Thirsty & Miserable: Black Flag/"FLAG" Reunite for 2013 Tours!? (Ron Reyes, Keith Morris)

Re-assembling Black Flag without righteous frontman Henry Rollins (1981-86) is like if Ford just suddenly decided to release their 50th anniversary Mustang sans that iconic, silver-plated pony emblem. But I'm sure founding guitarist Greg Ginn thinks differently, which is probably why Rollins isn't being included in EITHER Black Flag reunion. Whether or not Ginn realizes it, Henry Rollins is basically the sheer genesis of Black Flag! ... It was announced late Friday afternoon that 6 of Black Flag's 16+ assorted members are planning to re-form and tour the nation/across the pond as part of 2 separate groups. Greg Ginn, Ron Reyes, "Dale Nixon," and drummer Gregory Moore are playing 3 summer festival dates @ the moment, supposedly putting the "finishing touches on a new album," and are plotting a "BLACK FLAG US Tour Fall 2013." FLAG, on the other hand, includes Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Bill Stevenson, and Stephen Egerton (Descendents) have a string of April-May festival dates booked so far, too. FLAG is planning to announce more dates fairly soon and will play "sets that pull from all eras of Black Flag's history." Shouts to cartoonist Brian Walsby for the awesome "CAN'T DECIDE" (Board Game) artwork, featured up above!

While both Morris and Reyes pre-date Henry Rollins' stint, Black Flag-13's line-up played on the band's second release, Jealous Again EP (1979-80). Damaged is a fan-fucking-tastic early Punk album that kinda changed my life as a rebellious teen, without a doubt still holding a solid spot on my Top 10. Rollins single-handedly changed the face of Hardcore, bridging the gap between East/West Coast scenes. Black Flag somehow managed to work in elements of Heavy Metal, Free Jazz, Breakbeat, Classical music, and even Spoken Word into their subsequent records; Eventually spearheading progressive hybrid genres like Sludge/Doom Metal. 20 years later, Rollins Band collaborated with former Black Flag members Chuck Dukowski, Keith Morris, and Kira Roessler for an infamous covers album benefiting The West Memphis Three, Rise Above (2002). Black Flag has largely been broken up since their sudden 1986 split, aside from short-lived reunions in 2003 and 2010-11. Ron Reyes Band and Greg Ginn played 2-3 tunes together @ Reyes' 50th birthday party/concert (July 2010) and started recording what morphed into new "Black Flag" material with Gregory Moore and "Dale Nixon" soon thereafter. Here's to hoping that Henry Rollins and Ginn will just bury the hatchet, come out of his self-imposed retirement, and miraculously re-appear onstage @ one of the upcoming Black Flag-13/FLAG live dates!

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

Liberty Bell Cracked In 1/2: Ween - "Freedom of '76" (Gene Ween's Final Send-Off)

Chocolate & Cheese (1994) was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I was in some sort of BMG Music Club , where you'd buy 5 CD's and then get 10 for "FREE." It was all sent through mail order and you picked the titles from some special booklet. I'm almost positive that Chocolate & Cheese's side boob-baring album cover was what initially drew me in... mind you, I was 12-15 and the zany Ween logo/middle finger CD graphic really didn't hurt either. Honestly, I forget how I really felt about it @ the time, but a few years later, my older cousin Josh told me that Ween were this BIG college "jam band." CKY did some sort pf 93.3 radio takeover to promote their new album and played "Freedom of '76" late that night on air. Needless to say, I re-visited Chocolate & Cheese @ about 20-something this go 'round and I fucking loved it! Ween were really weird, yet talented... almost too talented. I can vaguel

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