Bio Full Biography »

Of all the garage bands that made a glorious racket in the 1960s, few if any were louder, wilder, or more raw than the Sonics, a Tacoma, WA quintet whose over-the-top style, complete with roaring guitars, pounding drums, and the fevered howls of lead singer Gerry Roslie, anticipated the mania of punk and pushed rock & roll deep into the red zone during their 1963-1966 heyday. The Sonics were stars in Washington, but it took a while for the rest of the world to catch on, and in time they would become one of the most fabled bands on the Pacific Northwest rock scene. The Sonics were founded in 1960 by guitarist Larry Parypa, who was introduced to the guitar by his uncle and encouraged by his parents, who both had a keen interest in music. The Sonics began as an instrumental combo that featured Larry's older brother Andy Parypa on guitar and, for a brief time, another Parypa sibling, Jerry, on sax, while their mom occasionally played bass at rehearsals. The Sonics initially specialized i...