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X GUITARIST – BILLY ZOOM – DIAGNOSED WITH BLADDER CANCER

Posted in Music, punk, Punk rock, rock music with tags , , , , on July 11, 2015 by Metal Odyssey

Billy Zoom - X - publicity pic - #003322MOSMNSM

IMMEDIATE TREATMENT TO BEGIN – ZOOM WILL STILL PERFORM AT ORANGE COUNTY ALBUM PLAY SHOWS THIS WEEKEND

REPLACEMENT TO BE NAMED FOR JULY – AUGUST DATES SO X CAN CONTINUE WITH THE TOUR IN SUPPORT OF ZOOM

(Los Angeles, CA) Legendary guitarist, punk legend, and all-around nice guy, Billy Zoom, has been diagnosed with cancer. Zoom was given the news that he has an aggressive form of bladder cancer and immediate treatment is necessary to fight the disease. The 67-year-old musician/producer/electronics wiz will begin chemo treatment next week.

In early 2010, Zoom revealed that he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer. After undergoing a radical prostatectomy, the cancer was caught in its early stages and he was given the ‘all clear’.

X and Zoom are committed to this weekend’s 4-album play shows at Orange County’s The Observatory where Billy will join his longtime bandmates on stage to play songs from his iconic bands first four albums. Joining X for these shows will be The Blasters and Mike Watt.

X will continue with their previously announced July and August mid-west and east coast tour dates as planned in support of Billy and his family. A replacement for Zoom will be announced shortly.

X and manager, Mike Rouse, have begun a fund to help Zoom with his upcoming medical costs.

Billy Zoom - X - publicity pic - #071533MOSLHF

Statement from X:
“In the music community, we all take turns helping each other.
Punk rock and benefits: you name the cause, and the bands and fans will be there. Now it’s our turn to help Billy Zoom, the wittiest, smartest, nicest, best guitar player & friend we know. We would do anything to help him get better, help take care of his family, and lessen his woes.

Please keep Billy in your prayers and send some positive energy his way!
Donating a few bucks will take away some of his financial stress and worry.
And it’s the punk rock thing to do.”

Please donate to Support Billy Zoom’s Kick Cancer Fight by visiting:
http://www.gofundme.com/yx66a4

_______________________

Source: MAD Ink PR

MetalOdyssey

STAY STRONG, BILLY ZOOM.

Stone.

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STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF X ON THE PASSING OF RAY MANZAREK

Posted in classic rock, Hard Rock, Music, Punk rock, punk rock bands, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , on May 21, 2013 by Metal Odyssey

X - Circa 1981 - Promo Band Pic - #1

X – (Circa 1981) (Photo Credit: X facebook)

(Los Angeles) It is with sad and heavy hearts that the members of the seminal Punk Rock band, X, pay tribute to their friend and mentor, Ray Manzarek.

Ray Manzarek is an integral part of X’s history. The band’s debut album, Los Angeles was released on April 26, 1980 and produced by Ray. The album includes a cover of the 1967 Doors song “Soul Kitchen” and was the bands most successful release. It ranked # 16 for the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. Subsequently in 1989, it was ranked number 24 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 best albums of the 80s and Pitchfork ranked it 91st on their top 100 albums of the 1980s. The title track is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll  and again in 2003, the album was ranked number 286 on the Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Ray went on to produce the next three studio albums for the band, Wild Gift in 1981 (also on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time at #334), Under the Big Black Sun in 1982 and 1983’s More Fun in the New World.

In late 2010, X celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Los Angeles by playing the entire album, start to finish.  Ray joined the band during their two shows in San Francisco, just after Christmas. In August of 2012, Ray again joined the band for the entire show at the famed Roxy Theatre during the Sunset Strip Music Festival, playing Los Angeles in its entirety. In 2013, Rhino released The Doors/X Side by Side: Soul Kitchen, a split white vinyl 7″.

