Legendary punk band performs at John Ascuaga's Nugget

Amelia Calvert, reno.com
August 24, 2007

Mike Ness, original member, guitarist and vocalist of Orange County, Calif., punk rock band Social Distortion created a unique sound that resonated with fans of the hemorrhaging London punk scene when he formed what would become one of the most-revered punk bands in America.

Putting a gritty, street-wise spin on the classic rock’n’roll and country sound of traditional radio music, he beefed it up, strung it out and ripped it raw with crunchy guitars, rockabilly style and raspy vocals. His devilish charm, bad-boy good looks, tattoos, slicked-back hair and black-lined eyes didn’t hurt, either.

Social D’s sound was dangerous. Ness was the original Sick Boy who sang about cars, drugs, hard luck, broken hearts, Love, Sex and Rock and Roll. It was as if he’d sprung from rock’n’roll’s unholy bastard family tree, with the likes of Hank Sr. and Elvis hanging from branches above. Ness earned his bad-boy stripes through the rebel’s rites of passage in life and in music, taking notes along the way from heroes like Johnny Cash. Dark, mysterious, troubled and conflicted, Ness had all the makings of a rock legend from the start.


Wasn't Born to Follow
After appearing in Another State of Mind in 1982, a documentary of a cross-country tour with bands Youth Brigade and Minor Threat, Social D released Mommy’s Little Monster in 1983, which propelled the band into the hearts and minds of punk fans from coast to coast with a new sound, edgy, angry and dangerous, and they never looked back.

The hard-luck, tough life was not without its perils, and just like other legends before him, Ness fell victim to some of his own demons and the seduction of the rock star persona and Social D disbanded (or went on hiatus from 1983 to 1985) while Ness straightened himself out.

Let it be me
Subsequent albums beginning with 1988's Prison Bound, just got better and better, supplying a new "Cowpunk" sound with the influence of what Ness would call 'Roots' music - traditional country, blues and rock. A steady stream of new punk-rock anthems were created with each release.

With 1990's self-titled album and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell 1992, the band gained more mainstream recognition, and 1996's White Light White Heat White Trash provided radio play and the band joined the Warped Tour in 1997.

Another hiatus for Social D followed. Time away didn’t mar Ness' talent. When he returned to performing music, he launched a respectable, introspective solo career that took him in another musical direction, with the album Cheating at Solitaire in 1999.

Bad, Bad Luck
But the songs and style of Social D had to be resurrected. The influence Social Distortion had on music was indisputable, despite the bands’ many incarnations, made up from the inbreeding world of punk bands whose members constantly change line-ups. But, Ness and his band were dealt another serious blow in 2000 with the death of original guitarist Dennis Danell.


No Pain, No Gain
Once again, Ness put his band back together, but bassist Joe Maurer left the band after some 20 years with the group. Determined to keep their music and legacy alive, Ness again added new members and continued the music-making.

The band’s most recent line-up includes Mike Ness, vocals and guitar, Jonny Wickersham, guitar, Charlie Quintana, drums, and Brent Harding, bass.

Join them 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7 in the Rose Ballroom at John Ascuaga’s Nugget as they tour on the career-spanning Greatest Hits album for a night of music you will quickly remember and probably will never forget.

Tickets are on sale now and are $30.

For more details on the band, visit their official website www.socialdistortion.com

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