Editor’s note: Central Oregon gets more than its fair share of great touring acts, as well as local musicians, hitting its stages. To help us recall some of the best nights in live music, we consulted someone who attends more than his fair share of shows: local DJ Mike Thomas, who I join each Thursday […]
Social Distortion
Still a Thrill
“It still gives me a thrill, man, ya know,” Mike Ness, lead singer of Social Distortion says of touring. “I obviously still love it, I wouldn’t have been doing it this long if I didn’t. It’s hard sometimes, it’s challenging. It seems like this schedule we’re on now would be hard for a 25-year-old. It’s […]
Orange County’s Little Monster
Mike Ness is an icon. Regardless of the era of Social Distortion you’re into, whether it is the raw early three-cord punk of their late ’70s-early ’80s output, or their more modern country-tinged, bluesy bar rock, the legend of Mike Ness cannot be denied. Ness was raised in Orange County and kicked out at 15, […]

