It makes perfect sense that Chuck Ragan, frontman for one of the most influential punk bands of the 90s and 2000s, is opening for Social Distortion, one of the most influential punk bands, well, ever.
Ragan, formerly of Hot Water Music, and Social D (along with tourmates Lucero) begin a three-night stint at Showbox SoDo tonight and while Mike Ness and his band of punks will surely bring the house down every night, Ragan will be setting the table with a set of punk-approved folk songs. You read that right, folk songs.
A few years ago after Hot Water Music disbanded Ragan decided to take a left turn with his musical career and become a folk-singing troubadour. It’s sort of like how Tom Morello transformed himself into a folk-singing songsmith with his material as the Nightwatchmen after Rage Against the Machine broke up except Ragan’s songs are better (sorry Tom Morello).
So don’t do a double take when you walk into the concrete cavern that is Showbox SoDo tonight (or tomorrow or Sunday night) and hear a familiar voice that might sound a bit out of place. It’s the same voice you know from Hot Water Music but the tunes are slowed down and most carry quite different, more mature meanings than Hot Water Music’s stuff from your youth.
