Photos Debbie Leavitt

Before punk rock became defined by the three minute song and the obligatory three-minute look, it was an open playing field for any artist that defied categories. Amongst the most diverse and eclectic was X. Formed in Los Angeles in 1977 by John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake, X arrived in the post-NewYork underground heyday and pre-hardcore explosion whenthe band would eventually cut its teeth in the studio under the eye of ex-Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

From the start, X bore signs of its folk and country influences, but as a solo artist frontman John Doe truly incorporated his passion for roots music. His 1990 solo debut, Meet John Doe, was the first of several albums that set his mark as an emerging singer/songwriter. His most recent release, and seventh to date, A Year inthe Wilderness, combines pure acoustic folk with what he describes as a “pre-grunge sound.”

“I don’t consider my music punk rock. It’s more like songwriter rock ‘n’ roll music,” says Doe. “Punk has gone through so much evolution. In 1978, did I consider Elvis Costello punk rock? Yeah, because of the attitude. To me, punk rock is doing things your own way, not really giving a shit and a sense of rebellion and rule breaking. That’s why it’s hard to see punk rock becoming defined by such a narrow definition.”

While the bridging of punk to folk and country music may seem like genres too stark in contrast to combine, Doe is not alone in this niche. Notably, both Mike Ness( Social Distortion) and TommyRamone (The Ramones) have released pure country/folk albums. For Doe it was   natural transition. “It just kind of happened,”he explains. “I don’t know how to reinvent myself or how to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do Cuban music,’ like David Byrne. I respect and admire people who do that but it just sort of shifts a little bit this way and a little bit that way. I don’t think lyrically it’s all that different [from X].”

Released in June, A Year in the Wilderness features Doe collaborating with musicians Dave Alvin, Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach and alt-country darling Kathleen Edwards, among others. If somewhat Jeff Buckley-esque early on, the disc quickly delves into rootsier material like “A Little More Time” and “Grain of Salt.” Doe attributes the album’s feel to the themes of “love and loss and trying to make sense of the world.

“With X, I would take a piece ofmusic and try and match the lyric.Nowadays I try to have a piece of a lyric and let it develop as the melody is developing. I think of Paul McCartney writing like that or something… not that I would ever compare myself to Paul McCartney,” he laughs.

Styles and definitions of genres may evolve but, for Doe, his music has been a personal evolution: “[Thirty years ago] I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing, I was probably high on speed and beer,” he chuckles. “What doesn’t change is your enthusiasm, what doesn’t change is your dedication.”