THE SONIC THRILLS
GET UP!
TRUXTON/ATOMIC A GO-GO
(click the album image to order from CDBABY)

Can you sense my excitement? This album was so hard to find that even the president of the record company never had any copies on hand and would often run when I tried to corner him at the local bars. Recently, and for the benefit of garage rock fanatics everywhere, Truxton Records' leader Dave Ramsey made a deal with Nicole and Michael at Atomic A Go-Go to help make this 2007 CD more widely available in 2008.

I have the proud distinction of writing the bio for The Sonic Thrills' press kit many years ago. One thing I had pointed out in the tribute was that, among the band's experience and maturity, there existed a peculiar sense of timing. I just recently name dropped the th' Thrills in my Adam Becvarre interview last week stating that they truly were the first people around town to praise The Hives before the hipster post-teens and high school pop-punk graduates started hearing them on the local radio. I also pointed out in my tribute that, although they were conscious of 21st century stars like The White Stripes, Tiger Army, and AFI, the boys knew that The Gun Club, The Cramps, and The Misfits were the kings of their respected sub-genres 15-20 years before. In an era in which young "wear 'em on their sleeves" bands fool the media with their false inspirations and bootlegged concert shirts, a band like The Sonic Thrills are an entity to be trusted. And you don't need to listen to me or a fancy publicist. All you need to do is hear the thirteen songs on their one and only full length album, Get Up!

So here is some background detailed with the incestuous history most punk scenes are known for. The Sonic Thrills were formed ten years ago in Tempe, AZ by two men who crossed paths in that city's historic bar rock scene; vocalist James Monarch (ex-The Voice, husband of Peeps/Les Hell on Hells leader Paula Monarch) and guitarist Michael Johnny Walker (ex-B. Strange, ex-Piersons, and co-founder of the Love Me Nots). There had been a revolving door of rhythm players both as a quartet and a quintet, with David Kains (drums, then later guitar) and Chris Waldron (bass) holding the most years of service. After Kains' switch, Jay Lien (White Demons, Love Me Nots) filled the drumming position and has held it since 2002. Within this time frame, The Sonic Thrills were always mentioned, and many times spotlighted, in all of the local press coverage that the growing trash-rock scene in Phoenix received. Playing at such infamous dives like The Blue Ox, Emerald Lounge, and Hollywood Alley, The Sonic Thrills shared bills with other AZ greats like Jeff Dahl, Glass Heroes, The Beat Angels, Slash City Daggers, The Hypnotwists, Thee Oh No's, Haggis, Sugar High, The Impossible Ones, The Peeps and Les Hell on Heels. The Phoenix trash-rock scene after the turn of the century was hot and th' Thrills were always among the elite.

The last time The Sonic Thrills made an appearance on a CD was 2001 when "21st Century" appeared on the punknroll compilation, R.A.F.R. Volume 3 . That track was recorded during the same initial 1999 session that had also produced songs for their debut and out of print 7" single "Free Fast and Cool" b/w "Beautiful Noise". One unreleased song from that session, "I Don't Want to Die", was thankfully re-recorded for Get Up! along with a handful of other live favorites - some that go far back to the group's earliest set lists. So what we have here is thirteen songs that include old faves, new faves, and a couple of never before heard compositions...all made possible without reissuing anything that was "officially" released before. The total playlist formula of Get Up! makes it easy for both long time fans and new inquiring ears to indulge in relatively fresh material.  

The album starts out with "Soul", a heel-twisting dance-rock number that would fit comfortably on a garage-rock-party mix-tape between The Hives' "Tick Tick Boom" and The Band of Bees' "Chicken Payback". The energy is immediately established with the first two tracks and does not stop. My own personal highly anticipated Thrills song comes third - "Make a Girl" - with Monarch's lustfully suave question repeated and assisted by Walker - "What do I gotta do...(I gotta do)...to make a girl like you?". Scattered deeper in the album are "Chingalinga" and "Damnation"  - two songs that are new for even a seasoned follower like myself. It works well to hear them debuted in this fashion. "Damnation", in fact, has the same emotional build up and desperation level as their take on other cover from The Godfathers "Unsatisfied" and almost makes up for the fact the previous popular remake was never recorded by The Sonic Thrills and kept only as a live treat.

Without dismissing the contributions of Kains, Waldron, and Lien (who all were in attendance during the recording of Get Up!), longtime followers of The Sonic Thrills have always testified about the stage presence of the band's two founders. With James Monarch as one of the best frontmen Phoenix has ever seen and M.J.W. as the ideal guitar hero for the liquored heart/broken soul generation, Get Up! successfully translates the chemistry and gusto of both men. The album cover is fitting and required very little outside art to appropiatley compliment the quintet. All five men are dressed as classy as how they came to each performance, with only Monarch's mandatory Jim Beam neat and Lien's Jameson on the rocks missing from the pose. While Monarch/Walker could hold some fair comparisons to Tyler/Perry, The Sonic Thrills really did come off as Arizona's trash-rock answer to The Rat Pack.

As for the future of The Sonic Thrills now that their hard work is documented and unleashed globally, I am told different tales from different tongues, but I am not interested in writing an obituary at this time. I just hope Get Up! gets th' Thrills the recognition that they deserved 7-8 years ago and inspire all five men to come together again and entertain the masses.


Visit ANTI-SNOB soon to hear new songs from the Sonic Thrills on the ANTI-SNOB Radio playlist.

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