"In true honky tonk style, Country Club is the bastard child of a drunken promise. A post show hang-out between X & the Knitters' [John] Doe and The Sadies produced the idea to join forces to a make an album of country songs. Both rock n' roll and country music are littered with the ghosts of broken promises but this one was destined to become reality. Timeless sounds abound on Country Club, driven by Doe's gorgeous vocals, the dueling thousand pound chops of the guitar-wielding Good brothers and The Sadies' world class rhythm section of Mike Belitsky and Sean Dean. Here, the Countrypolitan sound of late 1960s Nashville is filtered through the telecaster-based tonk of Bakersfield, CA and the results are simply stunning." [Yep Roc]

Country Club is out now on Yep Roc Records and streaming at Reverb Nation.

John Doe and The Sadies are playing several May dates as a combo. Those include a show at NYC's City Winery on Wednesday, May 6th. Tickets are on sale now. All dates below.

John Doe also has scattered tour dates with X from now till June. As part of their Total Request Live tour, which will feature set lists picked online by fans, X is playing three nights at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are still on sale for all three dates: May 29, May 30, May 31, and the three day pass

The Sadies are opening dates for Jenny Lewis from May 27th to June 4th. Lewis continues on tour without the Sadies through July 9th which is exactly a month after she plays Music Hall of Williamsburg with Deer Tick (sold out).

The Sadies are also featured on Neko Case's new album Middle Cyclone. Neko is in NYC for two shows at the Nokia Theatre as I write this.

All John Doe & The Sadies tour dates below...

Continue reading "John Doe (of X) & The Sadies - an album & 2009 tour dates"

X have announced updated dates for their upcoming "Total Request Live!" tour, where the band will be allowing fans to pick the set list for each show. Voting is open now on the X's TRL tour website. As you can see above, "The Have Nots" is currently the most requested song for the band's first of three NYC shows at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are still on sale for all three: May 29, May 30, May 31, and the three day pass.

All of the bands playing the first night of the Pitchfork Festival this year are doing something similar. By the way, Flaming Lips was recently added to that festival, but not on the Choose Your Own Adventure night.

X is also putting two VIP/Meet & Greet passes for each gig up for auction on Ebay to raise money for Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

All tour dates and some classic X videos below...

Continue reading "decide what X play at upcoming shows - updated 2009 dates"

Their first four albums had a hard-driving sound that occasionally flirted with rockabilly and blues; one critic suggests that X "were not just one of the greatest punk bands, but one of the greatest live rock acts of all time." By the time of their fifth album, Ain't Love Grand!, the band had taken a more mainstream hard rock-oriented direction, and began to appear on shows such as American Bandstand. X, however, had previously appeared on television for a 1984 performance on Late Night with David Letterman. [Wikipedia]

Last time members of legendary West Coast punk band X were in NYC town, it was just "Exene Cervenka and John Doe of X". They played shows at Joe's Pub and Music Hall of Williamsburg in January. Next time it will be the full band, at Bowery Ballroom, and for three nights in a row. Tickets for the May 29-31 shows go on sale Friday ($27 / $75 3 day ticket). All dates, and video from their recent appearance on Craig Ferguson, below...

Continue reading "X - 2009 tour dates (3 nights @ Bowery), Ferguson video "

DOWNLOAD: John Doe - Heartless (MP3)

X have three holiday shows lined up for the end of this year in California. According to a flyer for the LA show, it is once again the full original lineup and "All your favorite X & holiday tunes".

And though there aren't any future, full band, east coast dates on X's calendar, "acoustic duo" Exene Cervenka and John Doe have two shows lined up in NYC in January of 2009. The first is January 10th at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The show is seated, Justin Townes Earle is opening, and tickets are on sale at noon. The second is one day later at the much smaller Joe's Pub, but with no opener (and probably a drink minimum if you want a seat) - tickets are on sale now. All dates below...

Continue reading "X - west coast holiday shows, Brooklyn & Joe's Pub"

X @ SXSW SPIN party - March 14, 2008

X played the SPIN day party at Stubb's during SXSW. I stopped by to check them out, but wasn't feeling it, so I left after a few songs. Somehow I missed the fact that Perry Farrell introduced them, though I did notice Perry and his girlfriend walking around the Playboy party the night before.

Tickets are on sale for a May 24th X show at Irving Plaza with Detroit Cobras who are also headlining a show at Maxwell's the next day. All dates below....

Continue reading "X - 2008 Tour Dates w/ Detroit Cobras, played SXSW"

John Doe performing live in KUT's Studio1A. 7-11-07

* Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings for free
* The Lovely Sparrows from Austin are @ Pete's Candy Store
* Michael Showalter records two more shows @ Union Hall
* Wes' Undisputed Heavyweights continue a Joe's Pub residency
* Hippiefest is going on in Coney Island
* X frontman John Doe is at Mercury Lounge w/ Dead Rock West

What else? More John Doe dates below...

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday? (+ John Doe tour dates)"