Some band names perfectly match their sound. Consider The Beach Boys, Slayer and, now, Oklahoma City’s own Sonic Violence.
“I like the idea of musical violence, like an amp punching you in the face,” lead singer and founding member Leon Manson said. “That’s the direction we wanted to go in.”
Previously a member of Moon, Manson began collaborating with drummer Donald James about a year ago, eventually adding bassist Ed Schotter and guitarist Brandon Wilson, both ACM@UCO classmates, into the fold.
Although originally intending on a dreamier, shoegazer sound like My Bloody Valentine, the band’s name soon took hold.
“As we started playing, we saw all these other influences like Radiohead and Dinosaur Jr. start to arrive,” Manson said. “It kind of turned into this noise-rock deal. We’re just going with whatever feels right.”
Like those cited acts, Sonic Violence tends to get loud.
Really loud.
“I recommend bringing earplugs,” Manson said. “People have definitely been shocked by how loud it is.”
Recent turns at ACM@UCO Rocks Bricktown and Norman Music Festival have been the public’s first real listen, and the band is already armed with a heavy arsenal of songs, despite just recently hitting its first birthday and releasing only an EP thus far.
“Everything just clicked really fast,” Manson said. “We just got along so well as far as songwriting goes, and it’s been this creative explosion. It comes natural to us.”
Resoundingly, people have embraced the Violence and the ringing in their ears.
“A lot of people like it. What we’re doing and trying to do is different from a lot of what’s going on,” Manson said. “Oklahoma’s music scene is really eclectic and diverse, and we are weird people and wanted to do something weird.”
Sonic Violence will release another EP this fall, but no solid plans exist for a full album. When that debut comes, rest assured it’ll be all killer, no filler.
“We’re picky and somewhat maniacal about our work,” Manson said. “If something isn’t perfect, we probably won’t ever release it.”
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2012.