Red Flag

History

After growing up in Liverpool, the brothers, following their father's itinerant job, moved to locations such as Montreal and Seattle; in 1979, the family settled in California, arriving first in Los Angeles, then San Diego. The brothers first started playing electronic music in 1982, when Mark Reynolds bought a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer over a guitar on a trip to a music store. The first song they recorded, "Distant Memories", under the name Shades of May, was selected for a compilation album, Local Heroes, by San Diego radio station 91X in 1984. Shades of May subsequently received offers to play live, and the brothers began to study music and computer technology seriously in turn. In this interim, the band also changed its name to Red Flag; later, the name would frequently be associated with the red flag iconography of the Soviet Union, though the band insisted that it was taken from a warning signal used in surfing.

Later, in March 1988, they performed at a party for Resource Record Pool, a record pool based in Southern California, at the Mannikin club in Pacific Beach. There, the band was noticed by Synthicide Records (a subsidiary of Enigma Records) head and producer Jon St. James; after their demo tapes were reviewed the following day, the band recorded their first single, "Broken Heart" (as well as its B-side, "Control") at St. James's recording studio, Formula One, a week later. St. James, best known for his work with singer Stacey Q, co-produced the record with her; she also provided backing vocals and coached Mark on his singing.

"Broken Heart" was released in July 1988; the single was printed on 12" clear red vinyl, and received airplay on both 91X and the influential KROQ-FM. That month also saw the band play at larger venues, such as Videopolis at Disneyland. Their first album, Naïve Art, was released in 1989 under label Enigma. Released at the time of seminal synth pop group Depeche Mode's greatest success, it drew comparisons as being stylistically similar to that group's recordings, featuring extensive use of synthesizers and dance beats, and vocals that were generally deep and gloomy in mood. Several singles from the album charted highly on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts, such as "Russian Radio" (#11) and "If I Ever" (#12). Red Flag went on to appear on American Bandstand, and the video for "Russian Radio" was played by MTV's 120 Minutes. Notable producers who worked on Naïve Art include Paul Robb of synthpop band Information Society and Joseph Watt of remix service Razormaid. Naïve Art remains the only full album Razormaid ever produced.

Red Flag toured frequently, playing at first as opening act to New Wave and synthpop artists such as Devo, Thomas Dolby, Book of Love and Real Life.

In 1991, Enigma Records closed, and the duo signed on with I.R.S. Records and released "Machines" in 1992 before leaving the label in 1993. The brothers then founded an independent record label, Plan B Records, from which they have released all their subsequent recordings. Red Flag tracks have appeared on numerous compilations, including several put out by Razormaid.

By 2000 and the release of the highly acclaimed dark album, The Crypt, the brothers were performing with European electropop and futurepop bands like Dance or Die, Melotron, Mesh, T.O.Y., and De/Vision.

On May 17, 2002, Red Flag performed for an audience of nearly one thousand at a concert at the Museum of the Nation in Lima, Peru.

Mark Reynolds passed away on April 7, 2003.

In 2007, Chris Reynolds relaunched the band's official website, announcing plans to record a new Red Flag album solo. The newly released album, titled Born Again, which marks Chris Reynolds debut as vocalist, has captivated fans in the dark industrial and goth genres. Chris Reynolds also revealed plans for a winter 2007 release Christmas-themed album and possibly a best of album in the coming year. Red Flag's comeback tour will be kicked off by shows in Chicago and will include festival performances at Dark Arts Festival 07 and Gothicfest 07 and Gothic Cruise 08.

Music

Naïve Art, Red Flag's first album, was acclaimed by critics as a mixture of classically oriented melodies, driving dance beats and, industrial sounding samples and fills.

The 1994 album The Lighthouse stood out as being stylistically unlike any of the band's prior or subsequent recordings, with highly ambient, tranquil melodies.

The 2000 release of the highly acclaimed and dark album, The Crypt, marked a new darker and more industrial style for Red Flag. Though often compared at the time to some of the music hailing from Europe's futurepop movement, Red Flag's music has been characterized by a unique style set apart from any other electronic music; distinguishing Red Flag in terms of melodies, vocals, and an expertly crafted electronic style all their own.

The releases of both Fear of a Red Planet and The Bitter End were harshly criticized by critics in the synthpop genre, who were unaccustomed to and unaccepting of Red Flag's increasingly dark style, lamenting what they considered the gloomy and dark aspects of these albums compared to Red Flag's earlier synthpop works. Only in later years were these two albums noticed anew in the Goth and Darkwave genres, by both fans and DJs, where they are enjoying a resurgence of interest and airplay.

Codebreaker t133 fared no better in 2003, with synthpop adherents than preceding albums. The uptempo album with all songs set to a beat of 133 per minute was more danceable than some prior Red Flag works but the album failed to catch on.

Red Flag's 2002 remix album, Who are the Skulls?, featured other synthpop artists such as Information Society's Paul Robb, Cosmicity, Provision, and Rob Rowe of Cause & Effect. The concept of the album was to organize a project in answer to the many requests from other remixers to work with the band.

In 2007, Chris Reynolds resumed recording as Red Flag and released the exceptional album Born Again to acclaim among the gothic community.

Concerts

• Sep 21, 2008 Gothic Cruise - Tampa, FL
• Oct 12, 2007 Gothicfest
• Oct 13, 2007 Record Bar - Kansas City,
• Jun 22, 2007 Necropolisfest, Tijuana, Mexico
• Jun 09, 2007 Dark Arts Festival-Salt Lake City, UT w/Machine Gun Symphony
• Jun 08, 2007 Green Dolphin Street Club - Chicago, IL
• Jun 07, 2007 Club Anything - Milwaukee, WI
• Jun 30, 2002 Synthpop Goes the World - Toronto, Canada
• May 17, 2002 Lima, Peru
• May 23, 2002 HullyGully - Los Angeles, CA w/Shades of Grey, ROOM 1202, Provision,
• May 12, 2002 Club XANTH - San Diego, CA
• Apr 13, 2002 Canes -San Diego, CA w/Daniel Ash
• Mar 16, 2002 (DADA X) Mexico City
• Mar 15, 2002 Synth Organization Club - Guadalajara Mexico : w/Seven-o-Seven 707, Nexus8
• Dec 29, 2001 Troubadour - Los Angeles w/ Room 1202
• Dec 07, 2001 AREA 51, El Paso TX
• Nov 17, 2001 Double Door, Chicago, Illinois
• Nov 06, 2001 CASBAH, San Diego CA w/ ElectroCrypt, Creepy Creeps & Cattle Decapitation
• Oct 26, 2001 Club USUAL - San Jose, CA
• Oct 07, 2001 The Church/Lizard Lounge - Dallas, TX
• Oct 05, 2001 Cardi's - Houston, TX
• Oct 04, 2001 Underworld Nightclub - Houston, TX w/Provision
• Oct 04, 2001 Numbers - Houston, TX
• Sep 03, 2000 Playroom - Hollywood, CA
• Nov 17, 2000 Coyote Wells- El Centro, CA w/Anything Box
• Sep 22, 2001 Chaser's Nightclub - Scottsdale, AZ
• Jun 22, 2001 The Catwalk -Seattle WA
• Jun 23, 2001 The New Paris Theatre - Portland OR
• Apr 27, 2001 Markthalle Theatre - Hamburg, GERMANY w/ De/Vision, S.P.O.C.K , Toy
• Mar 25, 2001 The Warehouse - Cincinnati, OH
• Mar 24, 2001 BATCAVE - New York, NY w/MESH
• Mar 23, 2001 Chasers - Chicago IL w/FAITH ASSEMBLY
• Mar 22, 2001 The Drink - Chicago IL w/MESH, FAITH ASSEMBLY
• Mar 03, 2001 DADA X - Mexico City, MEXICO
• Feb 18, 2001 The Rage Nightclub - Sacramento, CA
• Feb 16, 2001 DreamStreet Theatre - San Diego, CA w/Fallen 019, Call Me Alice, 1volatile1
• Jan 15, 2000 AREA 51 - Salt Lake City, UT
• Dec 18, 2000 Dreamstreet Theatre - San Diego CA w/Voz Frontera, Fallen 019, Call Me Alice
• Nov 17, 2000 Blanc Image Coyote Wells - El Centro CA
• Sep 03, 2000 PlayRoom - Hollywood CA
• Aug 12, 2000 TIVOLI Festival - Helsingborg, SWEDEN w/Dance or Die, S.P.O.C.K., Melotron
• Aug 24, 1995 The Edge - Palo Alto, CA
• Mar 1995 Sacramento,
• Mar 03, 1995 Synthpopaluza 2, Dallas, TX
• Aug 25, 1995 San Francisco,
• Nov 18, 1995 Provo, Utah,
• Feb 10, 1989 Numbers - Houston

Discography

Watch Them Perform!

