X Alphabetland & Shows # 825, 826 & 827

On April 22nd, X released a new album online via their bandcamp page entitled Alphabetland. Originally intended to be released in August, the band and their label Fat Possum pushed up the release date due to the COVID pandemic. Coming as a surprise to fans of the band, this album originated from two main sessions that took place in 2018 and 2020 with producer Rob Schnapf. Alphabetland is also the first full-length album featuring the original members of X in 35 years. It is vital and refreshing. The drums, bass, unfiltered guitars and impassioned poetic vocals capture what people love most about X. Musically, the album sits somewhere near the first two X albums and 1982’s Under The Big Black Sun.

“Alphabetland” opens the album. With its driving bass, drums and unhinged guitar leads from guitarist Billy Zoom, this song features lyrics such as “Tearing up the sidewalks/Pouring wet cement/Erasing your initials/Alphabet wrecked” and “Blue you wear like martyr blue/Atom bomb bruises/Cold War flu”. With the lyrics on this title track, Exene Cervenka and John Doe sing in metaphors that tie the past and the present together, as they evoke a working class/cold war mindset and a sense of finding yourself. “Free” features more space and groove, in-between roots rock and a classic X punk sound. Lyrically, with words such as “Lemme go free/Don’t tell me I can’t”, the song resonates messages of longing and revolt. “Water & Wine” wades in themes of the poor vs. the rich and privilege and division. Musically, this propelling track features another intense 50s rock influenced solo by Billy Zoom and also saxophone also provided by Zoom. With words such as “The divine that defines us /The evil that divides us” and “There’s a heaven and there’s a never/There’s no tomorrow only forever”, the song also draws parallels to our current climate. “Strange Life”, reflects themes of band life, but also features isolation motifs, “I Gotta Fever” is a fast stop and start song that delves into a state of the craziness of love, “Delta 88 Nightmare” is the fastest track found on Alphabetland.

Clocking in at just over a minute and a half, “Delta 88 Nightmare” is a song that first appeared as a demo on the reissue of X’s debut album Los Angeles. The song itself was influenced by the John Steinbeck novel Cannery Row and a road trip that was taken to see “if there might be remnants of those romantic hobos and bohemians up in Monterey.” as X told Rolling Stone in 2019. "Delta 88 Nightmare" was released as a single in 2019. This song and its funky B-side “Cyrano deBerger’s Back”, a song originally found on the 1987 album See How We Are with a slightly different band line up, was recorded with three other tracks that served as the beginnings of Alphabetland. “Star Chambered” with drummer DJ Bonebrake's unshakeable rhythms, jagged guitar riffs and back forth verses between John Doe and Exene Cervenka, finds a social outlaw navigating judgment on themselves. “Angel On The Road” is a memoir of life on the road with lyrics such as “I wish I was someone else/Someone I don’t even know/I wish I was somewhere else/Making angels in the snow” that display an innocence and longing for something different or better.

“Goodbye Year, Goodbye” echoes the chaos of 1981’s Wild Gift. The song lyrically entails an emotionally disjointed New Year’s Eve party that brings forth an unpredictable poignancy. “All The Time In The World” ends Alphabetland. This Beat jazz piano track features a poem recited overtop by Exene Cervenka and guitar work from Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, tying in the band’s connection to the Doors on their first four albums (Ray Manzarek produced those albums). With lines such as “History is just one lost language after another/After another/And when they’re all taken together/We still can’t decipher the past/Or decode the future/We’re just lost without a map” this song changes up the fast paced momentum of Alphabetland as it carries a heavy lyrical weight. Alphabetland brings poetic lyrics and newfound energy to the fold in X’s catalog. It doesn’t try to be something that it’s not, and while it does have similarities to what we love about X’s early music, it doesn’t simply retread old ground here. Alphabetland engraves its own letters into the cement for the past, present and future times.

