ARTS
Friday, June 20, 1986

Page 8

The Michigan Daily

One night stand with Black Flag

By Rob Michaels that I like because of some musical
prejudice, but rather just on how good
it sounds to me."
S ONCE again, California's Black This open-ended and natural ap-
Flag will haul their seminal R&R proach to their sound has allowed
chops into Ann Arbor for a one night Black Flag to weather their frequent
stand this coming Thursday night at line-up changes a lot easier.
the Nectarine Ballroom. "I've done most of the songwriting,
Throughout the past couple of years so there is a mucial continuity in that
the band has been ferociously prolific, sense," says Ginn, "but on the other
turning out some ten albums (and 2 hand, I like to play with the people
cassettes), in their ten year history, who are in the band at the time. When
not including a variety of side projec- dealing with a new situation I like to
ts by individual band members. When treat it as that."
not in the studio, they have toured Overall, he attributed the most
almost constantly, averaging at least meaningful powers of music to its
one show for each day on the road. subjective and more abstract
While maintaining its volume and in- messages:
tensity, Black Flag's music has "I think music is being used by
similarly expanded, transcending people to get very literal, simple, and
media-imposed categorizations and mundane messages across (political,
enlarging its own original space in the etc.). I'm insulted when someone puts
independent music scene. political slogans in a three minute
I recently had a chance to speak song and runs them at me. Writing
with guitarist/composer Greg Ginn, seems better suited for that kind of
the only original Black Flag member thing, as you can carry on some sort
and the founder of America's most of intelligent disclosures without
prominent (and most exciting) in- resorting to simple sloganeering."
dependent record label, SST. Ginn's SST Records is, of course,
Ginn attributes a large part of the label that spawned Warner
Black Flag's success to an insistance Brother's latest musical wun-
on musical freedom: derkind, Husker Du. When asked if
"I feel that music should ideally be he could ever see Black Flag playing
a daily movement; trying to play new with the majors, Ginn says, "A lot of
stuff every day instead of planning the majors would probably have
everything way in advance. I think trouble with us, especially nowadays
that this approach has helped me with the whole censorship thing. I
remain prolific. I try not to edit music mean, we don't do things to piss

.;

Frequently referred to as the forefathers of the L.A.hardcore movement, Black Flag has withstood
the test of time and will be playing the Nectarine Ballroom this Thursday. Showtime is 10 p.m.,
tickets are $9.50.
people off, we just do things that "And I think that's maybe what of this tour, the band plans to lay off
we're into, and if that happens to piss 'college rock' is. It's like the mid '70s, for at least a year, taking time to pur-
people off, then that's too bad." people just trying to get better at sue other projects (which must in-
Along similar lines, I found it im- rehashing things instead of thinking clude what's left of their personal
possible not to ask about the "college of something new, (leaving us with) lives). Singer Henry Rollins has
rock" phenomenon. "There's a kind two levels of boredom." already issued several volumes of his
of underground sound that's poetry and Ginn plans to work with
developing that is separate from the But on neither of those darkly his new, all instrumental combo,
standard AOR sound, but is really distinguished plateaus will you, dear GONE, who will open Thursday's
just as mundane," Ginn continued, consumer, find Black Flag At the end show (along with Painted Willie).

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