If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were really about rock & roll, The Sonics would have been one of the very first bands inducted. The '60s garage rockers from Tacoma managed to inspire not one but two separate musical genres — punk rock and grunge — and such disparate folks as The Cramps, Bruce Springsteen, The Pandoras, The White Stripes, The Fall, L7, Nirvana and The Flaming Lips have either covered their songs or cited them as primary inspirations. Practically every original tune (“The Witch,” “Strychnine,” “Shot Down,” “Psycho”) on their landmark first two albums now is considered a classic, although it took the mainstream rock establishment nearly two decades to appreciate them. On the group's new split 7-inch single with their acolytes Mudhoney, Gerry Roslie howls “Bad Betty” with a Little Richards swagger, prodded along by Rob Lind's leering sax and Larry Parypa's savage guitar.

Fri., Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m., 2014
(Expired: 08/15/14)

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.