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!