David Griese from the band the Detroit Underdogs counts himself a huge fan of the late Joe Strummer, co-founder of the 1970s-80s British punk rock band The Clash.

“The Clash was one of those timeless bands. It doesn’t matter what decade you’re in; there’s parts of that band you can’t help but love,” he said.

Griese’s trio, along with several others, will take part in a now-annual tribute to Strummer at the Blind Pig Friday night. On the bill this year are A-Bomb, Pancho Villa’s Skull, Ironlad, Constituents, and the Alpha + Omega Soundsystem.

Besides The Clash, Strummer is also known for his work with The Mescaleros, The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, and The Pogues, as well as solo outings. The Clash’s 1980 album “London Calling,” with its groundbreaking mix of musical styles and lyrics that addressed the social issues of the day, has been ranked No. 8 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Strummer died in 2002 at age 50, just before The Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“(They) revolutionized the way that the (punk rock) scene was going. They kept the scene alive and fresh. … ‘London Calling’ to me is by far one of the best albums ever,” Griese added.

Tino Ybarra—the main performer in Detroit’s Pancho Villa's Skull, which plays a mix of traditional mariachi music and punk rock—agreed.

“The Clash was a pretty big influence for me,” Ybarra said. "It's one of those bands I fell in love with … you could really feel in their music where they were coming from, and that's kind of what I wanted to do in my music."

Like Strummer, Ybarra mixes political activism in his lyrics.

"I kind of do social commentary, especially a lot of things to do with immigration and what's going on (with that) in the U.S. right now, from a very Mexican-American standpoint. I have a lot of friends who are immigrants and it affects them as well, so I try to write about things that affect me."

Ybarra, who also played at last year's Joe Strummer tribute at the Pig, said he'll be offering "Spanish Bombs," from "London Calling." However, Griese said the Detroit Underdogs will attempt something a little different.

The pop hit "Paper Planes,” by alternative hip-hop artist M.I.A., has as its backing track a sample from The Clash’s 1982 song "Straight to Hell." That’s the tune the Underdogs will perform at the Strummer tribute, featuring guest vocalist Nikki P.

“We’re going to be playing the first half of ‘Straight to Hell,” then she’s going to come in and do the M.I.A. style,” Griese said. “It’s going to be crossing generations, putting the two together. We’re also going to do ‘Johnny Appleseed’ from the Mescaleros and ‘Trash City,’ from when he was with the (Latino Rockabilly War). He talks about a girl from Kalamazoo, so we had to play that one.”

Choice of songs is left up to the bands involved, although there’s some coordination to avoid repetition.

“I hope that (through) shows like this anybody who hasn’t heard of Joe’s music can get a feel for it, listen to it and pick up some of his albums. I can’t think of a better artist for somebody, especially nowadays, to pick up an album and listen to it,” Griese added.

Meanwhile, Ybarra recalled last year's show as a feel-good event.

""It was really cool to have all these bands come together and appreciate the same person. It really did feel like the spirit of Joe Strummer was there," Ybarra said.