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Social Distortion likes to take its time.
Formed in 1978, the band has released only six albums. Fans of the punk band are clamoring for more, because the group hasn’t put out an album since 2004’s “Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll.”
Guitarist Jonny “2 Bags” Wickersham said the band is working on it. The group has new songs written and will perform some of them at Monday’s show at Sokol Auditorium.
While practicing fakies on a skateboard halfpipe, Wickersham answered our questions about the band, the new album and the tour. (For the record, he wiped out only once.)
Q. Are you ready to head out on tour?
A. We’re rehearsed. We’re a well-oiled machine. Atom (Willard), our new drummer, is killing it.
Q. Any chance we’ll hear some new songs?
A. We have four or five new songs that we’ve kept in the rotation. We just worked up two brand-new ones in rehearsal this week. We’ll probably be playing those as well.
Q. So does that mean we’ll get a new Social D album soon?
A. We’re going to try to go into the studio at the end of the year. We’ll be having something out by early next year.
Q. I heard chatter about you guys doing an acoustic album. Is that ever going to happen?
A. It’s gonna happen someday. We just want to get a regular, good, solid Social D record out first.
Q. What’s it like having been in Social Distortion for 10 years? (Frontman Mike Ness has been the only constant member in the band’s frequently changing lineup.)
A. A lot of it has been that jelling of the chemistry between us as players. It’s taken a while for me to feel like I’m a part of Social D. I felt like I was an impostor in the beginning.
Q. Have the crowds at your shows aged or changed?
A. When I first started playing, the band had 20 years behind them. The crowd was, at the time, a mixture of people that were our age all the way down to kids that were in their early teens.
Then, 15 to 30 was kind of the age span of the audience. Now, it’s 15 to, like, 45.
Q. Social Distortion is considered a pretty important punk band. What’s it like to be a part of that?
A. It’s been a lot of fun. I wouldn’t trade it for nothing.
I don’t have a college education, don’t have any skills. I’ve done every construction trade under the sun.
My interest is in making music and playing guitar and writing songs.
Contact the writer:
444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com
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