turn of events. Look to point of purchase for refunds. We hope to see you in the near future.

Huh. I wonder if ticket sales were weak? Los Lobos tours non stop (I want to say several Chicago shows in the past couple of years alone), and X joined this tour right after an ostensible farewell tour. Also, they were playing pretty big venues.

I saw tons of ads for this tour. Like 10x the amount seen for typical aging alternative bands.

Nooooo…..

I think ticket sales weren’t so good. Too many stops were mostly unsold. I’m really disappointed, I was ready to go.

coincidentally was listening to Los Angeles this morning, remains one of the great American rock albums

Wild Gift too

Saw this double bill at the OC Fair a few months ago, it was sick

Los Lobos rules. Did they do the stoner rock La Bamba?

general rule of thumb, the more advertising you see - the worse a tour is selling / sales have crawled to a halt and agents/promoters are getting sweaty

unforeseen circumstances (ie. no real reason for a cancellation) also generally means = it was unforeseen that we would sell so few tickets

That's too bad. How much were they asking for tix?

I can't remember, but they must have been high enough that despite loving both bands I didn't bother looking for tickets.

also yes Los Lobos do rule. saw them supporting Neil Young & Crazy Horse a decade ago and it was a very unexpectedly fun time

Just checked, and tickets in Portland were $58.32-$155.00, and it was at one of the big concert halls (2,776 capacity). Both bands played the Aladdin (620 capacity) in the past year or two.

Yeah the Chicago show was at Auditorium Theatre, a big concert hall that seats nearly 4,000. I'd love to see X in a smaller club, but maybe the economics aren't worth touring.

The Bay Area show was at the Paramount … also big

I've seen Los Lobos three times now, amazing band

X sounded crazy good btw. If you squinted your eyes you would never guess DJ Bonebrake was pushing 70. Dude was *slamming*

I saw X last year at an early (like, 5pm!) show down the street and they were as awesome as ever.

I guess some people thought there were health issues because Billy Zoom posted this message:

PSA: I'm fine, We're all fine. The tour got cancelled, but not by us. It's business stuff....way above my paygrade, somewhere in the realm of managers, agents, and promoters, and I'm just talent, but I'm fine. Thanks for being concerned, but we're all fine, honest...a little curmudgeonly, but fine. We're still playing Reno and Riverside. BZ

He has been playing sitting down in recent months. Gotta be weak sales.

he was sitting down when I saw the 40th anniversary tour in 2017

yeah I mean c'mon

I think it was an overpriced tour in big theatres

unforeseen circumstances (ie. no real reason for a cancellation)

Exene is being tapped to lead the FBI after Patel’s poor showing.

Just heard Violet Grohl's cover of X's "Nausea" that her dad Dave Grohl is on as well. It was released 5 years ago but I missed it till now. From the "What Drives Us " doc. It's ok but it's not as good as X's version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUcqs-xNW8w