Social Distortion is a Los Angeles rock band with punk and early, 1950s-style rock influences. It will be performing at The Paragon, Wednesday, Sept. 4, in support of its new album, White Light, White Heat, White Trash..

Working for over a decade, Social Distortion has produced a variety of records emphasizing everything from melodic punk (1983's Mommy's Little Monster) to roots, rock and rockabilly (1988's Prison Bound), and they now purport to be basing their efforts on early L.A. punk rock as typified by X and the Dickies - however, this may sadly reveal them as dated and likely to be dredging the bottom of the rock barrel.

Social Distortion uses chunky guitar and tormented lyrics to capture the stories of their lives - lost love, addiction, death, etc. Mike Ness, the band's songwriter, claims he has to "live life for a while" between making records - "otherwise, what am I gonna write about, the fuckin' tour?" - thus explaining the four-year pause between records. With new drummer Chuck Biscuits (ex-D.O.A., Black Flag, Circle Jerks), the 1980s Los Angeles sound will truly be visiting Tucson with these white hot rockers. An important footnote: clear insight into Mike Ness can be acquired from the following quote: "Alternative music has become so marketable that a lot of it's become just imagery. Everbody's cool now. The guys in some of these bands - ten years ago, they would've been in Poison. Some of them were in Poison! I can tell, man: You ain't down, you ain't been around."

D Generation is a New York rock band with a proto-punk style, stemming from The New York Dolls and The Stooges, which should provide for a lively evening; and its visit to Tucson is much anticipated by many locals. No Lunch, the band's new album, provides raucous and energetic sounds which should translate well on the stage. Known for being dramatic and glamorous, D Generation has a heritage of classic punk rock that stands it in good staid in the burgeoning world of popular dirt rock. Likely to be one of the best bands to visit Tucson in the near future, these punks are not to be missed.

No Knife, a San Diego based rock band with classic guitar rock influences, will open the show. The bands start at 9:00, and the 18-and-over age format might make this $12.00 show quite packed.

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