How Exene Cervenka Came to Rule Over the Boy's Club
Moonlight Graham's owner Bart Silberman makes no bones about why he opened up his retro-Americana store Moonlight Graham in Old Towne Orange. "The theory behind it is guys like music, guys like cars, guys like girls and guys like sports," he says. "The guy consumer is so neglected, we wanted to give them a space where they could just hang out."
Like other specialty stores for men, Moonlight Graham carries designer baseball gear, vintage-inspired shirts and up to $300 jeans. Unlike other men's specialty stores, Moonlight Graham is housed in what used to be a 1923 Ford dealership, in the middle of Old Towne Orange. There's a vintage Ascot stock racecar on the sales floor, and there are batting cages in the backroom.
But once a month, in this shrine to the likes of guys, bros and dudes, a lady takes charge. Not just any lady, she's punk goddess Exene Cervenka, lead singer/songwriter of X, the Knitters and the Original Sinners. Here Exene hosts the Moonlight Graham Hootenanny, where she invites artists of similar rockabilly/punk rock persuasions to play at the store.