Show 827 Playlist (Originally Aired On May 2nd, 2020)(X, Joel Plaskett, Damaged Bug):

1. X - Alphabetland
2. X - Sugarlight
3. Redd Kross - Clorox Girls
4. Joel Plaskett - Complicated Love
5. The Diodes - Eaton Square (1982 Outtake)
6. Deperuse - Jungle
7. Randy Newman - Have You Seen My Baby?
8. Andy Shauf - Things I Do
9. Born Ruffians - Breathe
10. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - The Deportees Club
11. The Afghan Whigs - What Jail Is Like
12. Tom Waits - Lie To Me
13. The Sadies & Gord Downie - Goodbye Johnny
14. Chris Knox - Light
15. The Sneaky Feelings - Billy Wild
16. Tall Dwarfs - Get Outta The Garage
17. Sleater-Kinney - All Hands On The Bad One
18. Gum Country - Somewhere
19. Daniel Romano - I'm Afraid of Elevators
20. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead - Baudelaire
21. Paul Jacobs - Animal Farm (Kinks Cover)
22. Dead Ghosts - Blackout
23. Flatworms - Antarctica
24. Damaged Bug - Microminature Love
25. The Strokes - Why Are Sunday's So Depressing
26. The Men - lease Don't Go
27. Port Juvee - Drugstore
28. Lie - LSD
29. Mannequin Pussy - Denial
30. X - Star Chambered
31. X - The Worl'ds A Mess (It's In My Kiss)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 2.

Show 826 Playlist (Originally Aired On April 25th, 2020)(Pottery, Bikini Kill, Bob Dylan, The Sadies & Iggy Pop):

1. Pottery - Take Your Time
2. Pottery - Texas Drums Pt. I & II
3. Bikini Kill - New Radio
4. Bratmobile - Cool Schmool
5. Fiona Apple - Shemeika
6. PJ Harvey - The Wheel
7. Angel Olsen - Forgiven/Forgotten
8. Dick Dale - Surf Beat
9. The Lyrics - So What!!
10. The Moving Sidewalks - 99th Floor
11. Actual Water - She's A Priest
12. Galore - Lemon Tea
13. The Gonks - I'm A Gonk
14. The Pack AD - Shake
15. The Sadies - Strange Birds
16. The Sadies - Wagon Wheel
17. Car Seat Headrest - Martin
18. Elliot Smith - Big Decision
19. Mountain Goats - January 31, 438
20. Bloodshot Bill - Don't Let Go
21. Amos the Kid - What Did You Do
22. Larry Wallis - Police Car
23. Jets of Airs - Telephone Operator
24. Vivian Girls - Most of All
25. Paul Jacobs - Show Me Something
26. Iggy Pop - Play It Safe
27. Iggy Pop - Family Affair
28. Hot Garbage - Easy Believer
29. ROY - Take Off Your Tin Hat
30. Double Date With Death - Copier-Coller
31. Queens of the Stone Age - Head Like A Haunted House
32. Bob Dylan - I Contain Multitudes
33. Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - Matchbox

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 25.

Show 825 Playlist (Originally Aired On April 18th, 2020)(Nap Eyes, The Chats & Pavement):

1. Double Winter - Cool City
2. Outrageous Cherry - A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes
3. MC5 - Gold
4. The Gories - Drowning
5. Andre Williams - Pulling Time
6. The Greedy Echoes - Houdini
7. Ray Charles - In The Heat of the Night
8. Wilco - Citizens
9. Fiver - (It Won't Be Long) And I'll Be Hating You
10. Cowboy Junkies - (You Don't Get To) Do It Again
11. Courtney Barnett - Out of the Woodwork
12. Sonic Youth - Sunday (Live In Los Angeles 1998)
13. The Chats - Dine and Dash
14. The Chats - Smoko
15. The Thrill - Memory Wipe
16. Pavement - AT&T
17. Black Flag - Forever Time
18. The Cramps - Psychotic Reaction
19. Port Juvee - Hope To Lose
20. Elephant Stone - House On Fire
21. Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil - Lies Goodbye
22. The Gruesomes - Someone Told A Lie
23. The Modern Lovers - Dignified & Old
24. Nap Eyes - Even Though I Can't Read Your Mind
25. Cindy Lee - Bondage of the Mind
26. Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
27. Nap Eyes - If You Were In Prison
28. Big Thief - Masterpiece
29. Pottery - Hot Like Jungle

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 18.

