Rise Against

New video by Rise...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4clbHc4Xg

I think this song and video needs to be watched by as many people possible, this message needs spreading

http://neostarpromotions.com/2011/06/21/interview-tom-gabel-of-against-me/

watch the video interview. Tom responds to the Rise Against dig at 2:55min mark.

Totally justified what Tom said about them. Rise Against attacked him and he can definitely express his opinion on them without seeming like a dick. I definitely agree with him about some of their politics seeming self serving at times

oldgospelchoir wrote:

http://neostarpromotions.com/2011/06/21/interview-tom-gabel-of-against-me/

watch the video interview. Tom responds to the Rise Against dig at 2:55min mark.

Totally justified what Tom said about them. Rise Against attacked him and he can definitely express his opinion on them without seeming like a dick. I definitely agree with him about some of their politics seeming self serving at times

I completely agree. I take the same sort of view on their new music video. Not that I disagree with the message behind the video -- but is a song like that really going to stop the bullying of gays? Half the people who listen to that song and go "wow what a great message" are probably still going to turn around and listen to Tyler the Creator spew homophobic slurs. It just seems very self-serving in a "hey lets get lots of attention to ourselves by broadcasting a pro-gay message in this song but keep any of our love songs about girls because that's what sells" kind of way.

I like it when my rock stars keep their religious/political views private and don't use their fame to push them through their comments/music. (Hence why I love Brian so much ). I don't mind when rock stars use their fame to push their religious/political views. I mean, freedom of speech is probably my favorite amendment. But I am very wary of any artist who uses religious/political views to attract more fame/attention and rise against definitely flirts with crossing that line.

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

loazis wrote:

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

*pressing like button *

loazis wrote:

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

seriously...

i mean, i like it when bands don't push certain messages like religion on me, but...rise against, just look at their name. it's not a one-off song to gain listeners. have you listened to any of their music? their whole catalog is full of songs with political meanings and such...that's different from a band speaking about their values or writing a single that has a certain message.

the whole "did rise against mean that line to be about tom from am! ?" seems so petty. who cares.

i read something tim mcilrath said in an interview about a fan of theirs who was gay and was unsure of where the band stood on that issue. so i think they took that to heart and wanted to add their voices out there to those in support of gay rights. as far as "oh lets keep our love songs about women"...that just seems like a ridiculous point to try to make...would it be better if they pretended to be gay? THAT would be FAKE. they are hetero and so they write love songs from their point of view.

steph wrote:

loazis wrote:

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

seriously...

i mean, i like it when bands don't push certain messages like religion on me, but...rise against, just look at their name. it's not a one-off song to gain listeners. have you listened to any of their music? their whole catalog is full of songs with political meanings and such...that's different from a band speaking about their values or writing a single that has a certain message.

the whole "did rise against mean that line to be about tom from am! ?" seems so petty. who cares.

i read something tim mcilrath said in an interview about a fan of theirs who was gay and was unsure of where the band stood on that issue. so i think they took that to heart and wanted to add their voices out there to those in support of gay rights. as far as "oh lets keep our love songs about women"...that just seems like a ridiculous point to try to make...would it be better if they pretended to be gay? THAT would be FAKE. they are hetero and so they write love songs from their point of view.

I think Loazis was being sarcastic (i think :p) I like it that Rise Against stands up for something and is a political band, throughout their songs they never talk about "Vote Democrat" or "Go Vegan", I don't think and feel Rise Against is a band that forces people to follow their opinion. I get inspired by their words and point of view however I do not completely agree with everything they say and often think they lack a certain positivism.

Rise Against is just a band standing up for what they believe and you should stand up for what you believe, regardless from the band's opninon. it's not always about making money. Hell, if they wanted to make quick money they would already have a Best-off album out there or something. Rise Against came to a point where they can live of music, so why not use that influence to focus on some problems in our society? I like the video and the song.

steph wrote:

loazis wrote:

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

seriously...

i mean, i like it when bands don't push certain messages like religion on me, but...rise against, just look at their name. it's not a one-off song to gain listeners. have you listened to any of their music? their whole catalog is full of songs with political meanings and such...that's different from a band speaking about their values or writing a single that has a certain message.

the whole "did rise against mean that line to be about tom from am! ?" seems so petty. who cares.

i read something tim mcilrath said in an interview about a fan of theirs who was gay and was unsure of where the band stood on that issue. so i think they took that to heart and wanted to add their voices out there to those in support of gay rights. as far as "oh lets keep our love songs about women"...that just seems like a ridiculous point to try to make...would it be better if they pretended to be gay? THAT would be FAKE. they are hetero and so they write love songs from their point of view.

