The Sonics with Kevin Cole
photos by Jim Bennett (view set)
Talk about a night of rock history! Recently, Northwest legends The Sonics performed live on KEXP’s Shake the Shack with Leon Berman. If you’re unfamiliar with The Sonics’ legacy, take note: they started in the early 60′s what would evolve into American punk of the 70′s and 80′s, grunge of the 90′s, and the garage sound we continue to hear today. Some critics even cite them as the first punk band ever! Undoubtedly, their hard sound and occasionally dark and eerie songs like “Psycho,” “The Witch,” and “Strychnine” inspired the punks and other rockers to follow, many of whom cut their teeth playing those songs. Even though The Sonics recorded together for only a few years in the mid to late 60′s, their influence remains strong even today. Over the years, they’ve managed to reunite occasionally with slightly different lineups, but more recently they’ve become a solid group, and perform more frequently, mainly at festivals and special shows like New Year’s Eve at Olympia’s Capitol Theater. In fact, they had just returned from a tour of Europe when they arrived in our studio last month. Original members Larry Parypa, Gerry Roslie and Rob Lind were joined by newer members, yet still veteran rockers, Freddie Dennis (of The Kingsmen and Freddy and the Screamers) and Ricky Lynn Johnson (of The Wailers) for a blazing set of classics and a couple of new tunes from their 2010 release, 8, which contains their first new music in decades. Watch history remade here:
One Comment
Thanks for the great music. I really enjoyed listening in.