– Does Songwriting Come Easy to Pennywise?

Pennywise – Alien

Pennywise is a pretty prolific band. Does songwriting come easy to you?

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(Read All Pennywise Articles) – Sometimes it comes easy. We just finished this album, but I’ve already been writing songs. Every song that you might like at that moment, you don’t know what the rest of the guys are gonna like. We have different ways of writing, we write as a band, then write as individuals and bring them together and add what we can to them. You never know what’s gonna stick. To write 60 songs, we’re lucky we got this many we agreed on to put on the album, because the percentage is pretty low! For me, anyway. I’ve written hundreds and ended up with a handful on our records.

That’s a pretty low batting average.

Yeah, but it just strengthens what you put out there. You might have 25 pairs of pants – I don’t have that many – but there’s only one or two that you’re gonna put on. You gotta have options.

What’s changed the most about the band since you first started?

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Not a lot changes with us. That’s a complaint that some people say, but here’s the thing: When I was growing up, I liked bands like The Damned. They were putting out great punk band merchandise and music, but then at some point they turned goth and got weird and added keyboards and stuff like that. I took it personally. I was like ‘this is my favorite band and they’re not doing what I like anymore!’ … We get criticized that all our songs sound the same, but if you played our songs back to back you could hear that the songs are different. Our biggest changes now are in production… Also we’ve obviously gotten a little older, so we’re more cognizant of world issues. The songs used to sort of friendship oriented, but now we’re expanding into more world themes.

Did you ever envision such a long run?

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I couldn’t have envisioned any run actually. When I got in the band in 1995, I thought we probably had about three years, maybe. Punk started getting popular back then, with bands like Green Day and The Offspring that were taking off. But nothing lasts. You can’t have a scene that lasts for 15 years or more.

Apparently you can. What is it about the So Cal punk style that continues to resonate with kids everywhere?

We just play from the heart. We don’t try to follow trends. And by doing that I think we connect with a core audience that relates to that. Not to be cliché, but if you’re not faking it and being true to yourself, you’re gonna have people that you can keep around for a long time. If you’re just a fair-weather band that’s just going along with the trends you’re only gonna be popular till that trend is over. You never know though. But as long as I’ve got ears to hear and fingers to play my bass with, I’m gonna do this until I can’t anymore. But I think there’s gonna be someone there to come watch us play because we want to do it. But you know, the numbers go up and down. You’re a little more popular one year, a little less the next. It’s not really important.

You’re playing the WBCN River Rave here. Do you like these radio festival type shows?

Radio has changed their style. We haven’t changed ours. And they choose to play our music. And what that does, is it just exposes our music to more people … It’s a different vibe. It’s not like a sweaty club show. That’s so much fun to do, but you get used to them. We have a great time at these shows. You’ve still got Pennywise fans in the audience, but it’s a sign of the times that shows how far punk rock has come. Instead of punk rock changing and falling apart and doing something else, it pretty much has changed the landscape of music, where even corporate radio stations want to play it. It’s kind of like a victory.

(Read All Pennywise Articles)

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– Memorable Screwball Shows, Pennywise Band Merchandise and Band T-Shirts

Pennywise – Bro Hymn

Any memorably screwball shows?

(Read All Pennywise Articles) – Every time we play, something weird’s going to happen — all the way from playing in our friend’s backyard for two people to playing big festivals in Europe. We’ve pretty much had everything and in between.

They even have some of the most incredible Pennywise band merch that anyone would be proud to wear.

DIY punk rock is now corporate punk rock: What happened?

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It’s unfortunate, but it’s a progression that’s come about because so many people are into punk band merchandise & music. It attracts a lot of people out there with a certain mind-set; whenever that happens, you’re going to have people following the money and people trying to exploit that.

How do you account for the band being around so long?

Probably just sticking to our roots and doing things our own way. We don’t change for any kind of trends. We play the kind of music we want to play and don’t listen to anyone else. You have to stick to what you believe in. People can say what they want — like you said, the songs all sound the same, but we’ve been around 20 years, so we proved ’em all wrong.

Can you describe that magical power that music has?

A lot of times music brings about something deep inside of us that we didn’t know how to express. Having it put into musical form with drums, distorted guitar, pumping bass and screaming vocals makes it that much more visceral and urgent, especially when you hear a song about something you believe in. That’s why you’ve got so many people who base their lives around music.

Is there a little-known fact about Pennywise?

Probably that we’re all very pro-American. Everyone is proud to be an American and happy to be living in this country. We just want it to be the best place on Earth.

