It's been 14 years since Rise Against first wielded their politically-charged brand of pop-punk on the back of their 2001 release, 'The Unravelling'.
While the band's lifestyle has mellowed, with early nights and young children thrown into the mix, their music certainly has not. To anyone who disagrees after listening to the band’s latest release, 2014's 'The Black Market', lead guitarist Zach Blair has this pearls of wisdom: "Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has them.
"If anything I thought ['The Black Market'] was a darker, heavier record than we've ever done," he argues. "I like the opening track ['The Great Die-Off'], which we're opening the sets with lately, I like the way it sets the record. I also like the way 'Zero Visibility' came out. It's a different sound for us."
For Rise Against, 'The Black Market' marks their seventh studio album. For Blair, it is his third. “Eight and a half years,” he says. That's the length of his journey with Rise Against thus far.
"Almost a decade. It's enough for all the newness to have worn off. For me, if I had started a band that long ago and was still with it, it would feel as though I'd been with the band forever. I think after the second [Rise Against] record the newness wore off. It's been half the band's career so far."
And a good chunk of Blair's musical career, to be honest. "This is all we've ever done and we're lucky we get to do it," he says.
So what does he attribute the longevity of the band to? A number of things. The first is having the right chemistry. "I'm a huge music fan, so I like original line-ups," he says. "As a kid I'd get frustrated over bands who couldn't make it work. Then, you're in a band and you realise how hard it is for two people to get along, much less four or five at a time. The band either breaks up or tries to make the chemistry work. Fortunately, [the band's] chemistry has worked out for quite a while now."
The second attribute is knowing how to play nice. "Sometimes it's experience, and sometimes there's a deliberate lack of playing well with others. You're always going to rub up against each other," he admits.
What it comes down to is how much. "I can't quantify the perfect formula. You just have to know when you have it. I've been in band situations where I'm like, 'this is not going to work out', and I've been in band situations where it's symbiotic. Where you go 'oh, that person's getting on my nerves, I'm going to walk away'.
"You definitely know when somebody on tour is not cut out for this," Blair continues. "You can see them a mile away and you go, 'wow, you're not going to last'. When I'm on tour, I don't care how good a good writer, singer or player you are, when you don't play well with others, you're not cut out for it. It's more than 50 per cent having a good relationship and being a people person. Being somebody other people like helps."
Something else that helps is living la vida. When asked how rock & roll Rise Against gets these days, Blair's knee-jerk response is: "not at all. I don't drink, or smoke, or do drugs,” he says.
“I'm not married and I'm vegetarian. But maybe that's helps my career and its longevity. If you treat [your career] like something you're passionate about – something you love – and you take care of yourself, you're able to keep doing it.
“Look at Bruce Springsteen,” he continues. “That guy never had a crazy, drug past and he's still got a very viable career. He still looks great – healthy. He takes care of himself. It's cliché, but it's really how you keep going. So I don't want to have a crazy rock & roll story because I want to be doing this the next 20 or 30 years."
When that time comes, don't think for one moment that Rise Against will be peddling their 'latest record' to the nostalgic diehards who've supported the band since 'The Unravelling'. Because the final secret to their longevity? It’s keeping fans happy. "It's always interesting trying to get [the setlist] together because you can't play certain things and you have to play certain things," Blair says.
"We're not a band that saturates the fans with our new stuff. It's just not fun if we do."
Rise Against Tour Dates
Wed 2 Dec - Margaret Court Arena (Melbourne)Fri 4 Dec - Brisbane Riverstage
Sat 5 Dec - Hordern Pavilion (Sydney)
