Latest news with #BlackFlag
CairoScene
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Saudi Rock Band Sound of Ruby Drop New EP ‘Jaxx Invasion'
Saudi Arabia's pioneering rock band just dropped a live record, with over 30 new tracks on the way. May 30, 2025 Sound of Ruby, one of Saudi Arabia's first and longest-running rock bands, have just released 'Jaxx Invasion', their first official live album, and are currently working on a four-LP project featuring over 30 new tracks. This new phase follows a string of recent releases - 'Rock Puffs' in 2022 and 'Betamax' in 2024 - which marked their return after a long hiatus. Now, the band is entering one of its most active and creative periods yet. Formed in the Eastern Province in the 1990s by vocalist and composer Mohammad Al Hajjaj, Sound of Ruby helped shape Saudi Arabia's underground rock scene. Despite lineup changes over the years, the group has stayed true to its raw, DIY ethos. Guitarist Nader Al Fassam and producer/multi-instrumentalist Kamal Khalil have long been part of the band's core, and drummer Faris Al-Shawaf recently joined, continuing the legacy of his brother, Talal. Blending punk, noise, and local influences, Sound of Ruby's music draws from American acts like Black Flag and The Butthole Surfers, while also referencing Saudi folk artists like Fahad Bin Saeed and Bashir Shannan. Beyond the music, the band played a key role in building Saudi's alternative scene. In the 2000s, Hajjaj and Khalil launched S.A. Metal, one of the country's first online forums for heavy music, and organized underground gigs that laid the groundwork for future scenes.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
FLAG once again proves that not all punk band reunions are created equal
There was something in the air at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas last weekend. No, it wasn't the sound of distorted guitars, punk rockers puking or Nazis getting punched in the face. Though there was plenty of all of that. It was the buzz surrounding FLAG, the most talked about band at the annual bowling tournament and music festival, now in its 25th year. FLAG is the hardcore supergroup composed of four former members of Black Flag — Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena, and Bill Stevenson — and Stephen Egerton, Stevenson's longtime bandmate in the Descendents. It had been six years since the last FLAG gig, which was also at Punk Rock Bowling. But this was more than a reunion show. It felt like history in the making. It started Saturday with a panel discussion led by Fat Mike of NOFX at the Punk Rock Museum. Surrounded by photos of their younger selves taken by the late Naomi Petersen, all five members answered questions from Fat Mike, who introduced FLAG as 'the best version of Black Flag I've ever seen.' Fat Mike asked each participant to name their favorite album or song, which became something of a referendum on the band's volatility on and off the stage, with musicians cycling in and out of the band. For instance, Henry Rollins, the band's best-known vocalist, was Black Flag's fourth singer. 'When people say, 'Oh, Henry is my favorite. Ron [Reyes] was my favorite,'' Cadena said, 'usually, that's the first gig that they saw.' 'Why is it a contest?' Morris asked. 'Each one of us contributed in the way we contributed. We each had our own personality.' That those personalities frequently clashed with the band's enigmatic guitarist and songwriter Greg Ginn is the story of Black Flag. Extreme music attracts extreme people. What's unusual about these clashes is that they continued long after Ginn pulled the plug on his own band in 1986. For instance, in June 2003, Rollins and Morris played Black Flag songs together — just not at the same time, Morris clarified during the panel — to raise money and awareness for the West Memphis 3. It's probably not a coincidence that later that summer, Ginn put together a Black Flag reunion of sorts at the Hollywood Palladium. The problem? It featured musicians who'd never been in the band and they played along to prerecorded bass tracks. The shambolic set wasn't well-received. These shows were also a benefit — for cats — launching a veritable cottage industry of CAT FLAG T-shirts. In December 2011, Morris, Dukowski, Stevenson and Egerton played together for the first time at the Goldenvoice 30th