This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Chicago-based melodic hardcore band Rise Against will be doing a co-headlining show with Deftones on Saturday at West Valley's Usana Amphitheatre. Bassist Joe Principe did a Q&A with the Tribune way back in mid-May, touching on spreading a message without getting preachy, getting cabin fever out in Tennessee, and scrapping the beginnings of their new album, "Wolves," in the immediate aftermath of the presidential election.
How did this tour with Deftones and Thrice come about?
We've been trying to tour with the Deftones — we both have been trying to get this to work for 6 years, and just with scheduling conflicts, it never worked. Finally, the stars aligned and it worked out. It's funny, 'cause we were wondering — 'cause we kind of lean more toward the punk-rock world, and they're a little bit more, I don't want to say avant-garde, but a little bit more experimental — so we were wondering what opening band we were gonna agree on, and we both loved Thrice. It was really great that it worked out. So it was just schedule-wise, getting it to work with everybody. It's gonna be great. I really think this show has something to offer for everyone — all listeners should be pretty pleased with such an eclectic lineup.
So, you said you've been trying to put this pairing together for 6 years. What was the attraction?
You know, we get along with those guys on a personal level, and we both respect each other. We like the fact that we come at it from different perspectives as far as music. They're sound and ours couldn't be more polar opposite, but in a weird way they match up well together. Really, from my perspective, that's why I like it. To me, they have this vibe that's very groove-oriented, which I like. And we're more traditional punk-rock, faster. So I just think those sounds kind of work well together, it makes for a very interesting show. We've done plenty of shows with our good friends from Bad Religion, Rancid, we love all those bands, but we wanted to try something different this time around.
Is there ever a concern that maybe it's too much of a stretch for your fans to embrace someone as different as Deftones, and vice versa?
Yeah, there's always that concern with any tour when we try to branch out. Two years ago, we toured with Killswitch Engage, and that was another one of those shows where you weren't really sure how it was gonna work. But everyone was very receptive, our fans and their fans. But yeah, you're always gonna have that worry. But I like to think our fans are open-minded, and so are Deftones' fans. There is a lot of crossover there — we see Deftones shirts at our shows and they see Rise Against shirts at their shows, you know? But I think, for the most part, it's going to work out really well.
Rise Against is a band that's pretty much always been known for being politically and socially outspoken. Do you guys find your message reaching a larger and broader audience now given the current state of things?
I definitely feel like there's a fine line between people listening to what we're singing about and then people taking it the wrong way and thinking we're trying to forcer-feed our agenda down their throats. I feel like we've always done a good job with presenting facts about what we're singing about, and that's not really opinion. But yeah, now more than ever, we're definitely getting more attention, for sure. But again, all we can do is present facts. I never want to say, "Yeah, we're a political band, so now we're gonna use what's happening in the United States as a springboard to get more publicity." I just like to think we're doing our thing, and the nation is just a little more aware, especially with what's going on with Trump and how he's kind of a loose cannon. There's definitely more concern in the nation than there has been in the past.
I understand your desire not to come off as preachy to people, but if there is a main message the band is trying to convey, what would that be?
I always tell people, "You have a voice. Use it. Don't be afraid to speak your mind — ever." I grew up very quiet, and I bottled a lot of things in. But think the main goal of Rise Against, when we first started, was people have a voice, and if enough people use it, that's what inspires change. People should be aware — your voice matters. That's the overall focus of the band, at least for me. I really feel like it's important. Kids, young kids especially, need to know that they need to speak their minds.
I read that you guys moved from Chicago to Nashville to record "Wolves," and I was wondering what the reasoning was behind that.
We ended up switching producers on "Wolves," and Nick Raskulinecz, who produced the record, he lives in Nashville and he owns a studio there. So we thought, "Oh, maybe that would be good, it would be a change of scenery," 'cause we'd done the five previous records with Bill Stevenson in Fort Collins, Colo., so we definitely thought a change of scenery would be good. Nick's a little bit out in the country, and it allowed us to remain a little bit more focused, because we weren't allowed any distractions out there. It's good and bad. When we were finishing writing the record, we were out in Nashville at a studio, we were really focused, but when you're in the studio for a few months, you start getting a little cabin fever. It was great, and then after awhile you're like, "OK, I need to get into the city and interact with other people." But fore the most part, it was great and very beneficial.
How log were you out there in total?
We started in October with pre-production and finishing writing our songs and getting everything together song structure-wise, and all of that. We started that process in mid-October and we were done the end of January. So we were there a long time. We just wanted to make sure it was good, we didn't want to rush anything. It ended up being great. We ended up switching mixers, too. We used Dave Sardy, who was around, and he's done everything from Slayer to Fall Out Boy. So it was definitely a really cool experience.
What were some of the ideas and themes that inspired the content of "Wolves"?
It was really … our singer, Tim [McIlrath], he writes all the lyrics, and he started writing the lyrics pre-election, and we were kinda coming at it from the standpoint of, "Oh, we're going to have the first female president ever in the history of the United States." So it was a great feeling, it was going to be a milestone for the country. So he started writing a couple songs and Trump got elected, and we were like, "Oh, wait … well, we need to re-think everything. This record is going to have a different tone just by the election." There was no way around it. It was very scary waking up and knowing Trump is president. In my opinion, he's just not qualified to have that job. And so, I know Tim re-wrote some of the lyrics that he'd already written, and it definitely was a springboard to the concept of "Wolves." It was Trump insinuating that people going against him were weak, things like that. And we were, "No, we should be feared. We are wolves." It's kind of like the wolfpack, strength-in-numbers idea. That's kinda what goes behind "Wolves." That's a very short definition of it, but I like the mentality of it. And it goes along with the using your voice to inspire change — that's kinda the idea behind Wolves. I really feel like it's definitely getting people — especially our fans — talking more. They understand the concept and they're like, "We can really do something if we band together." So that's that whole idea behind it.
You guys are often referred to as "melodic hardcore," and I love that description because those two words feel like such disparate ideas, but you still pull it off so well, especially in songs like "The Violence." Is it a difficult balance to strike, given that it's the nature of a fanbase that some will prefer one element over the other?
You know, it's kinda something we never overthink. Whatever the music is dictating for the way the vocals should take shape, it kinda is what it is. I think we've been doing this for so long that, if I write a song that's a straight-up old-school punk-rock song, Tim knows what to do with it, and you can apply that to all the styles we incorporate with Rise Against. With "The Violence," or older singles like "Prayer of the Refugee" or "Ready to Fall," it's like we've been doing this for so long that we just know what to do with it, and we don't overthink it. Whatever comes out … I mean, it's definitely the most sincere and natural — I don't want to force anything.
In terms of referencing some of that older stuff, I was wondering how the band has shown its evolution over the years.
It's difficult for me to answer. When you're living it, when you're in a band for so long, I write from whatever I'm feeling at that given moment; it's like a stamp in time. When you've been a band for so long, the way I write songs, and I know the way Tim writes songs, it's just whatever you're feeling. And we try not to re-hash older ideas, but at the same time, we have a sound, and that sound is very natural to us. At the same time, after being in a band for 16 years, we've become better songwriters, just because of the frequency that we've done that process. We've just learned from past mistakes — what works and what doesn't.
ewalden@sltrib.com
Twitter: @esotericwalden —
Rise Against and Deftones
With Thrice, Frank Iero and The Patience
When • Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Where • Usana Amphitheatre, 5150 Upper Ridge Rd., West Valley City
Tickets • $29.50-$54.50; Smith's Tix