Hardcore crush alert! Formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, CA, Black Flag came through Albuquerque constantly during my youth. They toured often with the Minutemen and this amazing archive of tour dates gives you an idea of how much ground they covered. I'll never forget a show near 5 Points fronted by Henry Rollins— all hell was breaking loose and it was totally scaaary— just like we wanted. Black Flag bassist Kira Roessler, was one of the few women in a popular punk band at the time and I remember being amazed by her unruffled presence onstage and wondering what it must be like to be on the road with those guys for months on end. This 1984 video gives you a little taste of the energy— Black Flag did not disappoint.

From Wikipunkia: "...Black Flag voiced an anti-authoritarian and non-conformist message, in songs punctuated with descriptions of social isolation, neurosis, poverty, and paranoia."

Rise Above lyrics can be found here. Official band site here. Below, mohawk emoticon!

=;-)

I’ve chosen some favorite short phrases of punk song lyrics to flourishly illustrate these expressions that were of such importance to me and my generation. I’m calling the series #PunkLyric and offering them as free desktop calendar downloads each month. [see full explanation here]

Click image to download for your desktop and please enjoy… and, go discover some new/old music!

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Note: These cannot be used elsewhere or commercially. The artwork is mine and the lyrics are ownership of the original songwriters and bands. Artist and writer Emily McDowell explains the intellectual property copyright limitations for us really well right here.