Interview With DJ Bonebrake of X & Show # 685

DJ Bonebrake is perhaps best known as the drummer for the Los Angeles punk band X. Prior to joining X, DJ was in a band called The Eyes, who featured Charlotte Caffey (who would later join The Go-Go’s). He joined X in late 1977 and completed their classic lineup, which still performs today. In addition to X, DJ has been part of many recordings as a session musician, played briefly with The Germs, and was part of a group of LA musicians that recorded with Chris D’s band The Flesh Eaters on their second full-length album, A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die in 1981. In 1982, John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Dave Alivn, Johnny Ray Bartel and DJ Bonebrake formed The Knitters. This country and rockabilly oriented group released two albums, 1985’s Poor Little Critter On The Road and The Modern Sounds of The Knitters in 2005. DJ has a background in jazz as well, he played vibraphone in the Latin-jazz flavoured band Orchestra Superstring and in the Bonebrake Syncopators, who performed early era jazz.

Check out my interview with DJ Bonebrake below:



The Playlist:

1. The Fads - Tony’s Twang
2. The Eroders - Searching For You
3. Dusty Mush - Johnny Cactus
4. The Ape-ettes - Safety Strands
5. The Fuzzy Undertones - Le Voyage Du Soleil
6. Faith Healer - Might As Well
7. Bonebrake Syncopators - Three Little Words
8. X - Under The Big Black Sun

DJ BONEBRAKE INTERVIEW

9. X - Hungry Wolf
10. The Knitters - Someone Like You
11. The Sadies - Sunset To Dawn
12. Tire Swing Co. - Bridge Mic
13. The Monkeywrench - From You
14. Charlie Pickett & The Eggs - But I Didn’t
15. This Machine Kills Robots - Dry Land Is For The Dead
16. Cellos - Ghosts In The Sky
17. Shimmer Demolition - Let It All Go
18. So Many Wizards - Sic Boys
19. The Replacements - Hayday
20. The Replacements - Color Me Impressed
21. The Replacements - Treatment Bound (Alternate Version)
22. The Necessaries - You Can Borrow My Car
23. Al Brown & The Tunehoppers - Take Me Back
24. King Khan - Run Doggy Run

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 16.

Revolution Rock: Radio Brain Drain - LA Punk Special & Show # 680 & 681

As part of CJAM FM’s Radio Brain Drain, a week's worth of programming devoted to punk rock and all its forms, Revolution Rock hosted a program featuring music made up from the early LA punk music scenes. The play list was also inspired by the book Under The Big Black Sun, a book written by John Doe with Tom DeSavia about the LA Punk music scene. In addition to playing a selection of music from the early LA punk music scenes, the show also featured part of an interview that I did with X’s John Doe in 2016.

You can listen to the interview that I did with John Doe here:



Radio Brain Drain 2017 (LA Punk Special):

1. The Descendents – Suburban Home (Milo Goes to College - 1982)
2. Bad Religion – We’re only Gonna Die (How Could Hell Be Any Worse? - 1982)
3. The Dickies – Paranoid (The Incredible Shrinking Dickies - 1979)
4. The Eyes - Don’t Talk To Me (The Eyes/The Controllers/The Skulls - Don't Talk To Me/(The Original) Neutron Bomb/Victims - 1978)
5. The Screamers - Vertigo (Demos 1977-1978 - 2013)
6. X - Los Angeles (Los Angeles - 1980)
7. X - Adult Books (Wild Gift - 1981)

JOHN DOE INTERVIEW

8. The Flesh Eaters - River of Fever (A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die - 1981)
9. The Blasters - She Ain’t Got The Beat (American Music - 1980)
10. The Gun Club - Sex Beat (Fire of Love - 1981)
11. The Alley Cats – Nightmare City [Nightmare City - 1981]
12. The Go-Go’s - We Got the Beat (Original 1980 Stiff Records Version) (We Got The Beat/How Much More - 1980)
13. The Weirdos – Destroy all Music (Destroy All Music - 1977)
14. The Dils – You’re not Blank (I Hate the Rich/You’re Not Blank - 1977)
15. The Zeroes – Don’t Push Me Around (Wimp/Don't Push Me Around - 1977)
16. The Brat - Attitudes (Attitudes EP - 1980)
17. Black Flag - Rise Above (Damaged - 1981)
18. Circle Jerks – Deny Everything (Group Sex - 1980)
19. FEAR – Let’s Have a War (Paradise Studios Demos - 1982)
20. Wasted Youth – Problem Child (Reagan’s In - 1981)
21. Germs – Manimal ((GI) - 1979)
22. The Nerves - You Found Out (The Nerves EP - 1976)
23. The Plugz – A Gain – A Loss (Electrify Me - 1979)
24. Suburban Lawns - Janitor (Suburban Lawns - 1981)
25. Black Randy and the Metrosquad – I Slept in an Arcade (Pass the Dust, I Think I’m Bowie - 1979)
26. Bags – Survive (All Bagged Up..The Collected Works 1977-1980 - 2007)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 19.

