Sonic Youth consists of Jim O'rourke (guitar, bass), Kim Gordon (bass, guitar, vocals), Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals), Steve Shelley (drums), Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals).
Sonic Youth is a rock group formed in New York City in 1981. Current personnel are: Thurston Moore - guitars and vocals Lee Ranaldo - guitars, vocals and organ Kim Gordon - bass guitar, guitar, and vocals Steve Shelley - drums
In their early career, Sonic Youth were associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City, but have outlasted most associated bands. Their music has since been described as " punk" (as in their documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke), and they are part of the first wave of post-punk bands. They have found moderate mainstream success, and are generally seen as one of the leading alternative rock groups of their time.
Initially inspired by the noise experimentation of Glenn Branca (with whom most of the band have performed); as well as the heavy garage rock of The Stooges and the noise experimentation of The Velvet Underground, they were known for using a variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and for applying screwdrivers or other preparations to guitars to alter the instruments' timbre.
Members of the band have released books of poetry and prose (a beatnik influence is evident in both their writing and lyrics), produced films, staged shows of visual art and more. There is also an abundance of musical material recorded and/or performed with other artists and side-projects. Sonic Youth can in many ways be said to be an artistic collective just as much as a traditional rock/pop band.
Moore and Ranaldo had earlier performed (together and separately) in various short-lived punk rock groups. Ranaldo was a member of Glenn Branca's ensemble; Moore and then Gordon would also perform with Branca. Gordon had a fine-arts background, and in the early 1980s there was considerable crossover between the art and music worlds in New York City. After a one-off performance with members of Glenn Branca's and Rhys Chatham's ensembles, Gordon began performing with various musical groups. She and Moore were dating before Sonic Youth officially formed; they would later marry and have a daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore.
