by James K. Willcox, courtesy of StarPolish

Few bands of the past two decades have been as influential on succeeding generations of artists as Sonic Youth, sometimes referred to as the greatest band never to strike it big. Bursting on the scene in 1981, heavily influenced by the experimental music of Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth quickly became known for their wild, energetic live shows and a strong emphasis on sound textures. By the mid-1980s the band — which was now comprised of the current line-up of guitarist Thurston Moore, bassist Kim Gordon, guitarist Lee Ranaldo, and drummer Steve Shelley — had signed to Black Flag's punk label SST. By the late 80s the band had released two albums — Sister and Bad Moon Rising — that are in retrospect considered the avatar of the band's independent period, which ended when the group surprisingly signed with Geffen Records (which promised them artistic freedom). During this period Sonic Youth also recorder Ciccone Youth's The Whitey Album with Black Flag's Gregg Ginn and Minuteman Mike Watt.

Recently, StarPolish editorial director James K. Willcox visited the band at their downtown New York City studio, where guitarist Lee Ranaldo and drummer Steve Shelley discussed recording for a major label, the band's new album, Sonic Nurse, and their reputation as a 22-year-old underground band.

The Current Climate

STARPOLISH: I think a good place to start, since you guys have been around for a while, is to discuss the environment into which you're releasing the new album, compared to even a decade ago. It seems like there's been a sea change in terms of how the industry operates. Although it sometimes seems that Sonic Youth is able to operate totally independent of the industry itself, you're still musicians who are earning a living from music, so you're in the business to some degree. Could you talk about how you approach releasing a new album now compared to 10 years ago?