Show Preview: Black Flag with Good For You – Its Casual – The Goons – at The Vex – Los Angeles, CA – July 14, 2013

For Los Angeles area Black Flag fans summer can’t come soon enough as the cities only Black Flag show is now set in stone with a time, date and place. The time would be 7 pm, the date July 14th and the place would be none other than The Vex in East Los Angeles. Will you be there? If you’re answering with a  “fuck yes” then we look forward to both slamming and singing to our favorite Black Flag classics alongside you and the few hundred lucky fans fortunate enough to get tickets to this upcoming show that will definitely sell out well in advance.

Black Flag is back for 2013 and looking to set things off with a tour that’s got legions of both old school and new school fans talking and a new record due out later in the year that will be the bands first since 1985. Can you believe it? Over a quarter of a century later Black Flag will give the world a brand new album to dig and blast at full volume, many times good things come to those who wait patiently and fans of Black Flag have done just that.

This Black Flag lineup (the only official Black Flag in existence) will feature original guitarist and founding member Greg Ginn as well as Jealous Again’ era vocalist Ron Reyes and drummer Gregory Moore, at the time it is unknown who will handle live bass duties. This will mark Ron’s first time fronting Black Flag live since his departure on May 23rd 1980 where he walked off stage during the bands show at the Fleetwood in Redondo Beach, CA. He was soon replaced by Dez Cadena, 2nd guitarist of Black Flag, drummer of Red Kross and later Misfits 2001 to present.

Ron Reyes is best known for fronting Black Flag during the early 80’s after original vocalists Keith Morris left the band in order to form The Circle Jerks. Black Flag at the time were the scenes largest LA Punk draw and the most notorious one around as well with their shows often ending prematurely due to crowd violence and LAPD interference. Ron’s time fronting Black Flag is best documented in the 1980 Penelope Spheeris film “The Decline of the Western Civilization” where Black Flags performance footage cemented them nationally as one of Americas leading hardcore Punk rock bands. The footage from that time depicts the violent nature of their live show as they perform “White Minority”, “Depression” and “Revenge” to an out of control crowd hell bent on chaotic expression.


Fans who may have missed out on early Black Flag can now experience the closest thing to seeing the bands 1980 incarnation by seeing them this July up close and personal at The Vex. It’s an opportunity any fan would want to take full advantage of as this show is decades in the making! Best of all it’s an All Ages show, so there is no excuse for young Punks not to make this one a show to remember.

Opening the show will be Good For You, a band that features vocals by skate legend Mike Vallely and guitars by the aforementioned Greg Ginn (their debut album is now out on SST Records). Its Casual and The Goons are also on the bill making this a great local Punk bill of epic proportions. This show has the best of both old and new, so what more could you ask for?

 

This is a show NOT to miss as you will want to see Black Flag at the iconic VEX, where lots of early 80's Black Flag shows went down. Tickets for this show are on sale now and you would be wise to get them now before they sell out  http://shows.gitbam.com

 

-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

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