Bloodshot Briefing: Exene's Back

By Matt Harness

Team player Exene Cervenka's first solo album since 1991 is now available for pre-sale.

Cervenka's sound is analogous to Bloodshot's backbone as there is no clear way to categorize her music, which ranges from punk to folk.

I caught back up with Exene, who also is an acclaimed visual artist, this summer after hearing her contributions with John Doe, her former bandmate in the L.A. punk band X. Doe teamed up with The Sadies, a Bloodshot band, to release Country Club in the spring. The album is Doe's chance to finally run down the country road after a life cross-dressing punk and country. Thing is, the themes are the same.

Which brings me to The Sadies.

These Canadians are like joints in the Bloodshot family. They started with Neko Case, but they have worked with Andre Williams and Jon Langford. Of course, Exene's work with them on Country Club counts, too.

To me, The Sadies are like a utility baseball player who can play just about any position and pinch-hit for you too.

They will be playing next weekend in San Francisco at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival with Jon Langford, Rosie Flores and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts.
Sadly, Chicago doesn't fit into their near future.

Exene Cervenka thinks the trash we throw out is worse than what she used to find on the streets. Climb more inside her mind in this interview with L.A. Record. Perhaps Beachwood can arrange a Poet Summit Showdown between Exene and J.J. Tindall.

Drive-By Bottle Rockets
Good fortune for music lovers in Southern Illinois.

Both the Bottle Rockets and Jason Isbell, formerly of the Drive-By Truckers, happen to be in Carbondale this Sunday. Brian Henneman's never played this town before. No better person to share your virginity with than Isbell, who played with Bloodshotter Justin Townes Earle in Chicago this summer.

Speaking of Earle, he won the New & Emerging Artist of the Year award at last week's Americana Music Festival. The GQ-modeling country crooner sported a maroon suit with a bow tie.

Next up for Earle is a Grammy nomination. He's fastly becoming the Main Street face of Bloodshot, and for all the right reasons.

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Bloodshot Briefing appears in this space every Friday. Matt welcomes your comments.

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