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Anti-Flag | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
Genres | Punk rock [1] |
Years active |
|
Labels | |
Past members | Justin Sane Chris No. 2 Chris Head Pat Thetic Andy Flag Lucy Fester Jamie Cock |
Website | anti-flag |
Anti-Flag was an American punk rock band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1988. The band was known for its left-wing political activism. For the majority of the band's career, their members included Justin Sane (vocals and guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Barker, also known as Chris No. 2 (vocals and bass).
Gaining popularity through the punk underground, Anti-Flag controversially signed to RCA Records and released their major label debut For Blood and Empire in 2006. It contained singles such as "The Press Corpse" (which was the band's only appearance on the US Alternative Airplay chart) and "This is the End (For You My Friend)", which featured in multiple video games.
The band remained active past their commercial peak, releasing a total of thirteen albums, the final of which came out months before their disbandment. The band also operated their own record label, A-F Records.
Anti-Flag suddenly broke up in July 2023 amidst several rape and sexual assault allegations made against Sane. The other members directly condemned him and ceased all operations.
Anti-Flag was originally formed in 1988 by Justin Sane and Pat Thetic. Various guitarists and bassists joined and left the band during the band's early years, including Sane's sister, Lucy Fester, who was formerly part of the Chicago band Toothpaste. The band failed to solidify and disbanded after performing in just one show. [2]
In February 2002, Anti-Flag released the album Mobilize on A-F Records. The album featured eight new studio tracks, as well as eight live tracks of songs from other albums. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Anti-Flag spoke out against the push for war with the album's title track, "911 for Peace". During this time, many music stores took Anti-Flag's records off their shelves, as their music was labeled as "anti-American." [3]
On October 8, 2004, U.S. Representative Jim McDermott gave a speech in the House of Representatives, commending Anti-Flag for their work in encouraging young people to register and vote. [4]
In 2005, Anti-Flag signed a two-album record contract with the major label RCA. In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian , Justin Sane explained the band's move to a major label:
We've been approached by the major labels over the past seven or eight years, but we thought we had an impact where we were. They were never willing to give us complete control. This time they were willing to give us complete control over what we record, the artwork, and who we tour with. We won't be censored. If there was ever a time to take a chance to be heard on a mass scale, then this is the time. I feel like we've been a voice in the wilderness for too long. [5]
The first of these two albums, For Blood and Empire , was released on March 21, 2006. The album's main focus is criticism of the U.S. government's mishandling of the War on Terrorism. The album's lead single, "This Is The End (For You My Friend)," is featured in the video game Madden NFL 07. [6] In March 2009, Anti-Flag was forced to cancel a series of tours after Sane broke his collarbone at the UEA LCR in Norwich by jumping off the stage, trying to stop someone that was throwing objects at the band. [7]
On March 31, 2009, Anti-Flag announced that their next CD, The People or the Gun , would be released on SideOneDummy on June 9, 2009. The band recorded the album in a home studio they built themselves. The first track of the album "Sodom, Gomorrah, and Washington DC (Sheep in Shepherd's Clothing)" could be listened to on Anti-Flag's website. On May 1, 2009, the band performed a full set of The Clash covers at Hoodwink in East Rutherford, New Jersey. [8]
On June 21, 2011, Justin Sane announced that Anti-Flag was working on material for a new album, which was planned to be released later in the year. The album had the working title of Magnum. Sane also announced plans to record a new solo album in the future, as he had also been working on some folk-oriented solo material. [9]
On March 20, 2012, Anti-Flag released an album called The General Strike , which was recorded and produced by the band at their home studio. The band also intended to go on The General Strike Record Release Tour with The Flatliners and the Have Nots. They released a lyric video for the song "1915" which talked about Joe Hill. [10]
In June 2014, Anti-Flag announced that they were going to release a new album called A Document of Dissent: 1993-2013 . [11]
On January 16, 2015, Anti-Flag announced they would release their ninth studio album called American Spring on the label Spinefarm Records. The album was released on May 26, 2015. [12] Later in the year, Anti-Flag released a compilation album called Cease Fires which contains two previously unreleased songs from their American Spring recording sessions and twelve songs from their 20 Years of Hell EP series. It was released on December 18, 2015. [13] In an interview in 2016, Chris No. 2 revealed that he doesn't read books. [14] On August 14, 2017, in reaction to the events of the 2017 Unite the Right rally, the band released a song titled "Racists" to the Spinefarm Records YouTube channel. [15] On August 18, 2017, the band announced that a new album titled American Fall would be released on Spinefarm Records on November 3, 2017, by premiering a song from the album titled "American Attraction" on Anti-Flag's YouTube channel. [16]
In early 2018, Anti-Flag toured with Stray from the Path, The White Noise and Sharptooth. [17]
From July until September 2018, Anti-Flag played with AFI and Rise Against in the Mourning in Amerika [18] Tour.