Upcoming Events

Eventful results for "Red Flag"
THE GALAXY PRESENTS BEST IN WORLD COLORS 10A DJ JULIAN HOST VOODOO EVENT BEST IN WORLD COLORS WE LOVE TO SEE THE COLORS THAT ARE ON THE FLAG OF YOUR COUNTRY, SO SLIP THEM ON AND HEAD ON DOWN TO THE GALAXY, PARTY WITH RED HOT GALAXY STAFF FOR THE NEXT 2 HRS AS THEY THROW 600L (300 PER SIDE) FOR THE BOARDS, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SHOW YOUR PATRIOTIC PRIDE!! When: Nov 21, 2008 10:00:00 AM to Nov 21, 2008 12:00:00 PM Where: AMTS Posted by:lindenlab
Veronica&128;&153;s Room When: Thursdays at 8 p.m. Fridays at 8 p.m. Saturdays at 8 p.m. Next date: Thursday, October 30, 2008 Start date: Thursday, October 30, 2008 Event is ongoing: Until Saturday, November 22, 2008 Where: Cox Building Playhouse, 1517 Avenue H, Plano Cost: $15 - $18 Categories: Plays Description Rover Dramawerks will present the chilling thriller Veronica&128;&153;s Room by Ira Levin at the Cox Building Playhouse. Susan, a young college student (played by Taylor Granlund of Dallas) has been spotted with her date (Abel Flores of Mesquite) at a restaurant by an older couple (Terrie Justus and Joe Porter, both of Dallas). They tell her Susan that she looks exactly like Veronica, a woman who died many years ago, and now her sister is dying and wants to see her one more time, refusing to believe Veronica is dead. Susan is enticed to impersonate Veronica, only to find herself locked in the role and in Veronica&128;&153;s room. Is it 1973, as Susan believes...or 1935 Veronica&128;&153;s Room is by playwright Ira Levin, who died on November 12, 2007 of a heart attack.His first play was a comedy called No Time for Sergeants that was subsequently made into a movie starring Don Knotts.Mr. Levin is best known as the author of Rosemary&128;&153;s Baby, The Boys from Brazil, The Stepford Wives, and Deathtrap.Deathtrap earned him a Tony nomination and still holds the record for the longest running thriller in Broadway history &128;&147; 1,792 consecutive performances.Because the one-year anniversary of Mr. Levin&128;&153;s death occurs during the run of Veronica&128;&153;s Room, Rover Dramawerks will be dedicating the run of this show to his memory.Award-winning Off-Broadway director Lisa Devine of Dallas directs, with Dawn Wittke King of Carrollton as Assistant Director/Stage Manager and lighting designer.Bill Justus of Dallas is set designer, Jason Rice of Plano is sound designer and Robin Coulonge of Allen is properties designer. Tickets for Veronica&128;&153;s Room are $15.00 on Thursdays and matinees and $18.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.Thursday, October 30 is Preview Night, and all seats are &128;&156;pay-what-you-can.&128;&157; Post a comment (Requires free PegasusNews.com account.) Username: Password: (Forgotten your password) Comment: Find... an event a Pegasus Pick a restaurant a garage sale a drink special a movie showtime a band an organization a job a political contribution a house a deal Add... an event a garage sale a lost pet a band a story a photo ; Today GlamAmours Bewitching Burlesque Remember Abe Weinsteins Colony Club How about Jack Rubys Carousel Dang, youre old. (And dirty) Hearken back to the golden days of Dallas burlesque with women who tease to please. More info Darby / At The Park / Darcy / Yesterhill / Paperworks Neverset / Faktion / LaME / Brokas Bliss / Ellis County The Drams / Braker Lane / Liquid Kitchen Gym Class Heroes / The Roots / Estelle Astronautalis / Sarah Jaffe / Picnictyme / Info Red All todays events Pegasus Picks ; Blogs Deli-cious irony Square Pegs I so wish we had laser eyes Square Pegs Why I think the ecomomy is even scarier than I thought Square Pegs See more Latest comments ch0 on 40-year-old Arlington miniature golf course to close: 24 hours Who knew. What a heartbreak. This place was my very first real job during high school. Put... TravisRex on Dallas old Parkland Hospital complex will soon reopen as office buildings: I wonder if SWAT and the DEA will still use it for training exercises I suppose the receptionists w... lisagetti on State Fair vendor shows a random act of kindness: Yes, Rich and I loooovvve the Chili Parlor; now even more so Go Tom They have been showing us kind... Mike Orren on Why I think the ecomomy is even scarier than I thought: Auto makers have struggled in the past months but they are nowhere near the bottom. The next year i... See more recent comments