Billy Zoom, the guitarist for the seminal Los Angeles punk rock band X is undergoing treatment for an aggressive strain of bladder cancer. He entered Cedars Sinai Medical Center in July 2015 after completing the band’s four-night set of shows at the Observatory in Santa Ana, CA earlier in the month in which X played its first four albums on successive nights.
Fans, friends and the music community have responded generously to calls for assistance to help Zoom pay his medical bills and support his family. A gofundme.com page set up by the band has raised more than $83,000 to date, exceeding its $50,000 goal. The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has also signed on to manage donations and provide guidance on medical bills, insurance plans and after-care resources (you can donate through Sweet Relief here).
This is Zoom’s second bout with cancer. He overcame prostate cancer in 2010 after a radical prostatectomy.
His group is currently fulfilling East Coast tour obligations with substitute Jesse Dayton, an Austin. TX-based rocking country singer, songwriter and hotshot guitarist (as one would have to be to fill Zoom’s shoes). The string of dates ends on August 1 at Manhattan’s City Winery, which will donate a portion of the night’s receipts to Zoom’s benefit effort.
