Original Sinners

by Kim Reick KunoffFronted by L.A. punk goddess Exene Cervenka, the Original Sinners mark a return to form for the founding member of seminal punk band X. Following X's breakup in the late '80s, Cervenka embarked on a series of solo projects and collaborative efforts, including a spoken-word piece with Lydia Lunch and a couple of folky albums that were released without much critical notice. In 2002, Cervenka, along with ex-Distillers members Kim Chi (bass, vocals) and drummer Mat Young, as well as Sam Soto and Jason Edge on guitars, released the Original Sinners' first self-titled LP on Nitro Records. The band is a potent brew of elements of X -- discordant vocal harmonizing, a preoccupation with love gone wrong in a white-trash world, aggressive delivery -- and the alt-country of X side-project the Knitters with the surf beats and hardcore punk guitar of the Distillers.