On October 4, 2019, Anti-Flag released their song "Christian Nationalist" alongside an announcement of a European tour the following year. [19] On the band's website, the song's meaning was explained by a quote from Justin:
History is full of wealthy and powerful people using religion and cultism to justify policies of oppression and inequality. Invariably, these policies target the most vulnerable in society so that elites can maintain their dominance. Today we see this same strategy employed by right-wing politicians all over the world. Just as the anti-fascists of the 1930s and 1940s rejected the fascist ideologies of their era, we reject the neo-fascists of this era. Theocracy is dangerous and inherently anti-democratic because it restricts individual choice and provides an avenue by which politicians can claim a moral superiority over "the other". It gives political cover and justification for policies and actions which might otherwise be deemed morally objectionable, inhuman, or adverse to the best interest of the country.
The website also provided a list of Republican politicians, along with sources indicating that the politicians had accepted large donations from the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) and other gun lobbyists for the politician's support for certain policies and actions, along with a list of mass shooting incidents. [20]
Later that same month, Anti-Flag announced their twelfth studio album, 20/20 Vision , alongside the release of the song "Hate Conquers All" and the song's music video. [21] Additional songs "Unbreakable" and "The Disease" were also released ahead of the album, which released on January 17, 2020. [22] [23] Many of the songs on the album directly discuss the band's opposition of former president, Donald Trump, which in the past, the band has avoided directly naming presidents. Justin revealed that this was done because the band believed that “Donald Trump IS the problem, so we have to go directly at the problem. You could say he’s a symptom of a larger problem and I believe that’s true, but he IS the symptom." [22] In support of the album, Anti-Flag embarked on a world tour with dates throughout 2020. However, many of these dates were delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the tour resumed, a digital-only deluxe version of the album was released under the new name, 20/20 Division. [24]
That same year, a documentary released called Beyond Barricades: The Story of Anti-Flag. The documentary chronicles the band over their years of touring, writing music, and activism, and features interviews from other musicians from bands such as Rage Against The Machine, Rise Against, Bad Religion, and The Menzingers. [25] [24]
With the pandemic putting the band's touring on hold for a long period of time, Anti-Flag was able to spend much more time than usual writing new music. Upon finishing touring for 20/20 Vision, Anti-Flag returned to the studio to record their next album. The band took a different approach than usual during recording by not only writing a concept album, but bringing in guest musicians for multiple tracks. [26] The band officially announced their final album Lies They Tell Our Children on July 29, 2022, alongside the release of the single "Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die." featuring Silverstein vocalist Shane Told. A music video was also released for the song, which depicts an individual spray painting the walls of an abandoned school with various messages that the band deemed as lies. [27] [28] The album was released on January 6, 2023, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of the Capitol attack. [29]
On July 19, 2023, the band posted an update on their Patreon announcing their disbandment and the intention to refund fans who were subscribed. Following this announcement, their website was taken down, and the band's social media accounts were deleted. [30] The band was on tour in Europe at the time of their disbandment, due to support Dropkick Murphys at a show in Prague on July 21; the band also planned to tour in North America alongside The Bouncing Souls in fall 2023. [31] [32] [33] When asked to offer a statement regarding the breakup, the band's publicist declined to comment. [33] [34] Stereogum and Us Weekly linked Anti-Flag's July 2023 breakup to a podcast episode released on July 19, the same day as the band's dissolution, that leveled possible accusations of sexual assault against "a singer in a political punk band" believed to be frontman Justin Sane. [31] [35]
On July 26, Sane released a statement through his personal Instagram account denying the accusations and calling them "categorically false"; in his statement, Sane also explained the length of time before he made a statement, stating that he needed time to "absorb the initial shock." Meanwhile, Thetic, Head, and Barker released a statement expressing their shock and sadness upon hearing the allegations, starting with, "A core tenet of the band Anti-Flag is to listen to and believe all survivors of sexual violence and abuse. The recent allegations about Justin are in direct contradiction to that tenet. Therefore, we felt the only immediate option was to disband." Their statement ended with, "It was a privilege for us to be in the band Anti-Flag. As we seek to find our path forward we wish healing to all survivors." [36] Following an exposé published by Rolling Stone in September – revealing twelve additional women and girls who accused Sane of sexual misconduct, "serious sexual assaults", grooming and rape – Thetic, Head, and Barker released a second statement directly condemning Sane, stating they believed he was "in need of serious professional help" and that "it appears you used our beliefs as a cover for egregious activities that you clearly knew we would never condone." [37] [38]
