Positive Punk Rock

Usually, when a collective of musicians band together to create music, the primary objective is either: a) to attract members of the female persuasion to commence in drunken tomfoolery with said band members after seedy bar shows in the mid-West; b) to prove to your parents that all the hours you spent locked in your room listening to Led Zeppelin and subsisting on Doritos were well worth it; or c) to travel the country on the record label’s dime while you blow all your merch money on abstract truck stop art and dashboard bobble heads. While there remains a certain charm in each of these respective goals, none of them concern the members of Chicago’s Rise Against. What concerns them emerges more as a matter of socio-political priority, rather than as a fleeting “experience” into the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Synthesis had the pleasure of exploring such topics with Rise Against frontman and activist Tim McIlrath while on a travel day during their recent tour with Bad Religion.
Essentially raised on the punk rock of Minor Threat and Bad Brains, McIlrath’s passion for political commentary, backdropped by a brutal array of hardcore fury, surfaces as a reflection of his youthful heroes.
“Bands that have always had a message of change and awareness in their songs, not just songs with no substance, that was the punk rock that was introduced to us and that’s the punk rock that we try to carry on,” explains McIlrath.
Indeed, the overall ambience of a politically minded group tends to lend itself towards caring more about the message than the vehicle in which it is expressed, which often times produces some horribly inane music. But with Rise Against, no one can argue that their talent is on par with the measure of their world views. Some may recognize bassist Joe Principe from former Chicago punkers 88 Fingers Louie, a favorite of the late 1990s punk / hardcore Fat Wreck Chords scene. Other Chicago-based punk veterans, including ex-members of Pinhead Circus and The Killing Tree, round out the band.
Growing up in Chicago’s diverse musical climate has helped to elicit a more focused vision for the members of Rise Against. A uniquely positive lyrical delivery stands in dynamic opposition to the group’s seasoned hardcore tendencies, a result of Chicago’s famed negativity, according to McIlrath.
“One thing I’ve noticed in the last five years in Chicago is that a lot of bands are so negative. They really glorify these negative aspects of their lives, which I think there’s a place for. But, our scene was so saturated with that sound, there was nobody representing the other side,” explains McIlrath.
So far, the group’s filling of this void has garnered them a loyal following and has even prompted them to take the major-label plunge, signing with Dreamworks Records this year after being weaned from Fat Wreck Chords. Usually a supreme slap in the face for fans of underground rock, the group’s switch is easily better intentioned than most punk fare.
“We got a lot of backlash, that’s for sure. You can’t make everybody happy. I wanted to sort of open up to our fans. At first we said ‘no, we don’t want to do this,’ but the more we thought about it, we felt like we could really get our message out to people who aren’t hearing it,” explains McIlrath. Furthermore, McIlrath’s desire to put the message above the allure of his band remains tantamount to his cause.
If any other proof is needed as to the severity of Rise Against’s desires, it can be found in the group’s various charity contributions and exhaustive efforts to shed light on certain issues involving world politics. Their new album, Siren Songs of the Counter Culture investigates genocide, war profiteering and the war in Iraq to name a few key points. The band also has contributed to the recently released Genocide in Sudan CD, which features Bad Religion and System of a Down, among others, in an attempt to raise awareness of the atrocities facing this African nation.
Still, the struggle continues. What uphill battles this defiant group must still climb remains to be seen. Yet, above all things, the fact that from the depths of punk rock ferocity and hardcore proclivity can emerge a coalition based on social responsibility and psuedo-intelligent political savvy, speaks volumes for the future of punk rock. While indifference and self-indulgence currently mar the image of underground music, McIlrath and company have conspired to tip the scales and provoke their fans to do the same. All in a day’s work.

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