Tuesday, February 16, 2016

X's John Doe readies new book and album

John Doe’s new album The Westerner will be released April 29 via Cool Rock Records/Thirty Tigers.
 
An official music video for the new song “Get On Board” premiered today on NPR Music.  Watch here: http://n.pr/1U5DiDb.

The album features 10 new tracks from Doe with guest appearances from Chan Marshall of Cat Power, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Cindy Wasserman of Dead Rock West and Tom Brosseau. The Westerner was produced by Howe Gelb (Neko Case, M. Ward), Dave Way (Fiona Apple) and Doe. The album’s artwork was designed by Shepard Fairey and Aaron Huey to support Native American rights via a campaign called Protect The Sacred, with additional photography by Jim Herrington.

Of the record Doe says, “The Westerner is dedicated to Michael Blake, author of many books, including Dancing With Wolves, who was a scholar and advocate for Native American rights. He was also one of my best friends for over 30 years. Michael taught me how to ride horses (we knocked each other off them several times) and we taught each other about writing, music and art. Many of these songs are about him or use him as the main character. His presence has been with me throughout the making of the record. It’s a wild, spread-out, desert-like life that we’ve lived.”
 
Additionally, Doe’s first book, Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk, will be published on May 1 by Da Capo Press. The audio book will be simultaneously released via Penguin Random House. The book explores the Los Angeles punk rock movement and its evolution to hardcore punk from 1977-1982, sharing chapter-length tales from the author along with personal essays from players in the scene. The book is written by Doe with the help of Tom DeSavia. Other contributors include twelve notable members of punk bands of the era. Fans can pre-order the book and album via Doe’s PledgeMusic page at http://bit.ly/1SWr2W5 with part of the proceeds going to Honor The Treaties.

John Doe is a founding member of the seminal L.A. punk rock band X and the country spin-off band The Knitters. Doe’s solo career began with 1990’s Meet John Doe, followed by Kissingsohard (1995), For the Rest of Us (1998), Freedom Is… (2000), Dim Stars Bright Sky (2002), Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet (2005), For the Best of Us (extended version in 2006), A Year in the Wilderness (2007), Country Club (a collaboration with The Sadies in 2009), A Day at the Pass (a collaboration with Jill Sobule in 2011), Keeper (2011) and most recently The Best of John Doe: This Far (2015) a compilation of Doe’s favorite solo recording moments.

The Westerner track listing:

1. Get On Board
2. Sunlight
3. A Little Help (Featuring Chan Marshall)
4. My Darling, Blue Skies
5. Go Baby Go (Featuring Debbie Harry)
6. Alone In Arizona
7. Sweet Reward
8. Drink Of Water
9. The Other Shoe
10. Rising Sun

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