When Pioneering L.A. Punk Band X Rolls Into Town, It's Time To Drop Everything
Friday May 23, 2008
Still harboring quirks aplenty, the brilliant original lineup of X, one of punk rock's most influential yet underappreciated bands, begins its 31st anniversary tour (what, you were expecting round numbers?) this weekend. It's probably not too shameful that I just learned this piece of information today, except for the fact that I will be hard-pressed at such late notice not to miss one of my all-time favorite bands for a Cat's Cradle stop in Chapel Hill this coming Tuesday night. Having discovered punk rock's glory at the rather tardy age of 30 a few years back, I nevertheless have no trouble recognizing that this definitely belongs on the short list of legendary shows for the ages, both personally and rather empirically.
Responsible for one of punk's most original, genre-bending sounds, this L.A. quartet foreshadowed the rise of both alternative rock and alternative country in the '90s by offering a pretty comprehensive survey of the whole of rock history through its tight compositions and performances. But there's far more to X than mere acclaim and cultural importance: this is rock music that preserves the vitality of the original form, defying an age in which purity of artistic impulse seems to be the last thing on people's minds. So, I wonder if X will be featured prominently at the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach... wait, no I don't.
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