In this epic exploration of the Pacific Northwest's esteemed garage rock traditions, Peter Blecha, Seattle's "rock 'n' roll archaeologist " skillfully weaves together the untold tales behind the rise of the region's early dance halls, recording studios, record labels, radio stations, and 1950s rockabilly, R&B, and doo-wop groups. The result is a compelling saga about an isolated region of America that, against all odds, managed to win global acclaim by stubbornly making music merely to satisfy its own provincial pop needs. Illuminating the creative continuum that arcs between the earliest rockin' pioneers and more recent demigods, Sonic Boom! reveals how one backwater music scene could produce such disparate mega-talents as the Ventures, Jimi Hendrix, Heart, Robert Cray, Queensrÿche, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Nirvana, and of course the legendary garage stompers, the Sonics.

The culmination of over two decades of research, Sonic Boom! benefits from the 500-plus exclusive interviews that Blecha conducted with trailblazing DJs, sound engineers, label founders, and the leading luminaries of Northwest rock, including such hitmakers as the Kingsmen, the Ventures, the Frantics, the Sonics, the Wailers, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Dave Lewis, Ron Holden, Merrilee Rush, Larry Coryell, Heart, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam.