Black Flag Rant (Slight Return)

Someone affiliated with the Muddy Roots Music Festival left a comment on my previous post alerting me to the fact Greg Ginn’s Black Flag featuring Ron Reyes (pictured) is headlining their predominantly blues-based gathering in August. Before I had time to process that bit of info, said human dropped a larger bomb: Ginn and Reyes are now in the home stretch of completing a new Black Flag album.

According to the all-knowing orb of hipster rock knowledge, this is not a drill. There’s going to be a sixth full-length in the Black Flag discography. It will feature Greg Ginn on guitar, Ron Reyes on vox, Gone drummer Gregory Moore, and the bass talents of “Dale Nixon” (i.e. either Ginn or his beloved robot). No title or release date yet, but if you ask me they better drop that sucker on April Fool’s Day and call it The Inalienable Right To Get Down With Our Bad Punk Rock Selves Because 50% Is Greater Than Zero (P.S. Our Bass Player Might Be A Fucking Robot).

I mean, am I supposed to have a real reaction to this, like it’s an honest reality in 2013? A new Black Flag album? Not even the 21st Century Dead Kennedys were crazy enough to make an album with that guy from “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.” This just seems like a titanically misguided idea.

It also turns out that both this Black Flag faction, who somehow qualify as a bluesy Americana act RE: the Muddy Roots Fest, and “Flag” (the Morris + Dukowski + Stevenson + Egerton BF reunion) will be simultaneously touring the States in autumn. Dueling Black Flag tours, neither of which include Henry Rollins. Never before have I meant the following words so sincerely: someone throw a tent on this circus.