If not for the deep lines that etch his face, John Doe could likely pass for his younger version of two decades ago. Back then, his band X was burning up the L.A. underground punk rock scene and influencing other bands with an eclectic sound that could range from straight punk, to rock-a-billy, to hard rock.
At Maxwell’s in Hoboken on June 19, the 47-year-old Doe wore a black "Pile Driver" t-shirt with cargos and black sneakers while sporting close-cropped hair with only a hint of gray. For the uninitiated, he might have looked more like a local part-time waiter hoping for a break, rather than an elder statesman of west-coast angst punk.
"If I’d known there’d be this many people, I’d have invited you to my friend Smokey’s house ’round the corner to play," Doe jokingly told the 40-odd people in front of him at the venue just before he started his set. He stood alone onstage armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and the force of his personality. He engaged the crowd to get his juices going, and the most he received was the usual X related shouts and song requests that were either ignored or dismissed with comments like, "No, I think I’d mess it up."
At times during he seemed almost annoyed with having to acknowledge the legacy of his former band. "Here’s another song about ‘X’-cess, and not having to f___ deal with it," he smirkingly growled before one song.
His set mostly ranged from his newest solo work Dim Stars, Bright Sky (IMusic), an album of quieter folk-tinged songs that come in sonic-deprived contrast to his previous work, and his other solo project The John Doe Thing. As he played, Doe’s hands moved feverishly across his guitar as he tried to get the most noise he could from the twanging chords. The hour-long set had a mesmerizing quality as Doe stood onstage unaccompanied and unplugged. For the last couple of songs he brought a few friends to play drums and bass. When the show ended, the audience looked at each other. Many people smiled, maybe realizing they had gotten their money’s worth.
Doe recently did a weeklong abbreviated tour of Europe to support his new album. He lives with his family in a suburb outside L.A. and away from the urban sprawl that heavily influenced his rock sound years ago. In July Doe will be doing another round of touring with his old X bandmates.
"Touring is one of those things where you either like it or you don’t. I do it infrequently," he said.
For information on Doe visit www.thejohndoe.com.
Skanatra
Skanatra’s philosophy when performing is to have a loud party and invite everyone in sight to join. Last Friday (June 20), the popular Hoboken ska band, featuring a set of mostly Sinatra tunes, packed the house at Maxwell’s. They hadn’t played at the venue for more than a year, and the crowd sang along and danced to their versions of "Under My Skin," "Fly Me to the Moon" and "The World on a String."
"It was fun. The night went well and the crowd had fun," said frontman Fran Azzarto.
Skanatra played for almost two hours. The eight-piece band seemed to barely fit on stage, but that didn’t stop them from laughing and smiling throughout the evening. Azzarto’s energy and positive vibe was contagious and the crowd loved it. As they neared the end of their set, audience members kept making requests. Like always, Skanatra did not disappoint.
Their sophomore album It’s Happy Hour Somewhere was released last year and it received rave reviews. The band will perform at Sinatra Park on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. (Eugene Mulero contributed to this report.) q