[podcast]http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Sonny_Show.mp3[/podcast] Our first band-profiling podcast of 2010 features San Francisco’s Sonny and the Sunsets, led by longtime local musician Sonny Smith. The band’s first full length, Tomorrow is Alright, came out last year on LP on Soft Abuse/Secret Seven Records; in February, Soft Abuse will release it on CD as well. Inspired as much by early rock and roll as by anything that’s been released since, Tomorrow is Alright‘s lean, catchy songs provide plenty of space for Sonny’s clever lyrics and goofy wit. Smith’s long been championed by some of the Bay Area’s best musicians; one hopes that the Sunsets will bring him additional well-deserved recognition.

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We sat down with Sonny and the band in December, discussing the origins of the first album, Sonny’s relationship with his bandmates, and some ambitious new projects. We’ve also included four great songs from Tomorrow is Alright in the episode (“Too Young to Burn”, “Death Cream”, “Stranded” and “Love Among Social Animals”).

Upcoming Shows:

After the January show, Sonny and the Sunsets have a few Pacific Northwest dates. Head to their MySpace page for all of their upcoming shows.

Monday, January 18th
Cafe Du Nord
with The Yummy Fur and The Mantles
9pm, $10, 21+

Friday, February 26th
Cafe Du Nord (Noise Pop 2010)
with The Mumlers, The Growlers and The Ferocious Few
8pm, $12/14, 21+

Links:

– Visit the band on MySpace and on Sonny’s web site.

– Purchase Tomorrow is Alright from Soft Abuse and on iTunes. The Broom and Dustpan 7″ is available from HomeSkillet Records.

– Check out a video for “Strange Love” on YouTube.