Latest reviews Collin Gouldin on Ricky Rays BBQ: The food was pretty good, but maybe they should stick to catering&8230; The store front wasn&8217;t very org... 1concernedcitizen on Fat Joes Pizza (Allen): Believe me as an overweight person I know good pizza and I promise you the pizza was nasty. I am not... 1concernedcitizen on El Fenix Mexican Restaurant (Dallas / Inwood & Lemmon): Raise the flag and bring more of those great desserts&8230;... See more recent reviews Things you cant miss Theater review: Doubt, A Parable The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fair(l)y (Stoopid) Tales playing at Casa Maana Children&128;&153;s Playhouse John Paul II High School Honor Society raises funds for Hurricane Ike Victims Deli-cious irony Todays best events Find a restaurant Find a drink special Find a deal Latest stories Photographs Do Not Bend presents: John Albok Video interview: Dallas neighborhood artist Chris McHenry Chesapeake Energy withdraws TCU permit request 40-year-old Arlington miniature golf course to close DFW-area dairy farms almost extinct See more stories pegadskyscraper = src: http://media.pegasusnews.com/iframes/ads/media/160x60016860.html, zoneid: 16860, adsize: height: 600, width: 160 , adtype: media ; When: Nov 21, 2008 8:00:00 PM Where: Cox Building Playhouse in Plano,Texas Cost: $15 - $18 Posted by:evdb
The Grande Machine - The Red Flags Ages: 21+ Laugh, Rock, Repeat: Night of Comedy and Rock. Featuring the music of The Grande Machine and The Red Flags. Comedy by Gus Lynch and more! When: Nov 21, 2008 9:00:00 PM Where: The St Paul Eagles Club in Saint Paul,Minnesota Posted by:evdb
Weed Whackin' Saturdays Survivors of the 2007 Wildfires need your help Volunteer San Diego is seeking to enlist community volunteers to help provide brush management services for fire survivors in need. With assistance from local fire recovery centers and partner organizations, teams of volunteers will be able to provide these services at no cost to fire survivors who are either senior citizens, physically unable, low-income, underinsured or challenged by special circumstances. The work is sometimes hard but always rewarding. By providing these services, you can help these fire survivors rebuild their homes, mitigate their future fire risks, maintain their home insurance and avoid potentially hefty fines. With your help, it will be possible to provide relief to people in need during the difficult process of their recovery. Projects will take place on Saturdays in the fire affected-areas of Fallbrook, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Ramona and Dulzura on a rotating basis. Equipment and safety training will be provided and transportation options may be arranged. All that is required is your presence and a willingness to help. Please wear long pants and boots. We will provide water and snacks, but bringing your own packed lunch is highly recommended. Please be advised that projects may be rescheduled on short notice due to inclement weather or red flag warning days. For more information, please contact Seth Connolly, Fire Recovery Coordinator, 858-636-4124 or sconnolly@volunteersandiego.org. When: Nov 22, 2008 8:00:00 AM to Nov 22, 2008 4:00:00 PM Where: Postal code 92123, United States in San Diego,California Posted by:evdb
SWEA Annual Swedish Yuletide Bazaar The Annual Swedish Yuletide Bazaar Svensk Jul Marknad Information in English: Hosted by SWEA Washington D.C. Saturday, November 22, 2008 11:00AM to 3:00PM Traditional Swedish food, including homemade baked goods Shopping for Swedish artwork, crystal, textiles, books Children's room - children play and make Christmas decorations Raffle with prizes Located on block west of Wisconsin Avenue and very close to AU-Tenleytown Metro on red line. Event is open to the public. Event organizer will be wearing a blue baseball hat that has a Swedish flag and the word "Sverige" on it. Look forward to meeting everyone there! Information på svenska Organisierad av SWEA Washington D.C. Lördagen, 22:a November 2008 Mellan klockan 11:00 och 15:00 Svensk mat Handla svenska varor, t. ex. böcker, kristall Lekrum för barn med julpynt Lotteri Ligger ett kvarter väster om Wisconsin Avenue nära AU Tenleytown Metro på red line When: Nov 22, 2008 11:00:00 AM Where: Postal code 20005, United States in Washington,District of Columbia Posted by:evdb

In The Blogosphere

External Links

• Official site
• Red Flag (band) at MySpace