I was standing in front of The Roxy Theatre, waiting to see Black Flag. The date was January 16th, 2026. It was the first time I was going to see Greg Ginn on stage in an incarnation of this band. How does any self respecting punk at my age find himself in this situation?
To be honest, I was more curious about the new kids in Black Flag than the lone remaining original member and founder. If it weren’t for them, I might not have been motivated enough to find myself there on time. But before I go any further or say anything else- Greg Ginn is the architect behind one of the most recognizable punk rock legacies in history-period.
BUT…
I have judged Greg Ginn him harshly. There has got to be something really negative about his personality and demeanor to be standing alone in what is ultimately a standard bearing and iconic but shared legacy- and to have almost none of the members of one of the most claimed bands in punk rock standing together with him in life truly says something about character- and that’s just Black Flag.
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In the 80’s, Ginn’s label, SST Records put music out by the most revered bands in Punk Rock such as Descendents, Bad Brains, Husker Du, Subhumans and Minutemen, to name a few. When Black Flag disbanded in the late 80’s, SST output still continued into the 90’s, releasing music by some of the most important bands in that decade.
I started going to shows in the early 90’s- well into the dark days of the 2nd wave of punk rock. Milo went to college. Glenn was metal. Henry was ripping through the Rollins Band. Ian had a little band named Fugazi that was still elbowing their way through 3 consecutive sold out, $5 shows but…he was never “Out of Step”, again. And, without a singer, Greg Ginn was focusing on his label, SST Records and signing bands like Sonic Youth, Soundgarden and Meat Puppets to record deals. I had zero context of Ginn the punk rock star in Black Flag’s most active years.
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Eventually, those early SoCal punk bands that were lionized in my youth, whose logos were synonymous with hardcore punk and synonymous with all the culture i was immersed in growing up started popping up on show lineups again. Descendents played 3 straight nights at Whisky in 1996 w/ Blink 182 opening for them.
I couldn’t believe I was finally getting to see this band live that hadn’t been active since I had been conscience of their existence. It truly was one of my most special moments with music at the tender age of 20 years old. Around the same time, what was this- Misfits were getting back together? No Glenn Danzig? Hard pass.
I’ve always had a weird thing about bands without their original singers. To this day, I have yet to see a Misfits show fronted by Michael Graves. I could never get enthused about Black Sabbath with Dio. There is some kind of block. What makes Black Flag different is they had iconic eras with multiple singers but still, there is a lack of permissions in my programming for this kind of cash grab… Who wouldn’t love to see Mike Vallelly thrash around doing Black Flag LIVE Karaoke? Me, apparently.
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I interviewed Keith Morris directly after the lawsuit was settled that allowed Keith and friends to perform under the moniker “Flag”” and it further influenced my opinion of Ginn. Through the story telling of Morris, he affectionately explained how he and Ginn got together but the story ended as most Greg Ginn stories “I’ve heard” end- attachment ruptures. I’m not one to judge. I’ve had some of those and maybe he feels like I do- sometimes misunderstood. In the end ex member bios are like estranged family writing your memoirs- but the lore is the lore.
I like to think of myself as an independent thinker but when Ginn fired Black Flag up again with Vallely on lead vocals, with Flag touring simultaneously, I chose the iconic group of friends- Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena, Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton. As much as I abhor factions- I chose one.
I had been watching the bands that all swore never agains slowly but surely reforming since that string of Decendents shows in the 90’s-over 30 years ago. There are only so many times I can watch half the members of a legacy band play their old songs, half as well as they used to. There are exceptions (like Flag) of course but recently, I have the thirst for new punks, still full of piss and vinegar. Punks that are still about that life and defining how they want to live it over a legacy act phoning it in. Bring me their adrenochrome!
So here I was, at The Roxy and Black Flag was late taking the stage to play the first of two sets of the night. The house was half empty but the VIP section was spilling over. Mostly of older, influential members of this punk scene’s hey day like Gary Tovar and D.O.A. singer/songwriter and guitarist, Joe Keithly.
There was a vibe of skepticism in the air about Greg Ginn’s choice to start the band back up with a bunch of unknown 20 somethings. I wasn’t just trying to read the room- it was the most mentioned detail in people I spoke with and lowkey, the reason I was there against my programming.
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The kids and Greg dug into the first set from the first track “Can’t Decide”
As far as new singers go, Max Zanelly is really, REALLY new. Like, in her early 20’s and discovered in 2025 by Greg Ginn at a show- very “Rollins-esque”. Her young comrades in arms are very fresh, as well- bass ripper David Rodriguez and hard but precise drummer, Bryce Weston.
The rhythm section found the pocket easily during the instrumental build up to the song and Zanelly thrashed around perfectly, making eye contact and shimmying across different parts of the stage with a regulated intensity that seemed innate.
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David Rodrigquez is a REALLY solid bass player. And like a good bass player he planted his feet on stage and dug into his bass guitar with power, precision and a reserved emotion that all bass players should have.
Drummer, Bryce Weston hit hard and is the perfect drummer for a hardcore band. You are not a GREAT punk band without a great drummer and Weston is that.
Greg Ginn still has it on guitar. He dug into his signature riffs with the steady hand of an older man. Throughout the set, I caught Ginn glancing at his shiny new band with pride and the promise of one last run.
Standing as close to the stage as possible, I watched the audience come alive for the first time during song 3 of the set, “Nervous Breakdown”. With such a mix of old and young, I didn’t know if a pit would get started but it did during Black Flag’s most recognizable song. This was the final litmus test for this iteration of Black Flag.
Black Flag put on a good show and the Kids are Alright. It’s fun to play music and it’s fun to go to a show. The proper exchange of energy was there once any of the jaded among us were able to set aside some pre conceived notions (like the ones mentioned above lols).
I hope there’s a grand design and no, not adrenochrome. I hope Greg Ginn gets one last rush- he definitely deserves that.
I hope Max Zanelly, David Rodriguez, Bryce Weston and another guitarist…or no guitarist are already writing songs for their other band that may or may not get Greg Ginn one more run at the label, as well.
Ginn had both Keith Morris and Henry Rollins as lead singers, who’s time in Black Flag transformed them into 2 of the godfathers of punk rock.
Can Max Zanelly, David Rodriguez and Bryce Weston do the same for themselves?
Words by Danny Baraz
Photos by Taylor Wong