In November 2023, the original accuser from the July podcast episode sued Sane for sexual assault under the New York Adult Survivors Act. [39] [40] In an amendment to her initial complaint in March 2024, the accuser questioned the rest of the band members' insistence that they were unaware of Sane's actions, accusing Thetic, Head, and Barker of being "aware of [Sane]'s practice of sexually assaulting young women and girls," and claiming that the band's self-owned distribution company, Hardwork Distribution, "aided and abetted such behavior." The accuser also stated that "the band was approached about [Sane]'s predatory behavior at least 25 years ago and did nothing to stop him. They chose their business prospects over the welfare of their fans. For decades, these men financially and socially benefited from [Sane]'s predation while pretending not to see it." [40] The accuser also claimed the band unsuccessfully attempted to "coax [her] forgiveness through a restorative justice process". At least three of the girls and women who spoke to Rolling Stone for the September 2023 exposé also claimed that Thetic, Head, and Barker were present when Sane brought teenage girls and young women backstage and on the band's tour bus. [38] [40] [41] In March 2024, the accuser's legal team stated that they believed Sane had approximately 60 victims and that one witness who came forward and had their testimony included in the accuser's lawsuit claimed that at a 2002 album release party in Pittsburgh, they witnessed "the members of Anti-Flag [mingling] outside the venue with clearly underage girls" who appeared "to be between 14 and 15 years old," and that Sane and other band members were "hugging and inappropriately kissing them." [42]
Within days of Anti-Flag's breakup, several bands announced their departure from the band's record label A-F Records, including Celebration Summer, Darien Gap, Hanalei, Reconciler, Sammy Kay, and Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves. [38] [43] [44] [45] The band American Television also announced they would find another way to distribute their upcoming album without the aid of Anti-Flag or the band's record label. [44] In September 2023, members of Anti-Flag informed that they were "in the process of unwinding the label, including returning master rights and physical records/merchandise to the bands," although they stated this would "take some time to complete properly." [38]
Anti-Flag explained the band name on the artwork for their 1999 release A New Kind of Army , saying, "Anti-Flag does not mean Anti-American. Anti-Flag means anti-war. Anti-Flag means the common people of the world are better off living in unity and peace. Anti-Flag means to stand against corporate greed that hurts millions while benefiting a handful of extremely rich. Anti-Flag means to fight against mindless nationalism. Anti-Flag means unity." [46]
Anti-Flag's anti-capitalism stance drew criticism towards them when they started working with RCA Records in 2005, [47] with some saying that the band was selling out. [48] [49] Anti-Flag defended themselves against the criticism by saying that the purpose of signing to the record label was to bring their message to more people. [50]
Chris No. 2 and Chris Head work together in another band called White Wives. They released the Situationists EP on February 15, 2011, and the album Happeners on June 28, 2011. The band and its name were based on the Provo movement and The White Plans. [51]
Wharf Rats, a musical partnership between Chris No. 2, Wade MacNeil, and P.O.S, was created on Warped Tour and recorded in the festival's traveling recording studio. They created two songs together, namely "Oh No!" and "Capital Gains". The two songs were pressed on a limited edition 7-inch single and released on May 31 on No Sleep Records. [52]
ANTIfest was Anti-Flag's own hosted festival. It originally took place on May 3, 2012, at The Forum at the University of Hertfordshire. ANTIfest was the first self-established festival hosted by the band, who wanted to make it an annual event. The band personally selected all of the bands that appeared, including other punk bands such as The Bouncing Souls, The Menzingers, Red City Radio, The Computers, and The Skints. Volunteers from certain organizations also took part in the festival, including people from Amnesty International, PETA, and Emmaus. [53]
ANTIFest also took place on July 14, 2013, at Backstage Werk in Munich with support from ZSK, Strike Anywhere, The Computers, and Apologies, I Have None. [54]
Anti-Flag was involved with political activism throughout their musical career. They created many activism groups, which include The Underground Action Alliance, [55] All members of Anti-Flag were vegan, and were adamant supporters of animal rights. They were frequently featured by PETA. [56] [57]
They performed outside the Republican National Convention in 2008. [58] Anti-Flag wasn't supposed to be the last band to perform at the event, but officials found out that Rage Against the Machine was going to perform after them, so they shut down the stage's power and Rage Against the Machine performed two songs using megaphones instead.
Anti-Flag played an acoustic set at the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City on October 8, 2011. [59]
Anti-Flag's song "Die for Your Government" was sung by anti-war protesters who briefly barricaded a road to prevent U.S. troops from deploying to Iraq in August 2010. [60] [61] [62] [63]
Anti-Flag's logo is the "Gun Star", which was designed by Chris Head. [64]
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, former members of the band Operation Ivy, Rancid is often credited as being among the wave of bands that revived mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. Over its 33-year career, Rancid has retained much of its original fan-base, most of which was connected to its underground musical roots.
