Pop Music Reviews : Doe Shows That X Still Marks the Spot for Punk Fans

As a member of X, John Doe made some of the most affecting music of the early ‘80s, chronicling urban alienation with a rootsy punk sound. Friday night, headlining at Our House, he delivered more than an hour’s worth of X songs, more recent originals and covers, and made it plain that he remains as important an artist as ever.

Electric guitarist Smokey Hormel added texture to Doe’s stark acoustic work as they played a lean hybrid of folk and country. Doe’s roots were evident through such folk tunes as “Rank Strangers to Me” that explore the same kinds of themes X used to deal with. And though his songs about alienation seemed deeply felt, his set was casual and fun as he joked a little with the audience and, at one point, encouraged people to sing along.

The highlight was the encore: Doe handed a guitar to his “best friend in the world,” fellow X alum Exene Cervenka, who was cheered wildly by a crowd too young to have seen X in its prime. She and Doe sang a number that had more to do with the fun they were having onstage together than with the dark themes that forged their reputations.

Singer-songwriter Cindy Lee Berryhill is known for writing clever, quirky folk songs; recently she has been playing more complex material with her so-called “garage orchestra,” a group that includes a cello, vibraphone and mandolin. Friday night, she sang many of those newer songs using only an electric guitar and occasionally a harmonica. It made for an interesting set, somewhat reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s work.

O (Otis Barthoulameu), frontman of the punk band Fluf from San Diego, opened the show with a set of simple but melodic songs on acoustic guitar. He lent them the same kind of catchy charm he gives Fluf’s harder-edged material, and the acoustic accompaniment enabled him to showcase a good voice sometimes overwhelmed by his band. But he seemed to bring little meaning or purpose to the set, and some of it came across as the very kind of lightweight material his band’s name seems to mock.