Rise Against is an American
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 the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band from
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
,
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
, formed in 1999. Their current lineup consists of
Tim McIlrathTim McIlrath is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, co-composer and main-lyricist for the American punk rock band Rise Against. McIlrath is known to support animal rights and actively promotes PETA with his band...
(vocals, guitar),
Joe PrincipeJoe Principe is the bass guitarist, co-compser and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is known for his elaborate bass patterns in their songs. He primarily uses Fender basses, Mesa amps and cabinets, and he uses pick-playing exclusively....
(bass guitar), Brandon Barnes (drums), and
Zach BlairZach Blair is the lead guitarist and co-composer for Chicago-based hardcore punk band Rise Against. Zach is originally from Sherman, Texas.Before joining Rise Against in early 2007, Blair was a member of hardcore punk group Only Crime along with his brother, Doni Blair who currently plays with the...
(guitar), all of whom are
straight edgeStraight Edge refers to a lifestyle and youth movement that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking any recreational drugs...
(excluding Barnes)
PETAPeta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Hall, a well known Rhodesian-Canadian potter...
supporters and strict vegetarians/vegans. The band is currently signed to
GeffenGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, a record label owned by
Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is the largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. As of 2009, Rise Against has released five
studio albumA studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist.It usually does not contain live recordings and/or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up majority of the album and are often "bonus tracks"...
s, two
EPsAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
, and one
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
.
Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label
Fat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his wife, Erin, in 1990....
, on which it released two studio albums. The band gained mainstream popularity with its first two releases on Geffen,
Siren Song of the Counter CultureSiren Song of the Counter Culture is the third album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on August 10, 2004. It is the band's first to be released on a major label....
(2004) and
The Sufferer & the WitnessThe Sufferer & the Witness is the fourth album by American punk rock band Rise Against. The album was released on July 4, 2006. It was their second release on major label Geffen Records, following 2004's Siren Song of the Counter Culture. It sold 48,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #10 on...
(2006), which produced several high-charting singles, including "
Swing Life Away"Swing Life Away" is a song by hardcore punk and punk revival band Rise Against, from their 2004 album Siren Song of the Counter Culture. Originally written by Tim McIlrath and Neil Hennessy, the song is distinguished from the majority of Rise Against's catalog because it is performed and recorded...
", "
Prayer of the Refugee"Prayer of the Refugee" is the second single from Rise Against's album The Sufferer & the Witness, and was released worldwide in 2006. The song was originally titled "Diaspora", with advance copies of the album using that title instead of "Prayer of the Refugee".The song is featured as a...
", and "
The Good Left Undone"The Good Left Undone" is the third single from Rise Against's fourth full-length album, The Sufferer & the Witness. In June 2007, they announced that they would be holding a contest to determine who could make the best video for the song...
". Their most recent studio album,
Appeal to ReasonThe Appeal to Reason was a newspaper that endorsed the Socialist Party of America. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle was first published as a serial in Appeal to Reason. It was also affiliated with the Farmers Alliance and Populist movement....
, was released in North America on October 7, 2008, peaking at number three on the U.S.
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new 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...
and producing the singles, "
Re-Education (Through Labor)"Re-Education " is the first single from Rise Against's fifth studio album, Appeal to Reason. The single was released digitally to digital stores and radio stations on August 25, 2008. A music video was released on the same day....
", "
Audience of One"Audience of One" is a song by the American punk rock band Rise Against, written by the band's frontman Tim McIlrath. It is the second single from their 2008 album Appeal to Reason...
", and "
Savior"Savior" is the eleventh track from Rise Against's 2008 fifth studio album Appeal to Reason. It was released as the album's third single on June 3, 2009, and it peaked at number 4 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and at number 14 on the Rock Songs chart...
".
Independent years (1999–2003)
Rise Against was formed under the name Transistor Revolt in 1999 by former members of the bands
88 Fingers Louie88 Fingers Louie is a band from Chicago, Illinois which was formed in 1993.They play a style of hardcore punk, melodic hardcore, and punk rock. In 1993 they released their debut 7", Go Away....
and Baxter. The first lineup consisted of
Tim McIlrathTim McIlrath is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, co-composer and main-lyricist for the American punk rock band Rise Against. McIlrath is known to support animal rights and actively promotes PETA with his band...
(vocals),
Joe PrincipeJoe Principe is the bass guitarist, co-compser and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is known for his elaborate bass patterns in their songs. He primarily uses Fender basses, Mesa amps and cabinets, and he uses pick-playing exclusively....
(bass and vocals), Toni Tintari (drums), and Mr. Precision (guitar and vocals). Though the band never performed live with this lineup, it released a self-produced demo/EP entitled
Transistor Revolt in 2000, a year before signing with
Fat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his wife, Erin, in 1990....
. Tintari left shortly after recording
Transistor Revolt, and was replaced by Brandon Barnes, after a short time with
Dan LumleyDan Lumley has been a drummer for many bands, including Rattail Grenadier, Squirtgun, The Riverdales, The Methadones, Even in Blackouts, The Mopes, Common Rider and Screeching Weasel. He was also one of the founding members of Rise Against...
of
Screeching WeaselScreeching Weasel is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They were formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead. The band gained prominence in the early 1990s after signing a record deal with the East Bay punk label, Lookout! Records....
and
SquirtgunSquirtgun are an American punk rock band from Lafayette, Indiana formed by record producer Mass Giorgini in 1993.-1993-1998:Squirtgun originally consisted of Mass Giorgini , Matt Hart , Flav Giorgini , and Dan Lumley .The band signed to Lookout! Records and their first release was the EP...
as the drummer. The band changed its name to Rise Against in 2001 and released its first album,
The UnravelingThe Unraveling is the debut album by American rock band Rise Against. Released on April 24, 2001 and produced by punk producer Mass Giorgini. Fat Wreck Chords reissued The Unraveling in 2005, and it was remixed and remastered by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, with two bonus songs...
(produced by veteran punk producer
Mass GiorginiMass Giorgini is an Italian-American bassist and record producer, who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom on the mid-90's. Among these bands was Giorgini's own Squirtgun, which received minor MTV rotation and several...
) on Fat Wreck Chords that same year. Mr. Precision left the band in 2001, and was replaced by
Todd MohneyTodd Mohney is an American guitarist, who formerly played guitar for the melodic hardcore band Rise Against. He is from Joliet, IL and currently resides in Los Angeles. He is active in The Killing Tree side-project band with Rise Against vocalist Tim McIlrath...
before the band began writing their second full-length album.
After touring in support of
The Unraveling, the band returned to the studio in December 2002 to work on their second full-length,
Revolutions per MinuteRevolutions per Minute is the second album by American punk rock band Rise Against. It features the singles "Heaven Knows" and "Like the Angel" as well as a cover of Journey's single, "Any Way You Want It"....
(produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room), which was released in 2003. The band toured extensively in support of its first two records, performing in supporting roles for
Sick of It AllSick of It All is a New York hardcore band formed by brothers Lou Koller and Pete Koller , Armand Majidi and Rich Cipriano in 1986.-Early career :...
,
NOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles.The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterward. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out...
,
Agnostic FrontAgnostic Front is an American hardcore band that formed in New York City in 1980. The band began playing hardcore punk similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain...
,
No Use for a NameNo Use for a Name is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States formed in 1987 by Chris Dodge , Steve Papoutsis , Rory Koff , and Tony Sly...
,
AFIAFI is an American rock band from Ukiah, California, 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 backup vocals..AFI...
, and
Strung OutStrung Out is a punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, USA formed in 1989. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of punk rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They have released seven albums on Fat Wreck Chords and appeared on numerous compilations and...
. In addition, Rise Against participated in the 2003
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...
.
Siren Song of the Counter Culture (2004–2005)
Rise Against signed onto
Dreamworks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
in December 2003 and recorded their third album,
Siren Song of the Counter CultureSiren Song of the Counter Culture is the third album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on August 10, 2004. It is the band's first to be released on a major label....
, in 2004. Dreamworks was shortly absorbed by the
Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is the largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, and Rise Against found itself with
Geffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, a Universal Music Group subsidiary. Shortly after the band signed with Geffen, Mohney left and was replaced by guitarist Chris Chasse. Rise Against released
Siren Song of the Counter Culture in August 2004 on Geffen Records. The album, in addition to being the band's first on a major record label, was their first to reach the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new 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...
chart and to be certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a group which represents the recording industry distributors in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA say "create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate sound recordings...
(RIAA). The album received generally slightly positive ratings from critics. It was mainly criticized for its accessibility and melodious sound compared to previous Rise Against works. In giving the album 3 out of 5 stars, Johnny Loftus of Allmusic said that
Siren Song of the Counter Culture sometimes "gets carried away with its own melodic urgency." However, he goes on to say that because of the album being the band's major-label debut, "maybe the fuller sound and occasional forays into acoustic guitars and cello overdubs...are OK."
