En Junio de 2000 el Seattle Experience Music Project organizó
un concierto que iba a reunir a algunas de las más famosas
y legendarias bandas de Garage de la zona de Seattle, tales como
The Kingsmen y The Wailers. Como no hubo manera de juntar a la
que fue la mejor de todas ellas, THE SONICS, Scott McCaughey (Young
Fresh Fellows, The Minus Five, REM) reunió a un grupo de
músicos fanáticos de los SONICS
para tocar sus canciones y representarles en dicho concierto.
BOOOM! Nacían THE NEW STRYCHNINES.
¿Y quien podría osar tocar en vez de la más
salvaje y mejor banda de garage que jamás ha existido?
Bueno amigos, sin duda tenían que ser auténticos
pesos pesados para encarar semejante reto. ¡Y lo son! The
New Strychnines son tres cuartas partes de MUDHONEY (Mark Arm,
Steve Turner, y Dan Peters), con Tom Price de GAS HUFFER y Monkeywrench,
Kahuna de GIRL TROUBLE, y Scott McCaughey de YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS,
MINUS 5 y REM. Wow!
Pero la cosa no quedo ahí. Se divirtieron tanto tocando
juntos que siguieron ensayando y tocando esporádicamente,
a veces bajo el nombre de The New Original Sonic Sound, hasta
que como si estuviesen en una misión evangelizadora decidieron
entrar en el estudio y grabar un disco completo de versiones de
los SONICS. El disco fue grabado en algunos de los estudios más
conocidos de Seattle y producido por el maestro KURT BLOCH (Nashville
Pussy, Supersuckers, Devil Dogs, Flop, Fastbacks...). Contiene
todos los clásicos demoledores de los SONICS, la mejor
banda de garage de la historia y probablemente la primera banda
PUNK que jamás existió, re-interpretados con fiereza
por "Mudhoney and friends".
En las notas interiores algunos de los músicos mas influyentes
del rock&roll cuentan por qué THE SONICS son una de
las mas grandes bandas de la Historia! Peter Buck (REM), Eddie
Vedder (PEARL JAM) Howlin Pelle (THE HIVES), Andy Shernoff (DICTATORS),
Roy Loney (FLAMIN GROOVIES), Nicklas Vahlberg (NOMADS), Deniz
Tek (RADIO BIRDMAN), Steve Turner (MUDHONEY), Greg Prevost (Chesterfield
Kings), Billy Childish, Mike Stax…
WHAT SOME THINK ABOUT THE SONICS, AS TAKEN FROM THE LINER
NOTES:
Peter Buck (R.E.M.): "If I had my way I'd play 'Strychnine'
at every show in every band I'm in!"
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam): "One night we were up at the house
and Steve Turner played me the Sonics. I was aware of them, but
I wasn't aware of HOW GOOD they were!".
Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman): I had seen and heard my fair share
of the great sixties underground bands of southeastern Michigan,
but when I finally heard the Sonics album for the first time in
1977 I was shocked. I couldn't believe the raw intensity of it.
Those guys were obviously hanging it way over the ragged edge,
with no regard for the consequences. We were totally inspired
by that.
Andy Shernoff (The Dictators): Three chords, a savage beat, and
a distorted howl = real rock and roll!!....God bless The Sonics
and all they stand for!!!!
Roy Loney (The Flamin´ Groovies): When I think of The Sonics
I think: DISTORTED, CRUDE, RAUNCHY, DEMONIC, PRIMITIVE, MAGIC,
CLEAN CUT, LOUD and CLASSIC!! The first time that I heard The
Sonics I was driving in my '57 Chevy and when "The Witch"
came on the radio I almost ran off the road. I went out of control.
The only other time that ever happened was the first time I heard
"You Really Got Me" by The Kinks. We're talking Major.
Ya know?
Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys): The Sonics were the missing link
between the Ventures and the Stooges. One of the few bands who
lived up to their legend – and more – when I finally
got to hear them. They would be a bigger influence on Dead Kennedys
if we had succeeded in capturing the power of their songs and
the fire coming out of Roslie’s mouth. But noone anywhere
ever has.
Niklas Vahlberg (The Nomads): The Sonics were by far the best
band of the 60's as far as I'm concerned... the missing link between
Little Richard and the MC5!
Billy Childish: In 1983 I was playing in The Milkshakes and we
were confident that we were the best group in the world. Then
one night at a show in Nottingham we heard a record by The Sonics,
me and Mick turned to each other "Oh, dear, there could be
a bit of competion!" Happily we found out that they were
not contemporary. The Milkshakes were still the best group in
the world."
Greg Prevost (The Chesterfield Kings): …these guys are
one of the FUCKING GREATEST BANDS EVER!!!!!!!! Gerry Roslie IS
THE WHITE LITTLE RICHARD !!!
Mike Stax (Ugly Things Magazine): Nothing matches the intense,
visceral rush of the Sonics at their best. In the Pacific Northwest,
a place where bands in the ‘60s were renowned for raw, honest,
hard-kickin’ rock’n’roll, the Sonics kicked
just that much harder and faster. The throat-searing howl of Gerry
Roslie, the string manglin’, amp-smokin’ terror of
Andy Parypa, the explosive, locomotive drum sound of Bob Bennett
– unforgettable, immortal and still unequalled.
The Hives: Totally relentless and stripped down to the bare essentials,
the Sonics made some of the best rock music there ever will be.
If you like 60s rock but sometimes think it needs more beat, it
was in Seattle all the time. Just magic.
