When local radio station KTNT started hauling a stack of broadcasting equipment around Tacoma, capturing its local bands in action for the station’s Friday night Teen Time shows, it was only a matter of time before they hit upon The Sonics.
These lo-lo-fi recordings from The Red Carpet and Tacoma Sports Arena, in September and November 1964 respectively, are historically great, if not that fun to listen to. Both performances (less than 30 minutes each) are nowhere near as powerful as The Sonics sounded in the studio, though whether that’s down to the recording, or the equipment not being strong enough to take them at full blast is unclear. In particular, the September 1964 show comes off as rather a quaint social dance, as opposed to anything riotous.
Come November the mania is stepped up a little and The Witch makes an appearance. Gerry Roslie’s vocals are barely audible, however, so the edge only serves to make sure it’s an under-70s event. It’s a nice, perhaps even pleasant surprise of a live document for sonic boomers, but hardly anything that hits you with force.