anniversary show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, where they were introduced as 'Black Flag.' The old friends had such a blast playing together, they decided to keep it going. Cadena was added to the mix and they played Black Flag songs under the banner of FLAG. The coming-out party for this lineup was an incendiary set at the Moose Lodge in Redondo Beach in April 2012. Again, it's probably not a coincidence that Ginn subsequently 'reunited' Black Flag and initiated all kinds of legal activity against his former bandmates. At the heart of the issue was who could use the names FLAG and Black Flag. At the end of the day, the courts ruled that FLAG could continue. Mike Magrann, vocalist and guitarist for L.A. punk band Channel 3, saw both bands play that year. 'It was puzzling,' Magrann said of Black Flag's set, 'because they weren't honoring their legacy. When FLAG played, they played those songs the way they sounded back then. It brought back that feeling of being a kid on the side of the pit. The real threat of violence is right there. It was unbelievable!' That ineffable feeling of danger is what drew so many people to FLAG's Memorial Day performance. Fans came from all over the world just to see the show. Joey Cape of Lagwagon wrapped up a solo tour in Japan and flew directly to Punk Rock Bowling. Like Cape and Magrann, some of the most hardcore fans were musicians who'd been inspired by Black Flag when they were young. David O. Jones of Carnage Asada drove in from L.A. with Martin Wong, who organized Save Music in Chinatown, and Martin's daughter, Eloise Wong of the Linda Lindas. They returned to L.A. immediately after the show because Eloise, who is graduating from high school, had a physics test the following morning. FLAG made it worth the trip. The band ripped through 22 songs, starting with 'Revenge' and mixing crowd favorites like 'My War' with deep cuts such as 'Clocked-In.' Morris held the microphone with both hands like he was blowing on a bugle and urging the crowd to charge. It was easily the rowdiest pit of the festival, and it swelled to nearly the length of the stage with a steady stream of crowd surfers being passed over the barricade: old men, young women and even small children. During songs like 'Gimme Gimme Gimme,' 'Wasted' and 'Nervous Breakdown,' the roar from the crowd was almost as loud as the band. There wasn't any banter from the usually loquacious Morris. Toward the end of the show, he simply said, 'Thank you for your participation,' and launched into the next song. After the obligatory performance of 'Louie Louie' at the end of the set, the players took their instruments off the stage and were gone. Fans young and old looked at each other in disbelief, their lives changed, their DNA forever altered by punk rock. FLAG had done it again. They played the songs the way they were meant to be played. They honored their legacy. It will be a tough act for Black Flag to follow. In recent years, Black Flag has been much more active. Inevitably, that means more changes to the lineup. Earlier in May, Ginn announced Black Flag will be touring Europe this summer with three new members: all of them young musicians, including a young woman named Max Zanelly as the new vocalist. Once again, the internet flooded with Black Flag memes keying on the considerable age gap between Ginn, who is 70, and his new bandmates who look many decades, if not generations, younger. Wong, who knows something about the power of young musicians to change the world, is hopeful. 'Everyone wins when there's more good music in the world,' Wong said. 'In a perfect world, the new Black Flag lineup will get Ginn stoked on music and push him forward. But if that doesn't happen, we get FLAG, the best Black Flag lineup that never happened.' While Black Flag prepares for its new chapter, is this the end of the road for FLAG? 'I don't know,' Stevenson said after the panel at the Punk Rock Museum. 'We always have fun when we get together. You can tell we love each other. I'm sure we'll do more. At some point, one of us will be too old to do it, but so far that's not the case.' Jim Ruland is the author of the L.A. Times bestselling book 'Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of SST Records' and a weekly Substack about books, music, and books about music called Message from the Underworld.
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
More than a thousand Israeli academics call for end to war in Gaza over 'moral collapse'
Hundreds of academics from universities and colleges across Israel have called for an end to the war in Gaza, warning of "moral collapse" across the country. On Tuesday , a letter signed by 1,300 academics was sent to the heads of the academic system in Israel, calling on higher education facilities to "mobilise the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza". "This is a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing," the letter, organised by a group naming themselves the Black Flag Action Group, reads. "We cannot claim that we did not know. We have been silent for too long." "Black Flag" is a reference to Israeli jurisprudence, in which a black flag is said to fly over orders whose sheer immorality makes them illegal to follow. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'As academics, we recognize our own role in these crimes. It is human societies, not governments alone, that commit crimes against humanity," read the letter. "Some do so by means of direct violence. Others do so by sanctioning the crimes and justifying them, before and after the fact, and by keeping quiet and silencing voices in the halls of learning. It is this bond of silence that allows clearly evident crimes to continue unabated without penetrating the barriers of recognition.' Top genocide scholars unanimous that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza: Dutch investigation Read More » Increasing numbers of prominent figures in Israel have begun speaking out again the army's actions in Gaza. Last week, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned his country's actions in Gaza, accusing the government of killing innocent Palestinians. In a BBC interview on Tuesday, Olmert, who served as the prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, said what Israel was doing in Gaza is "very close to a war crime". He told the network that the 'obvious appearance' of the war on Gaza is that "thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed, as well as many Israeli soldiers," adding that "from every point of view, this is obnoxious and outrageous". According to the latest update by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 54,249 Palestinians have been killed and 123,492 wounded since the start of Israel's war on Gaza. The Israeli army has killed at least 3,986 Palestinians and wounded 11,451 others since breaking the ceasefire agreement on 18 March. More than 180,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced by the offensive. The ministry said that 67 bodies and 184 injured people arrived at Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Workout tunes: Sanjoy Narayan puts together a playlist to help you flex
I know this will sound sanctimonious, but the gym is my temple (there, I said it). It's a sacred space where sweat and steel forge resilience. For 28 years, I've leaned on the barbell. I'm a 65-year-old devotee still hitting the iron three to four days a week. This journey began in my late-30s, as a tentative flirtation with weights. It was, in part, a response to an early health warning, but the weights soon became a full-blown obsession. From the raw grit of 1970s classic rock to the cerebral pulse of modern jazz, I've scoured genres for the perfect sonic fuel to power my lifts. Here's how I went from punk rock deadlifts to squatting with Miles Davis — and why jazz became the ultimate soundtrack for strength-training. My lifting odyssey began at 37. In addition to my health warning, I was inspired by the musician Henry Rollins's visceral essays on weightlifting. ('The Iron never lies to you,' he writes in one. 'You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal.') His punk-rock ethos — raw, defiant, transformative — spoke to me as I navigated the chaos of midlife. I dove into punk, blasting the Black Flag album Damaged through my headphones as I tackled my first bench presses, Rise Above fuelling my fledgling grit. The Ramones' Rocket to Russia powered my early lightweight deadlifts, its relentless simplicity a match for my debutant's zeal. Punk was loud, unpolished and urgent; perfect for a beginner finding his footing in an intimidating Mumbai gym. As my commitment deepened in my 40s, so did my musical explorations. Punk's raw energy gave way to 1970s classic rock, the soundtrack of my teens. Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti became a staple, Kashmir driving my squats with its hypnotic cadence. Deep Purple's Machine Head pushed my bench sessions, Highway Star coaxing one more rep from weary muscles. These bands, with their towering riffs, turned workouts into epic clashes, making each set a tiny bit easier to tackle. For a while. I also dabbled in psychedelic rock, drawn to that genre's experimental edge. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon lent a surreal calm to warm-ups, while Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow added a trippy vibe to accessory work. But psychedelia lacked the punch required for heavy lifts. Waylon Jennings's Honky Tonk Heroes had a rugged charm for kettlebell farmer's walks (that's one kettlebell in each hand), yet country felt too mellow. I tried folk, and found that Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks suited recovery sessions, but not the demands of a PR (personal record) attempt. In the 2010s, I began to expand my playlists to include late-'80s and early-'90s gangsta rap. NWA's Straight Outta Compton hit like a sledgehammer, the raw aggression perfect for psyching up before a set. Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back brought raging fervour to my squats, Chuck D's voice slicing through the clank of plates. Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) fuelled tough pull-ups, its gritty beats and sharp lyrics egging me on. Rap's unapologetic edge mirrored the defiance I felt, pushing my body through middle-age. As I crossed into my 60s, though, my training crystallised. Compound exercises (a mix of squats, deadlifts, benches and overhead presses) became my mantra in my temple. They were frill-free exercises that build on decades of effort. With this clarity came a new soundtrack genre: jazz. I started with the masters. Miles Davis's Kind of Blue flowed through my warm-ups, its modal coolness setting a meditative tone. John Coltrane's A Love Supreme accompanied my squats, its spiritual depth echoing the focus of a heavy set. Charles Mingus's The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady brought frenetic energy to heavy deadlifts, while Ron Carter's bass lines on Speak No Evil anchored my dumbbell bench press. Jazz isn't just music; it's a conversation. Its improvisational flow syncs with my lifts, the changing notes mirroring the instinctual adjustments of a well-executed rep. A great lift, like a great solo, demands precision and freedom, discipline and daring. Modern jazz has deepened this connection. Kamasi Washington's The Epic brings cinematic grandeur to my sessions. Shabaka Hutchings's We Are Sent Here by History matches the fire of my heaviest days. Vijay Iyer's Break Stuff adds intellectual rigour to warm-ups, while André 3000's New Blue Sun offers meditative calm for cooldowns. The new British jazz scene — Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd, Ezra Collective — infuses my workouts with vibrant, relentless grooves. Why jazz? Because it's not just about adrenaline (though jazz delivers that too). Lifting has its rhythm — inhale, brace, lift, exhale — and jazz, with its syncopated pulse and unpredictable turns, mirrors that perfectly. In my mid-60s, I'm not chasing the reckless intensity of my 40s. I'm pursuing zen and the quiet power that a body can achieve. Jazz is the soundtrack for that pursuit, complex and soulful; a reminder that strength, like music, evolves. (To write in with feedback, email
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Assassin's Creed Shadows' Is A Really Good Video Game
Assassin's Creed Shadows Assassin's Creed is a series that I've always deemed…fine. Throughout its copious installments over the years, I've enjoyed a few. Black Flag and Odyssey were the standouts for me, but five years ago when the sprawling, overstuffed Valhalla came out, I had to throw in the towel, thinking this just wasn't for me anymore. Enter Shadows. I wasn't even sure I was going to play this game, given my distaste for Valhalla, but I booted it up to see how the ninja/samurai Assassin's Creed game 15+ years in the making would finally work in practice. It works extremely well. Despite a size that very much seems like it's going to be on par with Valhalla, I cannot stop playing, and this is a game that so far has done nearly everything right. I think you could make the case it's a top 3 entry in the series, and honestly, it could make it to the peak by the end. I'm 35 hours in and the Assassins versus Templar stuff is entirely on the back burner, taking up probably 15 minutes so far, which I really don't mind. Rather, this is just a game where you play as a ninja and a samurai and murder people inside what I've found is a surprisingly poignant and compelling storyline so far. I have not been a fan of Assassin's Creed's desire to constantly rely on dual protagonists and I felt that here near the start when you first unlock Yasuke. But even though he's an odd puzzle piece in a series (that at least used to be) about stealth, the more I play with him, the more I'm having a blast. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe you'll use for almost all map traversal, and thievery or single-target assassinations. But there's nothing quite like crashing through the front gate of a castle and murdering three dozen enemies to hunt down five samurai leaders as Yasuke, who has the most brutal finishers in the game and a ragdoll straight kick that is genuinely hilarious in terms of how it makes enemies fly off edges or smash into walls. Similarly, Naoe's set of weapons, including the ability to wrap enemies up in a chain and yank them around, is almost as fun, and getting into open combat with her is a needed challenge when Yasuke can sometimes be easy mode. This is a beautiful game. I am constantly reminded of the sweeping landscapes of Ghost of Tsushima (this game in general is hugely reminiscent of that one, of course, and that was my GOTY back then). One of the most impressive aspects is a mix of its seasonal and weather systems, with spring buds, fall colors and blanketing snow, mixed with high winds and rainstorms pattering drops on my DualSense controller. The story is excellent so far. Naoe and Yasuke are a fantastic narrative contrast with Naoe bloodthirsty after the death of her father, and Yasuke the more measured companion, at least when he's not cutting people in half. Yasuke being in the game rather than just some other giant samurai is genuinely important to the story, as him being a black outsider in the land makes his story unique and compelling, and it's something the narrative embraces rather than ignores. There are so few black lead protagonists in gaming period, and Yasuke here is instantly elevated to be one of the best I've ever seen. Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke does present challenges, given that anything except open brawling is better left to Naoe, which results in area design issues that constantly plague his style. I'm also not a huge fan of the base-building aspect of Shadows which seems entirely superfluous, though my main issue with it is not its existence, but the horrible framerate within the zone that makes me never want to go there at all. This is not a full review, as even 35 hours in (with tons of exploration and sidequesting) I feel like I'm probably only a half or a third of the way done. But unlike Valhalla, I can't wait to play more and the size here is a positive not a detriment given how good the core of the game is. I cannot imagine attempting to review Shadows on a timed embargo, as that would be miserable. It's totally made for taking your time and enjoying the ride. So far, I'd highly recommend it, even to Assassin's Creed skeptics like I had become. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
