Live At The Roxy

One of the longest-running California punk bands, Social Distortion began spewing musical venom in the early '80s. Over the years, their musical vision has been somewhat refined, but they've never compromised their integrity or lost a bit of their punch, a fact borne out by this 1998 live recording. Singer/songwriter Mike Ness is the archetypal tough guy with a heart of gold, chronicling the tribulations of the underclass in post-Reagan America over a jackhammer beat.
As usual, the band leavens their punky assault with occasional touches of country and roots music, as on the spiritual-sounding "Ball & Chain" and a frenzied cover of "Ring Of Fire". Though they speak from the perspective of grizzled punk survivors, the band still targets youngsters with their bad boy attitude, as evidenced by Ness' incendiary, iconoclastic stage patter. LIVE AT THE ROXY is the band at their best, blazing through new tunes and old with equal fury.|