Reintroducing the Knitters (tonight at the 400)

It looks as if tonight's show by the Knitters at the 400 Bar has slipped under the radar a bit, which might be because some folks have forgotten who the Knitters are. The twangy offshoot of X features John Doe, Exene and DJ Bonebrake along with California guitar ace Dave Alvin of Blasters fame. They rocked First Ave back in 2005, when they issued their long-awaited second album. They're only doing two weeks of shows this time around, starting tonight, and they have a special local opener, Spider John Koerner. Click here for more info (9 p.m., $20). Here's a clip that I think pretty well captures the energy of that First Ave show (with a song you should recognize).