Social Distortion
Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (Epitaph)Mommy’s favorite little SoCal monsters may have slowed their personal tempos a fraction, but this seventh studio album proves you can take the man out of the punk but you can’t take punk outta Mike Ness. The leather-hided and Jack-‘n’-Coke-voiced Ness has only improved with age, like a ’59 Chevy ragtop with growler pipes. Instrumental “Road Zombie” opens flat-out badass, zero-to-light speed in 2:21, but it’s Jonny Wickersham’s buzz saw guitar duals with Ness on criminally evil “Machine Gun Blues” and the Stonesy “California (Hustle and Flow),” which recall the Social D of yore. “Diamond in the Rough” drops things back down into second gear with no less snarl and sneer before two-lane blisterer “Can’t Take It With You” punches the turbo and blows your fancy speakers. Ain’t nothing fancy about these nursery rhymes, just blaze-of-glory guitars and busted-dream lyricism from the jailbait-tight godfathers of melodic punk squawk. (7:30pm, Honda stage)
This article appears in September 16 • 2011.