Filmmaker Jordan Albertson presented his new documentary ‘Boom: A Film About the Sonics’ at Seattle’s MOPOP in early September with a screening, a Q&A session, and a concert featuring the Sonics and Girl Trouble.

The Sonics are a crucial link in the Pacific Northwest R&R chain and their impact and influence reverberates to this day. It’s hard to imagine Pearl Jam, Tad, Mudhoney, and all the rest had the Sonics and a handful of other Northwest affiliated garage bands not blazed the trail in the early 60’s and the ripples don’t stop at the Washington state border. The Sonics have been cited by bands such as the White Stripes, the Cramps, LCD Soundsystem, the Stooges, and the MC5 as forefathers to what we think of as contemporary rock & roll. It’s not the least bit hyperbolic to argue that the dangerous attitude and vibe that gives punk and garage music its swagger can be traced directly back to the Sonics.

The original Sonics lineup has been augmented by fresh faces such as Evan Foster of Boss Martians and Jake Cavaliere of the Lords of Altamont but the sound of the current edition of the group is as focused and sharp as ever. At MOPOP, classic Sonic cuts such as the Witch, Have Love Will Travel, and Strychnine were as bracing and as edgy as the day they were first carved into wax.

Tacoma’s favorite sons (and daughter) Girl Trouble opened the show with a lively, fun, and well-received set that paired perfectly with what was to follow.