Rise Against
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

The one adjective you almost always see ascribed to Chicago punk-rock outfit Rise Against is "political," and there's a reason for that. The band is known for its leftist politics, and its albums are rife with sociopolitical commentary. Beyond that, the guys are all strict vegetarians and active supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

But frontman Tim McIlrath claims the band's forthcoming fifth album, Appeal to Reason, which is scheduled for an October 7 release, isn't a political LP. In fact, he doesn't consider any of the band's material political in nature.

"When I talk to people about this band and what we do, or I read people's interpretations of who we are as a band, a lot of times I see things like, 'They're a radical band' or 'They're political,' 'They're controversial,' " McIlrath explained. "When I look and see what our band is saying, what we are asking of each other, what we are asking of the community we're in and the people who listen to us, I see nothing but real common-sense things. I don't see anything real radical about what it is we do. Only in a world this screwed up could concepts like being fair to people, being fair to each other, and growing up in a world that gives everybody a chance, only in today's world could that concept be radical or be considered radical.

"This is music that appeals to reason — the reasonable parts of the human psyche," he continued. "In my mind, it's just straight-up common sense. We're just in touch with reason, and that's all our songs are — an appeal to reason. If you really look at them and strip back all the superficial parts of the songs and even the superficial parts of punk rock, you'll find that there are some very reasonable things that are being asked of the world in our songs."

A few weeks back, Rise Against — who will be touring in support of Appeal to Reason starting October 2 in Cleveland, with Thrice, Alkaline Trio and the Gaslight Anthem — were back in their old stomping grounds of Chicago to shoot a video for the record's first single, "Re-Education (Through Labor)," with director Kevin Kerslake (Faith No More, Green Day). The clip, McIlrath admitted, does have a slightly political theme — one he feels practically anyone will relate to.

"It's an important song on our record," he said, adding that he's proud of "every single second" of Appeal to Reason. "It's talking a lot about the 9-to-5, dog-eat-dog lifestyle, and what we are asked to do to simply make ends meet nowadays, and I think it's a feeling shared by people all around the world and especially in this country.

"One of the great things about doing a video is that your imagination is the only thing that's limiting you, so you can do anything," he continued. "So we have a video that's going to encompass the anger and the angst that the youth of America feel toward society at large and the things that are demanded of them."

• Rise Against

Rise Against
Photo: Anthony Saint James

DEVORE, California — Soliciting treatments from video directors is often frustrating for Rise Against.

"Some people just don't get it," frontman Tim McIlrath said backstage at KROQ's Inland Invasion (see "Guns N' Roses Take On Aguilera, Chester Bennington Joins Alice In Chains At Inland Invasion"). "Some people have no idea what kind of band you are."

"Spielberg came back to us with something about a Wookiee," bassist Joe Principe deadpanned. "That's never going to work, Steven."

"Yeah, who is that guy?" McIlrath added. "As long as there are strippers and champagne and a cruise ship and my crib."

While Rise Against might put to rest the notion that politically minded bands don't have a sense of humor, it's unlikely the video for their next single, "Prayer of the Refugee," will have comical elements.

"The lyrics definitely follow the path of a story," McIlrath said of the song. "It's along the lines of people who live with refugee status, whether that refugee status is [from] living in Sudan and [being] displaced or if you feel like you've been displaced in your own home. Or whether kids from the suburbs feel displaced, like they don't belong there. It's a common theme for a lot of people."

Rise Against often bring their own video ideas to a director, but they decided on the soliciting route for "Prayer of the Refugee."

"It's kind of fun both ways," McIlrath said. "If we have a really strong idea we'll go with that, or sometimes it's like, 'I want to see what somebody else will do.' "

"And they're all quite different from each other," Principe said.

Rise Against are reviewing treatments and plan to shoot the video before their co-headlining tour with Thursday kicks off October 23 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

With The Sufferer & the Witness and first single "Ready to Fall" doing well (see "Rise Against Wish Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco Would Educate Crowds"), the band has noticed its shows getting bigger and bigger.

"There are some shows you play where so many kids come out, it's overwhelming," McIlrath said. "Sometimes you get booked in this giant venue, and you're like, 'What are we doing here? This is going to bomb.' And when it doesn't bomb, you're like, 'Whoa, what happened?' Or some of the Warped dates over the summer, when we'd go onstage and people just bum-rushed the stage. There are definitely times when it's really overwhelming."

• KROQ's Inland Invasion: Devore, CA, September 23, 2006

• Rise Against

Rise Against
Photo: Anthony Saint James

While it's OK to spend hours discussing Pete Wentz's naughty Sidekick photos or to listen intently while Panic! at the Disco explain the proper way to coordinate spats and ascots, remember that there was a time when the term "punk rock" actually meant something.

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath remembers that time and the bands that epitomized the era — sociopolitical acts like Fugazi, Earth Crisis and Los Crudos. They're the reason he started playing music in the first place, and their legacy is why he's not ashamed to say he plays punk rock.

"I come from the real, viable punk-rock world, where the bands ask a lot from their audiences," McIlrath said. "I used to go see Los Crudos in abandoned buildings, or in a basement in Evanston, Illinois, and it was eye-opening. I'd listen to them talk about the conflict in East Timor, and it was incredible. Or I'd go to an Earth Crisis show, and learn about animal rights. And I wasn't being taught any of that stuff in high school. So I'd go to these shows not just to be entertained but to learn something."

It's a mission that McIlrath has been committed to since forming Rise Against in 1999 (see "Rise Against Not Really The Tender Balladeers You Think They Are"). Which is why he describes their new album, The Sufferer & the Witness, as "a call to action," a wake-up call to a nation that's grown more apathetic.

"People are overwhelmed by the world, and I definitely sympathize with that. They look at everything that's wrong and bad, and it makes them shut down. And they don't know how to make changes," he said. "I think that the record is telling people to wake up. We want people to become aware of what's going on in the world. Because most people are more concerned with getting the newest cell phone or a video iPod than actually focusing on real problems that affect their lives."

But despite what he may think, plenty of people are listening. The Sufferer sold nearly 50,000 copies in its first week, landing at #10 on the Billboard albums chart (see "Johnny Cash's A Hundred Highways Takes Top Billboard Spot"). And now the guys are looking to spread their socially conscious message even further. A video for the album's first single, "Ready to Fall," features brutal images of animals in test laboratories, oil-slicked beaches and clear-cut forests.

"The imagery is more powerful than anything we can say right now," McIlrath said. "When people hear some singer in a punk band telling them something, they form opinions without really listening. So we just wanted to present the images. We wanted to get these images of animals suffering or forests being destroyed out into the mainstream media. And to be honest, I don't care if someone watches it with the volume turned down and with our name blacked out, so long as they see it. Because if slaughterhouses had glass walls or clear-cut forests were in people's backyards, they'd pay attention."

And with a prime slot on this summer's Warped Tour, Rise Against will reach even more people. Of course, it'd be nice if they had help from more mainstream "punk" acts. But for the time being, McIlrath is content to go it alone.

"I wish more bands like Fall Out Boy or Panic! at the Disco would try to show kids what's going on, since they have their ears. But I guess there's a place for their music. I'm not gonna sit here and say I didn't listen to Screeching Weasel or the Queers when I was a kid," he laughed.

"But I think what's frustrating is when there's more of those bands then there are bands like us or Anti-Flag or Bad Religion. And the funny thing is, when I was at those Los Crudos shows, Pete [Wentz] was right there with me. We were in a band called Arma Angelus together. I know he has it in him. But again, this is a battle, and it's not going to be won over night. Even if we have to do it ourselves, we're gonna win."

• Rise Against
• Fall Out Boy
• Panic at the Disco

Johnny Cash's <i>American V: A Hundred Highways</i>
Photo: Lost Highway

Johnny Cash's American V: A Hundred Highways earned the #1 spot on Billboard's albums chart with 88,000 copies sold during a slow holiday week at retail — overall sales for the nation's top 200 albums were down by nearly 450,000 units, according to SoundScan.

Had Chris Carrabba waited seven days to release his latest studio offering, Dusk and Summer, he may have finally scored that Billboard-topping debut that's eluded Dashboard Confessional, who opened at #2 on the previous albums chart with 134,000 copies sold — right behind the first-place finisher India.Arie with Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship.

American V was one of only four new releases to crack the top 200 this week, and one of only two to debut in the chart's top 10. The latest Rick Rubin-helmed release from the late music legend contains "Like the 309," the final song Cash wrote and recorded before his September 2003 death. A Hundred Highways is the first of Cash's acclaimed American recordings to reach the top 20 on the Billboard 200.

The Sufferer & the Witness, the fourth studio release from Chicago punks Rise Against, scores the #10 spot after selling more than 48,000 during its first week of release.

The two other newcomers to the chart include the soundtrack to last weekend's #1 film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." The record opens at #24 with sales of 30,000 and change. Latin sensation Diana Reyes' Las No. 1 de la Reina bows at #143 with 6,000 scans.