Another Pennywise Interview

Even a stopped watch is right twice a day. Not that there’s ever been anything broken with the music of Pennywise, a band who’ve haven’t strayed far from the muscular and melodic Southern California punk style they helped to popularize in the early ’90s. It’s just that as styles in popular culture shift year in and year out, the band might themselves falling in and out of favor while they themselves remain true to their roots, says bassist Randy Bradbury. This definitely seems to be an up year for the band, who’ve just released their ninth studio album “Reason to Believe” on long time home Epitaph in conjunction with MySpace Records. Offered in the first two weeks for free on the social networking site, the band logged some 400,000 downloads. Metro caught up with Bradbury on the road from Myrtle Beach.

You just released the new album for free through MySpace. That seems to be the new business model that’s going to make sense for bands.

Well, it’s the new business model that music fans want… they want to go get their music for free. And the Internet has opened up so many possibilities for that to happen. So we’re just embracing the inevitable. It’s worked way better than we could have imagined. We’ve always said most importantly we want to get our music out there to as many people as we can… Anyone that can relate to our music and is into it, we want them to be able to hear it….You just have to accept it. You’re not selling CDs, you’re not making as much money, but you’re still doing what you love. We’re really pleased with it.

Will more kids be at a show singing the new songs now?

Yeah, an unexpected plus to this is we do have more kids at shows singing a long to the new songs where before they wouldn’t have known them. The shows are packed… We have a really loyal following anyways. We don’t want to take it for granted, we’ve always been lucky to have a packed house.

(Read All Pennywise Articles)

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– What Motivated Pennywise to Write A song F Authority

(Read All Pennywise Articles) – Pennywise seems like the coolest band coming to the VA Beach warped tour this year and listening to one of their songs on youtube makes me wonder if adults like me shouldn’t have played a better role in being responsible when it comes to raising the youth we now see today. After all dealing with a lot of abuse in many different situations is probably what leads them to write the song:

F— Authority

Pennywise Wants fans to ‘Believe’ in America Again

Punk rockers Pennywise and The Offspring will headline the KJEE Summer Round Up on Sunday afternoon at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Pennywise, named for that mean and scary clown from Stephen King’s “It,” has a new album, “Reason to Believe,” the band’s ninth. During a two-decade career, Pennywise has sold millions of records, influenced thousands to dance, and left scores dazed and confused in the mosh pit.

No more radical than asking fans to think and do the right thing, Pennywise believes that a well-informed citizenry is the basis of a functioning democracy. Then again, according to lyrics from the new single “The Western World,” that part of the world is functioning about as well as a rusting Edsel: “This is the face of our vanity. The tabloid death of humanity. We take the best and we spit out the rest. And always leaving ’em wanting more (in the Western World).” Hate when that happens.

Pennywise frontman Jim Lindberg, who doesn’t hate America, despite what people say, had a few stories to tell.

What’s the latest in Pennywise world?

We’re on tour supporting our new record. “Reason to Believe” came out about a month ago and we have a new record label. It’s on MySpace Records and we gave it away for free for a couple of weeks, so we’re trying some new things, trying to keep things interesting.

Free CDs? That works?

Oh yeah, it went really well. We got a lot of people that may not have heard of Pennywise before listening to our music.

You guys haven’t played any GOP fundraisers lately, I would assume?

Nope. You know, I’m getting less and less political these days. I don’t really pay attention to the parties anymore. I pay attention to the ideas. What’s best for the country — that’s what I’m into. So it’ll be an interesting race this year, I’m sure.

Is America getting dumber?

The cool thing about the punk scene seems to be that a lot of people are really interested and want to get involved and pay attention to the issues. I’m hopeful that people have the same goals and want the same things — all the ideals set forth by our Founding Fathers years ago. I think that’s what everyone’s interested in.

What about those who say Pennywise is un-American?

Anyone who says that is not paying attention. I’m absolutely pro-American. I love this country and that’s why I get so interested in the issues. The un-American ones are those who are not paying attention to the corruption in government today. I want the best for America.

What about those who say all your songs sound the same?

Well, every blues song sounds the same. We add our own elements to each song and approach different subjects and topics. More and more today, people are haters, and you can’t pay attention to them or you’ll go crazy. So we just do our own thing and let them do all the talking.

Is the mosh pit kinder and gentler, or still the same?

You never know what you’re going to get. It depends on where you are, what’s going on, what day of the week it is and how much beer people have had.

(Read All Pennywise Articles)

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– Possible New Rise Against and Metallica Band Merch At the KROQs 2008 Weenie Roast

Metallica will headline KROQ’s 2008 Weenie Roast. Rumor has it that there might be some new collectable Metallica and Rise Against band merch. The thrash metal pioneers — who will release a new, Rick Rubin-produced studio album this September — will support L.A.’s premiere modern rock outlet on May 17, performing alongside the Offspring, the Raconteurs, Rise Against, Bad Religion, Pennywise, the Bravery and Flogging Molly.