Die for the Government is the debut studio album by the U.S. punk rock band Anti-Flag, released in 1996. After this album, bassist Andy Flag played with Anti-Flag on their EP North America Sucks, but left soon after as they couldn't get along as a band. The CD booklet bids farewell to Andy Flag.
Mobilize is the fourth studio album by punk rock band Anti-Flag. It contains eight new studio tracks, and eight live songs.
The Terror State is the fifth studio album by Pittsburgh punk rock band Anti-Flag, released on October 21, 2003, on Fat Wreck Chords. The album's artwork was regarded as somewhat controversial, and the band was forced to create an alternate version for sale in some larger chain stores, such as Wal-Mart.
A-F Records was an American independent record label founded by punk rock band Anti-Flag – namely the band's drummer Pat Thetic, their rhythm guitarist Chris Head, and their lead vocalist Justin Sane – and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was created to help expose more political punk bands to a larger audience.
Their System Doesn't Work for You is a compilation album by punk band Anti-Flag, released in 1998. It was the first album released by the band's label A-F Records.
Underground Network is Anti-Flag's third studio album, released on Fat Wreck Chords in 2001. Widely considered to be the band's breakthrough album, it helped make Anti-Flag a household name in the U.S. punk scene with tracks such as "Underground Network," "Bring Out Your Dead," and "Stars and Stripes."
A New Kind of Army is a punk rock studio album originally released by Anti-Flag on May 25, 1999. It was reissued by A-F Records on October 19, 2004, and is also the only album to feature only Justin Sane as lead vocalist. All other albums featured at least one song sung by either Andy Flag or Chris #2.
Justin Cathal Geever, known professionally as Justin Sane, is an American singer and guitarist. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of Anti-Flag, a punk rock band formed in 1988 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that was known for its left-wing political views.
For Blood and Empire is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Anti-Flag. It was released on March 21, 2006. It was the band's first release on RCA Records, which caused the band to receive criticism from many due to their initially anti-corporate message.
BYO Split Series Volume IV is a split album released in 2002 as the fourth entry in BYO Records BYO Split Series. The album features twelve tracks by American punk rock bands the Bouncing Souls and Anti-Flag. Each band covers one song originally by the other, with The Bouncing Souls performing "That's Youth" and Anti-Flag performing "The Freaks, Nerds & Romantics". Other covers are Cock Sparrer's "We're Coming Back" and Sticks and Stones' "Less Than Free" by The Bouncing Souls and the Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen In Love" by Anti-Flag. The remaining tracks were originally recorded for this album.
Gallows are an English hardcore punk band from Watford, Hertfordshire. The band was formed in 2005 after Laurent Barnard's previous band disbanded. Gallows' debut album, Orchestra of Wolves, was distributed in the United States by Epitaph Records. The band were subsequently signed to Warner Bros. Records for a £1 million album contract, and released their second album Grey Britain in 2009. The band has been particularly successful in the UK, with two songs charting on the UK Single Charts, and have been featured in magazines such as Kerrang!, Alternative Press and Rolling Stone.
Career Suicide, released on October 9, 2007, through Nitro Records, is the fifth studio album from the Massachusetts based melodic hardcore band A Wilhelm Scream.
All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Fireworks.
The General Strike is Anti-Flag's ninth studio album. The album was released on March 20, 2012. The album marks the band's second release for SideOneDummy Records. The first single from the album, "The Neoliberal Anthem" was released to the band's Facebook page in January 2012. The band released a music video for single "This is the New Sound" on March 27, 2012.
Hostage Calm/Anti-Flag is a split EP between American punk rock bands Hostage Calm and Anti-Flag. The EP was released on February 26, 2013 through Run For Cover Records and A-F Records. This release marked the last appearance by drummer John Ross who left the band in April 2013.
A Document of Dissent: 1993–2013 is a compilation album by the punk band Anti-Flag. The album was released on July 21, 2014, on Fat Wreck Chords. It marked the band's first release on the label since The Terror State, in 2003.
American Fall is the eleventh studio album by American punk rock band Anti-Flag, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was released on November 3, 2017, via Spinefarm Records, making it their second record released through the label. In the US, the album debuted at No. 17 on the Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 11 on the Independent Albums chart, and No. 10 on the Tastemakers chart. The album featured cover art by artist Noah Scalin.
Sharptooth was an American hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Formed in 2013, the band released two EPs and two studio albums, entitled Clever Girl (2017) and Transitional Forms (2020), before disbanding in 2023.
Lies They Tell Our Children is the thirteenth and final studio album by American punk rock band Anti-Flag from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was released on January 6, 2023, via Spinefarm Records. Primary production, recording, and mixing was handled by Jon Lundin, while the mastering was done by long-time Anti-Flag producer and mastering engineer Mass Giorgini. It is also the band's first concept album, and features multiple guest musicians from notable acts such as Rise Against, Bad Religion, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Pinkshift, and Silverstein.
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