Results tagged “exenecervenka”

Exene Cervenka released a statement on her website yesterday that she has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Usually abbreviated as MS, Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the nerve cells, affecting communication between the spinal cord and the brain. Although there is no cure, there are treatments to lessen the possibility of disability. It is not life-threatening although it can be debilitating. Other public figures who have previously been diagnosed with MS are Teri Garr, Lola Falana, Montel Williams, Donna Fargo, Annette Funicello and Richard Pryor.

Saturday night's marquee lineup at Club Nokia of X, New York Dolls, and Cracker was a perfect set up for a reenactment of the evolution of the clichéd rock fan: the MC5 meets Stooges and Stones 70's garage rock of the Dolls; the timeless West Coast iteration of late '70s downtown punk best repped by hometown heroes X; the '90s post-cowpunk, quasi-kitsch alt-rock of Cracker.

If you live in Los Angeles or know anything about punk rock circa 1977 then you know about X. If you don't, Perry Farrell will tell you in the clip on the right. Farrell introduced X last month at SXSW, headliners of Spin's day party at Stubb's BBQ. The place was only two-thirds full after a mass exodus of sweater vests following a short set by Vampire Weekend. But all four original members of X -- now touring in celebration of their 31-year anniversary -- proved once and for all that punk's not dead (or at least that rock and roll is alive and kicking).

The Knitters, with vocalists John Doe and Exene Cervenka, guitarist Dave Alvin, bassist Johnny Ray Bartel, and drummer D.J. Bonebrake were born as a side project of the quintissential American punk band X....the group named its rockabilly-flavored offshoot the Knitters as an homage to legendary late 1940s folk group the Weavers. In 1985, the Knitters released their first album, Poor Little Critter in the Road, to critical acclaim and are recognized as one of the leading progenitors of the alternative country-punk sound aptly named "cowpunk". Their second album, The Modern Sounds of the Knitters, released twenty years later, in 2005, was considerably more electrified than their first album and continued the development of their boxcar-blues-meets-Sunset strip sound.

Continue reading "The Knitters at the Getty"

We've been to quite a few shows lately at Safari Sam's, one of Hollywood's newest live music venues, but until Friday night's show had yet to see the man behind the scenes: Sam himself. Before the show began, Sam appeared on stage to tell the audience about how excited he was to have the Knitters play his venue; they (and X) have been one of his favorite bands for a very long time. Even before The Knitters began playing, it was obvious that if this was a big deal to Sam, it should be a pretty big deal to everyone.

Thankfully, all hope has not been lost. I was surprisingly satisfied upon entering The Burgundy Room, which literally is, a burgundy room, located on Cahuenga around all the other Hollywood "hotspots".

Seminal punk band X has been around for over twenty-five years. While guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebrake may have been the bones and muscle of the band, Exene Cervenka and John Doe were its heart and voice. Possibly the most influential punk band to come out of the Eighties, X is still going strong. Their excellent "Live in Los Angeles" CD/DVD just dropped into stores on May 8. So it was with some interest that, while walking around West Hollywood recently, we came across this curious inscription. It's on the curb outside a modest house on Genesee. Could this be an archaological relic of the birth of Los Angeles Punk? Or perhaps the mark of an adoring fan? A little research revealed that John and Exene did indeed live on Genessee, which lends serious credence to the notion that they were responsible for the etching. The marking is dated 1980. This was written at the very nascency of the band, when Ray Manzarek came along and plucked them out of relative obscurity and into the studio to record "Los Angeles." And where are they today? Well, at the moment of this writing, they're at the Pacific Design Center for a screening of the concert film. We found out about this way too late to be able to attend, so we're hoping someone made it to the event. If not, well...there's always this modest curb on Genesee. We can always drop by and touch a piece of Los Angeles pop culture history.