Tacoma, Warshington’s most famous exports, and one of the most brutal and important ’60s American garage/beat groups, the Sonics, are playing LIVE tonight! It’s the kickoff show for their North American tour and their record-release party—their first new album since 1980, This Is the Sonics, was released this past Tuesday. If you haven’t heard it yet, the album is high-energy; it’s packed full of primal, pummeling riffs, with plenty of SAX-A-MUH-PHOME, attitude, and some serious hollering! They also thread back to their R&B roots and turn in a handful of ripping period covers—Ray Charles‘s “I Don’t Need No Doctor”, Bo Diddley‘s “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover,” Rusty York‘s “Sugaree,” Hank Ballard and the Midnighters‘ “Look at Little Sister,” and Eddie Holland‘s garage standard “Leaving Here.” HELL YES! I’d reckon This Is the Sonics is a solid bookend to Here Are the Sonics and Boom. I’m glad they waited 35 years to record this kinda new material—they never regressed progressed (?) into being a tired bar band, nor did they ever let their hair get good in the back!
Anyway, if you hadn’t heard the Sonics’ new jams, don’t go “Psycho” or think you might get “Shot Down”; instead, try their single “Bad Betty” for a taste of the new album! I found multiple replays of the single was a good way of “Maintaining My Cool.” C’mon guys, it’s true, I swear, I’m no “Hustler!” But then again, I really am “Like No Other Man.”
The current and recording lineup are original members Jerry Roslie, Larry Parypa, and Rob Lind, plus the Kingsmen‘s Freddie Dennis and Dusty Watson on drums. If their past shows are any indication, tonight will be “Boss!” Also on tonight’s bill are the Intelligence and Mudhoney.
The show is TONIGHT at the Moore Theatre; doors are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $27-$47 (plus admin fees)—you can buy advance tix HERE!