The oldest band out there with "Youth" in the title. But they own my ass, your ass, and all ass everywhere at any time.

The best alternative band ever.

sonic youth owns all your alt rocking asses hailing as the best alt rock band since 1982

Sonic Youth began in 1981 in downtown New York City with Thurston Moore on guitar and vocals; Kim Gordon on bass, guitar and vocals; Lee Ranaldo on guitar and vocals; and Ann Demarinis on keyboards (she played for a very short bit). The first drummer was Richard Edson. This is the band that made the eponymously titled mini-LP released in 1982 by Neutral Records, a label founded by NYC guitarist/composer Glenn Branca.

Lee and Thurston were witness to the original 1976-77 NYC CBGB/Max's scene of Television, Patti Smith, Suicide, the Ramones, etc. Kim was in Los Angeles at the time studying as a visual artist. She came to NYC, met up with Thurston, and they started playing together during the era (1978-79) of what is termed No Wave - harsh, challenging and abrasive music informed by rock, noise, jazz and modern composition/experimentation. Through the mutual acquaintance of Branca - then known as a remarkable iconoclast of the new radical rock composer scene - they joined forces with Lee, who was playing with Branca's ensemble. With cheap guitars tuned to various hot-rodded tunings, they wrote songs like no one else. The vibe was fresh and, though mirroring the nihilism of No Wave, had notions of forward positivity.

Richard Edson left to be replaced by Bob Bert, and for an interim, Jim Sclavunos. These drummers helped record the 1983 LP Confusion Is Sex, again on Neutral.

Young post-punk hardcore bands like Black Flag, the Minutemen, the Meat Puppets and the Butthole...

1) A band with a name that has to do with a sound and young people. 2) A band very rarely hear by common people, but they rule so much ass!

One of the most influental bands of all time, yet heard of in someplaces. A band featuring the band members of Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley and recently added Jim O'Rourke. Their CDs range from Sonic Youth LP, Sister, Dirty, Goo, Washing Machine, etc all the way to the 2004 release of Sonic Nurse. They have been around for 26 years and have never split.

loud, noisy guitar squalls