KEY POINTS:
"We've lived off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and because of that we appreciate where we are now," laughs Tim McIlrath, the leader of hardcore punk rock band Rise Against.
He's right. Since forming in Chicago during 1999 the quartet have gigged relentlessly, from their early shows where "10 or 15 kids turned up" to playing the main stage on the Warped Tour, punk rock's travelling roadshow. They also played last year's Big Day Out and they return to New Zealand this week for one show at the St James on Thursday.
"When I wake up in the morning all I can think about is playing a show," says McIlrath. "We're touring non-stop, we're halfway around the world, we've sold out in Europe, and everyone's coming to see us play - and I've been in bands when they haven't," he says.
Although not as popular as the likes of Green Day, Rise Against have built a loyal following since the release of their second album, Revolutions Per Minute, in 2003. Their major label debut, 2004's Siren Song for the Counter Culture, increased their fan base further.
On the band's latest album, The Sufferer & the Witness, which was released in July, McIlrath has no problem admitting it's just more of the same - a solid punk rock and hardcore foundation, the occasional soaring ballad, with solid and punchy melodics.
"I don't think we've done anything too differently. No, there's no giant leaps anywhere and we're just working on perfecting what we've always done," he deadpans.
Rise Against are inspired just as much by 80s hardcore and 90s indie rock as they are by the Chicago live music scene they grew up with.
"The hardcore scene especially was on the cutting edge and that's when I realised music was more than just about playing music. The bands were there to use the music to share their views with the people," he says.
Back then he was going to gigs that were benefit shows for organisations like rape crisis and he says that sort of social consciousness had a big impact on him and his music.
"As a 15-year-old kid you start to realise that all is not right with the world," he says. "It showed me that someone can get up on stage and do more than just entertain. And in a day and age where that isn't happening I want to pass on that sort of attitude to the younger generation. That's what punk is - teaching the next generation."
But don't think Rise Against are preachers. "It's all about what the lyrics mean to you and the decisions that you make," he says.
He admires bands like Sick of It All, NOFX and Alexisonfire because they're "still making great records, relevant records and subversive records," and it's those qualities that inspires Rise Against.
"All we ever wanted to do as a band is play music for a living and get our music out to as many people as possible. Plus, we never get bored with what we're doing. We know where we come from," he says staunchly.
And that would be hardcore.
What: Rise Against
Where and when: St James in Auckland on Thursday
