Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Current personnel are Thurston Moore (vocals and guitar), Kim Gordon (vocals, bass, guitar), Lee Ranaldo (vocals and guitar), Steve Shelley (drums) and touring bassist Mark Ibold. In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American noise rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American indie underground that focused more on the DIY ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. Sonic Youth has a wide variety of influences, ranging from Patti Smith to John Cage to 13th Floor Elevators. The band has been praised for having "redefined what rock guitar could do," using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and preparing guitars with objects like drumsticks and screwdrivers to alter the instruments' timbre.