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Sun. Dec. 2 No kids, this is not about the XX; it is about X. What joy it was to hear the Los Angeles-based X in 1980. The group - now and still - fronted by singer Exene Cervenka and singer-bassist John Doe - came out of L.A.'s hardcore punk scene, but weren't bound by its rules, or its denial of melody. Exene and John, married-but-long-divorced, were punk's Johnny and June Carter Cash. Back and forth, their vocals raced, over D.J. Bonebrake's drum beat and guitarist Billy Zoom's punk-cum-rockabilly licks. Smart, desperate music made by young folks at the bottom looking up. Now ... well X is back with us, and at the Paradise Sunday Dec. 2. They've never actually broken up. Doe's done a number of solo projects; same for Cervenka (plus a great pure punk band, the Original Sinners.) And there was, and is, the more countried Knitters, fronted by, yep, John and Exene. Clearly, there's a conne ction between these two. X, though, remains the mothership and once again the band you think won't return has returned. Yes, as adults around 50, they're looking back at their wild reckless youth. But, they're fortunate in that their songs - however wreckless - were rooted in realities we all face, throughout our lives. The old songs don't sound stupid when played nearly three decades after their launch. And, we're told that there is a possible new X album in the works. What's good about X is that they're not a nostalgia act; they're still on some version of the cutting edge. Neither burnt out nor rusted, they rock on into middle-age without apology and with their creativity still in the forefront. Long may they run. Starts at 7. With Not in the Face and the Rev. Horton Heat. Tickets: $25. 967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8801 www.thedise.com |
