Black Flag: The band may be most famous for acting as Henry Rollins’ mouthpiece for a time, but these Southern California punks single-handedly changed the face of the indie music scene more than any other band in history. From their metal-meets-punk sound to their do-it-yourself philosophy (largely in part to guitarist Greg Ginn’s SST Records), Black Flag forged the way for the three decades of indie bands to have followed in their wake. They may also have the coolest logo of all-time.

Anti-Flag: Politcal punks from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the band’s various members all have silly punk names like Justin Sane, Chris#2, and Pat Thetic. They’ve released records for several labels over the years, all of them with punk-sounding titles like “Die for the Government,” “A New Kind of Army” and “Mobilize.” The band eventually signed with RCA records, a move that many of their fans saw as an overt fuck you. But the band soldiered on, releasing “For Blood and Empire” in 2006.

“Pink Flag“: This 1977 album by British punks Wire is widely acclaimed for its blend of dissonance and melody. It ranks as number 410 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and received a perfect 10.0 rating by Pitchfork, the notoriously fickle indie rock site. The album’s influence can be heard in bands like Sonic Youth, and acts as varied as R.E.M. and Minor Threat have covered songs off of it.

Black Velvet Flag: This trio of NYC hipsters combined lounge music, synthetic drum beats and the lyrics to some of their favorite tracks from Fear, the Circle Jerks and Suicidal Tendencies for a cheesy smorgasbord all their own. Think Dread Zeppelin meets the Moog Cookbook meets Richard Cheese. And bonus points for recreating the “Decline of the Western Civilization” artwork.

Electric Flag: Blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield, a one-time member of The Butterfield Blues Band, formed the group in 1967 to play a blend of soul, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. The band played their first gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in front of 55,000 — not too shabby. Their most famous recording is “Flash, Bam, Pow,” which appears in the bridge sequence of “Easy Rider.” They are also notable for having Buddy Miles as their drummer, who would later play with Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys.

Red Flag: This synth-pop duo made up of brothers Chris and Mark Reynolds, were formed in San Diego, California, and have released over a dozen albums since their inception in 1984. Though they never achieved the same type of commercial success as fellow synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode, Red Flag did manage to tour with other notable acts like Devo and Thomas Dolby. Mark Reynolds passed away in 2003, but brother Mark has continued to record using the moniker.

White Flag: Not to be confused with the Dido song of the same name, this California pop punk band is led by Pat Fear (not to be confused with Pat Smear). The band developed a loyal cult following early on, and over the years the band has featured guest members like Jon Auer of the Posies, Greg Hetson of Bad Religion and Eric Erlandson of Hole. Though the band took a break for most of the 90s, they released “Eternally Undone” in 1999.

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