Greg Ginn is complicated — and misunderstood. The
53-year-old guitarist is best known for his visceral playing in South
Bay punk band Black Flag, but those who followed Ginn’s output after
his group’s 1986 breakup know he’s not one to bask in the memories of
the good ol’ days. Depending on who’s listening, his refusal to conform
to musical boundaries makes him either an ever-changing artist or a
stubborn musician who won’t simply play the hits. Ginn’s tight-lipped
persona has created more questions than answers regarding his dormant
status for the past 10 years, but the guitarist has emerged from his
decade-long disappearance by releasing six new records in as many
months.
“I’ve been recording a lot,” Ginn says, “but most people don’t
understand that. I’ve been evolving. I hadn’t released anything in
quite a while, so I’m just getting caught up on recordings I wanted to
put out.”
The six-stringer’s evolution from hardcore wailer to unclassified genres is heard throughout each new disc. With Gone’s
The Epic Trilogy,
Ginn stomps through every style, from electronic and blues to
head-bobbing numbers reminiscent of the slow material featured on side
two of Black Flag’s 1984 album,
My War. The record features
three 15-minute songs and comes with an instrumental and a vocal
version with Bad Brains singer HR, while Mojack’s
Under the Willow Tree and
The Metal Yearsexemplify Ginn’s unique musical voice, as he lays down steady bass and
guitar riffs for saxophonist Tony Atherton to blow like a modern-day
Ornette Coleman.
Gone and Mojack are monikers Ginn has used in the past, but the
guitarist is also part of two new acts: Jambang, and Greg Ginn and the
Taylor Texas Corrugators. On the latter’s
Bent Edge and
Goof Off Experts,
the guitarist scales back his spastic playing in favor of groove-based
instrumentals that serve as his version of Miles Davis’ “Birth of the
Cool,” while Jambang’s
Connecting is an atmospheric journey
through multiple melodic layers that deviate from everything Ginn has
released in his career. Although the sounds differ, a tour currently
crisscrossing its way across the country features both bands and
includes Ginn, drummer Steve DeLollis, bassist Cliff Samuels and
mandolin player Bobby Bancalari. To those who think two sets performed
by the same musicians under different names will cause confusion and
sonic overlapping, Ginn says, Jambang’s incorporation of live video
elements separates the show into distinct entities.
“We’re working with this visual artist, Joey Keeton,” Ginn says,
“and he’s doing a program, so our music is going to be synched up to
video and a projection. Although it’s the same people playing, Jambang
is an audiovisual concept. It’s very structured in certain ways,
because we’re synched with the video, whereas the Corrugators are much
different. It’s all instrumental — both bands — but the Corrugators
have more improvisation going on.”
Ginn’s profile hasn’t been this high since 2003, when fans witnessed
the first and only legitimate Black Flag reunion featuring the
guitarist. Ginn says he’s been propositioned for a Black Flag gig every
year since 1986 but gave it a go when he decided to donate all profits
to cat-rescue organizations, an issue close to his heart. “It was
really good to play with people I hadn’t played with in a long time,”
Ginn says, “and I was able to encourage people to adopt cats. We raised
about $95,000 for six organizations. That goes a long way.”
Ginn got puzzled looks when he revealed to people the reason behind
the three-show reunion; he believes most thought the event would be
used as a springboard for a full tour. It’s an issue, Ginn says, he
understands. “I think people should scrutinize,” he notes, “but I don’t
need to justify it. I don’t like hanging around cynical people. They’re
not very interesting, and nothing’s any good. They’d never do something
for a cat, so they can’t understand that.”
More surprising than Ginn’s leap back into the spotlight is his
soon-to-be-complete move to Texas. For months, the business side of SST
has been operational from Taylor, a town 40 minutes outside of Austin,
with a population of 15,000, but the guitarist cited some personal
issues that have kept him traveling between the two states. Ginn chose
Taylor because he liked the idea of living in a small town within a
short distance of a major city. He likens his new residence to the
years he spent in Long Beach, a city close to Hollywood.
“I’ve always tried to stay 20 to 30 miles from the action,” Ginn
says. “Like Long Beach is. There are a few really cool country dance
halls that have local musicians. It’s a scene I wouldn’t be exposed to
if I wasn’t here. I’m starting to get into that, but I don’t think I’ll
start wearing cowboy hats and Wranglers, just like I never got a
Mohawk.”
Click here to read: Joe Carducci's Book Enter Naomi Recounts History of SST Records (by Steve Appleford).