![]() ![]() In the midst of sweltering August heat and no less than 98 bands vying for my sonic attention, I had the chance to speak with Rise Against vocalist Tim McIlrath at the Buffalo date of this year’s Warped Tour. In music (and especially in punk), everything changes, but Rise Against will stay the same. ![]() They’ll still be presenting the same passionate message, the same unique voice, and the same dedication to their art and their fans. In fact, after creating one album ( Siren Song of the Counter Culture) with mainstream rock and metal producers GGGarth and Dean Maher, Rise Against decided to go back to their previous producer, Bill Stevenson (formerly of The Descendents and Black Flag), to be sure that they had someone who could speak their language. It’s not as if they decided to make their fourth album, The Sufferer and the Witness, any more “accessible.” The songs on Witness are just as intense and brutally truthful as ever, rooted in hardcore and played with sharp, blistering musical ability. When you’re a Chicago punk band that sings, “In the white flames of burning flags, we found a world worth dying for,” you don’t expect to think much about chart position or worldwide sales.īut somehow, just by touring incessantly and making music that’s honest and important, Rise Against have suddenly found that people are listening. One of these things is not accustomed to selling a lot of records. Hey, wait a minute - one of these things is not like the others.
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