Rise Against
is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. Their current lineup consists of Tim McIlrath (vocals, guitar), Joe Principe (bass guitar), Brandon Barnes (drums), and Zach Blair (guitar), all of whom are straight edge (excluding Barnes) PETA supporters and strict vegetarians/vegans. The band is currently signed to Geffen, a record label owned by Universal Music Group. As of 2009, Rise Against has released five studio albums, two EPs, and one DVD.
Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it released two studio albums. The band gained mainstream popularity with its first two releases on Geffen, Siren Song of the Counter Culture
(2004) and The Sufferer & the Witness
(2006), which produced several high-charting singles, including "Swing Life Away", "Prayer of the Refugee", and "The Good Left Undone". Their most recent studio album, Appeal to Reason
, was released in North America on October 7, 2008, peaking at number three on the U.S. Billboard
200 and producing the singles, "Re-Education (Through Labor)", "Audience of One",
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History
Independent years (1999–2003)
Rise Against was formed under the name Transistor Revolt
[1] in 1999 by former members of the bands
88 Fingers Louie and Baxter.
[2] The first lineup consisted of
Tim McIlrath (vocals),
Joe Principe (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 Chords. Tintari left shortly after recording
Transistor Revolt
, and was replaced by Brandon Barnes. The band changed its name to Rise Against in 2001 and released its first album,
The Unraveling
(produced by veteran punk producer
Mass Giorgini) on Fat Wreck Chords that same year.
[3] Mr. Precision left the band in 2001, and was replaced by
Todd Mohney 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 Minute
(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 All,
NOFX,
Agnostic Front,
No Use for a Name,
[4] AFI, and
Strung Out. In addition, Rise Against participated in the 2003
Warped Tour.
[5]
Siren Song of the Counter Culture
(2004–2005)
Rise Against signed onto
Dreamworks Records in December 2003 and recorded their third album,
Siren Song of the Counter Culture
, in 2004.
Dreamworks was shortly absorbed by the
Universal Music Group, and Rise Against found itself with
Geffen Records, 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
200 chart
and to be certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
[6] 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."
[7]
Rise Against toured North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan in support of
Siren Song of the Counter Culture
.
[8] Some of the most notable mentions include performances on the first international
Taste of Chaos tour in 2005 (with
Funeral for a Friend,
Story of the Year,
The Used, and
Killswitch Engage),
[9] a worldwide tour to the UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan, the
Give It a Name tour in the UK, the
Reading Festival and
Leeds Festival in the UK, a US tour with
Alkaline Trio, and the
Warped Tour 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 Room studio in Fort Collins, Colorado with producers
Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore.
[10] [11] Mixed by
Chris Lord-Alge at Resonate Sound in Burbank, California,
The Sufferer & the Witness
was released on July 4, 2006.
[12] The album peaked at number 10 on the U.S.
Billboard
200 chart, selling 48,397 copies in its first week of release;
[13] it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA in 2008.
The Age
newspaper said that with
The Sufferer & the Witness
, the band "returns to their punk roots."
[14] 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."
[15] 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."
[16]
A DVD titled
Generation Lost
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.
[17] 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 Tour.
[18] In late 2006, the band co-headlined a tour with Thursday that included the bands
Circa Survive and
Billy Talent.
[19] In early 2007, the band supported
My Chemical Romance as openers on the first half of their arena tour.
[20] On February 23, 2007, Rise Against announced the departure of guitarist Chris Chasse on the band's official website.
[21] Chasse was replaced by longtime friend
Zach Blair from
Only Crime.
[22] 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.
[23] During this tour, on July 3, 2007, Rise Against released an EP in Canada titled
This Is Noise
, which was subsequently released in the United States on January 15, 2008.
Appeal to Reason
()
To support the upcoming album, Rise Against played at the sixteenth annual
KROQ Weenie Roast on May 17 in
Irvine, California, and at the sixth annual
Download Festival on June 13 at
Donington Park,
England. They also played at Switzerland's Greenfield Festival as well as Germany's Hurricane Festival and Southside Festival.
[24] [25] Like several previous years, the band participated in the Vans
Warped Tour, although they decided only to perform on the tour's west coast swing from August 6 to
August 17.
[26]
Rise Against's fifth studio album
Appeal to Reason
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,
[27] 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 Glory and
Fall Out Boy than the genuine outrage of brainy
Green Day" and songs that are "peppy but pretty empty, power-chord downers with little bark or bite."
[28] 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."
[29]
Rise Against has recently embarked on a North American tour with fellow punk rock bands
Rancid,
Billy Talent,
Killswitch Engage, and
Riverboat Gamblers in June and July 2009.
[30] They are currently on a short tour of the
UK, which is supported by the bands
Thursday and
Poison the Well.
[31] The band will release a split record with
Face to Face, although no date has been announced.
[32]
Politics and ethics
All of the group's members are vegetarians/vegans and active supporters of
PETA, an
animal rights organization.
[33] Their video for the single "
Ready to Fall" 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.
[34] The Director's Cut of the video was first made available to a PETA website.
[35] In 2009, the band was voted Best Animal-Friendly Band by PETA.
[36] In addition to being strict vegetarians, all the members of Rise Against, except drummer Brandon Barnes, are
straight edge, abstaining from consuming alcoholic beverages or using recreational drugs.
[37]
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 election, the band was part of
Punkvoter,
[38] a political activist group, and appeared on the
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1
compilation. During the
2008 presidential election, the band members endorsed
Barack Obama.
[39] 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."
[40]
Vans shoes
On May 23, 2007 Rise Against announced their endorsement of a new line of
Vans shoes that would be "completely
vegan in consideration to [their] animal rights efforts".