Rise Against toured North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan in support of
Siren Song of the Counter Culture. Some of the most notable mentions include performances on the first international
Taste of ChaosTaste Of Chaos is a hardcore tour that was started in the winter of 2005 by Kevin Lyman, the creator of the successful Warped Tour along with friend and business partner, John Reese. The Taste Of Chaos tour caters fans of the post-hardcore, screamo, and metal genres, while offering the same low...
tour in 2005 (with
Funeral for a FriendFuneral for a Friend are a Welsh rock band, from Bridgend, Wales, UK, formed in 2001. They have released four studio albums, five EPs, fifteen singles, one DVD, and one 'best of' compilation.-Formation and EPs :...
,
Story of the YearStory of the Year is an American post-hardcore band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1995.. The band was initially named 67 North then changed it to Big Blue Monkey, they changed their name to Story of the Year in 2002 after the release of their EP titled Story of the Year on the indie label...
,
The UsedThe Used is an American alternative rock band from Orem, Utah. Their sound has been classified under many sub-genres of rock. They signed with Reprise Records in late 2001 and rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their debut self-titled album, The Used...
, and
Killswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American melodic metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. Formed following the disbandment of the bands Overcast and Aftershock in 1999, Killswitch Engage's lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and...
), a worldwide tour to the UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan, the
Give It a NameGive it a Name, also known as GIAN, , named after an At the Drive-In song, is an annual British rock music festival, normally held on the weekend nearest to the end of April. The first festival took place on May 2 2005 at Alexandra Palace, North London...
tour in the UK, the Reading Festival and
Leeds FestivalLeeds Festival may refer to:*Reading and Leeds Festivals , a rock music festival in Leeds , West Yorkshire, England*Leeds Festival , classical music festival in Leeds...
in the UK, a US tour with
Alkaline TrioAlkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from McHenry, Illinois consisting of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano and Derek Grant...
, and 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 North America.
The Sufferer & the Witness (2006–2007)
In January 2006, after touring in support of
Siren Song of the Counter Culture, Rise Against recorded their fourth studio album at the
Blasting RoomThe Blasting Room is a recording studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, built by members of Descendents, ALL, and Black Flag, including punk drummer Bill Stevenson....
studio in Fort Collins, Colorado with producers Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore. Mixed by
Chris Lord-AlgeChris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another popular audio engineer.Many consider Chris Lord-Alge to be an engineer that is known for his extreme, but masterful use of audio compression....
at Resonate Sound in Burbank, California,
The Sufferer & the WitnessThe Sufferer & the Witness is the fourth album by American punk rock band Rise Against. The album was released on July 4, 2006. It was their second release on major label Geffen Records, following 2004's Siren Song of the Counter Culture. It sold 48,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #10 on...
was released on July 4, 2006. The album peaked at number 10 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart, selling 48,397 copies in its first week of release; it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA in 2008.
The AgeThe Age is a broadsheet daily newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. The Age was founded by three Melbourne businessmen, the brothers John Cooke and Henry Cooke who had arrived from New Zealand in the 1840s, and Walter Powell...
newspaper said that with
The Sufferer & the Witness, the band "returns to their punk roots." In addition to earning Rise Against its best chart and sales numbers at the time, the album was generally well-received by critics. Corey Apar of Allmusic, in giving the album 4 out of 5 stars, said of it, "the band's inner grit is aptly drawn out amid all the pit-ready choruses and fist-in-the-air, stirring lyrics." She goes on to say, "Rise Against continue to muscularly confront political and personal grievances to the tune of swirling guitars, assertive rhythms, and Tim McIlrath's sandpapered vocals." Contrastingly, Christine Leonard of
Fast Forward Weekly says of the band, "Returning to their old school form with the ballistic intensity of "Bricks," they just as quickly lose focus with questionable efforts such as "Worth Dying For" and the oh-so-weary "Prayer of the Refugee."
A DVD titled
Generation LostGeneration Lost is a DVD documentary by the melodic hardcore band Rise Against. It contains a documentary entitled How We Survive, directed by Davy Rothbart, and the songs Injection, Like The Angel, Black Masks & Gasoline, and Paper Wings performed live at a show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles...
was released on December 5, 2006 to promote the band and their new album. It contains a documentary of the careers of the band members, as well as live performance videos and making-of clips. Rise Against toured in support of
The Sufferer & the Witness throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007. The band was a headliner in the 2006
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 late 2006, the band co-headlined a tour with Thursday that included the bands
Circa SurviveCirca Survive is an American experimental rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 2004. The band consists of vocalist Anthony Green, former singer of Saosin and members of the now-defunct This Day Forward....
and
Billy TalentBilly Talent are a Juno award-winning Canadian band formed in 1993 in Streetsville, Ontario. The band consists of Ben Kowalewicz , Ian D'Sa , Jon Gallant and Aaron Solowoniuk .The band existed for almost a decade before mainstream success...
. In early 2007, the band supported
My Chemical RomanceMy Chemical Romance is a Grammy-nominated American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro and drummer Bob Bryar. Shortly after forming, the band signed to Eyeball Records and released their...
as openers on the first half of their arena tour. On February 23, 2007, Rise Against announced the departure of guitarist Chris Chasse on the band's official website. Chasse was replaced by longtime friend
Zach BlairZach Blair is the lead guitarist and co-composer for Chicago-based hardcore punk band Rise Against. Zach is originally from Sherman, Texas.Before joining Rise Against in early 2007, Blair was a member of hardcore punk group Only Crime along with his brother, Doni Blair who currently plays with the...
from
Only CrimeOnly Crime is a melodic hardcore supergroup formed by Good Riddance singer Russ Rankin and Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbecin 2003. The band plays melodic but hard-hitting punk rock that borrows heavily from early-1980s hardcore bands such as Black Flag....
. On June 15, 2007, the band began their first official headlining tour in support of
The Sufferer & the Witness; it was a North American tour that lasted throughout the summer months. During this tour, on July 3, 2007, Rise Against released an EP in Canada titled
This Is NoiseThis Is Noise is the second EP by Rise Against. It was released on July 3, 2007 in Canada, and January 15, 2008 on iTunes by Geffen Records and features a song recorded at the same time as The Sufferer & the Witness album, a song recorded while they were on The Unraveling tour, and two songs from...
, which was subsequently released in the United States on January 15, 2008.
Appeal to Reason (2008 onward)
To support the upcoming album, Rise Against played at the sixteenth annual
KROQKROQ-FM is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting on 106.7 FM to the greater Los Angeles area. KROQ-FM airs a modern rock music format branded as "106.7 K-Rock". The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of the popular, long running...
Weenie RoastWeenie Roast is a multi-artist alternative rock concert, presented annually by the Los Angeles, California, USA radio station KROQ, beginning in 1993. The concert had always been presented on the second or third Saturday in June since it was aired until 2004...
on May 17 in
Irvine, CaliforniaIrvine is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the 69.7 square mile city has a population of about 212,793...
, and at the sixth annual
Download FestivalThe Download Festival is a three day music download festival held annually at Donington Park, England...
on June 13 at
Donington ParkDonington Park is a site near Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it is leased by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd from owner Tom Wheatcroft. Used as a motor racing track, it is also the venue for the Download Festival...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They also played at Switzerland's Greenfield Festival as well as Germany's Hurricane Festival and Southside Festival. Like several previous years, the band participated in the Vans
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...
, although they decided only to perform on the tour's west coast swing from August 6 to
August 17.
Rise Against's fifth studio album
Appeal to ReasonThe Appeal to Reason was a newspaper that endorsed the Socialist Party of America. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle was first published as a serial in Appeal to Reason. It was also affiliated with the Farmers Alliance and Populist movement....
was released on October 4 in Australia, October 6 across Europe, and October 7 in the United States. The album sold 64,700 copies in its first week and peaked at number three on the U.S.
Billboard 200, making it Rise Against's highest charting album to date.
Appeal to Reason was met with generally positive reviews. However, critics did not rate it as highly as
The Sufferer & the Witness, mostly blaming the movement toward the mainstream and away from faster hardcore punk. Giving the album a C+ rating, Marc Weingarten of
Entertainment Weekly says the album is filled with "protest anthems that lean closer to the burnished angst of such bands as
New Found GloryNew Found Glory is an American rock band from South Florida, that predominantly plays pop punk music. The quintet formed during 1997 and consists of Jordan Pundik , Chad Gilbert , Steve Klein , Ian Grushka and Cyrus Bolooki...
and
Fall Out BoyFall Out Boy is an American Grammy-nominated rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist-rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley....
than the genuine outrage of brainy
Green DayGreen Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong , Mike Dirnt , and Tré Cool for the majority of its existence....
" and songs that are "peppy but pretty empty, power-chord downers with little bark or bite." Kyle Anderson of
Rolling Stone states that the songs on
Appeal to Reason "are driven by an ever-sharpening pop sensibility." He concludes by saying, "Rise Against may be nervous about leaving the underground behind, but with sharp songs like these, they're ready for the rest of the world."
Rise Against embarked on a North American tour with fellow punk rock bands
RancidRancid is an American punk rock band from Albany, California, formed in 1991. Founded by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong, both of whom previously played in ska punk group Operation Ivy, the band is credited with helping to revive mainstream popular interest in punk rock in the United States during...
,
Billy TalentBilly Talent are a Juno award-winning Canadian band formed in 1993 in Streetsville, Ontario. The band consists of Ben Kowalewicz , Ian D'Sa , Jon Gallant and Aaron Solowoniuk .The band existed for almost a decade before mainstream success...
,
Killswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American melodic metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. Formed following the disbandment of the bands Overcast and Aftershock in 1999, Killswitch Engage's lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and...
, and Riverboat Gamblers in June and July 2009. They will be on a short tour of the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
in November, which is supported by the bands
ThursdayThursday is a post-hardcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey that has released five full-length albums. The band's most recent album, Common Existence, was released in February 2009 on Epitaph Records, and the band recently headlined the Taste of Chaos Tour....
and Poison the Well. The band will release a split record with
Face to FaceFace to Face is an American punk rock band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith....
, although no date has been announced. After completing a European tour from October to November 2009 and an Australian tour in January and February 2010, Rise Against will begin working on a new album.
Politics and ethics
All of the group's members are vegetarians/vegans and active supporters of
PETAPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. With two million members and supporters worldwide, it claims the status of the largest animal rights group in the world...
, an
animal rightsAnimal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans...
organization. Their video for the single "
Ready to Fall"Ready to Fall" is a single and video by melodic hardcore band Rise Against. It was the first single released from the 2006 album The Sufferer & The Witness....
" contains footage of factory farming, rodeos, and sport hunting, as well as deforestation, melting ice caps, and brush and forest fires. The group has called the video the most important video they have ever made. The Director's Cut of the video was first made available to a PETA website. In 2009, the band was voted Best Animal-Friendly Band by PETA. In addition to being strict vegetarians, all the members of Rise Against, except drummer Brandon Barnes, are
straight edgeStraight Edge refers to a lifestyle and youth movement that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking any recreational drugs...
, abstaining from consuming alcoholic beverages or using recreational drugs.
In addition to their support of animal rights, the band has voiced their support for other liberal-minded political causes. During the
2004 United States presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, the band was part of Punkvoter, a political activist group, and appeared on the
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 is a Rock Against Bush compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It contains a collection of songs, both released and unreleased, by various punk rock artists and includes a bonus DVD with political facts, commentary regarding the U.S...
compilation. During the
2008 presidential electionThe 56th quadrennial United States presidential election was held on November 4, 2008. Outgoing Republican President George W. Bush's policies and actions and the American public's desire for change were key issues throughout the campaign, and during the general election campaign, both major party...
, the band members endorsed
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
. In a news bulletin in early 2009, the band stated: "Few things are more exciting than watching Bush finally release America as his eight year hostage."
Vans shoes
On May 23, 2007 Rise Against announced their endorsement of a new line of
VansVans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots, and other shoe types catering primarily to the skateboarder/surfer/snowboarder youth market...
shoes that would be "completely vegan in consideration to [their] animal rights efforts". In response to criticism spawning from a rampant rumor of Vans' use of sweatshops, Rise Against released a statement to address the matter on both their MySpace profile and website saying,
Musical style and influences
Rise Against's musical style throughout the band's career has been described by most critics as
hardcore punkHardcore punk, often just called hardcore, is a subgenre of punk rock that originated primarily in North America in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock...
,
melodic hardcoreMelodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melodic exploration. Peter Jandreus describes the style as "punk rock with a HC beat"....
, or
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 the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. The band has cited numerous punk and hardcore bands as influences to its music. In 2004, drummer Brandon Barnes stated: "I think we have a lot of different influences from hardcore like old
Cave InCave In is a Rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts.-Biography:Cave In was formed by Jay Frechette and Steve Brodsky in early 1995. The initial line-up consisted of Jay Frechette on vocals, Steve Brodsky on guitar and vocals, Adam McGrath on second guitar, JR Conners on drums and...
, to a lot of punk like
Face to FaceFace to Face is an American punk rock band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith....
,
Screeching WeaselScreeching Weasel is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They were formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead. The band gained prominence in the early 1990s after signing a record deal with the East Bay punk label, Lookout! Records....
, and
Down By LawDown By Law is a punk rock band formed in or around 1990. Frontman Dave Smalley of Dag Nasty fame teamed up with the members of Chemical People for their first album and went through several set changes all around over the years. Starting on Epitaph records with their first self titled LP, DBL...
."
In 2006, Tim McIlrath stated of the band's style: "We’re emulating
Minor ThreatMinor Threat was an American hardcore punk band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. Despite being so short-lived, the band had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene....
and
Black FlagBlack Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes...
. Who knows, maybe if
Ian MacKayeIan Thomas Garner MacKaye , is an American singer and guitarist. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk band Minor Threat, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well as The Evens...
was wearing eyeliner then I would be." Other bands that have influenced Rise Against include Descendents,
Dead KennedysThe Dead Kennedys was an American punk band, formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. Pioneers of hardcore punk during the 1980s, the band gained a large underground following in the international punk music scene....
, and
Bad ReligionBad Religion is an American punk rock band founded in Southern California in 1980 by Jay Bentley , Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz and Jay Ziskrout...
.
Band members
- Tim McIlrath
Tim McIlrath is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, co-composer and main-lyricist for the American punk rock band Rise Against. McIlrath is known to support animal rights and actively promotes PETA with his band...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar (since 1999)
- Joe Principe
Joe Principe is the bass guitarist, co-compser and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is known for his elaborate bass patterns in their songs. He primarily uses Fender basses, Mesa amps and cabinets, and he uses pick-playing exclusively....
– bass guitar, backing vocals (since 1999)
- Brandon Barnes – drums, percussion (since 2000)
- Zach Blair
Zach Blair is the lead guitarist and co-composer for Chicago-based hardcore punk band Rise Against. Zach is originally from Sherman, Texas.Before joining Rise Against in early 2007, Blair was a member of hardcore punk group Only Crime along with his brother, Doni Blair who currently plays with the...
– lead guitar, backing vocals (since 2007)
Former members
- Toni Tintari – drums (1999–2000) (only in Transistor Revolt)
- Mr. Precision (Dan Wleklinski) – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–2002)
- Todd Mohney
Todd Mohney is an American guitarist, who formerly played guitar for the melodic hardcore band Rise Against. He is from Joliet, IL and currently resides in Los Angeles. He is active in The Killing Tree side-project band with Rise Against vocalist Tim McIlrath...
– lead guitar, backing vocals (2002–2004)
- Chris Chasse – lead guitar, backing vocals (2004–2007)
Discography
- The Unraveling
The Unraveling is the debut album by American rock band Rise Against. Released on April 24, 2001 and produced by punk producer Mass Giorgini. Fat Wreck Chords reissued The Unraveling in 2005, and it was remixed and remastered by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, with two bonus songs...
(2001)
- Revolutions per Minute
Revolutions per Minute is the second album by American punk rock band Rise Against. It features the singles "Heaven Knows" and "Like the Angel" as well as a cover of Journey's single, "Any Way You Want It"....
(2003)
- Siren Song of the Counter Culture
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is the third album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on August 10, 2004. It is the band's first to be released on a major label....
(2004)
- The Sufferer & the Witness
The Sufferer & the Witness is the fourth album by American punk rock band Rise Against. The album was released on July 4, 2006. It was their second release on major label Geffen Records, following 2004's Siren Song of the Counter Culture. It sold 48,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #10 on...
(2006)
- Appeal to Reason
The Appeal to Reason was a newspaper that endorsed the Socialist Party of America. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle was first published as a serial in Appeal to Reason. It was also affiliated with the Farmers Alliance and Populist movement....
(2008)
Award nominations
| Year |
Single |
Award |
Result |
| 2009 |
"Re-Education (Through Labor) "Re-Education " is the first single from Rise Against's fifth studio album, Appeal to Reason. The single was released digitally to digital stores and radio stations on August 25, 2008. A music video was released on the same day....
" |
MuchMusic Video Award The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
|
Nominated |
External links