EXILE FOLLIES Announced At SOPAC

The wisdom of folk lore pronounces that bad things happen in threes, but February 8 at 8 p.m. at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) Exile Follies consisting of John Doe(LA band X), Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses) and Grant-Lee Phillips (Grant Lee Buffalo) prove that a very good thing happens when these three alt-rock icons take the stage together at SOPAC.

In 2002 the three friends, who were pursuing individual careers at the time, decided to tour together without the bands they had led for years. The Exile Follies sprang from a mutual desire to approach a tour in a different kind of way. They had each come from bands where they held the role of songwriters, a role they had gone at alone until this point in their careers - a sort of self-imposed exile. Throwing Muses hadn't officially split but Kristin was well into her fifth solo album and forming a new band. John had released his fourth solo album and there was little hint that X would return, or with such a vibrant second act. Grant was well into writing his third solo album. The three found some interesting musical crossroads between them that continues almost two decades later.

John Doe
John Doe is a singer-songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player. He co-founded the LA Punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the Rock, Punk, Country and Folk music genres. As an actor, he has both television appearances and movies to his credit. Some of his movie roles include the 1989 biographical film Great Balls of Fire!, Boogie Nights and Wyatt Earp and The Outsiders. On television, Doe has appeared on Law & Order, One Tree Hill, The Wizards of Waverly Place and as Jeff Parker on Roswell.

Along with co-writer Exene Cervenka, Doe composed most of the songs recorded by X. Wild Gift, an album from the band's heyday, was named Record of the Year by Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

Kristin Hersh
Singer-Songwriter, musician and author Kristin Hersh is known for her solo work and with her Rock bands Throwing Muses and 50FootWave. She has released eleven solo albums. Her guitar work and composition style ranges from jaggedly dissonant to traditional Folk. Her lyrics have a stream-of-consciousness style, reflecting her personal experiences. In 1994, Hersh began a solo career as an acoustic performer, beginning with Hips and Makers, an album sparsely arranged around her vocals, guitar and a cellist, in contrast to the volatile, electric sound of her band work. Michael Stipe of R.E.M. made an appearance on this first solo album. In 2003, she released The Grotto, an acoustic solo album of song sketches with personal lyrics set in Providence, Rhode Island, with Andrew Bird on violin and Howe Gelb on piano. In 2016, she released the double album Wyatt at the Coyote Place and an accompanying book.

Grant-Lee Phillips
After spending his formative years in Stockton, California, Grant-Lee Phillips headed to Los Angeles to study film. Finding himself beneath the spell cast by local bands like the Rain Parade and the Dream Syndicate, Phillips soon partnered with Stockton acquaintance Jeff Clark to form Shiva Burlesque. The band dissolved after two critically acclaimed records, and Phillips began writing and demoing under the Grant Lee Buffalo alias. Grant Lee Buffalo went on to release four very different LPs, developed a cult following and had several successful tours as well as across-the-board critical acclaim being voted Rolling Stone's Male Vocalist of the Year.

Tickets to Exile Follies are $28-$36 and can be purchased at https://www.sopacnow.org/events/the-exile-follies/ or by calling (973) 313-2787.

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