White Flag is an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band currently based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Their current lineup consists of frontman Mike Mess (guitar), Jello B. Afro (bass), and Trace Element (drums). These members have been in the band since 1982, though many have rotated in and out. White Flag has a discography that ranges from their 1982 debut ''R is for Rocket'' to 2010's ''Benefit For Cats''.

History

White Flag formed in 1982 in Sunnymead, a community in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...

, which is now part of the city of

Moreno Valley Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's pop ...

. The original core lineup, which included Pat Fear, Trace Element, Doug Graves, and El Fee, self-released their debut album ''S Is for Space'' the same year. In contrast to other bands at the time, White Flag took an anti-drug, pro-

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party and became an important figure in ...

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

, pro-

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

stance as a satirical image, with Fear dressing up as a police officer. They played their first two shows in the summer of 1982 at keg parties, before opening a show for Black Flag. A live version of this third show was included on the 25th anniversary deluxe reissue of ''S Is for Space''. This version of the lineup featured Al Bum on lead vocals. In a 1983 '' Flipside'' interview, guitarist Pat Fear noted: In 1984, the band released the album ''Third Strike'', which featured

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...

singer

Mike Ness Michael James Ness (born April 3, 1962) is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. He has also released two solo albums, '' Cheating at Sol ...

singing harmonies on the song "Middle Class Hell". While mostly inactive in the 1990s, they released the album ''Eternally Undone'' in 1999. In 2006 White Flag toured in Italy for the first time. As a souvenir of the group's first visit, the band released a limited edition, hand numbered 8 song 10-inch vinyl album, on Roma based RARO! Records, entitled "Piangi Con Me", which is now out of print. In 2008, the band toured Europe twice, first in March (Germany and Netherlands), and then in June–July they did 23 gigs, including two with

NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

and the

Adolescents Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with ...

. Some gigs in the U.S. with the Germs and the Adolescents followed. In May 2010, the band released the 7-inch e.p. "Keepers of The Purple Twilight" on Target Earth Records limited to 300 copies. 2010 also saw the release of "Benefit For Cats" on Cupcake Records. In 2011, Strange Magic Records released White Flag and Tony Adolescent's "Live at Bohemian Grove / White Flag & Tony" 7-inch EP. That same year the band, who were big fans of 1970s seminal punk group

The Runaways The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are " Cherry Bomb", " Holl ...

contributed the track "C'mon" to the controversial tribute album "Take It Or Leave It: A Tribute To The Original Queens of Noise:

". The song featured Michael Lee Smith, lead singer of the band

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

on lead vocals. The current line-up, featured on the July 2010 vinyl only release "Benefit For Cats", performed their first Midwest shows in July 2010. With shows in Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago, on July 15,16, and 17 respectively. The shows were record release parties for the album, as well as for the Russian release limited edition 7-inch e.p. "Two Pack", which is limited to only 100 copies, and is a split release with Russian band Citramons. Pat Fear died on September 24, 2013. The band continued on with members Trace Element, Jello B. Afro, and Mike Mess.

Members

The punk rock names of band members were chosen to parody those of

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Init ...

, and

Pat Smear Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He was the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles–based punk band The Germs and a rhythm guitarist for grunge band Nirvana ...

Current lineup

*Jello B. Afro-

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

and

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

, 1982–1984, 2007–present *Mike Mess-

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, bass, and

, 1984, ???–present *Trace Element-

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

and

Former members

* Pat Fear- bass, guitar, keyboards, sitar, vocals *Doug Graves *El Fee *Al Bum- lead vocals *Pick Z. Stix- drums *

Ken Stringfellow Kenneth Stuart Stringfellow (born October 30, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. Best known for his work with The Posies, R.E.M., and the re-formed Big Star, Stringfellow's discography include ...

(credited as "Kim Crimson")- bass, drums, guitar, keyboard, vocals *Kent Crimson *Jim Tiligiant- bass, drums, guitar, vocals *Viv Vacuum- bass, guitar, vocals *

Eric Erlandson Eric Theodore Erlandson (born January 9, 1963) is an American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as a founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002. He has also had several musical s ...

Kim Shattuck Kimberly Dianne Shattuck (July 17, 1963 – October 2, 2019) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. She was the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the American punk rock band the Muffs, which formed in 1991. From ...

* Ronnie Barnett * Duke Seino *El Swe * Victor M. Surrounded- drums

Discography

White Flag has a large discography. This is an incomplete list:

Studio albums

* ''

R is for Rocket ''R is for Rocket'' (1962) is a short story collection by American writer Ray Bradbury, compiled for Young Adult library sections. It contains fifteen stories from earlier Bradbury collections, and two previously uncollected stories. Contents ...

'' (1982) * ''

S is for Space ''S is for Space'' (1966) is a collection of science fiction short stories written by Ray Bradbury.Publisher: Bantam Books (1966). Language: English. It was compiled for the Young Adult sections of libraries. Contents ;"Chrysalis" :A scienc ...

'' (1983) * '' Third Strike'' (1984) * '' (WFO)'' (1985) * ''

Feeding Frenzy In ecology, a feeding frenzy is a type of animal group activity that occurs when predators are overwhelmed by the amount of prey available. The term is also used as an idiom in the English language. Examples in nature For example, a large schoo ...

'' (1986) * ''

Peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

'' (1986) * '' Zero Hour'' (1986) * ''Wild Kingdom'' (1987) * ''Skate Across America'' (1995) * '' Eternally Undone'' (2001) * ''

History is Fiction History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

'' (2002) * ''T Is For Twenty'' (2006) * ''Benefit For Cats'' (2010)

Eps and 7-inches

*'' Suicide King ''(1987) * '' Freedom Fighters'' (1988) * '' R is for Rad'' (1989) * ''Within You Without You'' (1990) * ''

White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dea ...

'' (1993) (

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by John Mermis, known as Long Gone John. Notable artists who started on Sympathy and went ...

) * '' Don't Give It Away'' (1992) * '' 3rd Sun Mower'' (1993) * ''Novocaine'' (1995) * ''

On The Way Down "On the Way Down" is the debut single of American musician Ryan Cabrera, released from his 2004 studio album, '' Take It All Away''. Cabrera co-wrote the song with Curtis Frasca and Sabelle Breer and produced it with Goo Goo Dolls frontman John ...

'' (1999) * '' Piangi Con Me'' (2006) * ''Keepers of The Purple Twilight'' (2010) * ''Live At Bohemian Grove / White Flag & Tony'' (2011)

Splits

* ''Tesco Vee and White Flag'' * '' Jail Jello!'' (1987) (split with

Necros Necros was an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They were the first band to record for Touch and Go Records. History Necros was formed in mid-1979 by then- ...

) * '' Sator Vs. White Flag'' (1994) (split with Sator) * ''White Flag/ Baby Demons'' (2008) * ''Two Pack Split'' (2010) * ''Levitate The Listener'' (with

Versus You Versus You is a four-piece punk rock, pop-punk band from Luxembourg, founded in 2005 by Eric Rosenfeld and Giordano Bruno. In 2014, '' Le Quotidien'' described the band, with its nearly 10-year history, as an "institution in the Luxembourg rock sce ...

) (2011) * ''White Flag / Crise Total'' (with Crise Total) (2011) * ''

Bbs Paranoicos Bbs Paranoicos is a Chilean hardcore punk band formed in 1991. They are one of the most popular punk bands in Chile. Bands like Lagwagon, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, No Use For A Name, Descendents, All and Bad Religion have been cited as influenc ...

/White Flag'' (2012) * ''White Flag & Tony Adolescent'' * ''White Flag/Shoplifters'' (2013)

Compilation albums

* ''Sgt. Pepper'' (1987) * ''Thru the Trash Darkly'' (1993) * ''Step Back 10'' (1996) * '' R is for Rocket, U is for Unreleased'' (2003) * ''T Is For Twenty'' (2006) * ''Counterclockwise'' (2007) *''Wild Kingdom/Zero Hour/Sgt. Pepper'' (2008)

Live albums

* ''Bleedin' In Sweden'' (1986) * ''

'' (2003)

Albums contributed to

* ''The Sound of Hollywood 3—Copulation'' (

Mystic Records Mystic Records is an American record label and music production company specializing in hardcore punk, crossover thrash, underground music, vintage and cult records. It is owned and operated by Doug Moody. The label was first established in Hollywo ...

, 1984) * ''Eat Me'' (BCT, 1984) * '' Desperate Teenage Lovedolls'' (1984) * ''Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Volume 1'' (Gasatanka, 1984) * ''Mystic Sampler #3'' (Mystic, 1986) * Another Shot for Bracken (Positive Force, 1986) * ''Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 3'' compilation ( CD Presents, 1987) * ''4 Bands That Could Change the World'' (Gasatanka, 1987) * ''Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them'' (Gasatanka, 1989) * '' Gabba Gabba Hey: A Tribute to the Ramones'' (

Triple X Records Triple X Records was a Los Angeles-based record company started by three former employees of the bankrupt Greenworld Distribution: Dean Naleway, Peter Heur and Charley Brown. The label was known for "a fearlessly eclectic catalogue that broke awa ...

, 1991) * ''Freedom of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits As Performed By Today's Stars'' (1992) * '' Germs (Tribute) - A Small Circle Of Friends'' compilation (1996) * ''

Short Music for Short People Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known a ...

'' (1999) * ''Jardim Elétrico: A Tribute to Os Mutantes'' (2007) * '' Take It Or Leave It - A Tribute To The Queens of Noise: The Runaways'' (2011)

References

External links

White Flag at myspace.comWhite Flag - BandToBand.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:White Flag (band) Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical quartets from California Musical groups established in 1982 1982 establishments in California