So is Dezo when he takes the mic late in the set for “all the drinking songs,” serving up “Six Pack” and “Thirsty And Miserable” with appropriate venom. So is Bill Stevenson, shredding drumsticks into piles of sawdust with Bonham-like power and impeccable timing at lightning speed. So is Chuck Dukowski, dropping hundred-pound bricks on his amp and thrusting his bass like a bayonet at anyone unfortunate enough to stand in its path. Certainly without him there, there’s a fundamental authenticity missing that ensures this is always going to be “Flag” and not “Black Flag”.īut there’s no need to question authenticity when getting hit by “Revenge” followed by “Fix Me” followed by “Clocked In,” as sung by Keith Morris, who despite recent health concerns is sounding every inch as petulant and obnoxious as we was on those records. That group will be playing here next month, and we’ll reserve judgment till we hear it. The elephant missing from the room is band founder Greg Ginn, who has officially relaunched the Black Flag brand this year for the first time in twenty-five years, recording and touring with a new lineup, which includes 1979-era vocalist Ron Reyes and some other dudes. But it also means that unless you were into this band in about 1982 or earlier, you’ve never seen most of these songs played live by their creators. It’s a particular and distinct flavor of punk rock that has been left unplayed by its practitioners since they did it no Flag lineup ever lasted more than about a year, and each one tried to be true to itself rather than the band’s history, which was admirable. Even by the time I was seeing Black Flag in the mid-80s, they weren’t doing this anymore. It’s been a while since these songs have been played live quite like this. Grey hairs who minutes earlier had been politely conversing about abstract art were transformed, pushing into each other with fists in the air, giving voice to their discontent, loudly. ![]() Crammed into a corner on the floor, the momentum of their invited guests pushed them literally up against the wall, so severe was the need to experience this music physically. Maybe it wasn’t the perfect venue a stage would have been nice. No one went to the hospital, but took a beating tonight. ![]() Here at the place where Black Flag played its first show in 1979, the crew inspired something close to mayhem, at least in the hearts and minds of the people who came to witness it. ![]() Flag, the new band made up of former Black Flag members Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena, and Bill Stevenson along with Descendents/ All guitarist Stephen Egerton, made its public debut on Thursday night to an invited audience of friends at the Redondo Beach Moose Lodge.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |