Bad Religion is a
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of
Greg GraffinGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
(vocals),
Brett GurewitzBrett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
(guitar),
Jay BentleyJay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
(bass),
Greg HetsonGreg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
(guitar),
Brian BakerBrian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
(guitar) and
Brooks WackermanBrooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
(drums). Gurewitz is also the founder of the label
Epitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
, which has released almost all of the band's albums. They are often credited for being involved in the revival of punk rock and inspiring several subsequent punk bands during the late 1980s, as well as influencing a large number of other punk and rock musicians throughout their career. Bad Religion is also particularly known for their use of soaring 3-part vocal harmonies (which they refer to in their album
liner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
as the "oozin' aahs"), sophisticated and intellectual lyrics, and political or religious commentary. Their lyrics often relate to matters of
social responsibilitySocial consciousness is consciousness shared within a society. It can also be defined as social awareness; to be aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis; to be conscious of the difficulties and hardships of society.- Theory :Many studies have been...
.
The band's original line-up featured Bentley on bass, Graffin on vocals, Gurewitz on guitar, and
Jay ZiskroutJay Ziskrout was the first drummer for Bad Religion, forming the group with schoolmate Brett Gurewitz in 1979 when he was 17 years old. He performed on Bad Religion's self-titled EP and eight tracks on their debut full-length album How Could Hell Be Any Worse?...
on drums. Ziskrout left in 1981, while Bad Religion was in the middle of writing and recording their debut album
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?How Could Hell Be Any Worse? is the first full-length album released by influential punk band Bad Religion, which was released on June 1, 1981. Released months after the release of their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $1,000 loan by guitarist Brett Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the...
, and was replaced by
Pete FinestonePete Finestone was the second drummer of the punk rock band Bad Religion. He played in the band in 1981-1982 and again from 1984 to 1991....
. Between the releases of their next two albums
Into the Unknown (1983) and
SufferSuffer is the third album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label...
(1988), there were more line-up changes, leaving Graffin the only remaining original member. After recruiting
Greg HetsonGreg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
as their second guitarist in 1984, Gurewitz, Bentley and Finestone rejoined the band in 1986. The reunited quintet returned to the studio two years later to record
Suffer, which is described by critics as one of the most "influential" punk rock albums of all time.
Suffer was followed up by two more albums –
No Control- Release history :- Notes/Trivia :* Track 2, "Big Bang" was featured on video game Tony Hawk's Underground.* Track 3, "No Control" quotes Scottish natural historian James Hutton, "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."...
(1989) and
Against the Grain-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
(1990) – before Finestone left Bad Religion once again in 1991 and was replaced by
Bobby SchayerBobby Schayer was born on December 23, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He was the drummer for Bad Religion from 1991 to 2001. He was a resident of Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley...
. With Schayer in the band, they recorded
GeneratorIn October 2011, the album was ranked number three on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.-Track listing:#"Generator" - 3:21#"Too Much to Ask" - 2:45#"No Direction" - 3:14#"Tomorrow" - 1:56...
(1992),
Recipe for HateRecipe for Hate is Bad Religion's seventh full-length album, released on September 21, 1993. This was their last album on Epitaph Records and the band switched to Atlantic Records before its release....
(1993) and
Stranger Than FictionStranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
(1994), the latter two of which were released on the major label
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
(though Epitaph actually released
Recipe for Hate before Atlantic re-issued it).
Stranger Than Fiction, the band's first commercial success, managed to sell over half a million copies and earned Bad Religion their only gold record in the United States. Gurewitz grew uncomfortable with the success of the band and left once again in 1994 to continue running Epitaph. Bad Religion recruited former
Minor ThreatMinor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
guitarist
Brian BakerBrian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
to complete the tour and record the band's next three albums. After Gurewitz reconciled with Graffin in 1999 to co-write "Believe It" (from 2000's
The New AmericaThe New America is an album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album on Atlantic Records.The New America is also Bad Religion's last album with Bobby Schayer on drums. Though not yet credited as a member of the band, then-former and now-current guitarist Brett...
), he officially rejoined in 2001, making Bad Religion a six-piece band, and contributed to their four most recent albums (the last being 2010's
The Dissent of Man-Track listing:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Brian Baker – guitar* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass, backing vocals* Brooks Wackerman – drums* Joe Barresi – producer...
). , Bad Religion is already planning a sixteenth studio album, which, according to Graffin, may be their last before a possible split or hiatus.
Bad Religion is considered one of the most successful independent punk acts, selling over 5 million albums worldwide, and charting two singles on the Mainstream Rock charts and seven singles in the Top 40 of the Alternative Songs charts. The band has also enjoyed success outside of the United States; they had three charting singles in the
U.K.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, while "
21st Century (Digital Boy)"21st Century " is a song by the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
" and "
Punk Rock Song"Punk Rock Song" is a song written by Greg Graffin from the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was the second single from their 1996 album The Gray Race. While the single never charted in the U.S., it is Bad Religion's highest charting single in Finland, Germany and Sweden.-Single information:The...
" charted in
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1995 and 1996, respectively. "Punk Rock Song" also charted in
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Formation and early career (1979–1982)
Bad Religion was formed in Los Angeles in 1979 by high school students
Greg GraffinGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
(vocals, keyboards),
Jay BentleyJay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
(bass),
Jay ZiskroutJay Ziskrout was the first drummer for Bad Religion, forming the group with schoolmate Brett Gurewitz in 1979 when he was 17 years old. He performed on Bad Religion's self-titled EP and eight tracks on their debut full-length album How Could Hell Be Any Worse?...
(drums), and
Brett GurewitzBrett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
, also known as "Mr. Brett" (guitar). James O'Hanlon from New York filled in on guitar briefly as well while Brett was in the hospital with a broken leg.
Bad Religion considers their first show to be held in 1980, opening for
Social DistortionSocial Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
in Fullerton, CA, at a warehouse.
In 1981, the band released their eponymous debut
EPAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on the newly formed label,
Epitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
, which was and continues to be managed and owned by Gurewitz. This was immediately followed by their first full-length album,
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?How Could Hell Be Any Worse? is the first full-length album released by influential punk band Bad Religion, which was released on June 1, 1981. Released months after the release of their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $1,000 loan by guitarist Brett Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the...
, gaining the band a sizable following. During the recording of
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Jay Ziskrout left the band and was replaced by Peter Finestone.
Into the Unknown, Back to the Known and hiatus (1983–1985)
In 1983, the band released
Into the Unknown, a keyboard-driven album influenced by
progressive rockProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
. It was enormously unpopular with the band's core fanbase. It is now officially out of print, after almost all of the 10,000 copies were surreptitiously sold out of the warehouse they were being stored in by Gurewitz's ex-girlfriend, Suzy Shaw (who currently runs Bomp Records). The record has since become a collector's item, and has also gained acceptance from some fans. It can be seen going for more than $100 on
eBayeBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Also in 1983, the Mystic Records compilation album "The Sound Of Hollywood, Vol. 2" was released featuring two Bad Religion songs- "Every Day" and "Waiting For The Fire" which continued in the mellow acoustic/keyboard direction of the previous album. Every Day is exclusive to this vinyl-only release which has been out of print for many years, while Waiting For The Fire is available on the "It Ain't My War!" compilation available on iTunes.
