Tribute shows live and die on specificity. Under The Influences, the East Coast’s Social Distortion tribute band, has been playing since 2016 through period-correct gear: a modified 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe into a vintage Fender Bassman amp. They also carry Mike Ness’s personal permission to perform the tribute in the northeast. That’s the standard they’ve set, and now they’re headlining the Legends of Punk bill at Sherman Showcase with two more tribute acts covering the Ramones and the Sex Pistols.
About the Show
The February 20 bill brings together three tribute bands, each dedicated to one of punk rock’s foundational acts. Under The Influences, formerly known as Social Destruction, covers Social Distortion and Mike Ness’s solo catalog, built around what the event billing calls the Ness philosophy: “if you don’t have your tone, you might as well go home.” Social Distortion emerged from Fullerton, California in the late ‘70s, building a catalog including Mommy’s Little Monster, Prison Bound, and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, fusing punk grit with rock ‘n’ roll and writing, as Epitaph Records puts it, “anthems that speak to outcasts and true believers alike.”
BOLLOCKS takes on the Sex Pistols specifically at their 1977 peak: the look, the sound, and the feel of Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones, and Paul Cook. The band’s only proper studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, hit No. 1 on the UK charts in 1977. As Steve Jones reflected: “we were a great band because we played great.” BOLLOCKS has played Sherman Showcase before.
Take It Dee Dee handles the Ramones, the Forest Hills, Queens outfit that debuted at CBGB in August 1974 and spent the following decades playing songs that rarely stretched past two minutes. The Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Take It Dee Dee is an actively gigging band.
Venue & Logistics
Sherman Showcase is part of the Sherman Theater complex at 524 Main Street in Stroudsburg, PA, in the Pocono Mountains. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. All ages; 21 and older to drink. See our Hudson Valley concerts calendar for more regional shows.
Tickets
Advanced tickets are $15; day-of-show tickets are $18, both plus applicable fees. Sherman Theater members avoid added fees. Buy tickets