[41] 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,
“
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| ”
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Musical style and influences
Rise Against's musical style throughout the band's career has been described by most critics as
hardcore punk,
[43] [44] [45] melodic hardcore,
[46] [47] [48] or
punk rock.
[49] [50] 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 In, to a lot of punk like
Face to Face,
Screeching Weasel, and
Down By Law."
[51]
In 2006, Tim McIlrath stated of the band's style: "We’re emulating
Minor Threat and
Black Flag. Who knows, maybe if
Ian MacKaye was wearing eyeliner then I would be."
[52] Other bands that have influenced Rise Against include
Descendents,
Dead Kennedys,
and
Bad Religion.
Band members
- Tim McIlrath – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1999 onward)
- Joe Principe – bass guitar, backing vocals (1999 onward)
- Brandon Barnes – drums, percussion (2000 onward)
- Zach Blair – lead guitar, backing vocals (2007 onward)
Former members
- Toni Tintari – drums (1999–2000) (only in Transistor Revolt
)
- Mr. Precision (Dan Wleklinski) – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–2002)
- Todd Mohney – lead guitar, backing vocals (2002–2004)
- Chris Chasse – lead guitar, backing vocals (2004–2007)
Timeline
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Period = from:01/01/1999 till:06/01/2009
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:Vocals value:blue legend:Rhythm guitar, vocals
id:Bass value:red legend:Bass
id:Guitar value:green legend:Lead guitar
id:Drums value:gray(0.45) legend:Drums
id:Lines value:black legend:Releases
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1999
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1999
LineData =
at:04/24/2001 color:black layer:back
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at:08/10/2004 color:black layer:back
at:07/04/2006 color:black layer:back
at:10/02/2008 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Tim text:"Tim McIlrath"
bar:Joe text:"Joe Principe"
bar:Toni text:"Toni Tintari"
bar:Brandon text:"Brandon Barnes"
bar:Mrp text:"Mr. Precision"
bar:Todd text:"Todd Mohney"
bar:Chris text:"Chris Chasse"
bar:Zach text:"Zach Blair"
PlotData=
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Tim from:01/01/1999 till:end color:Vocals
bar:Joe from:01/01/1999 till:end color:Bass
bar:Toni from:01/01/1999 till:06/01/2000 color:Drums
bar:Brandon from:06/01/2000 till:end color:Drums
bar:Mrp from:01/01/1999 till:06/01/2002 color:Guitar
bar:Todd from:06/01/2002 till:06/01/2004 color:Guitar
bar:Chris from:06/01/2004 till:06/01/2007 color:Guitar
bar:Zach from:06/01/2007 till:end color:Guitar
Discography
- The Unraveling
(2001)
- Revolutions per Minute
(2003)
- Siren Song of the Counter Culture
(2004)
- The Sufferer & the Witness
(2006)
- Appeal to Reason
(2008)
Award nominations
Year
| Single
| Award
| Result
|
2009
| "Re-Education (Through Labor)"
| MuchMusic Video Award
| Nominated
|
References
- Rise Against Biography
- allmusic ((( Rise Against > Biography )))
- New Wave of American Heavy Metal
- No Use for a Name + Anti-Flag + Rise Against
- Warped Tour: Not a Cheesy Affair
- Billboard.com - Charts - Hits of the Web
- allmusic ((( Siren Song of the Counter Culture > Review )))
- Rise Against Return to Canada
- Taste of Chaos
- Rise Against: Interview with Tim McIlrath
- Rise Against finishes mixing, promises no acoustic guitars, surprises for next album
- Altsounds.com Reviews
- Chicago Punk Rockers Rise Against Score #10 Best Selling New Album in America.
- Politically motivated
- allmusic ((( The Sufferer & the Witness > Overview )))
- CD REVIEW
- New Releases: Gwen, Ciara, Eminem's Mixtape, Black Eyed Peas & More
- Still finding things to get angry about
- Punk show headliners choose diverse routes
- The ''Parade'' Begins: My Chemical Romance Announce U.S. Tour Dates
- Parting is such sweet sorrow...
- Chris Chasse leaves Rise Against, replaced by Zach Blair
- Rise Against begins mapping out North American tour
- Rise Against Announce Short European Tour
- Rise Against (European festivals, Warped Tour announcenment)
- Rise Against announce Warped Tour dates
- T.I. Continues to Rule The Charts With ''Paper Trail''
- Appeal to Reason
- Appeal to Reason : Rise Against : Review : Rolling Stone
- Rise Against and Rancid Will Storm North America During Summer
- Rise Against, Thursday, Poison The Well tour (UK)
- "Face to Face / Rise Against Split". ''Noise Press''. Retrieved on 2009-04-21
- PETA2 // Out There // Rise Against
- Rise Against : Now Playing : Ready To Fall
- Too Graphic for TV—Rise Against Video
- Animal-Friendly Recording Artists, Record Label Strike the Right Chord With Young Activists
- Rise Against prove you can be vegetarian and hardcore
- Punk Rockers Invade Iowa
- Rise Against - 10.06.08 - Interview
- Rise Against To Tour With Rancid - "Audience of One" Video
- Rise Against Vans Shoe Avail Now! - Prison Issue Old Schools
- Rise Against Vegan Shoe Manufacturing
- Punk legacy continues
- Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness Review
- Anti-Flag and friends keep political punk alive and well at Boston show
- Rise Against: Melodic hardcore? Political pop-punk? Mainstream underground? Great whatever you call it
- Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice, and The Gaslight Anthem at
- Things That Go Pop!: Cheer up, emo kids: Rise Against rise to the top
- Rise Against's Punk-Rock Explosion
- Critics’ Choice - New CD’s by Rise Against, Lucinda Williams and Rudresh Mahanthappa
- Rise Against talks politics, punk
- Interviews: Tim McIlrath (Rise Against)