Exene Cervenka cancelled the remaining dates on her solo tour citing health concerns, according to a statement by her label, Bloodshot Records. The 55-year-old singer, songwriter and artist has continued touring with her bandmates of 35 years in X and in support of her latest solo album in spite of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009. more ›

Need something to do tonight? In today's Pencil This In we've got the Pac-10 Basketball Free Fan Fest at LA Live, the opening reception for "Wall Works" at SMMoA, and rocker Exene Cervenka performing her new album at the Redwood Bar & Grill. more ›

Destroy All Movies!!! - Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly will be signing copies of their new book, “Destroy All Movies!!!” The Complete Guide To Punks On Film, Sunday evening at La Luz de Jesus. The book features new interviews with “music/big screen luminaries” such as Ian MacKaye, Richard Hell, Penelope Spheeris, Nick Zedd, John Doe & Exene Cervenka, Alex Cox, Martha Coolidge, Lee Ving, Keith Morris, Mary Woronov, and others. Boasting “A-to-Z coverage of over 1100 feature films”, the tome is surely as entertaining as it is comprehensive. more ›

As mentioned previously, the 12th Annual Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival (aka "LobsterFest") was held last weekend at the Ports O'Call Village in San Pedro. For Kevin Bronson from Buzz Bands, the highlight of Sunday's musical lineup -- consisting of Devon Eisenbarger, Tijuana Panthers, Walking Sleep, Miss Derringer, The Section Quartet, and John Doe and Exene Cervenka of X -- was "...when [the headliners] -- in the middle of 'Give Me Flowers While I'm Living' -- were interrupted by the horn of a departing cruise ship. See what happens 1:04 into the song." more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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). more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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". more ›