Rise Against rises to the occasion

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Taking a short leave from the madness of the Vans Warped Tour, the members of Anti-Flag and Rise Against went jet-skiing together last week in British Columbia. We can only hope there was a photographer somewhere capturing that scene -- which, of course, had to have taken its toll on A-F's mohawks.

	Anthony Saint James Rise Against keeps its music topical. Click photo for larger image.

It's no surprise that the two bands would have formed a bond over the years, as both stem from the political school of punk rock.

"We're a few of the last two bands standing that are still talking about politics in music," says singer Tim McIlrath. "But beyond that, we're just really good friends, and we get along really well."

Like Pittsburgh's Anti-Flag, Chicago's Rise Against rose through the ranks of the punk world with grassroots touring, gaining enough exposure to make the jump from an indie to a major label.

On its fourth album, "The Sufferer & the Witness," on Geffen, Rise Against attacks with an aggressive but melodic hardcore style reminiscent of Bad Religion. Unlike Anti-Flag, they deal with politics and social injustice in general terms rather than raging against specific government policies.

"Our stuff is a little more poetic, a little more cryptic," McIlrath says. "That's the way I've always written music. I love Anti-Flag's approach; I think they're really effective in what they do. Our approach is a little different; our music has always been a reflection of life and the world around us. There's a lot more going on in each person's life than just politics and social issues. Life is a little more complex than that. Our music has been an attempt to mirror those complexities."

On "Chamber the Cartridge," the opening track of "The Sufferer & The Witness," Rise Against rails against apathy and, on "Bricks," takes on war and resistance in universal terms. Rise Against also leaves room for personal issues, like two lovers on a fateful ride in "The Approaching Curve."

"I like to deal with stuff that is more timeless," McIlrath says. "I think that a lot of the problems we deal with today in the world are the ones that have been plaguing society for centuries and probably will be here a hundred years from now -- hopefully not, but probably will be. There's a bigger picture than just the Bush administration and specific problems of 2006, and I want people to relate to that, even if they're listening to it 10 years from now."

Rise Against has had some mainstream breakthroughs in recent years, including an appearance in the film "Lords of Dogtown" (as a '70s-era punk band) and the latest record debuting at No. 10 on the charts.

But having been at this for six years, its members don't consider it overnight success and realize that the core of their longtime success is down in the mosh pit. McIlrath says that's part of what they learned from veterans like Bad Religion and NOFX.

"What's great about having bands like that in our lives is that it gives us something to work towards. Those bands set an example: We can be a successful band and play for our entire lives and not have chart-topping hits and play for 10,000 people a night, but still do what we do.

"That's what I see in Bad Religion, Pennywise, Social Distortion, and that's what I aspire to. I was never a kid in my bedroom wanting to be a rock star. I never wanted to be in U2 and Guns 'N Roses. It was a lot more about people and community and the chance to create a lot of dialogue in that community."

McIlrath thinks that punk had some rough times over the past decade, due to bands copycatting the success of Green Day and Blink-182, but that it's on its way back, judging from the vibe at this year's Warped Tour.

"I think the world was just inundated with punk for the past five or 10 years. Punk just exploded, and with that explosion came the creation of so many filler punk bands -- a lot of bands that just traded in their Disturbed costumes for mohawks and tried to sell records 'cause that was the flavor of the week. I could see the world being really frustrated with the state of punk. I know I'm bored with a lot of the music that's claiming to be punk. What's happening now is that those bands are disappearing, and the bands that are here for the right reason are going to shine through."

(Scott Mervis can be reached at smervis@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2576. )