Off the top of my head I can think of two punk anthems that were made to be strummed. Rock --- and more specifically, punk rock - guitar is more often about the slash and burn, the abuse, the down stroke, the attack. But two songs, The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" and Social Distortion's "Ball and Chain," require a different approach.

SD whipped out that ditty, along with a big chunk of its lengthy catalogue, to a sold-out crowd at Water Street Music Hall Thursday night. It was so hot in the joint by the time the show was over that a more appropriate name might have been Steam Street Music Hall.

The band was hard, heavy, and relentless for the duration of its 90-minute set. SD hasn't lost an ounce of its original punch, despite the inevitable line-up changes the years bring. The thrill of the night for me was lead guitarist Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham, formerly of The Cadillac Tramps. (Want to hear a great guitar album? Pick up The Tramps' 1993 "Tombstone Radio.") Wickersham traded off his signature leads with frontman guitarist Mike Ness's tight and terse twangplicity.

But it all came together for me when the anthems came strumming out. "Ball and Chain," "Prison Bound," and "Bad Luck," to name a few, all turned to gang-vocal battle cries in the hands and throats of the frenzied crowd. That would explain where my voice went this morning...