Bringing March to a close, this week we bring you not only a band that has been playing for nearly 35 years, spanning several different varieties of the punk genre, but an artist that has occupied a good portion of this blogger’s formative years. A Southern California native that puts heart and soul into every song, our artist has been a big player the world over. Ladies and gentlemen, your Legendary Artist of the Week is the great Social Distortion.
The late 70’s saw the rise of punk and with its rise came Social Distortion. Formed in 1978 by frontman, guitarist, and vocalist Mike Ness, Casey Royer, and Frank and Rikk Agnew the band took on the sound of the L.A. punk scene, producing a sound similar to that of L.A. punk greats, X. The first few years of Social Distortion saw a line-up that seemed to change on a regular basis, but by the time their debut album, Mommy’s Little Monster, hit shelves they seemed to have at least settled on two permanent members: Ness, and Dennis Danell. The two would be the core that embodied the band for years to come.
One of the most inviting and accessible parts of Social Distortion is the truth in much of their music and its maturation over the years. While Ness has written some pieces that are truly fictional pieces, like many of the songs on Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, he often writes of his own personal experiences, be they struggles or happier moments. Mommy’s Little Monster detailed the plight of youth wanting independence and the feeling of being misunderstood by society as a whole and as would only be proper, the sound of the album matches the mood: Fast, angry, in-your-face. But as the band grew, so did their style of music. Slowly Social Distortion gained more of a rockabilly sound, then blues, then country. As with the change of aural direction, each album also highlighted new highs and lows from the chapters of Ness’s life from the darkness portrayed in White Light, White Heat, White Trash to the more uplifting Sex, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
As Social Distortion matured and began to find its place in the world with their evolving style of punk, they also began to gain more and more notoriety. Generating more air-play, booking more shows, collecting more fans, Social Distortion was doing something right. Despite the hardships Ness faced in his personal life and band hiatuses, they persevered. Then in 2000 tragedy struck as guitarist Dennis Danell passed away due to an aneurysm at the age of 38. Though Ness had lost a long-time friend, he went back to doing what he has said helped him through difficult times: writing music. Since Danell’s death Social Distortion has released two subsequent albums: Sex, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll in 2004 and last year’s Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes and have another album set to release sometime next year. While Ness still remains the driving force behind the band, his backing band has yet again changed, with Johnny Wickersham taking over Danell’s position on guitar since his passing. The band continuously manages to deliver the high-energy, fast-paced shows for which the fans have the fondest admiration.
As mentioned earlier, Social Distortion played a large role in the shaping of a good part of my life. Social Distortion represented in me my first growth of independence. They were my first punk band to listen to, my first mosh pit, my first choice when talking about favorite bands. Social Distortion helped me through my awkward youth, set me apart from other kids, they aided me in finding my identity, in dealing with rejection, in finding understanding when it seemed as though the rest of the world had none, and in helping me to relieve the stresses of teen (and pre-teen) life by giving me an outlet. For that I thank them, and for that they are this month’s Legend. Get your fix below!
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