Mike Ness & Co. has spent the better part of two decades pumping pure punk rock’n’roll through their sun-soaked Orange County veins. It is for this reason that fear struck the hearts of many when the D’s Dennis Dannel tragically passed away last year.
Punk rock without Social Distortion, especially in these dark mall-punk infested days, is something that many a spiked-and-studded misfit faces recurring nightmares about. To the rescue came 2004’s Sex, Love and Rock’n’Roll, Social D’s declaration of punk spirit for America’s angry youth. While the O.C. punks tread into deeper waters of spiritual catharsis, they sacrifice no angst for emotion, sounding more focused than they have in years. On Thursday, Feb. 10, the good-old, new-and-improved Social D will share the stage with Dropkick Murphys’ alumni the Street Dogs and Euro-punks the Backyard Babies at In the Venue.
Dan Fletcher