billy zoom

Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 25, 2021: The 1965 Mosrite Ventures II electric guitar played by Johnny Ramone on every Ramones album from 1977 onward and at 1,985 of their live shows sold at auction for $937,500. Not bad, considering the punk guitar architect paid $200 for it, after his original one he bought for $50 in […]

X grew from the fertile soil that was Los Angeles’ late ‘70s punk scene. Singer/bassist John Doe answered an ad that rockabilly guitar virtuoso Billy Zoom placed in local classified ads paper The Recycler. It sought musicians for a band along the lines of the Ramones. “Two bass players answered that ad,” Zoom told Razorcake […]

Punk was, by design, meant to be small and regional. True, bands might break out and become national or even international. But the overarching idea was keeping things small and accessible. You wanted to be able to reach out and touch your favorite band in a small sweaty club, maybe have a beer with the […]

Welcome to Alternative Press’ list of the 15 greatest punk guitarists of the ’80s. As the timeline shifted from the ’70s into the new decade, the music changed. Punk had morphed from stripped-down, high-speed rock ’n’ roll with a nasty attitude. It was now faster and louder than the already fast and loud sound, with […]

For many, first-wave punk was the sound of liberation. Chainsaw guitars, locomotive drums and screaming singers delivered brutal street poetry about the times. It saved us from a lifetime of dull progressive rock, snooze-worthy singer-songwriters and six-string heavy metal. For certain die-hards, ’70s punk is the only punk. For them, both the music and the […]

X guitarist and punk legend Billy Zoom has been diagnosed with an aggressive type of bladder cancer. The 67-year-old will head into chemotherapy treatment next week. X, along with their manager Mike Rouse, have launched a fund to help deal with the ensuing medical costs.  Despite the diagnosis, however, Zoom will be playing the band's shows this weekend at […]