John Doe Gives His Album a Name

John Doe is one of modern music’s most authentic & enduring songwriters. A keystone of the legendary LA punk rock band X, Doe has also cultivated his own career as a solo artist, diving head-first into alt country, folk, and gut-wrenching rock’n'roll.

His latest record Keeper was recorded with hit-making producer/mixer Dave Way and features performances from Patty Griffin, Don Was, Smokey Hormel and Steve Berlin along with Cindy Wasserman and Jill Sobule.

This is a record by a veteran artist who has come back from the brink with his arms full of fast and beautiful songs. The LP version includes the additional bonus song “101%.”

For those not familiar here’s a potted history of this artist. John Doe is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the rock, country and folk music genres. As an actor, he has dozens of television appearances and several movies to his credit, including the role of Jeff Parker in the television series Roswell.

In addition to X, Doe performs with the country-folk-punk band The Knitters and has released records as a solo artist.

In the 1989 biopic Great Balls of Fire!, Doe played Jerry Lee Lewis’s cousin-turned-father-in-law J. W. Brown. He starred in the 1992 film Roadside Prophets and in the 1998 short Lone Greasers. Other movie acting credits include Road House, Vanishing Point, Salvador, Boogie Nights, The Specials, The Good Girl, Gypsy 83 and Pure Country. As a musician with X, Doe has two feature-length concert films, several music videos, and an extended performance-and-interview sequence in The Decline of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris’s seminal documentary about the early-1980s L.A. punk scene.

Along with co-writer Exene Cervenka, Doe composed most of the songs recorded by X. Wild Gift, an album from that band’s heyday, was named “Record of the Year” by Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. With Dave Alvin, he co-wrote two of the songs on the Blasters’ 1984 album Hard Line, “Just Another Sunday” and “Little Honey”. He also wrote “Cyrano de Berger’s Back” for the Flesh Eaters LP A Minute to Pray, a Second To Die.

 

Coachella Names A Great Line-Up

The Coachella Festival is one of the great music festivals of the world. Held in Indio, California which is about 150 miles out of Los Angeles Coachella has always set the standard when it comes to combining hot new acts with some well selected old timers.

The 2009 instalment is no exception. Its held over three days April 17-19.

Some of the older acts in this years line-up include Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Henry Rollins, Bob Mould, Perry Farrell, The Cure, X, Booker T and Michael Franti & Spearhead. They are joined by a host of younger acts including a couple that this website really likes The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem.

The Saints Play (I’m) Stranded

The Don’t Look Back concert series is treat. The idea is that bands play, in their entirety, albums that made them great. The concept is almost the antitheses of the way ‘the kids’ approach music these days – one downloadable track at a time.

Until quite recently the album was the whole point – a collection of songs where the whole was intended to be greater than the sum of its parts, a work of art where track sequence meant something, where the concept of a ‘shuffle’ was repugnant.

Oh well.

In 2009 Don’t Look Back brings us The Saints playing (I’m) Stranded and X playing At Home With You.

The press release provides good reasons why.

“Released in April 1977, The Saints (I’m) Stranded regularly appears in any poll nominating Australia’s greatest ever albums. In recent times this included; Melbourne newspaper The Age based on a survey of what’s been described as ‘Melbourne’s music and journalistic elite’ (now that’s a frightening concept in itself), a poll of the Australian music industry by AIR (Australian Independent Record Industry) and Australian on-line fanzine Mess & Noise. But it’s not just here in Australia that the plaudits for this groundbreaking album have appeared. UK fashion bible GQ nominated (I’m) Stranded as the no.3 Australian album of all time behind AC/DC’s Back in Black and the Bee Gee’s Saturday Night Fever. Now there’s some good company…

In addition to the regular poll positions, (I’m) Stranded was also the first album included in new Australian TV and DVD series ‘Great Australian Albums’ appearing alongside Crowded House, Silverchair and The Triffids. Not bad for an album that on release was as good as ignored, received no commercial radio play and did not chart. Further proof that great art is often initially misunderstood only to be fully appreciated by later generations.

To celebrate this fact – along with their inclusion in the inaugural Australian All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival series – The Saints (including original members Chris Bailey, Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay as well as long time Saint Archie Larizza on bass) have graciously agreed to recreate the album (all 32 minutes of white noise, punk snarl and songwriting smarts) in its entirety – via two very special Don’t Look Back performances.

The first, will take place at Melbourne’s salubrious Forum Theatre (a long way from The Saints original breading ground of Brisbane’s, Petrie Terrace) and will also feature the legendary X (not to be confused with the lesser American band of the same name) performing their classic second album ‘At Home With You’. Released in September 1985, ‘At Home With You’ followed X’s 1980 debut X-Aspirations (recorded with producer Lobby Loyde in just 5 hours) and featured singer/guitarist Steve Lucas, bassist Ian Rilen and (then) new drummer Cathy Green and featured the timeless ‘Half Way Round the World’ and also ‘Degenerate Boy’ – later covered with much success by Adelaide power trio The Mark of Cain. Original performers Steve Lucas and Cathy Green will reunite to present the album in its entirety and will also feature fellow album performers The Horns of Contempt (ex-Hunters & Collectors) with new bassist Kim Volkman standing in for the departed Ian Rilen.

The second show sees The Saints returning home to the scene of the crime – Brisbane – appearing as special guests of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at their Brisbane Riverstage show, rounding out a fantastic bill that already boasts Spiritualized, Robert Forster, The Necks and James ‘Blood’ Ulmer. If you live anywhere near Brisbane or within some hours drive you would be mad to miss this.

Alongside an appearance by Dirty Three performing their fourth album Ocean Songs in its entirety, The Saints and X complete a fantastic second season of Don’t Look Back.

Friday 9th January: Dirty Three perform ‘Ocean Songs’ – All Tomorrow’s Parties, Mt.Buller Ski Resort Tickets on sale now from http://atpfestival.oztix.com.au/, www.ticketmaster.com.au; all ticketmaster outlets or via phone: 136 100

Wednesday 14th January: The Saints perform (I’m) Stranded with special guests X performing ‘At Home With You @ The Forum, Melbourne. Tickets on sale Monday 8th December from http://atpfestival.oztix.com.au/, www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849

Thursday 15th January: The Saints perform (I’m) Stranded as guests to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Brisbane, Riverstage, also featuring Spiritualized, Robert Forster, The Necks and James ‘Blood’ Ulmer. Tickets on sale now from www.ticketmaster.com.au; all ticketmaster outlets or via phone: 136 100.