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Beer anyone?

beerWhen our friend Scott of Burnt Hickory Brewery asked us if he could make an X beer... SURE - if you bring us some when we hit the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta on October 1st!

So Scott made an X IPA, a video and he's sharing his receipe for We're Desperate with everyone - (click here)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZPpU3kJthI&w=480&h=360] -----------------

X IS ON TOUR NOW with Blondie:  9/30 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN  - 10/1  Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, GA -   10/3 Keewick Theatre, Glenside, PA  - 10/4  Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY  -  10/5  HOB, Boston, MA (X only)

On the Road Again: We're out with Blondie

X USA ArticleThanks to Brian Mansfield & USA Today for writing about X today. First time with Blondie starts in a few hours in NH. Highlights from the article for you. For the full story, click here.

The No Principals Tour unites two very different flavors of 1980s new wave.

Back during punk's first generation, X and Blondie may have shared some fans, but the two groups never toured together. For one thing, they came from different scenes: Blondie from CBGB-dominated New York and X from the hardcore-oriented Los Angeles. Now, though, the groups are setting out on a month-long tour together, beginning Thursday in Hampton Beach, N.H., and ending Oct. 4 at New York's Roseland Ballroom. "I think there's a lot of respect" between the group's members, says X bassist John Doe. "We are kind of the last bands standing, and X is still all the original members. We're all healthy. Maybe Blondie was a little more pop, a little more listener-friendly, weren't quite as scary."

They're having much more fun. At the group's commercial peak, when videos for Hungry Wolf and The New World got play on MTV, X toured on a bus, followed by a semi truck carrying lighting and sound equipment. Today's tours are "simpler, smarter, less hijinks, less substance abuse," says Doe, with just a couple vans. Over the years, the group's four original members — Doe, ex-wife Exene Cervenka, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebrake — have "settled all their stuff, all their inter-political band business. There's very little friction, and it's good. There's something to be said for the craziness of hard living and hard drinking. You get some kind of off-balance and crazy performance. We put in solid performances, with moments of craziness."

The house they called home. The group played its first gig in 1977, at the Los Angeles house were Doe and Cervenka lived. "It was an old house that got torn down that was too beautiful and was in the way of a parking lot," Cervenka says. "We played on the floor in the living room. Everybody was drunk and wild and we had a great time. I remember feeling relieved it was over, because I'd never sung to anybody before except at a practice."

The Ritz is a mess. Zoom recalls, but claims no responsibility for, an '80s show at New York rock club The Ritz where members of the group and crew got a little out of hand afterwards. "I think our lighting director and Exene got in a food fight in the back room at the Ritz," says the guitarist. "The large Italian man in the suit, with the gun, made them clean it up. And made Exene get down on her hands and knees and pick up the macaroni salad up off the floor. But I wasn't involved in that. I was somewhere else.... "

"This week, Rhino Entertainment released The X Collection: 1980-1987, a digital set compiling X's first six albums. Those albums, plus the 1988 set Live at the Whisky A Go Go, are now available digitally for the first time. A new limited-edition vinyl set of the first four albums — Los Angeles, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun and More Fun in the New World — also includes a booklet written by the late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who co-produced the albums...."

For the full story, click here. 

X available digitally for the first time

Photo: ON TOUR: X (the band)5 Sept --  Hampton Beach, NH6 Sept --  Niagara Falls, NY7 Sept --  Atlantic City, NJ9 Sept --  Washington, DC11 Sept -- Cincinatti, OH 12 Sept -- Royal Oak, MI14 Sept -- Chicago, IL17 Sept -- Redmond, WA19 Sept -- San Francisco, CATo kick off the tour, you can get X's complete studio albums on iTunes for the first time – everything from LOS ANGELES to HEY ZEUS! http://smarturl.it/XiTunes Thanks to our friends at Rhino - The X catalog is now available digitally for the first time!

