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Artist
Sonic Youth
12+ albums
experimentalpost-punkalternativeindienoise rock
about
Sonic Youth was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. The founding members were Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals), and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals). Steve Shelley joined in 1985 as drummer after a series of earlier drummers. Jim O’Rourke (bass, guitar, keyboards) was a member from 1999 to 2005, and Mark Ibold (bass, guitar) joined in 2006 and remained until the band’s dissolution in 2011. The band emerged from the New York no wave and experimental music scene before developing into a prominent act in noise rock and later alternative and indie rock. They were known for extensive use of alternative guitar tunings and prepared guitars, in which objects such as drumsticks and screwdrivers were placed on or between strings to alter timbre. Sonic Youth were influential in shaping alternative rock and indie rock and gained initial recognition through underground releases and association with SST Records in the late 1980s. After signing with DGC in 1990, they reached a wider mainstream audience and headlined the 1995 Lollapalooza festival. The band’s early development involved multiple name changes, including Room Tone, the Coachmen, Male Bonding, Red Milk, and the Arcadians, before the name Sonic Youth was adopted in 1981. The name was derived from MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith and reggae artist Big Youth. Early performances included appearances at the Noise Fest in New York, where Lee Ranaldo was seen performing with Glenn