In 1984,
Greg HetsonGreg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
of Circle Jerks fame, who had played the guitar solo for "Part III" on
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?How Could Hell Be Any Worse? is the first full-length album released by influential punk band Bad Religion, which was released on June 1, 1981. Released months after the release of their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $1,000 loan by guitarist Brett Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the...
, teamed up with Graffin on the song "Running Fast" for the soundtrack of the film
Desperate Teenage LovedollsDesperate Teenage Lovedolls is a 1984 low budget underground film, shot on super-8 film by David Markey, about a rock band of teenage runaways and their misadventures. The film was released on DVD in 2003...
. Originally credited to
Greg Greg on the initial release, the 1997 CD re-issue lists the artist as
Greg Graffin and Greg Hetson. Soon after, Graffin reassembled Bad Religion with Hetson replacing Gurewitz, who had gone into rehab for his drug problem. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower,
rock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
version of their original sound with the
Back to the Known- Trivia :* Track 3, "Bad Religion", is actually a remake of the song from their 1981 self-titled EP.* A recent fan poll cited "Along The Way" as one of the band's best songs.- Credits :* Greg Graffin – vocals, production* Greg Hetson – electric guitar...
EP, but disbanded temporarily soon after.
In 1985, Brett Gurewitz released a 5-song EP on
Epitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
under the name
The Seeing Eye Gods. This psychedelic influenced record is long out of print and has never been released on CD.
Reunion and Suffer (1986–1988)
Bad Religion slowly reformed in 1986 out of the
Back to the Known line-up when Greg Graffin called Jay Bentley and asked him to return. Bentley's response was tentative, but after being assured that the setlist consisted mostly of tracks from
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, he agreed to return for one show, and ended up staying on because he had so much fun. A freshly rehabilitated Gurewitz was eventually convinced to come back aboard, and with Pete Finestone returning on drums and Greg Hetson on second guitar, Bad Religion was back.
The reunited band released their long-awaited third album
SufferSuffer is the third album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label...
in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album often cited as one of their very best by fans, but it is credited with "saving" the
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.
No Control, Against the Grain and Generator (1989–1992)
During the
Suffer tour in 1988, Bad Religion began writing "albums worth of material". In early 1989, while the band was on a brief break from their
Suffer tour, they decided to commence work on their next album and entered the
Westbeach RecordersWestbeach Recorders is a recording studio in Hollywood, California famous for recording punk rock groups, such as Bad Religion, NOFX, Rancid, The Offspring and Pennywise. It was established in 1985 by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz and re-located to Hollywood, California in February 1987 and...
studio in June of that year to record it. The resulting album,
No Control- Release history :- Notes/Trivia :* Track 2, "Big Bang" was featured on video game Tony Hawk's Underground.* Track 3, "No Control" quotes Scottish natural historian James Hutton, "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."...
, was released in November 1989, and ended up selling more than 60,000 copies. By the time it was released, the band had become one of the most critically praised hardcore punk bands of the time, despite a lack of mainstream success.
Bad Religion's hardcore punk style continued with their next album,
Against the Grain-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
, which was released in 1990. While the album still did not break the band into mainstream audiences, it was the first 100,000 seller, and showed how quickly they were growing. "
21st Century (Digital Boy)"21st Century " is a song by the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
", one of the tracks off the album, is generally regarded as the band's most well-known song, and has been played at almost every live show.
Drummer
Pete FinestonePete Finestone was the second drummer of the punk rock band Bad Religion. He played in the band in 1981-1982 and again from 1984 to 1991....
left Bad Religion again in April 1991 to focus on his other band, The Fishermen, which had signed with a major label, and
Bobby SchayerBobby Schayer was born on December 23, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He was the drummer for Bad Religion from 1991 to 2001. He was a resident of Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley...
joined the band as his replacement. In May 1991, Bad Religion entered the Westbeach Recorders studio to begin recording material for their sixth studio album,
GeneratorIn October 2011, the album was ranked number three on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.-Track listing:#"Generator" - 3:21#"Too Much to Ask" - 2:45#"No Direction" - 3:14#"Tomorrow" - 1:56...
, which was not released until March 1992. The album was recorded almost live in the studio, because, at the time, Gurewitz had moved Westbeach to larger premises, and for the first time, the entire band could play in the studio at the same time. He stated that it was "time to change" and the band "did it in a different studio, but as far as the songwriting, it was a deliberate effort to try something different". To accompany the album, Bad Religion filmed their first music video "Atomic Garden", which was also their first song to be released as a single.
To coincide with the band's success, Bad Religion released a compilation album,
80–85-Credits:*Greg Graffin – vocals *Brett Gurewitz – guitars *Greg Hetson – guitars *Jay Bentley – bass *Tim Gallegos – bass...
, in 1991. It is a repackaging of their debut album,
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?How Could Hell Be Any Worse? is the first full-length album released by influential punk band Bad Religion, which was released on June 1, 1981. Released months after the release of their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $1,000 loan by guitarist Brett Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the...
, their two EPs,
Bad Religion- Credits :* Greg Graffin - Vocals* Brett Gurewitz - Guitar* Jay Bentley - Bass* Jay Ziskrout - Drums...
and
Back to the Known- Trivia :* Track 3, "Bad Religion", is actually a remake of the song from their 1981 self-titled EP.* A recent fan poll cited "Along The Way" as one of the band's best songs.- Credits :* Greg Graffin – vocals, production* Greg Hetson – electric guitar...
and the band's three track contributions to the
Public ServicePublic Service is a compilation EP released in 1981 on Smoke 7 Records with songs by Hardcore punk bands Bad Religion, Circle One, Disability, RF7 and Redd Kross...
EP. This compilation did not include
Into the Unknown.
80–85 is now out of print and has been replaced by the 2004 re-issued version of
How Could Hell Be Any Worse?How Could Hell Be Any Worse? is the first full-length album released by influential punk band Bad Religion, which was released on June 1, 1981. Released months after the release of their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $1,000 loan by guitarist Brett Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the...
with the same track listings.
Mainstream success and departure of Gurewitz (1993–1995)
With
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and
grungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion decided to leave Epitaph for
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1993 and quickly re-released their seventh full-length studio album
Recipe for HateRecipe for Hate is Bad Religion's seventh full-length album, released on September 21, 1993. This was their last album on Epitaph Records and the band switched to Atlantic Records before its release....
on the label that same year. Despite receiving mixed reviews from music critics, the album finally broke Bad Religion into mainstream audiences and got their highest U.S. chart position to date, debuting at #14 on Billboard's
HeatseekersTop Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart, with "American Jesus" and "Struck a Nerve" in particular becoming major rock radio hits at their time. Also in 1993, the band recorded the song "Leaders and Followers" (which later appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese version of their
next albumStranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
) for the soundtrack for the
Kevin SmithKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
film,
ClerksClerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
.
Recipe for Hate was followed up by Bad Religion's eighth studio album
Stranger Than FictionStranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
. The album met high critical reception upon its release in September 1994, and subsequently became their most successful album, scoring hits with "
Infected"Infected" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz from the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was released in 1994 and appears on their eighth proper studio album Stranger Than Fiction...
" and a re-recording of "
21st Century (Digital Boy)"21st Century " is a song by the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
", which was originally released on
Against the Grain. The album was Bad Religion's first to enter the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
; the release peaked at number 87, and was awarded
gold certificationIn the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
on March 4, 1998, for sales of over half a million copies. Before the release of
Stranger Than Fiction, Gurewitz left the band. He officially cited the reason for his departure as the increasing amount of time he was needed at Epitaph as
The OffspringThe Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
(who had just released
Smash to unexpected success and acclaim) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s, but it was well known that his departure was not on good terms. Gurewitz, along with many fans, accused the band of
selling out"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...
for leaving Epitaph to seek greater financial success despite the fact that Gurewitz was making millions off The Offspring alone.
As tensions increased, Graffin would sing alternate lyrics during concerts such as "I want to know where Brett gets his crack" or "I want to know why Gurewitz cracked," on the song "
Stranger Than Fiction"Stranger Than Fiction" is a song by American punk rock band Bad Religion, featured on their 1994 album with the same title. It was also the album's third single and is widely considered to be one of their best known songs....
". These barbs referred to Gurewitz's struggles with crack, heroin and other addictions which plagued him for years. Brett discussed his drug use in an interview on the band's
Suffer Tour documentary,
Along the WayAlong the Way is the first live concert DVD from punk band Bad Religion. The concert footage was taken from fourteen different European stops on their 1989 tour for the album, Suffer...
, and is now clean and sober. In response, Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "
Hate You"Hate You" is a single by Daredevils, the side project of Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz.The band has only released one single with two songs on it, "Hate You" and "Rules, Hearts"...
", reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley.
Gurewitz was replaced as a guitarist by
Brian BakerBrian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
, a former member of bands such as
Minor ThreatMinor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
,
Dag NastyDag Nasty was a Washington D.C. punk band formed in 1985 by guitarist Brian Baker of Minor Threat, drummer Colin Sears and bassist Roger Marbury, both of Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, and vocalist Shawn Brown...
, and
JunkyardJunkyard is a hard rock/sleaze rock band formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, with members formerly in Minor Threat, The Necros, and Dag Nasty. The band has often drawn comparisons with Guns N' Roses .-History:...
. Since Greg Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, Graffin was now Bad Religion's primary songwriter.
Post-Gurewitz period (1996–2000)
Bad Religion continued touring and recording without Brett Gurewitz and released three more albums for Atlantic, starting with
The Gray RaceThe Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
(1996), produced by former Cars frontman
Ric OcasekRic Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
. Despite never garnering the amount of attention that
Stranger Than Fiction received, it would score Bad Religion a minor U.S. radio hit with the song "A Walk" as well as the European release of "Punk Rock Song" (sung in both English and German). The band would find its greatest success in Europe, where the album would reach the German music charts at #6 and score the band their first European gold record for sales in Scandinavia alone.
In 1998, Bad Religion released their tenth full-length album,
No SubstanceNo Substance is the tenth full-length album by the punk rock band Bad Religion. It was the band's third release on Atlantic Records, and their second studio album since guitarist Brett Gurewitz's departure.No Substance was anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's...
, produced by
Alex PerialasAlex Perialas is an American audio engineer, mixer, and record producer, best known for his extensive work during the "golden age" of thrash metal in the mid–1980s to early–1990s...
, Ronnie Kimball and the band themselves. Although the album was anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's previous worldwide successes with
Stranger Than Fiction and
The Gray Race, it was given mixed reviews by critics and fans. Following the release of
No Substance, the band embarked on a year-long tour.
In 1999, Gurewitz reunited with Graffin to co-write a song together, called "Believe It", which would appear on their next album,
The New AmericaThe New America is an album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album on Atlantic Records.The New America is also Bad Religion's last album with Bobby Schayer on drums. Though not yet credited as a member of the band, then-former and now-current guitarist Brett...
(2000). For it,
Todd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, an early musical inspiration for Graffin, was brought in to produce. "Todd was kind of an underground sensation back in 1974. Here's a guy who was making pop music but in a way that you wouldn't hear on the radio. So much of my early musical identity was wrapped up in the way he conducted himself." In the summer of 2000, they set out on a 3-month U.S. arena tour opening for
Blink-182Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
. Unfortunately, the experience might not have been all that Greg and the rest of the band might have hoped. Interest in recording the record waned, due to Rundgren's poor attitude. Jay Bentley reflects on this by saying, "I didn't feel we were going anywhere and so did Greg. Todd didn't like Greg and that made Greg so mad! He met his idol and he was a jerk! I don't think Todd gave a shit about anything." However, Greg Graffin later writes in his book, Anarchy Evolution, that although Todd Rundgren was difficult to work with, he and Greg are friends to this day. Meanwhile,
Bobby SchayerBobby Schayer was born on December 23, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He was the drummer for Bad Religion from 1991 to 2001. He was a resident of Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley...
left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by
Brooks WackermanBrooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
(
Suicidal TendenciesSuicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
).
Return to Epitaph and reunion with Gurewitz (2001–2004)
In 2001, Bad Religion departed from Atlantic Records. They returned to Epitaph and Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band. The expanded six-piece line-up then recorded and released
The Process of BeliefThe Process of Belief is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002 through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of its previous full-length studio album, The New...
(2002). Graffin states, "there was a little bit of disappointment on my part when he left the band, but we never had any serious acrimony between the two of us. I can't say the same for the rest of the band. But he and I, being the songwriters from way back, we really wanted to try again."
Their next album,
The Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
, was released in June 2004. Like
The Process of Belief, it is widely regarded by fans as a return to the faster punk-style songwriting that some felt was less prominent in the band's music during their time on Atlantic.
In April 2004, the band also re-released digitally-remastered versions of all of their first six studio albums on Epitaph Records (except
Into the Unknown). The
How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue, though reclaiming the original title of the band's debut LP, contained all of the same material as the previously issued
80–85 compilation, including their first EP, the
Public ServicePublic Service is a compilation EP released in 1981 on Smoke 7 Records with songs by Hardcore punk bands Bad Religion, Circle One, Disability, RF7 and Redd Kross...
EP (with different versions of the songs Bad Religion, Slaves, and Drastic Actions than the self-titled EP) and the "Back To The Known" EP. To coincide with the re-issues, they also released their long out-of-print live VHS
Along the WayAlong the Way is the first live concert DVD from punk band Bad Religion. The concert footage was taken from fourteen different European stops on their 1989 tour for the album, Suffer...
on DVD for the first time. Though
Recipe for Hate was released on Epitaph, the album could not be re-issued; due to the fact that it was re-issued on Atlantic, problems with the rights ownership made a re-issue unlikely.
New Maps of Hell (2005–2008)
On March 7, 2006, a live DVD,
Live at the Palladium was released. This DVD featured a live show performed in late 2004 at the Hollywood Palladium, as well as extensive interviews, several music videos, and a photo gallery. During one of the interview segments, guitarist
Brett GurewitzBrett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
said the band's next album would be a double-length release, but this turned out not to be the case.
Greg GraffinGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
released his second solo album,
Cold as the ClayCold as the Clay is the second solo album by Bad Religion's vocalist Greg Graffin released on July 10, 2006 in Europe, and the following day in the USA. It was released on the label ANTI- . It follows on from Graffin's 1997 release of American Lesion.Graffin has described the album as "honor[ing]...
, on July 11, 2006.
Bad Religion's fourteenth studio album,
New Maps of HellIn January 2007, it was announced that the album would be called New Maps of Hell and the band started working with producer Joe Barresi to finish it. On April 1, 2007, Bentley posted an update on the MySpace bulletin board, stating that the band was finally finished recording the album and would...
, was released on July 10, 2007. On June 29, of that year (
Greg HetsonGreg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
's 46th birthday),
Epitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
started selling
New Maps of Hell at the
Warped TourThe Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
in Pomona, California. The album was a commercial success and spawned three hit singles "Honest Goodbye", "Heroes and Martyrs", and "New Dark Ages", and as a result,
New Maps of Hell reached number 35 on the
Billboard 200, marking Bad Religion's highest-ever chart position. Bad Religion also joined the 2007 Warped Tour to support the album.
Hetson formed a
supergroupIn the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
band called
Black PresidentBlack President is an American punk rock band. It was formed in 2005 by Circle Jerks/Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson and Goldfinger guitarist Charlie Paulson.-History:...
, consisting of Charlie Paulson (from
GoldfingerGoldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...
), Jason Christopher, Wade Youman (both from
Unwritten LawUnwritten Law is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California and currently recording for Suburban Noize Records. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour...
) and
Christian MartucciChristian Martucci is an American guitarist, bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a founding member of Thousand Watt Stare, Black President, The Strychnine Babies and The Chelsea Smiles...
(from
Dee Dee RamoneDee Dee Ramone was an American songwriter and musician, best known as founding member, bassist and main songwriter of the punk rock band the Ramones....
).
In early March 2008, Bad Religion played several night residences at
House of BluesHouse of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
venues in
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
as well as
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. They also played at the
KROQ Weenie RoastKROQ Weenie Roast is a multi-artist alternative rock concert, presented annually in June by the Los Angeles, California, USA radio station KROQ-FM. Since its beginning in 1993, the event has been traditionally held on a Saturday in June, except from 2005 to 2009 when it occurred in May.Every year...
(y Fiesta) on May 17 along such bands as
FlobotsThe Flobots are a political rock and hip hop musical group from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2000 by Jamie Laurie. Flobots found mainstream success with their major label debut Fight with Tools , featuring the single "Handlebars", which became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio in April 2008.-Early...
,
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
,
The OffspringThe Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
,
PennywisePennywise is a Californian punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The name is derived from the monster, It, from the Stephen King novel of the same title....
,
Rise AgainstRise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, and
Scars on BroadwayScars on Broadway is an American-Armenian rock band, founded by System of a Down members Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan. The band's eponymous debut album was released on July 29, 2008....
. Following that, they performed four European festival appearances in May and June.
On July 8, 2008, Bad Religion released their first-ever deluxe edition CD, a re-issue of then-current album
New Maps of HellIn January 2007, it was announced that the album would be called New Maps of Hell and the band started working with producer Joe Barresi to finish it. On April 1, 2007, Bentley posted an update on the MySpace bulletin board, stating that the band was finally finished recording the album and would...
. The deluxe version includes the original 16-song CD, along with seven new acoustic tracks recorded by Graffin (vocals) and Gurewitz (guitars/back vocals). Three of the acoustic songs are new, written specifically for this release; the other four tracks are new acoustic versions of BR songs. The release also includes a DVD with an hour-long live performance, music videos, and behind-the-scenes footage.
30 Years Live and The Dissent of Man (2009–2010)
In June 2008,
Jay BentleyJay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
said in an interview at the Pinkpop Festival in
LandgraafLandgraaf is a municipality in southeastern Limburg.- Special information :A pop music festival called Pinkpop is held annually on the Pentecost weekend in the vicinity of Landgraaf....
, Netherlands that Gurewitz had already begun writing new material for the next Bad Religion album. Bentley stated that the band was planning to return to the studio after Graffin teaches UCLA to start work on the follow-up to
New Maps of Hell planned for a June 2009 release. However, according to a December 2008 report on the fan site The Bad Religion Page, Bentley revealed that due to Bad Religion's upcoming touring commitments for 2009, the band would not have a chance to record their new album until around the end of the year, for an expected 2010 release date.
In August 2009, guitarist Brett Gurewitz sent an email to a fan site mentioning he was writing new material for the next Bad Religion album.
In December 2009, Bentley revealed to the fan site The Bad Religion Page that the band was expected to go into the studio on April 26, 2010, to start recording their new album. He stated that a few songs for the album had been written and "it feels like the songwriting is picking up momentum. Baker said he was going to drive up to Graffin's, Brooks and I are going to do some demos with Brett, so we have a pretty good jump." According to Brett's
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, Bad Religion is aiming for a fall release of the new album. In January 2010, Bentley revealed that Bad Religion would record their new album at a studio in
Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
with
Joe BarresiJoe Barresi is an American record engineer and producer who has worked with bands such as Kyuss, The Melvins, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Tomahawk, L7, The Jesus Lizard, Parkway Drive and Bad Religion.-Biography:...
, who engineered 2004's
The Empire Strikes First and produced its 2007 follow-up
New Maps of Hell. Despite the statement made by Bentley about entering the studio in April, he noted that the recording date was now May 1. On April 6, 2010, Bentley revealed in an interview with
KROQKROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
's
Kevin and BeanKevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air since 1990 and intersperses music and news with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins,...
that the date on which the band would record their new album was May 6.
Bad Religion toured Southern California and Nevada House of Blues locations, in March & April. To commemorate their 30th anniversary, Bad Religion played a 30-day tour, playing a 30-song set each night. They also toured Europe from June to August, including an appearance at the Rebellion Festival in England. To coincide with the tour, Bad Religion announced a live album called
30 Years Live30 Years Live is the 2nd live album from the band Bad Religion, which was released on May 18, 2010, therein documenting the band's 30th anniversary tour . It is the band's first live album in 13 years, since Tested in 1997...
, which was released as a free download for those who had signed up on the mailing list at
Bad Religion's website. It consists of songs recorded during their House of Blues tour during March and April 2010 which also includes some new songs from their 15th studio album, before the new album was released.
30 Years Live30 Years Live is the 2nd live album from the band Bad Religion, which was released on May 18, 2010, therein documenting the band's 30th anniversary tour . It is the band's first live album in 13 years, since Tested in 1997...
was mixed by
Mike FraserMike Fraser is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer. Mike is best known for his work with AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith and Joe Satriani...
and was released on May 18, 2010. At the House of Blues concert in
Anaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
on March 17, 2010, the band debuted a new song called "Resist-Stance", which will appear on their upcoming album and is included on
30 Years Live30 Years Live is the 2nd live album from the band Bad Religion, which was released on May 18, 2010, therein documenting the band's 30th anniversary tour . It is the band's first live album in 13 years, since Tested in 1997...
.
On May 1, 2010, Brett posted an update on his Twitter saying, "threw me a going away [to the studio] party and all my friends hung with me tonight – thx everybody, I love you guys." This adds fuel to the possibility of the band's new album being recorded the first week of May. According to a report on thebrpage.net, the band started recording on May 5, 2010. On May 12, 2010 (which happened to be Brett's 48th birthday), bassist Jay Bentley posted an update on their Facebook page regarding the recording process of the album: "first week of recording at joe's house of compression and brooks gets the medal for superasskicking. brian has finished 14 basics... a couple more to go. i started getting some good bass sounds late, late last night, the liver wins the shootout again. brett is playing late night tracks on his birthday, some way to celebrate! happy birthday bg! quote of the day; BG "what percentage of the sound is coming from the snakeskin?". haha... working of album titles and ideas today. it's all coming together. joe says the corn flavored kit kats are gross, but the wasabi ones are quite delicious.... get back to work. work work work. will send photo's soon".
In June 2010,
The Bad Religion Page reported that the new album would be released on September 28, 2010. Jay (who goes by jabberwock on The Bad Religion Page) mentioned on the site's message board that Bad Religion had finished recording their new album and was mixing it. In an interview at the Azkena Rock Festival on June 26, 2010, the band members announced that the new album would be called
The Dissent of Man-Track listing:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Brian Baker – guitar* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass, backing vocals* Brooks Wackerman – drums* Joe Barresi – producer...
.
The Dissent of Man was released on September 28, 2010. The album debuted at #35 on the Billboard 200 chart and at #6 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. On August 30, 2010, the album version of the song "The Resist Stance" was released on Bad Religion's MySpace page. A week before the album's release, it was made available for streaming on Bad Religion's MySpace page. The band has been touring to support the album through 2011.
On October 18, 2010, Bad Religion released a vinyl box set of all their albums that is limited to 3000 copies, including their 1983 album
Into the Unknown, which had been out of print for over 25 years.
Future sixteenth studio album (2011–present)
In an April 2011 interview with The Washington Examiner, guitarist
Brian BakerBrian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
was asked if Bad Religion was going to make another album after
The Dissent of Man. His response was, "It's all very punk [attitude] just like it's always been. We will record when we have enough songs. For us, it just kind of happens." During the Boston show on April 29, 2011, frontman
Greg GraffinGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
said "after this year you probably won't be seeing much more of us. We're going to try one more album and then all join the navy, do honest work", hinting at a possible split or hiatus. In an interview at the
KROQKROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
Weenie RoastKROQ Weenie Roast is a multi-artist alternative rock concert, presented annually in June by the Los Angeles, California, USA radio station KROQ-FM. Since its beginning in 1993, the event has been traditionally held on a Saturday in June, except from 2005 to 2009 when it occurred in May.Every year...
on June 4, 2011, Graffin stated that Bad Religion will record and release their new album in 2012. Bassist
Jay BentleyJay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
also mentioned an early 2012 timeframe for going back into the studio in an interview at
Live 105KITS is a San Francisco, California, USA-based radio station broadcasting at 105.3 MHz. The station is owned by CBS Radio and programs a modern rock format. The station also broadcasts on HD channel L2, locally on Comcast cable channel 986, and is streaming online.-Hot Hits:The station's...
's BFD festival, which took place the day after the Weenie Roast.
Style and influences
The band's major influences stemmed from earlier punk acts such as The Ramones,
The AdolescentsThe Adolescents are an American punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. It is a punk supergroup, made up of early members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion. They are often credited as one of the leading bands of the 1980s hardcore punk scene....
,
Black FlagBlack Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
,
The GermsThe Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
, and The Sex Pistols. Outside of the punk scene, their influences ranged from
Elvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
,
The JamThe Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, and
Nick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
to authors like
Jack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
.
Greg Graffin called his influences "pop-sounding rock tunes that were not necessarily commercial." Brett Gurewitz acknowledges attempting to emulate The Germs singer
Darby CrashDarby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
early on in Bad Religion's lyrical style. "He wrote some intelligent stuff, and didn't shy away from the vocabulary, which I thought was cool." In addition to their use of unusually sophisticated vocabulary for a punk band, Bad Religion is also known for their frequent use of vocal harmonies. They took their cues from
The AdolescentsThe Adolescents are an American punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. It is a punk supergroup, made up of early members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion. They are often credited as one of the leading bands of the 1980s hardcore punk scene....
, in the way that they used three-part harmonies. Bassist Jay Bentley says, "Seeing The Adolescents live, it was so brilliant. So, in a way, the Adolescents influenced us into saying we can do it, too, because look, they're doing it."
In turn, many of today's
punkPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands cite Bad Religion as an influence, including
AFIAFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
,
AllAll is an American punk band originally from Los Angeles, currently residing in Fort Collins, Colorado, formed by Descendents members Bill Stevenson, Karl Alvarez, and Stephen Egerton.-Formation and Cruz Records Years:...
,
Authority ZeroAuthority Zero is a punk rock band from Mesa, Arizona. The band's style is rooted in reggae and skate punk, with Bad Religion, Pennywise, and Sublime cited as influences. The band also draws from Spanish/Portuguese influences.-History:...
,
The Bouncing SoulsThe Bouncing Souls are a punk rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1987. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-hearted songs, a model followed by various other local...
,
Death by StereoDeath by Stereo is a hardcore punk band formed in Orange County, California circa 1996 by frontman Efrem Schulz. They are well known for their energetic performances and intricate guitar work...
,
LagwagonLagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, just outside Santa Barbara, California. They formed in 1990 and went on hiatus and reunited several times over the years...
,
NOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
,
The OffspringThe Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
,
PennywisePennywise is a Californian punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The name is derived from the monster, It, from the Stephen King novel of the same title....
, and
Rise AgainstRise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
.
Funeral for a FriendFuneral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
vocalist Matt Davies-Kreye has also stated Bad Religion as an influence, particularly with their Against The Grain album
Politics
Many of Bad Religion's songs are about different social ills, although they try not to ascribe the causes of these ills to any single person or group. Greg Graffin believes that the current political situation in the United States can make it difficult to voice these concerns, as he doesn't want to feed the polarization of viewpoints.
The band contributed a song to the
Rock Against BushRock Against Bush was a project mobilizing punk and alternative musicians against the 2004 U.S. Presidential re-election campaign of George W. Bush...
series organized by Fat Mike's Punkvoter, a political activist group and website whose supporters are primarily left-liberal members of the punk subculture.
Brett Gurewitz attributed his anger towards former U.S. president
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
as the major inspiration for
The Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
. "Our whole album is dedicated to getting Bush out of office. I'm not a presidential scholar but I don't think you'll find a worse president in the history of the United States. He's probably one of the worst leaders in the history of world leaders. I just hate the guy."
Bad Religion performed at
L7'sL7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles, that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...
pro-choiceSupport for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
benefit
Rock for ChoiceRock for Choice was a series of benefit concerts held over the ten year period between 1991 to 2001. The concerts were designed to allow musicians to show their support for the pro-choice movement in the United States and Canada....
at the
Hollywood PalladiumThe Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an 11,200 square foot dance floor with room for up to 4,000 people.-History:...
on April 30th, 1993 with acts such as
Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
,
White ZombieWhite Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American heavy metal band. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound...
,
Bikini KillBikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
,
King MissileKing Missile is an American avant-garde band that has been led in various disparate incarnations by poet/singer John S. Hall since 1986. Currently, Hall performs with a new version of the first incarnation, King Missile ....
and Kitty with
Kim GordonKim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
. Hetson wore a Rock for Choice t-shirt quite often when performing, one example was when the band was on
Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
in 1994 performing
"21st Century (Digital Boy)". The band's song
"Operation Rescue" (off 1990's record
Against the Grain) is a pro-choice song (named after
pro-lifeOpposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
organization
Operation RescueOperation Save America is an organization based in Dallas, Texas, that opposes human induced abortion and its legality. In 1994, Flip Benham became the director of the organization, then called Operation Rescue National. Benham replaced Keith Tucci, who had replaced Randall Terry...
).
Religion
Despite the name of the band, or the band's logo, the members do not consider themselves antitheist. Singer Greg Graffin states that more often than not, the band prefers to use religion as a metaphor for anything that does not allow for an individual's freedom to think or express themselves as they choose. In this way, their songs are more about anti-conformity than anti-religion. Contrary to popular belief, Greg Graffin does not identify himself as an atheist, but chooses to identify as a
naturalistNaturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
.
Despite this, he did co-author the book
Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?, which is based on a series of lengthy debates about science and religion between Graffin and historian Preston Jones. In 2010, Graffin released
Anarchy Evolution, in which he promotes his naturalist worldview.
The band's bassist Jay Bentley has stated that he has spiritual beliefs. Brett Gurewitz is a "provisional
deistDeism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
."
In the media and legacy
Bad Religion appeared once on
Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
in 1994, twice on
The Jon Stewart ShowThe Jon Stewart Show was a short-lived talk show hosted by comedian Jon Stewart on MTV. It premiered in 1993 and became the second highest-rated program on the network behind Beavis and Butt-Head....
in 1994 and 1995, twice on
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn in 2000 and 2002 and
Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
five times in 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002, and 2007. In the early days, Bad Religion appeared twice on the
New Wave TheatreNew Wave Theatre was a television program broadcast locally in the Los Angeles area on UHF channel 18 and eventually on the USA Network as part of the late night variety show Night Flight during the early 1980s. The show was created and produced by David Jove, who also wrote the program with...
in 1981 and 1982. During the 90s, MTV sponsored their
The Gray Race Tour. They were considered a "classic" band on MTV's
120 Minutes120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
, appearing a number of times live on the show. They also appeared on
MTV's Most WantedMTV's Most Wanted was a 1990s MTV Europe television series broadcast from London, England, presented by Ray Cokes. It ran from 1992 until 1995....
in 1995. Frontman
Greg GraffinGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
appeared three times on
Politically IncorrectPolitically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
in 1994, 1996, and 2000. In 1993, one of their concerts at the
Riviera TheatreThe Riviera Theatre is a concert venue in the north side of Chicago, Illinois. The Riviera Theatre is capable of holding some 2,500 spectators. Built in 1917, it was designed by Rapp and Rapp for the Balaban & Katz theatre chain run by A. J. Balaban, his brother Barney Balaban and their partner Sam...
in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
was featured on
JBTVJBTV is a music television show featuring interviews, music videos, and live in-studio performances from up-and-coming musicians. Based in Chicago, Illinois, JBTV has over its 26 year history helped several Chicago area bands reach a wider audience, as well as giving exposure to more alternative...
. In 2004, Brett and Jay from the band were featured on
CNNfnCNNfn was a U.S. cable television news network operated by the CNN subsidiary of the media comglomerate Time Warner from December 29, 1995 and of AOL-Time Warner until December 15, 2004. The network was dedicated to covering financial markets and business news.It was available in a number of...
's show
The Biz. In the comic book "Blackheart Billy" by Rick Remender, the story of a guy who had trouble letting go of the 1980s hardcore punk scene, Bad Religion is constantly referenced through their Crossbuster logo on the main character's jacket and poster in his room. In 2010, the band was featured on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's
Last Call with Carson DalyLast Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
about their 30-year anniversary.
Bad Religion music has appeared in movies such as
ClerksClerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
,
The ChaseThe Chase is a 1994 action comedy film starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson. Released a few months before the real-life O. J. Simpson chase that also took place in California, the film includes Henry Rollins as a police officer and features cameos from Ron Jeremy and both Anthony Kiedis and...
,
Glory DazeGlory Daze is an independent film starring Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, French Stewart and Alyssa Milano. It had a limited release in 1996.- Plot :...
,
The Hammer,
EyeborgsEyeborgs is a 2009 American science fiction film. It was released on video on July 6, 2010.-Plot:The movie opens by explaining current events such as the passing of the "Freedom of Observation Act" and the subsequent implementation of ODIN , including the development of a new type of mobile camera...
and
Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator. Bad Religion's "Crossbuster" logo appears in
JunoJuno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J. K....
,
SLC Punk!# "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" - The Suicide Machines # "Sex and Violence" - The Exploited# "I Love Livin' in the City" - Fear# "1969" - The Stooges# "Too Hot" - The Specials# "Cretin Hop" - Ramones...
,
8mm8mm is a 1999 mystery/thriller film, directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who delves into the world of snuff films.-Plot:...
and
Helmiä ja sikojaHelmiä ja sikoja is a 2003 Finnish comedy film directed and written by Perttu Leppä, and starring Mikko Leppilampi and Laura Birn.-Plot:...
. Posters for
The Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
appear in
Superbad,
Strange WildernessStrange Wilderness is a 2008 comedy-adventure film produced by Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison Productions for Paramount Pictures, and starring Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Justin Long, Kevin Heffernan, and Jonah Hill.-Cast:...
,
Kids in AmericaKids in America is a 2005 film directed by Josh Stolberg. It was written by Andrew Shaifer and Josh Stolberg. The film is inspired by real events.-Cast:*Gregory Smith – Holden Donovan*Stephanie Sherrin – Charlotte Pratt...
,
SpecialSpecial is a 2006 drama film written and directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore. It was released in theatres in the UK on November 17, 2006 and on DVD in the UK on March 5, 2007. It was released in theatres in the US on November 21, 2008.-Plot:...
,
DishdogzDishdogz is a 2005 English language movie starring Luke Perry and Haylie Duff and directed by Mikey Hilb. The film received a PG-13 rating by the MPAA.-Plot summary:...
,
Lilla Jönssonligan och stjärnkuppen and
Fifty PillsFifty Pills is the debut feature film of director Theo Avgerinos, which premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.-Plot:...
. A Bad Religion poster appears in
The Sentimental Engine SlayerThe Sentimental Engine Slayer is the directorial film debut of Omar Rodríguez-López, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock group The Mars Volta. Rodríguez-López wrote, produced and scored the film, as well as starring as its protagonist, Barlam...
. A Bad Religion sticker appears in
The RingThe Ring is a 2002 American psychological horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring....
and
Cheaper By the DozenCheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with 12 children . The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of the same name of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their 12 children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with 12 children,...
. A poster for
Recipe for HateRecipe for Hate is Bad Religion's seventh full-length album, released on September 21, 1993. This was their last album on Epitaph Records and the band switched to Atlantic Records before its release....
appears in
PCUPCU is a 1994 comedy film. The film depicts college life at the fictional Port Chester University, and represents "an exaggerated view of contemporary college life...." The film is based on the experiences of writers Adam Leff and Zak Penn at...
. Two Bad Religion songs appear in the 2000 short movie entitled
"What to Do?". On TV, Bad Religion's song "New America" appeared in the final episode of
Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
and "Portrait of Authority" was in an episode of
Lizzie McGuireLizzie McGuire is an American teen sitcom which premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 and ended February 14, 2004. A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents...
. During the
2000 MTV Movie AwardsThe 2000 MTV Movie Awards were hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker. In conjunction with the success of a certain HBO Original Series at the time, the awards show presented a parody of Sex and the City and The Matrix during the program's opening...
, a guitar riff from "New America" was played before it cut to commercials. A sample of "Infected" was played during a commercial for
VansVans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots and other shoe types.- History :On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren, James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store...
Warped Tour 2009Warped Tour 2009 was the 15th installment of the annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes was again the tour's primary sponsor. Tour founder/organizer Kevin Lyman announced that this year's tour would feature only one main stage with bands playing 40 minutes each instead of two main stages...
. In an episode of
Las VegasLas Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
, Piper requests that she has Saturday off because Bad Religion are in town and she has "killer tickets". A poster for
The Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
appears in an episode of
Zoey 101Zoey 101 is an American television series that ran from January 9, 2005 to May 2, 2008 starring Jamie Lynn Spears as teenager Zoey Brooks, produced for Nickelodeon and syndicated worldwide. The show was initially filmed at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, then at stages in Valencia,...
. A Bad Religion poster appears in an episode of
Weird ScienceWeird Science is a mid-1990s American comedy series made for television, based on the 1985 film of the same name.-Plot:The series follows the adventures of Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly , two socially inept high school students in an unspecified town in California...
. A boy wears a Bad Religion t-shirt in an episode of
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
. In an episode of
The Gilmore Girls,
Graffin'sGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
master in
biologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and his
PhDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in evolutionary biology are used as examples of how college and rock n' roll go together. A poster for
Recipe for HateRecipe for Hate is Bad Religion's seventh full-length album, released on September 21, 1993. This was their last album on Epitaph Records and the band switched to Atlantic Records before its release....
appears in the music video to
Back to School (Mini Maggit)"Back to School " is a song composed by Deftones. It is an altered version of the song "Pink Maggit" from the band's album White Pony...
by
DeftonesDeftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
.
In video games, Bad Religion songs have made it into
Crazy TaxiCrazy Taxi is a sandbox racing video game developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. It is the first game in the Crazy Taxi series. The game was first released in arcades in 1999 and was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Subsequently, it was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube by...
,
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, often abbreviated as THPS2, is the second game in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2000...
,
Tony Hawk Underground,
Tony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American Wasteland, abbreviated to THAW, is a video game that was released for the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube and PC on October 18, 2005. Part of the Tony Hawk series, the game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision.The PC version of the game was ported and...
,
Tony Hawk's Project 8Tony Hawk's Project 8, officially abbreviated as THP8, is the eighth installment in the Tony Hawk series of video games. It was released on sixth-generation and seventh-generation consoles...
,
NCAA Football 2006,
Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller,
NHL 2K9NHL 2K9 is an ice hockey simulation made by 2K Sports, part of the NHL 2K series, and published on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. It features Columbus Blue Jackets left winger Rick Nash on the cover...
and
Need for Speed: Hot PursuitNeed for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a BAFTA Award–winning 2010 racing video game in the Need for Speed series developed by British games developer Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The Wii version was developed by Exient...
. A cover of "
Infected"Infected" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz from the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was released in 1994 and appears on their eighth proper studio album Stranger Than Fiction...
" (from
Stranger Than FictionStranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
) appears in
Guitar Hero and is downloadable for
Guitar Hero 2. The song "
21st Century (Digital Boy)"21st Century " is a song by the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
" (from
Against the Grain-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
) is downloadable for Guitar Hero: World Tour. The songs "
Sorrow"Sorrow" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz and performed by Bad Religion. It was the first single to be released from their twelfth studio album, The Process of Belief, which was released in 2002, although the single was first played in the fall of 2001 by the L.A. radio station KROQ.-Charts:...
" (from
The Process of BeliefThe Process of Belief is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002 through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of its previous full-length studio album, The New...
), "
21st Century (Digital Boy)"21st Century " is a song by the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
" (from
Against the Grain-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
),
New Dark Ages (from
New Maps of HellIn January 2007, it was announced that the album would be called New Maps of Hell and the band started working with producer Joe Barresi to finish it. On April 1, 2007, Bentley posted an update on the MySpace bulletin board, stating that the band was finally finished recording the album and would...
) and
No Control (from
No Control- Release history :- Notes/Trivia :* Track 2, "Big Bang" was featured on video game Tony Hawk's Underground.* Track 3, "No Control" quotes Scottish natural historian James Hutton, "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."...
) appear as downloadable songs for both
Rock Band and
Rock Band 2Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
. Bad Religion have been featured twice on
ScrewAttackScrewAttack . is a video game-related website that showcases original entertainment for an audience of video game enthusiasts. Its content is also shown on GameTrailers and IGN...
's
Video Game Vault, once in the review for Crazy Taxi (which also featured some Bad Religion music in the background) and again in a review for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. A Crossbuster can be seen on ScrewAttack's "Top 10: Local Multiplayer Games (Console Edition)". Bad Religion were also featured in
GameTrailersGameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
' review of Tony Hawk: Project 8.
The Los Angeles
modern rockModern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio station
KROQKROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
listed Bad Religion at #39 in the "top 106.7 biggest KROQ bands of all time" memorial for six years in a row, and #70 at the "Top 166 Artists of 1980–2008" list.
Alternative Press did a 100 Best Singles of the Decade list in 2009. It was a list for the 2000s. "Los Angeles Is Burning" came in at number 90 and "
Sorrow"Sorrow" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz and performed by Bad Religion. It was the first single to be released from their twelfth studio album, The Process of Belief, which was released in 2002, although the single was first played in the fall of 2001 by the L.A. radio station KROQ.-Charts:...
" came in at number 56.
Logo
Bad Religion's logo has been referred to by fans as the "Crossbuster". It features a black
crossA cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
with a red prohibition sign over it. It was created by guitarist
Brett GurewitzBrett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
by drawing it on a piece of paper and showing it to the rest of the band. They supposedly thought it would be a good way to annoy their parents.
In the live documentary
Along the WayAlong the Way is the first live concert DVD from punk band Bad Religion. The concert footage was taken from fourteen different European stops on their 1989 tour for the album, Suffer...
, frontman
Greg GraffinGregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
claimed to regret choosing that as their symbol because it may have put off a lot of religious people who he feels could benefit from listening to Bad Religion. When bassist
Jay BentleyJay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
was asked about it in the same documentary, he claimed it was a symbol meant to "piss off our parents" and that it was "something easy to put on t-shirts and for kids to spray paint on walls"; when people ask him what it means, he says, "whatever you think it means". Guitarist
Greg HetsonGreg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
claims in the documentary that it stands for
anti-establishmentAn anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine New Statesman to refer to its political and social agenda...
.
Brian Baker, who joined the band later in their career, sums it up as follows:
“The name Bad Religion and the crossbuster logo came to pass in the minds of two fifteen-year-olds who were trying to find the most offensive name and image they could possibly find for the punk band they were starting in their garage… These are not people who thought that 21 years later they would be on the telephone doing interviews.”
A lot of Bad Religion merchandise including hats, t-shirts, and hoodies contain the Crossbuster. The logo was also used on the covers for their early EPs, 1981's
self-titled- Credits :* Greg Graffin - Vocals* Brett Gurewitz - Guitar* Jay Bentley - Bass* Jay Ziskrout - Drums...
and 1985's
Back to the Known- Trivia :* Track 3, "Bad Religion", is actually a remake of the song from their 1981 self-titled EP.* A recent fan poll cited "Along The Way" as one of the band's best songs.- Credits :* Greg Graffin – vocals, production* Greg Hetson – electric guitar...
, and the disc for
New Maps of HellIn January 2007, it was announced that the album would be called New Maps of Hell and the band started working with producer Joe Barresi to finish it. On April 1, 2007, Bentley posted an update on the MySpace bulletin board, stating that the band was finally finished recording the album and would...
. It can also be found on other Bad Religion albums including
SufferSuffer is the third album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label...
(on the back of the boy on fire's t-shirt),
No SubstanceNo Substance is the tenth full-length album by the punk rock band Bad Religion. It was the band's third release on Atlantic Records, and their second studio album since guitarist Brett Gurewitz's departure.No Substance was anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's...
(on
Kristen JohnstonKristen Johnston is an American stage, film, and television actress. She may be most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun...
's right breast, behind one of the actors playing a TV host and on a woman's fingernails),
The Process of BeliefThe Process of Belief is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002 through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of its previous full-length studio album, The New...
(inside the booklet there is a small one mixed with all the other symbols) and on
30 Years Live30 Years Live is the 2nd live album from the band Bad Religion, which was released on May 18, 2010, therein documenting the band's 30th anniversary tour . It is the band's first live album in 13 years, since Tested in 1997...
(replacing the zero in 30).
Concert tours
- Early shows (1980–1987)
- Suffer Tour (1988–1989)
- No Control Tour (1990)
- Against the Grain Tour (1991)
- Generator Tour (1992–1993)
- Recipe for Hate Tour (1993–1994)
- Stranger Than Fiction Tour (1994–1995)
- The Gray Race Tour (1996–1997)
- No Substance Tour (1998–1999)
- The New America Tour (2000–2001)
- The Process of Belief Tour (2002–2003)
- The Empire Strikes First Tour (2004–2006)
- New Maps of Hell Tour (2007–2009)
- 30 Years Live Tour (2010)
- The Dissent of Man Tour (2010–2011)
- Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
and Four Year StrongFour Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jackson Massucco...
Tour (2011)
Band members
Timeline
Although Greg Graffin is the only constant member of the band's line-up, the band currently features two other original members, Brett Gurewitz and Jay Bentley.
Current members
- Greg Graffin
Gregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
: lead vocals, piano, synthesizer, acoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, main songwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
(1979–present)
- Brett Gurewitz
Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
: guitar, backing vocals, main songwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
(1979–1983, 1986–1994, 2001–present)
- Jay Bentley
Jay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
: bass, backing vocals (1979–1982, 1986–present)
- Brian Baker
Brian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
: guitar, percussion, backing vocals (1994–present)
- Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
: guitar (1984–present)
- Brooks Wackerman
Brooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
: drums, percussion (2001–present)
Discography
| Year | Album | U.S. Chart position | Vocals | How Could Hell Be Any Worse? How Could Hell Be Any Worse? is the first full-length album released by influential punk band Bad Religion, which was released on June 1, 1981. Released months after the release of their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $1,000 loan by guitarist Brett Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the...
| Never charted |
Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. is an American punk rock musician, college professor, and author. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the noted Los Angeles band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1979 and is the band's only constant member, even though it now features two...
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Mr. Brett Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
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Jay Bentley Jay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
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Jay Ziskrout Jay Ziskrout was the first drummer for Bad Religion, forming the group with schoolmate Brett Gurewitz in 1979 when he was 17 years old. He performed on Bad Religion's self-titled EP and eight tracks on their debut full-length album How Could Hell Be Any Worse?...
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Pete FinestonePete Finestone was the second drummer of the punk rock band Bad Religion. He played in the band in 1981-1982 and again from 1984 to 1991....
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EpitaphEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
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| 1983 |
Into the Unknown |
Never charted |
Paul Dedona Paul Dedona was a bass guitar player of the California punk pioneers Bad Religion. He was born on April 24, 1960 in Sherman Oaks, California. He stayed in the band between late 1982 and early 1984 and his only appearance was on their second album Into the Unknown...
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Davy Goldman |
| 1988 |
Suffer Suffer is the third album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label...
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Never charted |
Greg Hetson Greg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
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Jay Bentley |
Pete Finestone |
| 1989 |
No Control - Release history :- Notes/Trivia :* Track 2, "Big Bang" was featured on video game Tony Hawk's Underground.* Track 3, "No Control" quotes Scottish natural historian James Hutton, "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."...
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Never charted |
| 1990 |
Against the Grain -Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
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Never charted |
| 1992 |
Generator In October 2011, the album was ranked number three on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.-Track listing:#"Generator" - 3:21#"Too Much to Ask" - 2:45#"No Direction" - 3:14#"Tomorrow" - 1:56...
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Never charted |
Bobby Schayer Bobby Schayer was born on December 23, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He was the drummer for Bad Religion from 1991 to 2001. He was a resident of Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley...
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| 1993 |
Recipe for Hate Recipe for Hate is Bad Religion's seventh full-length album, released on September 21, 1993. This was their last album on Epitaph Records and the band switched to Atlantic Records before its release....
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14 (Heatseekers) |
EpitaphEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
AtlanticAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
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| 1994 |
Stranger Than Fiction Stranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
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87 |
Atlantic Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
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| 1996 |
The Gray Race The Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
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56 |
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Brian Baker Brian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
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| 1998 |
No Substance No Substance is the tenth full-length album by the punk rock band Bad Religion. It was the band's third release on Atlantic Records, and their second studio album since guitarist Brett Gurewitz's departure.No Substance was anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's...
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78 |
| 2000 |
The New America The New America is an album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album on Atlantic Records.The New America is also Bad Religion's last album with Bobby Schayer on drums. Though not yet credited as a member of the band, then-former and now-current guitarist Brett...
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88 |
| 2002 |
The Process of Belief The Process of Belief is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002 through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of its previous full-length studio album, The New...
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49 |
Mr. Brett |
Brooks Wackerman Brooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
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EpitaphEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
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| 2004 |
The Empire Strikes First The Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
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40 |
| 2007 |
New Maps of Hell In January 2007, it was announced that the album would be called New Maps of Hell and the band started working with producer Joe Barresi to finish it. On April 1, 2007, Bentley posted an update on the MySpace bulletin board, stating that the band was finally finished recording the album and would...
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35 |
| 2010 |
The Dissent of Man -Track listing:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Brian Baker – guitar* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass, backing vocals* Brooks Wackerman – drums* Joe Barresi – producer...
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35 |
| 2012 |
TBA |
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External links