Show 680 was a repeat of show 668, which was an episode featuring an interview with the drummer from Toronto's Teenanger. You can view that post here.

Interview with John Doe of X & Show # 627

This week’s episode of Revolution Rock featured an interview with John Doe of the band X. This Los Angeles band formed in 1977 and were part of the first wave of American punk. X released seven full-length albums in their initial run as a band from 1980 to 1993. X reunited in the 2000’s and tours intermittently with the original band line-up. The band is currently on a tour and stopped by Detroit’s El Club on August 20th and 21st to perform Los Angeles and Wild Gift in their entirety. John has also been involved in numerous films and is an author. He recently wrote a book about the Los Angeles punk scene with Tom DeSavia called Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History of LA Punk. In addition to other music related projects that he has been a part of, John released his latest solo album The Westerner in April 2016.

Check out my interview with John Doe below:



The Playlist:

1. Art Bergmann - Company Store
2. U.I.C. - 2 + 2 = ?
3. John Doe & The Sadies - Night Life
4. The Sadies - Cowhand
5. X - Los Angeles (Demo)
6. X - Johnny Hit and Run Pauline

John Doe Interview

7. X - I'm Coming Over (Demo)
8. X - Adult Books
9. John Doe - Get On Board
10. Japandroids - Sex & Dying in High Society
11. The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone
12. The Go Gos - Skidmarks On My Heart
13. Young Rival - Black Is Good
14. Joel Plaskett Emergency - Come On Teacher
15. PJ Harvey - Hitting the Ground
16. Gordon Gano - Make It Happen
17. Violent Femmes - Issues
18. Alan Vega - Kid Congo
19. Alan Vega - Goodbye Darling
20. Jerry Nolan - Take A Chance With Me
21. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Smitten (Demo)
22. X - Soul Kitchen
23. X - Beyond and Back

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 21.

X More Fun In the New World & Show # 557

“The New World” opens the album More Fun In The New World by the Los Angeles band X. The song attacks in a dizzying laidback rhythm that has drawn comparisons to The Clash’s “London Calling”. The song bounces with the melodic bass notes of John Doe, the chiming and stop and start guitar parts by Billy Zoom, the in the pocket groove of D.J. Bonebrake and the harmonizing vocal parts of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. The song tells the story in a cinematic, poetic nature as do a majority of the songs on this album. “The New World” probes with a political message wrapped around the narrative of a bum trying to get a drink on Election Day. The song addressed the times of a then recession in the 80s in the Ronald Regan era, but with a message that still can be relatable over thirty years later.

The pace picks up a bit with the second track “We’re Having Much More Fun”, a song that tells a tale of rambunctiousness in Los Angeles and “True Love” where singer Exene rants about love and the devil. “Poor Girl” brings in a subtle rockabilly groove while blending a Bo Diddley style influence. Sung by bassist John Doe, the lyrics build a character sketch of a drunken lover who holds all the cards with lyrics such as “Poor little girl/Run away for good/I try to explain/Why she won’t say a thing” that further adds embellishments to the outlines to this songs character sketch. “Make The Music Go Bang” attacks with a punk rock fury reminiscent of the band’s earlier recordings with Billy Zoom’s crunchy sliding guitar leads and a line that sets the tone for the time and mood of the album, “Bang, bang make the music go bang/Brilliant shining and nasty”. As the album’s fifth track the band cover the song “Breathless”, a song once performed and made a classic by Jerry Lee Lewis. On this track X takes their own off the rails aggressive sound, combined with Exene Cervenka’s passionately charged vocals and apply it to this song to make it their own. This song also made an appearance to the 1983 film of the same name starring Richard Gere. Coincidently, this movie about a French girl and an American criminal in Los Angeles was a remake of a film by French filmmaker Francois Truffant. X created their own “remake” so to speak of the song “Breathless” that ends out the film and it also finds a place on More Fun In The New World. This album was the first in a series of albums where they began to expand their musical borders beyond the scope of punk and this is a shining example of it.