Prayer of the Refugee

The Sufferer & The Witness – Rise Against Album Review

Rise Against became Warped Tour A-listers with their 2004 major-label debut: Dark and catchy like emo, only faster, tougher and more concerned with social decay than broken hearts, Siren Song of the Counter Culture is full of complex, supercharged punk songs spiked with crackling hooks and urgent…

3.5of 5 Stars

How Rise Against Got Their Start

Chicago’s Rise Against began in 1999 when ex-88 Fingers Louie bassist Joe Principe tapped area vocalist Tim McIlrath for a new project rooted in the sound and social vision of traditionalist hardcore. Joined by fellow 88 Fingers vet Dan Precision on guitar and, eventually, drummer Brandon Barnes, Rise Against signed to Fat Wreck and issued The Unraveling in 2001. Precision left the band that same year to be replaced by Todd Mohney. Extensive touring followed, leading to their sophomore outing, 2002’s Revolutions Per Minute. After solid response from fans and critics alike, as well as a stint on the Warped Tour, Rise Against left the Fat Wreck fold for DreamWorks/Geffen. By this point, guitar duties were being handled by Chris Chasse (Reach the Sky). Rise Against made their major-label debut in August 2004 with Siren Song of the Counter Culture. They toured steadily after the album’s release, received plenty of solid press, and even saw Counter Culture crack the Billboard Top 200.

Armed with the fury of classic punk acts as Minor Threat and Bad Brains, blended with intelligent vocals and a serious commitment to providing a positive alternative to the oft-dreary and disenchanted aura that engulfs most punk bands, Chicago’s Rise Against might be seen as an outcast amongst its peers.

“It was almost cool to be negative, especially around Chicago,” bassist Joe Principe recalls. “So, vocalist Tim McIlrath and I had this main goal of putting a positive light on things. There are so many bands that sing about negative things, and we kind of wanted to use this to show people it’s OK to voice your opinions and stay positive. We just wanted to be more productive, lyrically.”

“It’s not so much as we’re a political band, but what we feel is our social responsibility,” adds McIlrath. “It’s not just a responsibility as human being on the planet, but towards the punk rock scene. I feel like we’re kind of carrying the torch of punk. So many bands aren’t doing that, shaking their obligations as a punk band. I don’t want to be a band that took for granted the things that Minor Threat and Black Flag did that brought me to where I am today.”

Founded in late 1999 by Principe and McIlrath, Rise Against rose from the ashes of Principe’s former band, 88 Fingers Louie. Sporting blistering, aggressive melodic punk and hardcore traits, Rise Against took the template Principe set in his previous band and expanded it further, through the thought-provoking vocals of McIlrath.

Rise Against’s original lineup consisted of Tim McIlrath (vocals and guitar), Joe Principe (bass and vocals), Brandon Barnes (drums), and Mr. Precision (guitar and vocals), and recorded its debut album with renowned punk producer Mass Giorgini. Mr. Precision left the band in 2001 and was replaced by Todd Mohney. Shortly after the band signed with Geffen, Mohney left and was replaced by Chris Chasse. After the release of the The Sufferer and The Witness, Chasse left the band due to personal differences (he is now in a band Last of the Believers; in his place now stands Zach Blair of Only Crime. According to a statement by McIlraith, “Yes, the Rise Against curse continues…”

Various musical influences are apparent in their songs on Siren Song of the Counter Culture. The opening song, “State of the Union”, is comparable to classic hardcore. As an introductory song, it is supposed to make the listener wake up. “To Them These Streets Belong” and “The First Drop” are more typical of the traditional punk in the style of Pennywise. Most of their lyrics include a political message of some sort. The aforementioned “Swing Life Away” is slow-paced song, originally recorded for the Punk Goes Acoustic compilation album.

“I wanted to put in some level of energy,” says Principe. “It’s hard to pinpoint what bands like Bad Brains and Minor Threat did. Those guys had something together. They took what they were doing and separated themselves from everyone else. And that’s what I wanted from this band.”

The cohesive sound of Rise Against is actually a seamless melding of two musically independent worlds. “Joe comes from more of an old-school background,” says McIlrath. “He grew up with Bad Brains, Articles Of Faith, SNFU, all the hardcore stuff. And I liked Fugazi, the more melodic, early ‘90s emo like Cap’n Jazz, Braid and Friction. We were wondering how this would all work. I mean, it should’ve been a train wreck.”

Fortunately, there was no derailment in sight for Rise Against. In fact, almost a year after they first met, the act was playing their first show. And after playing musical chairs behind the kit, the band finally found a drummer that exceeded their expectations, Colorado-based Brandon Barnes, formerly of Denver punk outfit Pinhead Circus.

—–> (Read Rise Against Part Two)

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