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PHOTO COURTESY OF BAND

SONICS BOOM. Tacoma rock legends, The Sonics, will play their first show in the area since the early ‘70s Oct. 31 at the Paramount in Seattle. Local favorite Girl Trouble will open the show.

The Sonics play first Northwest show in decades

Tacoma rock legends The Sonics reunited last year after a 40-year hiatus and will be playing their first Northwest show since 1972 on Oct. 31.

The Sonics formed in 1960 in Tacoma, while some of the band mates were still attending Wilson High School.

In 1964, the band began to accumulate a local following for their original, gritty rock sound. Their first single “The Witch” was the biggest selling local single in the history of the Northwest, despite little to no radio airplay.

The Sonics’ sound is noticeably rougher, cruder, and more brutal than that of their musical peers, and The Sonics are often regarded as the first punk rock group.

Singer Gerry Roslie became known for his screams and howls, something that had not been heard before in mid-century rock and roll.

The Sonics made their unique sound with wild arrangements, often disturbing lyrics, and electric guitars played through amplifiers customized to achieve the harshest tones possible.

The band is revered among musicians today, and has been cited as influences among some of rock and roll’s well-known legends.

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was said to have commented on the quality of the Sonics’ drum sound saying, “they got the most amazing drum sound I have ever heard,” and their songs have been covered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder and Mudhoney.

The Sonics began to disband about 1967, with a brief reunion in 1972 for a show at the Paramount in Seattle.

The band will be returning to the Paramount with another Tacoma favorite, Girl Trouble, for their first Northwest show in decades, after a series of live performances since 2007.

The Sonics will perform at 8 p.m., Oct. 31 at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St. in Seattle. Tickets range from $26 to $62. Fans are encouraged to come dressed in a Sonics song-title themed costume.

Go to www.theparamount.com for tickets.

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