When did I ever say it was one off thing? If it was a band other than rise against I might have a different opinion, but its their track record of using their political views to generate more fame that is so unsettling.

Make it stop is written from a first person view. I assumed the lead singer was gay (or at least bi) and had experienced some degree of bullying. If that isn't the case what business does he have saying "It gets better"? How would he know? Gabel hit the nail on the head when he said "They support PETA while wearing Nikes" (which tend to be made by slave/greatly underpaid labor). It makes their politics come off as completely self serving and ungenuine - a show put on to attract a certain image full of inconsistencies you gotta hope no sane human being actually believes. I mean, its one thing to support gay rights but some of these songs make these guys out to be full fledged anarchists and it takes away from the genunity of their other songs. If a band that normally didn't express political opinions (like gaslight) came out with a song supporting gay rights that would *mean* something because it would be their way of saying "This is something important enough to us that we're going to make a statement even though we normally don't". With Rise Against it is just "We've been making songs to appeal to angry teenagers for years. What else is new? Plus you either have to support it or you're 'homophobic' "

CluckyB wrote:

steph wrote:

loazis wrote:

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

seriously...

i mean, i like it when bands don't push certain messages like religion on me, but...rise against, just look at their name. it's not a one-off song to gain listeners. have you listened to any of their music? their whole catalog is full of songs with political meanings and such...that's different from a band speaking about their values or writing a single that has a certain message.

the whole "did rise against mean that line to be about tom from am! ?" seems so petty. who cares.

i read something tim mcilrath said in an interview about a fan of theirs who was gay and was unsure of where the band stood on that issue. so i think they took that to heart and wanted to add their voices out there to those in support of gay rights. as far as "oh lets keep our love songs about women"...that just seems like a ridiculous point to try to make...would it be better if they pretended to be gay? THAT would be FAKE. they are hetero and so they write love songs from their point of view.

When did I ever say it was one off thing? If it was a band other than rise against I might have a different opinion, but its their track record of using their political views to generate more fame that is so unsettling.

Make it stop is written from a first person view. I assumed the lead singer was gay (or at least bi) and had experienced some degree of bullying. If that isn't the case what business does he have saying "It gets better"? How would he know? Gabel hit the nail on the head when he said "They support PETA while wearing Nikes" (which tend to be made by slave/greatly underpaid labor). It makes their politics come off as completely self serving and ungenuine - a show put on to attract a certain image full of inconsistencies you gotta hope no sane human being actually believes. I mean, its one thing to support gay rights but some of these songs make these guys out to be full fledged anarchists and it takes away from the genunity of their other songs. If a band that normally didn't express political opinions (like gaslight) came out with a song supporting gay rights that would *mean* something because it would be their way of saying "This is something important enough to us that we're going to make a statement even though we normally don't". With Rise Against it is just "We've been making songs to appeal to angry teenagers for years. What else is new? Plus you either have to support it or you're 'homophobic' "

LOVE everything you said there Clucky.

CluckyB wrote:

steph wrote:

loazis wrote:

Yes, they wrote a song about teenagers committing suicide because of bullying and the problem of accepting homosexuality amongst teenagers to gain more fame and attention and subsequently more money so they can buy more fancy clothes.

...

seriously...

i mean, i like it when bands don't push certain messages like religion on me, but...rise against, just look at their name. it's not a one-off song to gain listeners. have you listened to any of their music? their whole catalog is full of songs with political meanings and such...that's different from a band speaking about their values or writing a single that has a certain message.

the whole "did rise against mean that line to be about tom from am! ?" seems so petty. who cares.

i read something tim mcilrath said in an interview about a fan of theirs who was gay and was unsure of where the band stood on that issue. so i think they took that to heart and wanted to add their voices out there to those in support of gay rights. as far as "oh lets keep our love songs about women"...that just seems like a ridiculous point to try to make...would it be better if they pretended to be gay? THAT would be FAKE. they are hetero and so they write love songs from their point of view.

When did I ever say it was one off thing? If it was a band other than rise against I might have a different opinion, but its their track record of using their political views to generate more fame that is so unsettling.

Make it stop is written from a first person view. I assumed the lead singer was gay (or at least bi) and had experienced some degree of bullying. If that isn't the case what business does he have saying "It gets better"? How would he know? Gabel hit the nail on the head when he said "They support PETA while wearing Nikes" (which tend to be made by slave/greatly underpaid labor). It makes their politics come off as completely self serving and ungenuine - a show put on to attract a certain image full of inconsistencies you gotta hope no sane human being actually believes. I mean, its one thing to support gay rights but some of these songs make these guys out to be full fledged anarchists and it takes away from the genunity of their other songs. If a band that normally didn't express political opinions (like gaslight) came out with a song supporting gay rights that would *mean* something because it would be their way of saying "This is something important enough to us that we're going to make a statement even though we normally don't". With Rise Against it is just "We've been making songs to appeal to angry teenagers for years. What else is new? Plus you either have to support it or you're 'homophobic' "

Well yeah, I was obviously being sarcastic (or so I thought at least ). I generally try not to judge people in any way because I believe that we are all a bunch of hypocrites; I sure am.

I do not understand why you so stubbornly claim that they use their, according to you, at least to a certain extent, insincere, political views to gain fame. I get your and Tom's point and I see where you're coming from, but I really don't understand who you are to judge. If they want to write songs about their political ideals in a dramatic way ("fists in the air, kill your capitalistic bosses and fight the power"), why not let them? Because you have the idea that they do not always put into practice what they preach? Are you not allowed to express your concerns about global warming if you own a car? Is 'Help Is On The Way' insincere because the band didn't drive to New Orleans themselves to build houses but bitch about it from their safe and dry studio? Etc. I mean, there's always the danger of receiving criticism when you create and maintain an image like Rise Against does and I am absolutely not declaring you a moron or a dick for your opinion, since I really do see your point, but I just think it's way too harsh. Are they perfectly in sync with the message they are spreading with their music? No, probably not. They are probably the most 'mainstream' (pardon me for using the word) punk rock band out there and they do financially profit from their relative 'anti-image'. I just don't think it's fair to say that they write about the subjects they do for the sake of harvesting more insecure teenage souls and their money, instead of expressing their (or Tim's) views on society and the world, regardless of how practical they are.

Besides, I don't think that writing about something as in Make It Stop and promoting a positive message to gay teenagers who are on the brink of committing suicide is dishonest or lame because the writer isn't gay or has had experience with being bullied himself. The narrator of a story or lyric doesn't necessarily has to be the same as the author of the text. I suppose 99% of the anti-war or political songs would be fake as well if this rule applied.

Once again, you make some valid points, but I just really don't like to throw dirt at other people.

I guess I would use "exploitative" over "insincere". They probably do actually believe everything they say, they just make a bigger deal about it than it probably actually is to them.

But yeah, ultimately a matter of taste. I prefer music that doesn't get political or preachy, you can enjoy music that does. If everyone had the same views towards music as everyone else music would be super boring.

i dont understand how it would be more sincere coming from a band that does not ordinarily throw their hat into the ring that way...rise against always sings political songs, why does it make it lesser that they are trying to show their support for the gay community and say "it gets better"?? there was a whole "it gets better" movement, and not only gay famous folks were a part of it. i think it would come of as less sincere from a band that doesnt normally make those statements. and i really dont understand how rise against making music with politically-charged lyrics means they are getting famous off making music by speaking about what they feel like speaking about. it doesnt matter what the fuckin topic, you could say that any band is using whatever their subject of choice is to get famous. it feels like you just dont like rise against and are using that as a bias for them trying to spread the message to kids who might feel like they are in a really bad position, that it does get better and that they are standing up for their rights.

as far as if you don't agree with that making you a homophobe, yeah, it does. and only a homophobe would have a problem with that. (not calling you one).

steph wrote:

i dont understand how it would be more sincere coming from a band that does not ordinarily throw their hat into the ring that way...rise against always sings political songs, why does it make it lesser that they are trying to show their support for the gay community and say "it gets better"?? there was a whole "it gets better" movement, and not only gay famous folks were a part of it. i think it would come of as less sincere from a band that doesnt normally make those statements. and i really dont understand how rise against making music with politically-charged lyrics means they are getting famous off making music by speaking about what they feel like speaking about. it doesnt matter what the fuckin topic, you could say that any band is using whatever their subject of choice is to get famous. it feels like you just dont like rise against and are using that as a bias for them trying to spread the message to kids who might feel like they are in a really bad position, that it does get better and that they are standing up for their rights.

as far as if you don't agree with that making you a homophobe, yeah, it does. and only a homophobe would have a problem with that. (not calling you one).

I actually like a lot of Rise Against's music from a sound standpoint -- I just dislike when bands get too preachy.

Like you said, they always sing political songs and some of them have rather exessive lyrics like "And I have an American Dream, but it involves black masks and gasoline, one day I'll turn these thoughts into screams, at a world turned its back down on me". If we are to believe that they actually fully believe their lyrics then these guys are anarchist thugs. If instead, they exaggerate a belief or two for poetic license then yes, it does detract from when they actually have a full statement they want to make. Because they make a lot of statements. So making another one really is nothing new. But you're essentially making my point for me. Maybe someone doesn't like it when bands sing about girls and past loves and tells stories about growing up and so can't get into Gaslight. That's ok. But you essentially admitted Rise Against used their political views to attract their fan base -- and as I've mentioned I'm wary of bands that do that.

