ENCORE OF THE MONTH
September, 2020
Black Flag
Black Flag was one of the first hardcore punk bands and showed the world that DIY records were possible. Greg Gin established the band and set up SST Records to release the band's music. Their first 3 releases were EPs and they built a loyal following with Dez Cadena as the lead singer. 'American Waste' is a song from 'Six Pack' the band's third EP.
Henry Rollins was a big fan and shared the stage with the band when they played in Washington DC. Little did Rollins know but Dez wanted to give up vocals and switch to the guitar. Rollins' childhood friend Ian MacKaye (from Fugazi) encouraged him to move to California and join the band. A few Black Flag tattoos and Henry became Black Flag's lead singer. Their first album was 'Damage' and it instantly became a hardcore punk classic.
'TV Party' is a another song that appeared on the album. Black Flag were not afraid to revisit songs and did three versions of this one. One of the versions appeared in the soundtrack to the movie classic 'Repo Man'.
'My War' was Black Flag's second studio album and it split the fan base. Some fans were outraged that the band had departed from their hardcore roots. Like Bad Brains who went before them, this was a band that was never going to be trapped into a pigeon hole.
'My War' became the post hardcore poster child for a generation of bands who took up the cause. The first punk concert that Kurt Cobain ever attended was Black Flag's My War tour.
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