Wednesday, November 18, 2009

My head really hurts...

so today i got to sub again. this time is was most excellent!!! i subbed a p.e. class for first, second, and third graders at a local elementary. it was soooooo much fun!!! those little kids were adorable and behaved very well. i actually had more fun working with these children than i did the high school kids, not that they weren't any good, but these kids at least listened to me.

since i posted on Minor Threat the other day it reminded me of another famous hardcore band that is held up in high regard as well. here for you is the legendary Black Flag.



if there was one band back in the 80's that made a movement happen, it was black flag. forming in 1976 by original lead singer keith morris and guitarist greg ginn, the band started out by practicing several hours everyday in the poorest conditions for people to live. most of these punks lived in community squats, barely able to afford food and clothing. still, despite such life styles, these guys played for the music they created and toured their butts off across america paving the way for future bands to follow. they pretty much wrote the book on being a professional band and living and doing their art on a budget.

ginn formed the label sst records which has gone off to become one of the foremost leading independent labels in the world. artists such as The Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Descendents, Minutemen, and Husker Du were just a few of the many who formed the roster of the label.



every black flag record was released on the label and still are today. the epitome of the "d.i.y." culture was formed from people and artists such as black flag and is in full force today. like many out there say, if it wasn't for the elders who came first, there wouldn't be anything like it is now. (i'm talkin' about punk rock of course!!!)

in 1978 black flag released their first ep titled Nervous Breakdown. this was the first recording with morris on vocals and the last as well. on the start of their second release for the album Jealous Again, morris quit the band going on to form his own amazing hardcore band The Circle Jerks and singer ron "chavo" reyes joined in and became the second singer for black flag. in later years chavo would quit the band during a gig and a fan named dez cadena joined up and started to sing for the band until his vocal chord became wrecked and he switched to guitar instead. on an east coat gig the band met with longtime fan henry rollins and during their set they asked him to join on stage and sing the song "clocked in". after the wild and amazing performance, the band asked henry to become the permanent vocalist. this is the black flag that the world became known about.



right after henry joined, the band began work on their first ever full length album. now known as Damaged, the band hit the roof and toured even more and became a hardcore powerhouse. if other hardcore bands got to open for them it became an honor to do so. henry rollins became the center man for constant beatings and insults. many punks did not like this new younger and meaner lead singer. after some time and member changes the band decided to hang it up in 1986. in the end though, the band has left a huge legacy and several releases under their belt. not many bands, even in the mainstream, can claim that.

okay, now for the music i'm going to keep it simple and only post two things. both have been mentioned already, but here they are again. first is the Nervous Breakdown ep and second is the Damaged lp. these two albums showcase the best of black flag and my personal favorites. so with that it's time to suit up and rock the house!!!


http://www.mediafire.com/?mumyl3zydde


http://www.mediafire.com/?zzjdowyolgk

I'm gonna go berzerk...

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