Six degrees of separation and 35 years; Black Flag's lasting influence on Punk Rock

Black Flag on tour in England, 1984. Henry Rollins second from left

Punk is dead, right? Wrong...
Punk is more than alive; it's ethos is still the same. The difference is that most modern day punk rockers (myself included) are more likely to blend into the crowd, rather than appear outlandish to the eyes of society. But the messages in our hearts, hands and minds is still the same. The majority still lean left and Music is the way the message is spread. For me, the Music is, and always will be the most important part.  Furthermore, the Punk landscape has and will continue to constantly expand...

Anyone who witnessed it's birth will likely tell you that the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and The Clash were the biggest bands around the period. They would be correct, but Black Flag, with the crazy and always outspoken Henry Rollins are owed a debt of gratitude from modern culture as being the original forefathers to the genre as it known today.

Black Flag's formation in 1977 by no means makes them punk pioneers. If anything, they were fashionably late to the party. But what they brought with them wasn't tradition. It was the birth of the Hardcore sound which survives and thrives today. Their unlikely rise to success through Independent label status is testament to the raw uncensored appeal of Rollins, and the workaholic nature of founding member and guitarist Greg Ginn. Unfortunately, Ginn's work ethic clashed with others in the band, who just wanted the Rock n' Roll lifestyle. Subsequently it's lineup was never stable, and constantly changing.

One key player who took exception was the man who Rollins would go on to replace on vocals, Keith Morris. After serving his notice with Black Flag, Morris would go on to form another SoCal based hardcore band, Circle Jerks. Also within the original lineup, another former Black Flag member in guitarist Greg Hetson. Like Black flag, Circle Jerks would also undergo several changes in lineup. Many Punk fans today will tell you that Circle Jerks perhaps had the biggest impact in the early days of hardcore, and that no music collection should be without Group Sex, or Golden Shower of Hits.  

Another member of the Black Flag alumni, Bill Stevenson would later carve a reputation as being one of the most influential drummers in Alternative music. Stevenson formed the Descendents in 1978, and were truly responsible for the melodic Poppy-Punk sound that gave similar sounding bands twenty years later mainstream status. The Descendents are perhaps best known for their lead singer, Milo Aukerman, who's bespectacled image famously appeared on most of their albums. As a band, they became known for regular lengthy hiatuses, mostly centered around Aukerman's College studies (their most popular album is entitled Milo goes to College). Despite sporadic recordings, they hold legendary status as Punk rock immortals.

While Aukerman was at graduate school, the remaining members of The Descendents went on to form another band that would go on to cement legendary status, All. The four piece had a reputation for amazing jazz infused bass and were regarded in general as being a "tight" outfit. All, in all (pun intended) had a forever rotating list of singers, but many regard original Dag Nasty vocalist Dave Smalley as the best front man the lineup ever possessed.

After Dave Smalley's departure from All in 1988, he formed Down by Law, a further continuation on the progressive sound that was been working on with his previous bands, a sound which had started infiltrating the rest of the Punk world. Famously, DBL released a cover of the Proclaimers song "500 miles" on their 1994 album punkrockacademyfightsong.

Ok, the last link is a bit lame, but today, many big name bands such as NOFX (29 years and still going strong) and Lagwagon have adapted their sound to match the evolution of bands like All and the Descendents. The Hardcore roots of Black Flag today have given rise to huge acts such as Rise Against and A Day to Remember. The next evolution, Post Hardcore is now also in effect, with a huge metal influence prevalent. Post Hardcore bands now dominate the lineup in Festivals like the Vans Warped tour and Riot Fest.

What happened next:

•  Black Flag disbanded in 1986, Henry Rollins would later move on to a more traditional rock band with new act, The Rollins Band, and today tours the world with his spoken word work as well as making the occasional TV appearance.
• Circle Jerks broke up indefinitely in 1990, but reformed in 1995 and still play the occasional show. Footwear company Vans released a Circle Jerks inspired shoe in 2007, cementing their place in not only Punk, but Skateboarding Legend status as well.
• Milo Aukerman came out of Graduate school with a PhD in applied science, joining the Offspring's Dexter Holland and Bad Religion's Greg Graffin as Punk personalities that also have Doctorates. The Descendents still tour sporadically.
• Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez of All (and the Descendents) established the Blasting Room recording studio in Colorado. Along with producing albums for current acts such as Alkaline Trio and Strung Out, the pair have also been doing reunion tours with the Lemonheads, while Stevenson also tours with his new group Only Crime (which also features members of  Good Riddance, Modern Life is War among others), another project continuing the legacy of Black Flag.
• Dave Smalley has released several albums of (surprisingly) conservative political commentary, and also tours Solo. Down by Law underwent several lineup changes, before Smalley stopped touring under the band's name in 1998.
• NOFX and Lagwagon still put out great music...