There was one thing within the air on the Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas final weekend.
No, it was not the sound of distorted guitars, punk rocker who vomit or The Nazis are hit in the face. Even if there was numerous all this.
It was the excitement that surrounds the flag, essentially the most mentioned band to the annual Bowling Tournament and Music Festival, arrived at its twenty fifth 12 months.
The flag is the Hardcore supergroup consisting of 4 former members of Black Flag – Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena and Bill Stevenson – and Stephen Egerton, the lengthy -standing bandmate of Stevenson in The Descendents.
Six years had handed because the final flag live performance, which was additionally at Punk Rock Bowling. But this was greater than a gathering present. It regarded like a narrative in preparation.
It began on Saturday with a panel dialogue led by Fat Mike by Nofx on the Punk Rock Museum. Surrounded by photographs of their youthful self taken by the deceased Naomi Petersen, all 5 members answered the questions of Fat Mike, who launched the flag as “the perfect model of the black flag I’ve ever seen”.
Fat Mike requested every participant to nominate their favourite album or tune, which has turn out to be a type of referendum on the band’s volatility inside and outdoors the stage, with the musicians by bicycle inside and outdoors the band. For instance, Henry Rollins, the perfect identified singer of the band, was Black Flag’s fourth singer.
“When individuals say,” Oh, Henry is my favourite. Ron (Reyes) was my favourite, “mentioned Cadena,” normally, that is the primary live performance they noticed. “
“Why is it a contest?” Morris requested. “Each of us contributed in the way in which we contributed. Each of us had our character.”
Keith Morris and Stephen Egerton of the flag speaking concerning the band at Punk Rock Museum.
(Rob Coons)
That these personalities typically collide with the enigmatic guitarist and songwriter of the band Greg Ginn is the story of the black flag. Extreme music attracts excessive individuals. The uncommon factor about these clashes is that they continued loads after Ginn pulled the plug on his band in 1986.
For instance, in June 2003, Rollins and Morris performed collectively songs by black flags – simply not on the similar time, Morris clarified through the panel – to lift funds and consciousness for West Memphis 3.
It might be not a coincidence that later that summer season, Ginn put collectively a form of black flag assembly at Palladio in Hollywood. The drawback?
It presents musicians who had by no means been to the band and performed along with traces of low pre -graduate. The Shambolico set was not properly accepted. These exhibits have been additionally an advantage-for cats-lanching an actual cottage business of cats for cat flag.
Keith Morris, from the left, Stephen Egerton, Bill Stevenson, Fat Mike, Dez Cadena and Chuck Dukowski collect to debate the Flag assembly on the Punk Rock Museum through the Memorial Day weekend earlier than their set on the Punk Rock Bowling Festival.
(Rob Coons)
In December 2011, Morris, Dukowski, Stevenson and Egerton performed collectively on the Goldenvoice thirtieth Anniversary Show on the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for the primary time, the place they have been launched as a “black flag”.
The previous pals had enjoyable a lot taking part in collectively, they determined to proceed. Cadena was added to the combo and performed black flag songs underneath the banner’s banner. The outgoing occasion for this formation was an incendiary set on the Moose Lodge of Redondo Beach in April 2012.
Once once more, it’s most likely not a coincidence that Ginn subsequently “gathered” the Black Flag and has began all kinds of authorized actions in opposition to his former bandmates. At the middle of the issue have been those that may use the flag of names and the black flag. At the tip of the day, the courts established that the flag may proceed.
Mike Makenn, singer and guitarist for the Channel 3 punk band, noticed each bands taking part in that 12 months.
“He was disconcerting,” mentioned Magrann of the set of Black Flag, “as a result of they weren’t honoring their legacy. When they performed the flag, they performed these songs in the way in which they performed then. He reported that feeling of being a toddler on the aspect of the pit. The actual risk of violence is proper. It was unimaginable! “
That ineffable feeling of hazard is what has attracted so many individuals within the efficiency of Flag’s Memorial Day. Fans got here from all around the world simply to see the present. Joey Cape of Lagwagon concluded a solo tour in Japan and flew on to the Bowling Punk Rock.
Like Cape and Magrann, a few of the most hardcore followers have been musicians who had been impressed by the black flag after they have been younger. David O. Jones of Carnage Asada led from Los Angeles with Martin Wong, who organized Save Music in Chinatown, and Martin’s daughter, Eloise Wong of Linda Lindas. They returned to Los Angeles instantly after the present as a result of Eloise, who’s a highschool, did a physics check the next morning.
The flag made the journey to the journey. The band torn 22 songs, beginning with “Revenge” and mixing the needs of the gang as “My War” with deep cuts like “Clock-in”. Morris held the microphone with each fingers as if he have been blowing on a trumpet and pushing the gang to load.
It was simply essentially the most vibrant pit on the pageant and swelling virtually all of the stage with a relentless move of surfers of the gang that have been handed over the barricade: previous, younger girls and even younger youngsters. During songs similar to “Gimme Gimme Gimme”, “Wasted” and “Nervous Breakdown”, the roar of the gang was virtually sturdy of the band.
There have been no jokes from Morris normally talkative. Towards the tip of the present, he merely mentioned: “Thanks on your participation” and launched within the subsequent tune.
The flag performs on the twenty fifth Punk Rock Bowling and Annual Music Festival of Las Vegas on May 26, 2025.
(Courtney Ware)
After the obligatory efficiency of “Louie Louie” on the finish of the set, the gamers eliminated their instruments from the stage and left. Young and previous followers checked out one another incredulous, their lives have modified, their DNA has been modified without end by punk rock.
The flag had completed it once more. They performed the songs in the way in which they needed to be performed. They honored their inheritance.
It will probably be a troublesome act to observe for the black flag. In latest years, the black flag has been way more energetic. Inevitably, this implies extra modifications in coaching. At the start of May, Ginn introduced that Black Flag will probably be on tour in Europe this summer season with three new members: all younger musicians, together with a younger lady named Max Zanely as the brand new singer.
Once once more, the Internet has flooded with black flag memes which have a outstanding age hole between Ginn, which is 70 years previous, and his new bandmates who appear many many years, if not generations, youthful. Wong, who is aware of one thing concerning the energy of younger musicians to alter the world, is assured.
“Everyone wins when there may be higher music on the earth,” mentioned Wong. “In an ideal world, the brand new black flag formation will make a ginn meals on music and push it ahead. But if this doesn’t occur, we get the flag, the perfect formation of a black flag that has by no means occurred.”
While the black flag is making ready for its new chapter, is that this the tip of the highway to the flag?
“I do not know,” Stevenson mentioned after the Punk Rock Museum panel. “We all the time have enjoyable once we get collectively. You can say that we love one another. I’m positive we’ll do extra. At a sure level, one in every of us will probably be too previous to do it, however thus far it isn’t so.”
JIM RULAND is the writer of the L.A. Times Bestsellers Book “Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of Sst Records” and a weekly subsoil on books, music and books on music known as Message from the Underworld.
