From L.A. To Chicago With Speed

The original lineup of X, one of first, most influential, and enduring bands from the original L.A. punk scene, comes to the House Of Blues in Chicago tomorrow night. I still have fond memories of blasting Wild Gift on my record player back in 1981, and recording high speed, off-kilter gems like “The Once Over Twice” and “In This House That I Call Home” for my mixed cassettes. According to writer Jeff Elbel’s interview with vocalist-bassist John Doe in last Friday’s Chicago Sun-Times, Doe and vocalist Exene Cervenka have been writing new material, with five songs already recorded. The bands Damned and Detroit Cobras are also on the bill at House Of Blues tomorrow night; the doors open at 8:00 p.m.

The Go-Go’s emerged from that same frantic Los Angeles scene, although the effervescent songs on their Beauty and The Beat debut would bring them much more mainstream success than X. I first encountered them via the Stiff Records 45 single “We Got The Beat” I bought at Wax Trax!and soon after saw them on the rock stage at ChicagoFest on Navy Pier. The Go-Go’s aren’t coming to town that I know of, but Head Over Heels, the musical inspired by their music, opens at Theater Wit in a Kokandy Productions staging on August 1. It previously enjoyed a successful run on Broadway in New York. Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont.