Ron Reyes (born July 24, 1960)
is an American musician most noted as the second singer for the Los Angeles
punk rock group
Black Flag.
Reyes joined Black Flag after original vocalist
Keith Morris
Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the ...
had quit to form the
Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...
. Black Flag needed a singer to go on a tour to Vancouver, Canada, and asked Reyes to fill in.
Reyes is the singer on the ''
Jealous Again
''Jealous Again'' is a 12" EP that was the second release by American hardcore punk band Black Flag and the third-ever release on SST Records.
History
Although eventually released as a 12" 45 RPM extended-play, ''Jealous Again'' was initially ...
'' EP, and is the vocalist in the film ''
The Decline of Western Civilization''. He left the band due to the violence at Black Flag shows. 33 years after leaving the band, Reyes reunited with Black Flag in 2013 for an album, the band's first in 28 years, and tour followed that same year with Reyes being fired mid-show during a performance in Australia.
Reyes started his band Piggy in 2011. And also was the guest lead vocalist for Whidbey Island Washington's POTBELLY on a split 7-inch with Montana's Bath Salts Brigade in 2018. He performed only once with Potbelly.
Early life
Ron Reyes was born in Puerto Rico and spent the first years of his life in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
in New York City before moving to the
Redondo Beach/
Torrance area of southern
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
His father owned a popular
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
shop in California and Ron grew up listening to his father's record collection. As a boy, Ron would hang out in the streets and listen to
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
while his friends sniffed glue and smoked
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
. He remembers himself as an outcast in school, where the jocks would make fun of his
KISS
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
inspired glam rock fashion. Despite scorn for his young ideas, an undeterred Ron carried his dreams to reality becoming an early adopter, first to do – invent. And he shared his first experiences at legendary Hollywood punk venues like RAJI'S to his high school friends in Hermosa Beach, spreading the news and unfurling the flag for new local bands to come.
Black Flag
At the time of joining Black Flag, he was a
street kid
Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policyma ...
who had been following them since the beginning, and already knew all the songs. He also played drums in an early incarnation of
Redd Kross, along with
Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Los Angeles area since he was 2 years old. Active since 1979, Hetson is best known as the guitarist for the influential hardcore pu ...
, who went on to form the
Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...
with Keith Morris, and subsequently joined
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
. After touring with the band for less than a year, he left Black Flag in the middle of a show at the Fleetwood in Redondo Beach, due to his dissatisfaction with the rising violence in the punk scene.
Reyes was coaxed back into Black Flag long enough to record the ''
Jealous Again
''Jealous Again'' is a 12" EP that was the second release by American hardcore punk band Black Flag and the third-ever release on SST Records.
History
Although eventually released as a 12" 45 RPM extended-play, ''Jealous Again'' was initially ...
'' EP. He also appeared on some selections included on the 1983 compilation album ''
Everything Went Black
''Everything Went Black'' is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. It was released in 1982 through SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by music ...
''. He can be seen in
Penelope Spheeris' 1980 documentary ''
The Decline of Western Civilization'', in which he dedicates the song "Revenge" to the
LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
, and jokingly shows off his apartment, which is a closet. After the recording sessions, Reyes went back to Vancouver and was replaced by singer
Dez Cadena.
The ''Jealous Again'' EP was released after Reyes had left the band for a final time. On the sleeve, he was credited as "Chavo Pederast", nonstandard Spanish for "Kid Pedophile". After his departure from Black Flag, Reyes relocated to Vancouver and formed the band
Crash Bang Crunch Pop!
Crash or CRASH may refer to:
Common meanings
* Collision, an impact between two or more objects
* Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond
* Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating
* Couch su ...
.
Reyes rejoined Black Flag as vocalist for a 2013 tour and appeared on their subsequent album ''
What The...''. In November 2013, Reyes took to
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
to inform fans that he was fired mid-show during a performance in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Reyes said that his mic was taken and he was told to get off the stage by
professional skateboarder
Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. ...
and band manager
Mike Vallely who also briefly fronted Black Flag in 2003. "You're done, party's over get off it's over..." He said something else to me but it was a lie so I won't repeat it here." Reyes said differences with
Greg Ginn
Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, bassist, singer and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led ...
made him relieved that he was no longer with the band saying "So with a sense of great relief that it was finally over I left the stage and walked to the hotel room. They finished the set with Mike V on vocals. Yes it is my opinion that we fell very short indeed and the diminishing ticket sales and crowds are a testament to that. However It was made clear to me that raising these issues was tantamount to a blasphemous stab in the back to Greg".
In 2014, Reyes backed claims made by Greg Ginn's ex-wife that Ginn was abusive towards his 7 and 10 year old daughters and appeared in court on her behalf with Reyes claiming Ginn was on drugs around his daughters and would not properly feed them, often neglected them and that he is not capable of caring for children.
Recent activity
Reyes performed live in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
in celebration of his 50th birthday in July 2010. Joining him on the bill were
The Jolts
The Jolts are a Canadians, Canadian punk rock group formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2004 with a focus on playing relentless high-energy classic 1970s style punk rock.
Members of the band also moonlight as a Ramones tribute band called Th ...
, The Modernettes, Little Guitar Army, and The Braineaters featuring renowned artist Jim Cummins on lead vocals. Reyes' band consisted of guitarists Kevin Rose from Crash Bang Crunch Pop!, and Jon Doe from the Scramblers along with a rhythm section consisting of
Real McKenzies founding member Anthony Walker on bass and Scott Beadle on drums.
Greg Ginn
Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, bassist, singer and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led ...
performed three songs with the Ron Reyes Band at this event: "Jealous Again", "Revenge", and a new, original composition entitled "Broken".
Reyes appeared in the Vancouver-based documentary ''Bloodied but Unbowed'' about Vancouver's punk community in the late 1970s and ''
The Other F Word
''The Other F Word'' is a 2011 American documentary film directed by independent filmmaker Andrea Blaugrund Nevins. The film explores the world of aging punk rock musicians, as they transition into parents and try to maintain the contrast between ...
'' about being a parent involved in the punk community. The film also says Reyes has worked at a Vancouver print shop for more than 20 years and has three teenagers. He is shown browsing records at a used record store in Vancouver with one of his daughters, and purchasing a copy of ''Jealous Again''.
Reyes currently is performing as the guitarist for PIGGY. Other members of this new project include Izzy Gibson on lead vocals (currently drumming in The Hater Game, ex drummer of Living Deadbeats and AK-747s) Lisafurr Lloyd (ex Slickjacks; currently in the East Vamps) and on bass guitar; Craig McKimm (Little Guitar Army; The Fiends) on drums.
In 2016, Ron joined Dez Cadena to play shows in Brooklyn and scenic Seacaucus, NJ, under the name NORTH AMERICAN WASTE, playing a collection of material which included Black Flag songs, among other rock and roll classics.
In 2017, Reyes played bass with Vancouver rock n' roll icons Puzzlehead for one show only.
References
External links
Black Flag early yearsRed Cross 12-inch EP (Posh Boy, USA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Ron
Living people
American punk rock singers
American male singers
American musicians of Puerto Rican descent
Puerto Rican rock musicians
American expatriates in Canada
Hardcore punk musicians
Black Flag (band) members
Redd Kross members
1960 births