Kira Roessler

Biography

While sitting in with L.A. punk group DC3, members of Black Flag heard her playing, which led to her being asked to join Black Flag to replace founding member Chuck Dukowski. Roessler was majoring in applied engineering at UCLA, and Black Flag's subsequent tours were worked around her school schedule, which was a condition for her to join the band. Her bass playing was featured on five of Black Flag's studio albums. She remained in the band until completing touring behind their album In My Head in the autumn of 1985, then graduated from UCLA in 1986.

After Black Flag, she formed the two-bass duo Dos with Mike Watt (to whom she was married between 1987 and 1994), who are still performing today. She wrote or co-wrote songs for what would be the Minutemen's final album, 3-Way Tie, and to Watt's post-Minutemen band Firehose. She later contributed artwork to Watt's first solo album, Ball-Hog or Tugboat?.

Roessler now works as a dialogue editor on theatrical films in Los Angeles. She has credits (sometimes under her full name, sometimes simply as kira) on such films as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), and has also appeared onscreen in the documentaries We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen and American Hardcore. She won an Emmy for her work on the John Adams episode "Don't Tread on Me" and was nominated for her work on another episode of the series. She appeared on the Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three tribute album in 2003 along with other musical artists, including other Black Flag veterans.