Local experimental rock bands X___X and Home and Garden have teamed up for a mini tour that begins on Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Empty Bottle in Chicago and includes shows on Friday, Aug. 22 at the Painted Lady in Detroit and on Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Beachland Tavern in Cleveland. The groups have formed out of other famous Cleveland punk bands. X___X emerged out of the ashes of the Electric Eels, and Home and Garden is an outgrowth of Pere Ubu. The tour celebrates the release of X___X’s first full-length album, X STICKY FINGERS X. The name X___X is designed so that any name can be put between the two x’s — for their debut, they’re calling themselves X ROLLING STONES X.

This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2014.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.