38 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY December 14-20, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com MUSIC Should the band launch into “Delta 88 Nightmare” when they take the stage at Golden State Theatre, fans will immediately recognize a local hook. The song—included on X’s 2020 album Alphabetland— opens with a staccato “We’re going to go to Cannery Row,” followed by disappointment. Instead of locating the likes of Doc, Mack and the boys, they discover that “it’s a cute resort with dads and moms.” Oddly enough, like the denizens of the flophouse in Steinbeck’s novel, the song itself was a castoff. “We wrote that song in 1977, but it never made it to a record,” explains singer and bass player John Doe. At the time, X was part of an L.A. scene often referred to as punk, on the verge of launching a series of defining albums. Los Angeles hit the racks in 1980, followed by Wild Gift and Under the Big Black Sun—stacked with torrid, frantic and poignant singles driven by vocalist Exene Cervenka’s potent yet elusive lyrics. That they never found the top 40 doesn’t matter. For those who hear them, the music clutches and digs in. X is captivating like no other band. “If we did a poll of the top five X songs, I don’t think you would have a consensus,” Cervenka observes. The band has been recording new songs on a steady basis since 2019. Both Doe and Cervenka say the collaboration feels both familiar and different. “Billy [Zoom, guitar] and DJ [Bonebrake, drums] are contributing more to songwriting,” Doe points out. “They always did, but were less vocal. Or maybe I was more of a jerk.” On the current tour, the band will draw from past and present. “Los Angeles,” “Johnny Hit And Run Pauline” and others are fixtures. There is a wealth of material to draw from, and mixing it up reminds audiences that X has always punched with force. And it keeps a veteran band from stalling. “If you end up playing the same things... I don’t know,” Doe says with a pause. “You wonder what night it is.” “Delta 88 Nightmare” resulted from the group’s love of Steinbeck, and a road trip to be a part of the Cannery Row he described. “Cannery Row was a fucking mall,” Doe recalls. “We were the hobos. We felt like we were keeping it real.” X performs at 8pm Saturday, Dec. 16. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $35-$50. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com. KRISTY BENJAMIN The Spot X marks its current tour with new songs, old favorites and one memory from the band’s beginnings. By Dave Faries “It isn’t like there was this time and now, it’s part of the same lifetime,” says Exene Cervenka—with DJ Bonebrake, Billy Zoom and John Doe—of X’s longevity. UPseaside.com • (831) 899-2232 1760 Fremont Blvd, SeaSide UniverSity Plaza SeaSide’S LifestyLe Shopping Center Beer Garden LeaGues TournamenTs Monthly MeMbership - $100 Daily pinball pass - $20 (aDult) $15 (chilD/stuDent/Military hourly pinball - $10 private parties - $10 tuesDay Beer Garden LeaGues TournamenTs LynnsArcAde.com 1760 Fremont BLvd. ste d1, seAside Order Online at HarumiSeaside.Menu11.com (831) 899-9988 Open Daily fOr lunch & Dinner Only the finest and the Freshest
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