Mike Ness W/ Ryan Bingham

When Social Distortion began, Mike Ness was seventeen years old. The first albums are indicative of a young artist, acutely focused on the kind of music that was meaningful to him during that period. As Mike matured as a songwriter and musician, his work would begin to incorporate a whole body of influences. As early as 1981, Social Distortion did their infamous version of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" and over the years paid homage to many of Mike's early influences like Johnny Cash, Elmore James, Hank Williams and many more.
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Mike's solo work represents the full spectrum of all his influences. Cheating At Solitaire and Under The Influences , Ness's two solo recordings, incorporate the raw power and social relevance that has always marked his music, while embracing many of the defining styles in American rock and roll history. The work integrates punk, rockabilly, primitive rock and roll, country and blues while maintaining the energy that typifies Mike Ness.