The theoretical list of Pacific Northwest rock 'n' roll legends surely has the Sonics hovering near the top. These are the guys that invented punk before punk was even a thing—before "rock" was even a thing, really. The Tacoma band played loud, dirty, messy rock 'n' roll, singing about Satan ("He's Waitin'") while the rest of the country was listening to "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." Their range of influence is staggering, and their list of classic sides includes "Have Love Will Travel," "Psycho," "Strychnine," and countless others. Their raw, rough version of "Louie, Louie" makes the Kingsmen sound like Steely Dan.

The Sonics reunited in 2007 and have played off and on, but—and this is really unbelievable—they have apparently never played Portland before. That all changes when they come to the Hawthorne Theatre on Friday, February 15. We're giving away a pair of tickets to a lucky reader on End Hits, so head on over!