Ray Manzarek - The Doors - vintage photo promo - #1

Ray Manzarek

Ray led by example, from The Doors to carmine burana and beyond. He is and will always be a spirit being, adept at expanding perception. And once those doors of perception are opened, they never close. He taught me that we are the keys, that we can unlock all doors, everywhere, to create magic, to transform ourselves and power the world, through joy and love and imagination and art and, above all through music. – Exene

Ray was a mentor to X in our early days and a something of a father figure to Exene & me. He was brilliant & soulful. If Bob Dylan brought poetry & folk to popular music; Ray & the Doors brought the blues & poetry to rock music. The Doors are rock royalty. It has been a privilege & honor to call Ray a friend and share the stage w/ him. – John Doe

Ray always believed in us.  We’ll miss him.  My heart goes out to Dorothy and Pablo. – Billy Zoom

I am so sorry to hear about Ray’s passing. Not only was he an integral part of X’s history, he was a smart, funny, and kind friend. I will miss him. – DJ Bonebrake

_________________________________________________

(Source: MAD Ink PR)

* For more info on X, click on the links below.

http://www.xtheband.com

X facebook: X the official band page!

http://www.twitter.com/Xtheband

* For more info on The Doors, click on the links below:

facebook: The Doors

http://www.thedoors.com

MetalOdyssey

LONG LIVE X.

REST IN PEACE, RAY MANZAREK.

Stone.

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X CELEBRATES 35 YEAR ANNIVERSARY – With Multiple Tours Set To Join PEARL JAM On European Tour This Summer

Posted in Music, Punk rock, punk rock bands, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , , on June 14, 2012 by Metal Odyssey

PEARL JAM RELEASES DUET WITH X FROM SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR

WILL PLAY INDIE FEST WEST AND MADE IN AMERICA FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER

(Los Angeles, CA) – X , the perennial  L.A. Punk-Rockers, announce plans to continue touring throughout the year, celebrating their 35th anniversary as a band. X is the last musical group out of the iconic “class of ’77”, including such greats as The Ramones, The Clash and The Sex Pistols, who remain intact and touring!

After a West Coast tour this past May, the band is getting ready to head to Europe this month where X will once again join Pearl Jam as special guests on their European Summer Run. The bands will be hitting Manchester, the Isle of Wight, Amsterdam, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Norway before wrapping up in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 10th.

This past November, X joined Pearl Jam on their South American tour, visiting various parts of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico City for the first time.  During the tour, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam– joined X on-stage each night during their encore.  The X song “Devil Doll” was recorded during these impromptu performances and Pearl Jam has just released it as the ‘b’ side to their 2011 “TenClub Single,” available to Pearl Jam fan club members exclusively.

Once X returns from Europe, the band will continue with two West Coast shows; July 13th at Hollywood Park and July 29th, where they will join the Indie West Fest in Ventura, CA.  The band will also travel across the country for one East Coast show where they will once again, join Pearl Jam as a special guest on their “Made in America” Festival with Jay Z taking place on September 1 & 2nd in Philadelphia.

Last year, X celebrated the 31st anniversary of the legendary album, Los Angeles, one that not only defined their career, but an entire musical genre as well. The band also celebrated the re-release of their landmark award-winning rock-umentary, X: The Unheard Music.

The L.A. punk scene in the late 70s saw its share of greatness, but few acts as talented as the now world-class, live, rock & roll band X. Their 2008 “13-31” Tour across the U.S. was really something special, celebrating the band’s 31st anniversary. 2009 shaped up to be just as amazing for the veteran rockers, with appearances at SXSW and Coachella Festivals, along with their own “X – TRL” Tour, where fans to helped select each night’s set list.  2010 saw Ray Manzarek of The Doors fame, and producer of X’s first four records, join them on stage in San Francisco for two very special performances of the Album Los Angeles.

The original line-up of X is John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, and D.J. Bonebrake.

_______________________________

We are heading across the pond! Sincere thanks to Pearl Jam for making this possible.

