The Sonics

Tacoma

Larry Parypa formed the Sonics in Tacoma in 1960 as a teenager, according to Wikipedia; a documentary review says 1963. His brother Andy joined on bass in 1961, and they started with instrumental R&B. Rich Koch of the Wailers and the singer Marilyn Lodge were early members, and Gerry Roslie joined in 1964 at Larry's invitation and soon became lead singer, with a Little Richard-like scream. The classic line-up was Roslie on organ, piano and vocals, Larry Parypa on lead guitar, Andy Parypa on bass, Rob Lind on saxophone and Bob Bennett on drums. They were scouted by Buck Ormsby and signed to the Wailers' label Etiquette. Their first single, "The Witch" (November 1964), became one of the biggest-selling singles in Pacific Northwest history with help from Seattle DJs at KJR. They supported the Mamas and the Papas and the Beach Boys and toured with the Kinks.

Here Are the Sonics came out in March or April 1965 and Boom in February 1966. They moved to Jerden and made Introducing the Sonics at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood with Larry Levine, but disliked the polished result; Roslie said the engineer wanted to change their sound, and we didn't like that at all. The original band split between 1966 and 1968. Nuggets (1972) and its 1998 Rhino edition kept "Strychnine" in circulation, and a Land Rover ad used "Have Love, Will Travel" in 2004. They reunited at Cavestomp in Brooklyn in November 2007, did a BBC Radio 2 session on March 22, 2008 and released 8 in 2010 and This Is the Sonics (March 31, 2015, Revox, produced by Jim Diamond; Pitchfork 7.5). Roslie and Larry Parypa stopped touring in 2016. Bob Bennett died in February 2025. Kurt Cobain praised their drum sound, and the documentary Boom: A Film About the Sonics, directed by Jordan Albertsen, was released in the US in 2024.