The band should stand as living proof to punk rock purists that commercial success is not, and has never been, the same thing as selling out. Yes, the band’s sound is far more accessible today than the visceral hardcore of their early years.
However, if they were to take a cursory listen to the lyrics of any random song of theirs, they would be shocked to find that they are still as intelligent, profound and straight up angry as they ever were and this even stretches to the bands biggest hits.
Take songs like “Help Is on the Way", “Savior”, "Make It Stop (September's Children)" and “Prayer Of The Refugee” for example. These are polarising songs about difficult, yet very topical subjects that don’t shy away from taking a defined stance.
However the combined Youtube hits for those videos are, astonishingly enough, around 86 Million. This is a band that manages to plug the It Gets Better project, PETA and Amnesty International while filling arenas in their home country and large theaters and concert halls around the world.
To have a fully-fledged rock band with a message as vital as theirs playing on such a large scale the world over is a blessing that we haven’t had since the days of The Clash. With a tour schedule like theirs, it’s only a matter of time before they play wherever you are, and there are few bands out their more likely to change your life than the one and only Rise Against.
Guitarist and singer Matt Skiba, bassist and singer Rob Doran and drummer Glenn Porter came together in the Illinois suburb of McHenry to form the original incarnation of Alkaline Trio in December 1996. They got as far as recording and releasing their debut E.P “Sundials” in 1997 before Doran departed to focus on a career in visual arts. However, the E.P was a hit in the Chicago underground scene, and soon after Doran left, Dan Andriano joined to fill the void. With Andriano on board, the band were able to sign with Asian Man Records, as he was already signed to the label with his band Tuesday.
They released a second E.P in 1998 entitled “For Your Lungs Only” and in the same year came “Godamnit”, their debut album which is considered by many to be their absolute peak. Their second effort, “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire” came in 2000 and was enough of a big deal to secure them a record deal with Vagrant Records, making them label mates with The Get Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional and Saves The Day. On that label they released 2001’s “From Here To Infirmary” which, along with the band’s first genuine hit single “Stupid Kid”, was a major success for the band due to the way it unwittingly rode the waves of the burgeoning mainstream acceptance of Emo rock.
This was despite the fact that Trio had always had an absolutely jet-black sense of humour to their lyrics; this should have put them completely at odds with the blindingly sincere likes of Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day. Instead, however, it saw their subsequent album, 2003’s “Good Mourning” sell 40’000 copies in its first week, chart at number 20 on the Billboard album charts, and give the band their second hit single in the form of “We Had Enough”. By the mid-2000’s the band had become one of the most acclaimed rock acts of the time, selling out clubs and concert halls the country over and playing to an absolutely devoted following.
Very little has changed ever since then, they’ve settled into the role of punk rock elder statesmen with aplomb, and have released stellar album after stellar album in the years after that. They should be an inspiration for punk bands the world over, and are still in the peak of their powers as I type. Highly recommended.
I was lucky enough to see rock band Rise Against live at Rock am Ring in 2010. They were loud, heavy, and fun.
They instantly launched into the hardest song that they could find and did not let up for anything until the end of the set. They did not build up, they did not wait, they just played hard, jamming, fast, fun music for everyone that was there to rock. The crowd loved it and cheered and head banged to their intense, hard music as hard as they could. It was an excellent experience.
Everyone loved the music and the band's intense nature, refusing to let up or to slow down. They kept going and going, getting louder and harder until it was impossible to get any louder or any harder. The audience really loved them and so did I. They actively engaged with us and made it a fun, engaging show to be a part of.
They refused to be outdone and rocked as hard as humanly possible, while we the audience tried our best to keep up. It was an amazing show and I highly recommend any one that is interested see a Rise Against show as soon as they can.
Punk rockers Alkaline Trio have gained a huge reputation since they began on the circuit in the mid 90's. Their catchy hooks and somber lyricism firstly gained the attention of the underground before bursting onto the charts in the mid 00's. Since then the attendance to their shows has been rapidly increasing yet the way in which they conduct themselves onstage remains indifferent.
The band is very much one that believes the music should be the focal item of any show so there are few visual stimulants onstage and instead you are presented with three well trained musicians. The fan favourites such as 'Private Eye' really shine in the intimate settings and the audience jostle and jump as one to the catchy punk beats without really noticing the devastating tone of the lyrics.
The performers seem pretty focused on this as they perform in a sense of quiet mourn, although they break this by the finale of 'Radio' to thank the devoted crowd and explain that it is only with their support they have reached this far.
sean-ward
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