Seattle is talking about the Sonics leaving, but Tacoma is wondering if the Sonics will be coming back. Not the basketball team, but the legendary 1960s rock band from the City of Destiny, arguably the best Northwest band of its era. I was weaned on the Sonics, who were punk before Punk and grunge before Grunge, but as big a fan as I was of such pre-psychedelic garage anthems as "Psycho," "The Witch," "Boss Hoss," etc. I never saw them live and had given up all hope of ever doing so. So when I happened to pick up last week's New Yorker this weekend I was stunned to read that the Sonics had been scheduled to perform a reunion concert in New York – their first in 35 years – at the Cavestomp Garage Spectacular in Brooklyn last weekend. I let out an inner scream worthy of Gerry Roslie's vocals on "Psycho." I was thrilled to hear the bad boys had gotten back together and anguished that I missed it. The Tacoma News Tribune, however, has not been asleep at the switch. Last week they previewed the Sonics' return from the dead with a good backgrounder on the band, and followed-up post-concert with an interview with band member Larry Parypa and YouTube clips of the concerts. And for those wanting to hear the Sonics as they were, Cavestomp has a sampler of classic songs. Also, if you search the Sonics on YouTube, you'll call up various people covering their songs, including Jim (not John) Belushi and Dan Akroyd doing a version of "Have Love, Will Travel" that stands as some kind of cringe-inducing monument to middle aged guys rocking out. But hey, the Sonics are now sixtysomethings themselves, and once this stuff is in your blood there's no getting rid of it. The big question is, now that the band has practiced and played together in public, will it ever happen again? There are hints but no guarantees. Blog reviews were enthusiastic, but the Sonics are waiting for more feedback before making a decision about future concerts. The Cavestomp performances will be brought out on a live CD and DVD. The Sonics may need some encouragement to forget their day jobs a little while longer and come out of retirement at least long enough to let their hometown fans have one last live taste of their dirty sound.
A taste of grunge before Grunge
Seattle is talking about the Sonics leaving, but Tacoma is wondering if the Sonics will be coming back. Not the basketball team, but the legendary 1960s rock band from the City of Destiny, arguably the best Northwest band of its era. I was weaned on the Sonics, who were punk before Punk and grunge before Grunge, but as big a fan as I was of such pre-psychedelic garage anthems as "Psycho," "The Witch," "Boss Hoss," etc. I never saw them live and had given up all hope of ever doing so.
The Sonics perform at Cavestomp Garage in New York. (You Tube)
Seattle is talking about the Sonics leaving, but Tacoma is wondering if the Sonics will be coming back. Not the basketball team, but the legendary 1960s rock band from the City of Destiny, arguably the best Northwest band of its era. I was weaned on the Sonics, who were punk before Punk and grunge before Grunge, but as big a fan as I was of such pre-psychedelic garage anthems as "Psycho," "The Witch," "Boss Hoss," etc. I never saw them live and had given up all hope of ever doing so.
