Social Distortion Gets Rough And Rowdy

Social Distortion w/ Jade Jackson and Chris Shiflett
Showbox, Seattle, WA
03.22.17

In the surprising space between bluesy Americana and hardcore punk sit SoCal icons Social Distortion. Almost 40 years into their career, and without an album released in the last six years, Mike Ness and Co. managed to sell out back-to-back nights at Seattle’s treasured Showbox. A massive merch stand lined the entryway, hawking everything from logo-printed socks to faux “Social D” license plates. But before the rough-and-tumble crowd could get to the main act, they were treated to some special guests.

In town for his own show at Sunset Tavern, alt-country singer-songwriter Chris Shiflett saw that Social D was playing and called up Ness to jump on their lineup. So here they were, delivering a solid 30-minute set to an attentive crowd, despite defying genre expectations. With a record, West Coast Town, set to release in April, Shiflett showed there’s plenty of creative, catchy substance to his style.

He was followed by tour support Jade Jackson. She and her three-man band may have been a musical contrast for Social D fans, but for being this rootsy singer-songwriter’s first tour, she did well. Having grown up in a small town in Central California, Jackson had plenty of time on her hands to hone her creativity and voice. Her animated guitar work and ambitious vocals – hitting some yodeling notes along the way – got a lot of respect from the hardcore crowd. Jackson’s debut country-rock album, Gilded – produced by none other than Ness himself – is coming out on Anti records in May.

By the time Social D went on, the room was almost unbearably packed, and tensions were up for a group long known their raw, emotive punk. The stage was set like an antique junk store, statues of crossing guards and dogs and street signs littering the stage. As “I Put A Spell On You” played, the band came out to major applause, Ness taking the stage last, in a long dark coat and driving cap.

As ness removed his coat, down to his shirtsleeves and suspenders, and picked up his guitar, the band broke into “So Far Away” off their eponymous third studio album. Already, the crowd began a mosh pit, and more than one small child sat atop shoulders to get in on the view. Despite some early-on mic issues, Ness played it loud and hard, bringing his guitar to the edge of the stage, everyone’s fists in the air.

After “Drag Down” Ness had the house lights turned up, saying “I can tell already this crowd’s better than those deadbeats last night,” which unsurprisingly got plenty of cheers. SD worked their way through a solid set that also included a few new tracks, hopefully signally a new release on the horizon, and the crowd sang along with longtime favorites, despite several people getting kicked out mid-set for rowdy behavior. A drag-down show for a drag-down band, with a dose of political and personal rant? Check.

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini

Social Distortion