So I suppose not agreeing with Obama makes you racist? You're again again making my point as to why I'm wary of the video. You *have* to support it and can't question the bands motives without looking bad yourself. I personally don't really care. It doesn't really matter to me if some people on the internet think I'm hobophobic because I think some band had alternatior motives (in addition to good ones) for making a pro-gay song. But much like with Born This Way they created a song and advertised in a very much "look how good we are for supporting gay rights" kind of way

alright...

not sure how i essentially admitted that rise against used their political views to attract their fan base-- all i was saying that any popular band could be accused of using their beliefs to gather fans, if you choose to look at it that way.

i get where you are coming from a bit about the band, now that you explained it. i don't have to agree with it, but i see your point more clearly now.

as far as not agreeing with obama making one racist...no.
just like not agreeing with the video making one homophobic, no.

i think we are just interpreting their video in different ways. ultimately, to me, i think the idea behind the video was genuine, and if just one LGBTQ kid finds comfort in the video, it will be all worth it, regardless of the band's intention.

Don't want to get into any of the debates above but I'm going to see Rise Against on Saturday - never seen them before so don't know what to expect.

I'm only really going because Tom Morello is supporting and I want to see him do some stuff off his new album (Worldwide Rebel Songs - which is great) but I've picked up Rise Against's albums in preparation. Worryingly, my favourite song so far is their cover of Journey's Any Way You Want It simply because it made me laugh so hard I nearly crashed on the way home today - totally wasn't expecting that from the "untitled hidden track" on Revolutions Per Minute.

I must admit, as a 5 year fan of Rise Against that the new album, compared to older albums is pretty weak. Lyrics are just fine but Rise Against is becoming the mainstream rockband and not the punk bad they were back in the days.

Honestly I haven't heard anyone really praise Endgame. I like a few songs but only because they grew on me at the shows (Satellite, Make It Stop, Help..., Architects). I like This Is Letting Go too. But overall I don't go looking to listen to it like I do the others. At least not right now anyway. Still love the band and look forward to what they do next though.

I was looking at these guys Wiki page the other week and it said that they were voted as the "Best Animal-Friendly Band" by PETA. I think that is so freaking awesome! Plus it said that all the band members are vegetarians.

Rise Against!

TGAforLIFE wrote:

I was looking at these guys Wiki page the other week and it said that they were voted as the "Best Animal-Friendly Band" by PETA. I think that is so freaking awesome! Plus it said that all the band members are vegetarians.

Rise Against!

i think a couple, if not all but one, are vegans. but yeah. YEAH!!!

steph wrote:

TGAforLIFE wrote:

I was looking at these guys Wiki page the other week and it said that they were voted as the "Best Animal-Friendly Band" by PETA. I think that is so freaking awesome! Plus it said that all the band members are vegetarians.

Rise Against!

i think a couple, if not all but one, are vegans. but yeah. YEAH!!!

They're all vegans. Saw them a couple of weeks ago, wicked show!

I saw them open for Foo Fighters last year in KC. I can't say I was that impressed with them. I remember liking a song or 2, but overall....can't say I was blown away or anythiing. Hoping for a better experience at Riot Fest.

That said, very cool about them being very animal friendly.

It was difficult seeing them open for Foo Fighters. It wasn't their crowd and not nearly as cool as seeing them headline, so I wouldn't judge them off of that if that was your first time.

Matt! That's so cool you just got to see them!! I'm a bit jealous. But, cool they're all vegans.

Yeah, I might get to see them in September. Just have to hope it all works out.

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

It was difficult seeing them open for Foo Fighters. It wasn't their crowd and not nearly as cool as seeing them headline, so I wouldn't judge them off of that if that was your first time.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm willing to give them another chance. Hope to come away impressed!

Seen them around 4 times and have been a fan for about 7 years, they've really declined.
The last 2 albums have sounded nearly identical, they need to reinvent their sound. Booting Chris out of the band is where I see the decline starting, Zach replacing him doesn't sound nearly as good/unique as before. And their left wing shtick is getting old, we get your band is full of vegans and you guys oppose capitalism (yet they make money off it, I'm sure they donate a lot but still hypocritical and makes it hard to take lyrics seriously). They put up a great performance though, Tim is a great entertainer. IMO Tim is carrying the band on his back in terms of creativity; Joe and Brandon are great, but Zach ruins the band for me.