“BOOM: A Film About The Sonics” Is a Lesson in DIY Tenacity

Looking back on the 1960s and 70s, more than a few artists have been credited with laying the foundation for what would later become punk rock. But before the New York Dolls, Iggy and the Stooges, and MC5, there were The Sonics. The original band was relatively short-lived, but their then-unique blend of shouted vocals, distorted guitar riffs, and fast tempo changes proved to be both influential and timeless.

The Sonics - "BOOM" - Courtesty of Chris Koser

Jordan Albertsen’s documentary, “BOOM: A Film About The Sonics,” shows how the band’s raunchy sound went on to influence musicians for generations to come. It also provides a glimpse into the band’s early days, through interviews with all five original band members, photographs, show flyers, and newspaper clippings.

Photo  Courtesy of Jini Dellaccio

The Sonics played local venues around their hometown of Tacoma, Washington before recording their first single, “The Witch,” on a two-track recorder at a studio that was usually used to record advertisements. Buck Ormsby, bassist for an even earlier Pacific Northwest garage band called The Wailers, released this single, a few more, and two full-length albums through his record label, Etiquette Records. By 1968, after just a few short years, the original lineup of The Sonics had disbanded.

On Halloween night, 2008, The Sonics played a reunion show at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Albertsen attended the concert with his father, as the two shared a love for the band. “My father introduced me to The Sonics when I was 12 or 13 years old,” Albertsen says. “He had seen them when he was in college and he told me how amazing they were. Then when I heard the records, they fuckin blew my mind. It was the first thing my father and I really bonded over, so the band always meant a lot to me. They’re incredibly special.”

Courtesy of Chris Koser

The sold-out hometown reunion gig inspired Albertsen and decided to start work on a film about The Sonics that night. He found an email address for the band’s management and spent the rest of the night drafting a pitch for his documentary. Albertsen received a reply from Buck Ormsby, who shared excitement about the project. “I told him that I had just signed with a big agency in L.A.,” Albertsen recalls. “I was like 20 at the time, so I assumed I could go back to L.A. and tell my agent ‘Hey I’m making this movie, you can go get me a million bucks, right? That’s how this shit works?’ And it turns out that is not how this shit works.”

Jordan Albertsen - Courtesy of Emily Magers Photography

Not unlike The Sonics, who recorded their most classic songs to a two-track tape recorder, Albertsen would have to utilize his own resourcefulness over the next 15 years before finally completing his film. He had filmed his interview with Ormsby, but after years of trying to raise money for the project, Albertsen put it on hold and moved to Montana with his wife. Other projects he was working on had fallen apart and he became disheartened. “I was at the lowest point of my life,” he says. “Then Buck passed away and it was like ‘God, I need to make this for Buck,’ but I had no means of doing it.”

Buck Ormsby - Courtesy of Chris Koser

Ormsby had also been Albertsen’s connection to the rock stars that he needed to interview about The Sonics’ influence for the documentary. Albertsen was left with no financing and no connections. However, after about six months of working at a restaurant in Bozeman, Montana, Albertsen’s luck started to turn. It was a busy day at the restaurant when Albertsen answered a call from a woman who wanted to reserve a table for 12. Albertsen recognized that the family had just finished a long drive and needed a place to eat, so he gave the woman his name and told her that he would squeeze them in, a level of customer service that Albertsen admits wasn’t usual for him. When the family came into the restaurant, Albertsen recognized that Mike McCready, guitarist for Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam, was among them.

Pearl Jam's Mike McCready - Courtesy of Chris Koser

“I look at him and I go, ‘Holy shit, you’re Mike McCready!’” Albertsen says. “I was like, ‘I’ve been 

Trying to get in touch with you for ten years, I’m making a movie about the Sonics!’ and he was just like ‘Cool man, I’m in.’” McCready then asked who else Albertsen had been trying to get in touch with for interviews, pulled out his cell phone, and started sending them messages on the spot.

“The moment probably saved my life and definitely saved the movie,” Albertsen says. “So it was at that point that I said, ‘Fuck it, I don’t need money. I’m going to do this shit anyway. I’m going to steal cameras if I have to. Once I had Mike McCready attached to my project, it legitimized my whole thing. So all of a sudden, people started calling me back,” he says with a laugh. Albertsen was soon able to secure interviews with Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, just to name a few.

Soundgarden's Kim Thayil - Courtesy of Chris Koser

Without any financing, Albertsen decided to go the DIY route and finish the film on his own. Out of necessity, Albertsen wrote, directed, produced, and narrated the film. His friend and cinematographer, Chris Koser, helped acquire the equipment they needed as the film progressed. “He was all-in,” Albertsen explains. “We weren’t able to afford lights or anything. If he was on a commercial shoot or something, we would just steal all that shit and go knock out an interview.”

After 15 long years, Albertsen is both proud and relieved to present “BOOM: A Film About The Sonics” to the world. However, much has changed in his personal life since he started working on the film back in 2008. In the span of a few years, Albertsen’s father and brother passed away and his wife gave birth to two sons. He looks forward to bringing his children to shows and bonding with them over music, just as he and his father bonded over their appreciation of The Sonics.

“BOOM: A Film About the Sonics” is receiving its theatrical release in September 2024. It will be screening in select theaters, including Laemmle Theaters in Glendale, California, the Grand Cinema in Tacoma, Washington, and the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts. Check out SonicsFilm.com to find a screening near you!

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