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Concert Review: X-Sinner @ Fitzgerald’s, Huntington Beach, CA
Friday Dec 15th 2006 [Review & Photo by Barbara Jean]





My anticipation grew upon my arrival at Club Fitzgerald’s in the famous beach community of Huntington Beach California on this cool foggy December night. The long waited return of sorts of one of Christendom’s most popular rock acts, X-Sinner, was about to get underway in a mainstream rock club. As I entered the venue after getting my I.D. checked at the door I was surprised by the size of the crowd in attendance. The venue holds probably 200 comfortably and it was already pretty full. I thought it was an interesting choice of sites to hold a “comeback” show, but after further thinking I came to the conclusion that the band probably wanted it that way. X-Sinner was never a real glitz style band presented on a grandeur scale of say a Bloodgood or Stryper – but more of a working man’s blue collar style rock band. Just the sort of place you would have found Jesus hanging out in. I noticed a few black leather jackets in the crowd, one with a Stryper shirt on underneath it. At least some of the faithful had showed up in this den of “sin.” (Can you see editor DVP rolling his eyes right now?)


The dark stage suddenly showed some activity as X-Sinner walked on to the sounds of the opening of their first album, Get It. The eerie echoed chant of “Medicine” is repeated over and over before the song actually starts and true to form and right on cue the guitar kicks in with the main riff of "Medicine." The lights go up and the crowd cheers as the rest of the band kicks in for the song. Charismatic front man Rex Scott begins belting the anthem with gargled glass vocals and a ton of conviction. Clad in sunglasses and still maintaining a golden mane of hair, albeit not as long as in the band's past tours, he still shows that a veteran rocker can really kick out the jams. New addition Eric Harris on bass delivers the main portion of strong backup vocals and is quite animated while maintaining a very solid wall of low end thunder. Drummer Mike Buckner proved he can still hold his own with any younger counterpart and that many times less is more with his AC/DC style of stomp. New live guitarist Thom Schultman showed why the band chose him to fill in for the now Australian bound original guitarist Greg Bishop, as he kicks into the next song “I Take Power” off of the band's second release, Peace Treaty. Rex becomes vocalist and guitar slinger on this one, delivering crunching rhythm guitar behind Thom’s playing. I’d forgotten just how good this blues driven rock band is and was not so gently reminded as the guitar chords slammed into me like a wave of Marshall amps on eleven. The band’s latest release of retracked Peace Treaty songs, called Fire It Up, actually captures some of the aggressive guitar you experience live at an X-Sinner show and of which the then infamous Pakaderm Record label had difficulty capturing on the group's original recordings in the nineties. The band doesn’t let up for a second and immediately upon conclusion of "I Take Power," Rex kicks into the opening riff of “Accountable” and the band follows in like a ton of lead. This riff reminds me so much of a Cinderella (the band) style sound, one of the influences the group tips their hat to on their website.


They appeared to be having a great time while playing and there was a lot of interplay between the members as they rocked through song after song, most being from Get It. The surprise of the night was near the end when the guys invited original guitarist Greg Bishop up to do a song. Nobody knew he was there and I found out later he was in town to lay tracks for the band’s newest offering, to be called Back In Red. Wind sounds began to howl from the speakers and Greg whipped off the opening riff to “Lift Him Up.” The band kicked in on cue and Rex gave probably the best performance of the night with sandpaper vocals that topped even the original recording (in my opinion). The band was firing on all cylinders. After the song the crowd was really into it as Thom Schultman reappeared on stage to reclaim his guitar from Greg and then proceed to rip into “Steppin On Toes,” the set closer. It seems the group has found a great blend of personalities with the additions of Eric and Thom, while the original guys Greg and bassist Rob Kniep who was absent this night, are all friends and still part of X-Sinner. I thought it was most appropriate for the band to conclude with that song, since Rex stated before it began that “they hoped they hadn’t stepped on anyone’s toes too hardly tonight” with a smile. With the sign of the cross given by Rex with his right hand in priest like manner to the audience, the band hit their final chord to the applause of the crowd. No encore was offered even though the audience requested it. It was probably because there was another band to follow. I didn’t envy that band having to follow in the shoes of X-Sinner, who delivered a very forceful and thorough lesson in rock n roll 101 this night.
--Barbara Jean




©2007 HM Magazine. All rights reserved.

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