June 20/21          M.E.N. Arena – Manchester, UK

June 23                 Isle of Wight Festival – Isle of Wight, UK

June 26/27          Ziggo Dome – Amsterdamn, The Netherlands

June 29                 Werchter Festival – Werchter, Belgium

June 30                 Main Square Festival – Arras, France

July 2                     O2 Arena – Prague, Czech Republic

July 4/5                 O2 Arena – Berlin, Germany

July 7                     Ericsson Globe Arena – Stockholm, Sweden

July 9                     Spektrum – Oslo, Norway

July 10                   Forum Copenhagen – Copenhagen, Denmark

July 13                   Hollywood Park – Los Angeles, CA

July 29                   Indie West Festival – Ventura, CA

September 2      Made in America Festival – Philadelphia, PA

More Dates TBA

______________________________________________________

(Source: MAD Ink, PR)

LONG LIVE X.

Stone.

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X Announces “Xmas Rock N Roll Revival”! Joins Pearl Jam On South American Tour This November

Posted in metal odyssey, Punk rock, punk rock bands, punk rock music, rock and roll, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , , , on September 14, 2011 by Metal Odyssey

(Photo Credit: Frank Gargani)

FALL U.S. LOS ANGELES TOUR CELEBRATES 31ST ANNIVERSARY OF CLASSIC ALBUM LOS ANGELES

Will Also Screen the Rock-umentary X: The Unheard Music At Select U.S. Shows

(Los Angeles, CA – September 13, 2011) – The perennial L.A. punk-rockers, X, announce plans for their annual holiday run of shows this December. Billed as the “Xmas Rock n Roll Revival” the original four X band members will be joined by the gospel duo, Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss, and Rock N Roll rebels, The Black Tibetans, for the December 9 start of the tour in Phoenix AZ, winding up in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve.

As previously announced, X will join Pearl Jam as special guests on their South American tour this November, visiting various parts of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico City for the first time.  Just prior to the South American tour, X will take to the road in September for a series of dates across the U.S. on a special Los Angeles Tour.  Starting off in Philadelphia at Riot Fest East on September 24th, the band will rock their way to New Orleans for VooDoo Fest on October 29th, before heading to South America.

This year X celebrates the 31st Anniversary of the legendary album, Los Angeles, one that not only defined their career, but an entire musical genre as well. The band will also be celebrating the 26th Anniversary of the rock-umentary, X: The Unheard Music. Throughout the September/October dates only, the film, recently included in the prestigious Sundance Film Institute Independent film archives, will run in its entirety on screen before the band hits the stage to perform, track by track, the Los Angeles album.

X band members continue to keep busy in the off-time.  John Doe’s new album Keeper, his first solo album since the 2007 acclaimed A Year in the Wilderness, was released August 30 on Yep Roc Records. Meanwhile, Exene released her latest solo album, The Excitement of Maybe, this past spring and has guested on a number of albums. Exene has also performed many solo shows, made live guest appearances and has been featured in art exhibits. While DJ continues to play with the Syncopators and his other band, The Stripminers (featuring Brett Anderson of the Donna’s and Paul Stinson of The Radishes among others), Billy Zoom continues work at his custom amp shop and studio.

The L.A. punk scene in the late 70s saw its share of greatness, but few acts as talented as the now world-class, live, rock & roll band X. Their 2008 “13-31” Tour across the U.S. was really something special, celebrating the band’s 31st anniversary. 2009 shaped up to be just as amazing for the veteran rockers, with appearances at SXSW and Coachella Festivals, along with their own “X – TRL” Tour, where fans were able to help select each night’s set list.  2010 saw Ray Manzarek of The Doors fame and producer of the band’s first four records join them on stage in San Francisco for two very special performances of the Album Los Angeles.

The original line-up of X is: John Doe, Exene, Billy Zoom, and D.J. Bonebrake.

(Source: MAD Ink, PR)

LONG LIVE X.

Stone.

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