The complete studio albums are on iTunes for the first time – everything from LOS ANGELES to HEY ZEUS!  at  http://smarturl.it/XiTunes

Deluxe versions of the classic albums Los AngelesUnder The Big Black Sun, and Wild Gift will also be available digitally for the first time.  All were released on CD in the early 2000s but have never hit the digital domain. Standard and deluxe versions of their albums More Fun In The Real World and Ain’t Love Grand will also be making their digital debut as well as their classic Live At The Whisky A Go-Go and the 1995 album from The John Doe Thing Kissingsohard. A full list of all titles released  digitally on September 3 is below.

The X Collection: 1980-1987, X

Rhino has also released a NEW digital boxed set titled The X Collection: 1980-1987, which compiles the first six studio albums.

Get it here:  http://bit.ly/176lRsQ

Hope to see you soon on tour  ~X~

COMPLETE LISTING OF X DIGITAL RELEASES

 - The X Collection: 1980-1987

-Los Angeles – Deluxe Edition -Under The Big Black Sun – Deluxe Edition -Wild Gift – Deluxe Edition -More Fun In The New World – Original Album and Deluxe Edition            -Ain’t Love Grand – Original Album and Deluxe Edition   -See How We Are – Standard Edition       -Live At The Whisky A Go-Go -The John Doe Project Kissingsohard

This whole thing started again with an In-Store.....

Actually we don't have the exact date of that infamous Tower Records Sunset signing in "Winter 1997", but we do know when our next in-store is - May 11 in Portland! Our friends at Jackpot Records in Portland Oregon asked if we'd stop by before our show at Crystal Ballroom and say hello, - maybe sign a few things...

"Sure, thanks for asking us and CONGRATULATIONS on your 15 Year Anniversary! "

"It was in 1997 that Isaac Slusarenko decided to take his love of music to the people by opening the original Jackpot Records location in Southeast Portland."  We are not sure if it was "Winter 1997", but we like to think maybe it was.

With the music industry struggling to survive, both Jackpot Records (& friend Jackpot ! Recording)  are still thriving. They have both become cornerstones of the Portland music community and have helped spread the gospel of great sounds the world over.

We look forward to supporting Jackpot Records in-person and meeting some new people.  ~X~

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X In-Store When:  6:30 pm - Friday May 11, 2012

Where: Jackpot Records Downtown location.   203 SW 9th Avenue - Portland, OR 97214  -  (503) 222-0990

Record Store Day 4/21 - for the love of independents

Today is the 5th Record Store Day. A day to celebrate the independently owned record store and supporting the commitment to keeping the vinyl market alive. You meet some of the nicest people in record stores. Here's DJ at one of his favorite's - Amoeba. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfMHGHSF1Uw?rel=0&w=500&h=284]

From the people behind Record Store Day: "If you're in a store today, find a staff member, tell them what the store means to you. It will mean the world to them. We started all this to shine a spotlight on the stores, don't take yours for granted." Thanks for your support! ~X-35~

INDIE RECORD STORE FINDER click here

we're giving some shirts to our friends...

[UPDATE: The box of shirts is now gone! Thanks to everyone who gave this shirt a new home and for the support.] In 2006, X went on tour with Rollins Band and to commemorate the tour Shepard Fairey made one of our all-time favorite X designs.

We found a box of these girl shirts and we want to say thanks by giving 1 shirt away in each merch order that asks for one until the shirts are all gone.

(also thanks to the guys at Moonlight Graham for helping out & re-programming the store.)

This design is too good to sit in a box! For everyone who bought a poster or shirt from that tour - congrats it rocks & you have good taste.

PS- Thanks again to Sheperd Fairey - amazing artist and friend.  ~X~

click here to visit the store.

Los Angeles Tour 2011-NOW! X Merch-NOW!

The Los Angeles Tour kicks off tomorrow at Riot Fest East in Philly  and then Stone Pony at the Jersey Shore Sunday! For the first time, we have a band cam and as soon as we figure out how to use it – we’ll be checking in from the road. Stay tuned!

Last but not least - the X Merch Store is finally up for your enjoyment. X will give you (ok not give -but for a reasonable price) the shirts off our backs! Thanks to our friends and Exene’s neighbors at Moonlight Graham for helping us out with the store – you guys rock!