Wed. Dec. 6

,Exene who then used no last name, came to fame with X, the best punk rock band out of L.A. back in the day. First two X albums: Primo. Strangely, or not, X still exists, with Exene joining John Doe and pals for occasional (and we've got to think) money-making tours. But Exene Cervenka has done a myriad of things over the years: poetry, art, other music. It's that other music side that she brings to the Middle East Upstairs Wednesday Dec. 6 with the Original Sinners. The Original Sinners are not exactly the original Sinners - only guitarst Jason Edge (no relation to U2's Edge) remains from the 2002 incarnation. But The 7 Shot Screamers, a rip-snorting band out of St. Louis, has stepped in and recorded "Se7en." That's what they're touring behind. Says Exene: "These guys can play everything from rockabilly to glam, and the fact that they're so flexible has allowed me to work in a more free-form way. ... I'll always write sad love songs because those are the songs that move me the most, but my life is pretty great now so I don't feel like writing them at the moment. But there's plenty of bad stuff in my past that I can draw on if I ever need to come up with one of those songs." One of the new ones is called "Good at Being Bad." Exene also pays tribute to the late, great/erratic Jeffrey Lee Pierce and his band the Gun Club with "Ghost on the Highway." Also: Knuckel Drager and the Dents. Tickets: $9. Starts at 9 p.m.

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 mideastclub.org