Exene Cervenka & The Legacy Of X

Of all of the punk bands that exploded out of the Los Angeles scene in the late 1970s, few were more influential, well-respected and long-lasting than X. On the 67th birthday of lead vocalist Exene Cervenka, X remains a monumental figure of the Los Angeles and international punk scene. Bassist John Doe and guitarist Billy Zoom met in 1977 after placing ads in the same paper in hopes of connecting with like minded musicians. Doe had moved from Baltimore and was familiar with the blossoming New York punk scene while Zoom was an accomplished rockabilly guitarist who had shared the stage with Gene Vincent and Etta James. At a poetry reading in Venice Beach, Doe met Exene Cervenka who had just moved from Florida. Drummer DJ Bonebrake had been playing with a group called The Eyes when Doe approached him about joining their band.

“The members of X– the instrument-playing members were pretty good musicians when they started the band. A lot of other bands at the time were learning how to play their instruments as they went along. By being good musicians to start with, X had an advantage over the others. The weak link, musically anyway, would be Exene (who was Christine when I first met her), but she made up for it by having a unique voice and look, plus her lyrics were mostly interesting” (writer Fred “Phast Phreddie” Patterson)

The band’s unique mix of garage rock, rockabilly, and rock and roll in the truest, most Chuck Berry sense as well as Exene’s poetic lyrics set them apart from other groups at the time. Carlos “Cake” Nunez, a journalist for the late, great Flipside Fanzine, LA Weekly and Music Connection reflects on his early experiences in the Los Angeles punk scene of which he recollects X being at the forefront. Nunez attended one of his first punk shows at California State University, Northridge in 1984, headlining that night was Los Angeles punks, X.

“And my friend at the time, he goes, ‘let’s go to the show, man.’ And he told me years later, he took me to the show because he wanted me to hate punk, right? Well, that caused me to actually love it because I saw everybody getting into it. I saw the power, the energy, the music was great. The stage show, Billy Zoom’s face, the stoic guy, just loved it. Those early albums, it’s like a lot of emotion and drunken rage at the same time” (Carlos “Cake” Nunez)

X is known for raw, high-energy, and technically sound rock and roll. They possessed and continue to possess the energy and intensity of The Germs while maintaining the sophistication and technical composure of Talking Heads. Flea, Jeff Ament and Henry Rollins have all cited X as a pillar of the Los Angeles music scene. X’s first album, “Los Angeles”, was released in 1980 and produced by The Doors’ Ray Manzarek. “Los Angeles” ranks on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. “Wild Gift” (1981), “Under the Big Black Sun” (1982), and “More Fun in the New World” (1983) were also produced by Manzarek and received critical acclaim. Between 1985 and 2020, X released 4 more albums. X’s most recent release, “ALPHABETLAND” (2020), remains true to X’s signature raw, high-tempo, twangy origins. X’s music stands the test of time as they continue to sell out venues and influence new generations of musicians.