Members of Heart, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden are featured in a documentary about influential Tacoma, Washington, garage-rock band The Sonics. Boom: A Film About The Sonics, which first premiered in 2018, is finally set to get a wide theatrical release in September of 2024.
The Sonics first formed in 1960, although the band’s classic lineup didn’t come together until 1964. The group, which featured screamed vocals, aggressive guitars, and wailing saxophone, was best known for its first two albums, Here Are The Sonics (1965) and Boom (1966). The Sonics went on the influence a variety of well-known hard-rock, punk, and grunge bands over the years.
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The documentary features interviews with the five core Sonics members, as well as with Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil, Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, and more. The movie looks at the group’s history and influence on other artists. It also focuses on the recent rediscovery of the band after it re-formed to tour in the current millennium.
About the Boom Trailer
A new trailer for Boom recently debuted. The promo begins with a clip of features Thayil saying, “[The Sonics’] influence on me and Soundgarden is profound.”
Wilson then comments about how loud The Sonics were, noting that their music would be “pinning the meter.” McCready adds, “They sound f—ing dangerous.” Arm then chimed in, pointing out that The Sonics’ music was “rooted in ’50s rock ‘n’ roll, but as played by a freight train.”
The trailer then shows one of the Sonics members, who boasts, “Ramones are supposed to be the first punk band. No, no, we got you beat. And the Sex Pistols. Nah, we got you beat.”
The promo also features snippets of a couple of The Sonics’ best-known songs, “The Witch” and their version the 1959 Richard Berry tune “Have Love, Will Travel.”
In addition, the trailer features a variety of archival photos, as well as footage of the re-formed incarnation of The Sonics on tour in recent years. One scene features the band’s longtime sax player, Rob Lind, commenting, “We thought going on tour meant going to Spokane. We’d never been to Europe.” Lind is the only member of The Sonics’ classic lineup still touring with the group.
About the Boom Screenings
Boom will open in select theaters starting on Friday, September 13. On September 7, a private premiere screening of the documentary will be held at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle. It will be followed by a concert featuring the current Sonics lineup and Girl Trouble that’s open to the public. Tickets for the concert and subsequent film screenings are available at SonicsFilm.com.
According to a conversation posted on the film’s official Facebook page, Boom will have a three-month run in theaters, and then will be released on DVD and via digital video.
