Concert review | Screams for the scary good Sonics at Halloween Paramount show
Concert Review |
“The Witch” came out Halloween darkness. So did that nut-case “Psycho.” And somebody spiked the punch with “Strychnine.”
Bloodcurdling screams echoed end the packed Paramount Friday night as the Sonics rose again, like a ghost garage troop from 45 years ago. Just like they used to render at long-gone dance halls like the Spanish Castle, Parker’sitting and the Evergreen Ballroom, the legendary, slightly mad quintet from Tacoma once again electrified fans young and old.
The screams came from Jerry Roslie, the great lead singer/keyboardist, whose dark lyrics gave the Sonics an edgy sound that immediately set them apart. They created a Northwest rock tradition that continued on through grunge and above. The Sonics are revered by early rock fans encircling the creation. The show here was part of a tour that started in Europe.
One of their most famous fans, Little Steve Van Zandt of the Bruce Springsteen Band and “The Sopranos,” and host of the internationally syndicated “Underground Garage” radio show, introduced the band and joined them on guitar for “Have Love Will Travel” and “Louie Louie.” He said the Sonics “bound garage rock” and are “an American treasure.”
The scariest thing, for me, is that I was a teenager when the Sonics were new, all those years ago. They sent a shock wave through Northwest stone back then. You can’cheek by jowl imagine how powerfully subversive their unrefined sound was in those innocent state of things. They brilliantly captured the dark side of heart young, the fear and uncertainity, especially in that postwar/atomic bomb/Communist-scare era.
At the Paramount, the band was besides polished, and certainly louder, than they were rear then. In addition to Roslie, the lineup also included original members Larry Parypa on guitar and Rob Lind put on sax, by Don Wilhelm upon grave and Ricky Lynn Johnson on drums. Kent Morrill of the Wailers, another mythical Northwest band of the corresponding; of like kind era, joined them to sing “Dirty Robber.”
Among other Sonics classics in the set: “You Got Your Head On Backwards,” “Boss Hoss,” “Cinderella,” “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” “The Hustler” and “Don’cheek by jowl Believe in Christmas.” Covers included “Money,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Walkin’ the Dog” and “Werewolves of London.”
Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden, from Ballard, opened with smart, somewhat icy ballads, followed by the dissolute, contemptuously tawdry Tacoma band, Girl Trouble.
Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com