“I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” is a social commentary by X, which addresses everything from war to the state of punk and radio in America at the time. One of the lines in this song references bands at the time that did not get airplay, but one’s that were and still are highly influential today, the lines “I hear the radio is finally gonna play new music/You know, the British invasion/But what about The Minutemen, Flesh Eaters, DOA, Big Boys and The Black Flag?” filter in at one point in this song adding to its rant, yet also to the musical elements of the song which displays a cleaner sound. The state of finding music was vastly different to our current Internet age where information and songs can be looked up instantly, but at the same time this song brings to mind the parallels of the past and present. While it was most definitely a different time in 1983, there were still challenges being a band and having your voice heard. The same problems exist today, but in a different social construct.

“Devil Doll” attacks with a furious punk sound ala Los Angeles and features what many feel as guitarist one of Billy Zoom’s recording highlights with the band. “Paint The Town Blue’ chronicles a domestic abuse story amongst the same energy displayed on “Devil Doll”, “Hot House” is driven by a roots rock beat, venturing into blues rock territory, while the album ends with the punk funk of “True Love Pt. 2”. This song while it has been compared to “This Is Radio Clash” type funk, seems more influenced by the nervous punk funk concoctions created by Talking Heads. This song ends the album on a very different note addressing music from the 50s lyrically and in the construct of a new wave funk musical sound. The juxtaposition of both brings the past into the present then, which was 1983. But this also can perhaps be seen as the different directions the band would take and in their own solo expeditions as musicians.

With More Fun In The New World, X released their fourth album and their final album to feature Ray Manzarek of The Doors in the producer seat. His role on the first four X album’s including this one, added to their aggressive, wax poetic sound. On the other hand, this album infuses different lyrical observations in the spirit of folk and also features an exploration of sorts out of the confines of punk rock and into perhaps what some view as a drive towards a more commercial sound. The band first started exploring other musical avenues on 1982’s Under The Black Sun. However, More Fun In The New World is just as uncompromising as Los Angeles, Wild Gift and Under The Black Sun. The album’s cover features an 80s MTV look and linear notes that are cut and paste like an old DIY punk zine. This could also be seen as a representation of what to find on More Fun In The New World. There are many textures to the cover’s 80s styled MTV animation, just like some of the songs found on More Fun In The New World. But when you pull out the record sleeve on the inside it shows the band’s punk attitude and spirit.



Saturday Night Play List:

1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - I Stand Accused
2. Electric Prunes - You Never Had It Better (Live Stockholm 67)
3. The Mummies - She Lied
4. Redline - IRA
5. The Prehistoric Cave Strokers - Stereotypical Blues Tune
6. Sex Pistols - (I”m Not Your) Stepping Stone
7. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Do The Get Down
8. The Saints - Miss Wonderful
9. The Elwins - So Down Low
10. Tough Age - NIcolas Bragg
11. Turbo Fruits - Show Me Something Real
12. The Pagans - Dream Lover
13. Death - The Times
14. Pow Wows - Going Dark
15. The King Khan & BBQ Show - Alone Again
16. The High Drops - Had To Go
17. Bloodshot Bill - Two-Timer
18. Pokey La Farge - Actin’ A Fool
19. The Ding Dongs - Don’t Ring, Come On In
20. The Razorbacks - Can’t Blame Me For Trying
21. The Sherwoods - El Scorpion
22. The Jesters - Peter Gunn Twist
23. Bob Dylan - Some Enchanted Evening
24. The Spooky But Nice - The Embassy
25. Nirvana - You Know You’re Right (Home Demo)
26. Cardboard Brains - Caesar Drives A Fast Car
27. Igenerents — Wrong Place Wrong Time
28. XS Energy - Imaginary
29. Jared Brown - My Shapeshifter
30. Nothing At All - Busted
31. X - The New World
32. X - We’re Having Much More Fun

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 25. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.