Tag: the sonics

Punk Rock Bowling 2017 Kicks Off w/ The Sonics, Throw Rag & Moore

Vanessa Burgundy June 7, 2017

There was a handful of early-bird punks and a few scattered tourists as we approached a surprisingly sleepy version of downtown Fremont Street but with a line-up including Dr. Madd Vibe (feat. Angelo Moore from Fishbone), Throw Rag, the Mutants, Chicken Hawk All Stars, and OG (that’s original garage) rockers The Sonics at Fremont Country Club– we were about to get woke the fuck up. related content: The Sonics Teach Garage Rock History 101 at The Observatory It was the unofficial opening night of Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival 2017, now in it’s 19th year (how old are we?!), and the Stern brothers have yet to disappoint- although it was now 9:30pm and the doors were not yet open. Of course we overlooked the first day sluggishness as we got a sweet and smooth welcome from our Hollywood homeboy and star of the night, Chicken Hawk All Stars lead singer/Fremont Country Club venue owner, Big Daddy Carlos. It was at least 10:15 before the curtain came up with Dr. Madd Vibe’s blaring instruments and dueling vocals as loud as Angelo’s hand-painted, psychedelic suit. Always a showman and masterful musician, the energy was there but the crowd had not yet caught

The Sonics, The Sloths & Death Hymn Number 9 w/ Green Slime L.A.

Vanessa Burgundy January 30, 2017

Hot off the heels of the 750,000 person Women’s March…Los Angeles was on fire. The vibe was positive, respectful, and proud…also…we were ready to rock n fucking roll with The Sonics at The Echoplex. Openers and LA natives, Death Hymn Number 9 were ready to take us on their satanic hayride. We had to force ourselves to get past the collective band’s awkward hair (yes it’s distracting enough to mention) and get into their demonized garage-rock replete with breakdowns like a thunderstorm tearing through the deep south. They’ve got a “Static Age” Misfits meets Minor Threat meets a doomsday death dance. I can dig it. America’s “great lost garage band”, The Sloths (who first formed in 1964), surprised us next…not only with the ferocity of their set but quite literally…with magic tricks. Singer, Tommy McLoughlin, razzled and dazzled us with gimmicks galore for each and every song. For their opener, he employed a popular sideshow stunt, turning his mic into an erupting display of firey angle grinder sparks. The Sloths were indeed back from the grave. They threw out blow up dolls for their song “Never Enough Girls” written by Holly Beth Vincent (originally meant for Joey Ramone), there was

The Sonics Teach Garage Rock History 101 at The Observatory

Jessica Moncrief August 22, 2016

In 1960, a band of kids heavily inspired by 50’s R&B, formed The Sonics with no clue that more than 50 years later, they would actually be the inspiration for modern day rock n roll power houses and music enthusiasts around the world. In 1964, The Sonics were signed by Etiquette Records and released their first (and wildly popular) single, “The Witch”. Even though its radio airplay was restricted, “The Witch” went on to become the biggest selling local single in the history of the Northwest. Between ’65 and ’67, The Sonics released three studio albums: “Here Are The Sonics”, “Boom”, and “Introducing the Sonics”. Their covers of songs by artists such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Fabulous Wailers and Richard Berry gained the boys national attention, however, the real standout tracks were their original hits such as “The Witch”, “Boss Hoss”, “Psycho”, “Cinderella”, “Shot Down” & “Strychnine,” which gained them a true cult following. The 60’s were a great era for music, but no one did it quite like The Sonics. They screamed louder and played faster and harder than anyone else at that time. Their recording style, performance, and lyrics would usher in a new age of

HiFi Rockfest: Good Times, Bad Turnout at The Queen Mary

Danny Baraz October 6, 2015

People have been proclaiming the genre of Punk (in it’s most classic interpretation) to be dead for over 30 years now. Certainly they must be referring to the movement more so than the music because it seems like every time you turn around, there is a new punk festival brewing a lineup of classic bands with fascinating and improbable lineups. Hi-Fi Rockfest is the newest festival dedicated to dusting off crusty old punk legends and propping them up on a stage to perform to varying degrees of success. Hi-Fi Rockfest was organized by the trio of punk powerhouses DC-Jam Records, Dying Scene and D.O’B. Sound. I wasn’t all that interested in seeing a Jello Biafra-less Dead Kennedy’s but I was SUPER stoked to see The Sonics for the first time. Just 24 hours prior to the frenzy of the Super-Blood-Full-Moon, the celestial satellite hung brightly over the Long Beach Harbor and the Queen Mary. I arrived later than I wanted to Queen Mary Park where the festival was being held. Aside from The Sonics, I was way more interested in seeing bands playing earlier in the day like Downtown Brown, Year of the Dragon and True Rivals. And Luicidal is