Nelly Furtado came close to returning to #1 this week, following the chart-capping success of her Loose two weeks prior. But the album came up 7,000 copies short of swiping the rug out from under Cash, climbing one spot to #2 with 81,000 discs scanned. India.Arie's Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship follows at #3 with nearly 69,000 sales, just in front of the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way, which stays put at #4 with sales of 57,000 and then some.

Gnarls Barkley climb one spot to #5 after selling close to 56,000 copies of their St. Elsewhere last week, while Rihanna's A Girl Like Me drops one to #6 with over 55,000 sales. Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang comes in at #7 with close to 55,000 scans. And in at #8 is the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," which continues to rack up sales. Close to 52,000 people grabbed a copy this past week, bringing the disc's six-month sales total to over 2.6 million.

And what of Carrabba, you wonder? Well, Dashboard's Dusk and Summer slid seven spots on this week's chart to #9. Week-two sales of the LP dropped a fairly standard 63 percent, to finish with just under 50,000 scans.

Check out "MTV News RAW: Johnny Cash" to watch one of the music legend's last interviews.

And see "How Nelly Furtado Got Her Ghetto Pass" for an in-depth look at Loose.

• Johnny Cash
• Rise Against
• Dashboard Confessional
• Nelly Furtado
• Gnarls Barkley

Rise Against's <I>The Sufferer & the Witness</I>
Photo: Geffen Records

With all the fireworks happening this Independence Day weekend, you'd expect an explosion of activity in the record racks too, right? Wrong. Not only is there a lack of releases this week, there aren't even any new Hank Williams Jr. or Darryl Worley tunes to light your sparklers to.

Instead you'll have to settle for Chicago iconoclasts Rise Against, who're squeezing out their fourth record, The Sufferer & the Witness. The 13-track affair, co-produced by Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents), features the hardcore-ish "Survive," rapid-fire "Bricks" — featuring the refrain "we'll never die" — and a surprise ballad, "Roadside." Look for guest-singing appearances by Holy Roman Empire's Emily Schambra and Drag the River's Chad Price.

If it's more topical — and critical — listening that you're after this week, look no further than Blow Up Hollywood's The Diaries of Private Henry Hill, a concept album that's based on the writings of a U.S. solider who died in Iraq. Hill's journals were passed along to his father, who in turn gave them to Blow Up frontman/ homeless-shelter coordinator Steve Messina. The third studio LP by the New York ensemble is boosted by a bonus DVD and includes the ominously titled "Shots Fired," "Shock and Awe" and "Salvation."

Too critical for your tastes? Well, the closest you're going to get to nationalist sentiment is with Johnny Cash, a reputed renegade who perplexed patriots throughout his career. This week hails American V: A Hundred Highways, presumably the final chapter in the series overseen by Rick Rubin, as it contains the last song Cash wrote and recorded: "Like the 309." Bundled with touching notes by Rubin, the opus features covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen ("Further Up on the Road"), Hank Williams ("On the Evening Train"), Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind") and other American heritage artists.

Just as Cash's renditions of other people's songs are being collected, so are the songs that inspired him to make music in the first place. Roots & Branches: Artists, Songs & Recordings That Inspired the Legend of Johnny Cash boasts the Kingston Trio's "Jackson," Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," Roy Orbison's "You're My Baby" and more.

On the subject of recycling other people's songs, Rodney Jerkins is putting a new twist on the idea. The premier hip-hop producer shows his Versatility with an album that boasts 13 instrumental songs and six additional cuts that consumers can break down into individual tracks and re-create. Those who reshape one or more of the bonus tracks can submit the mixes — along with the CD's proof-of-purchase — to Jerkins, and the winner will get a chance to be a songwriter on a future Jerkins-produced album. Versatility drops on his own Darkchild Records imprint.

Also going the innovative route are the Eastern Stars, who spray Moog, ukulele and omnichord over the 11 tracks featured on July 5th, 1961. The newbies — Rob Corradetti and Kaia Wong — looked to Moldy Peaches, Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd for inspiration on their first effort, according to a track-by-track breakdown. The New York folksters are giving the record a soft release this week in New York and San Francisco — so it can relish the 45th anniversary of the album title, which the band calls "a date on which nothing of political or social significance occurred, yet a date on which everything imaginable happened: birth, death, tragedy, baseball and slugging back to work with holiday hangovers." The record gets a wide release in August.

Also seeing a limited release this week is Ziggy Marley's Love Is My Religion, which he's only delivering to Target stores through Tuff Gong Worldwide. It's the first time Marley has gone with an exclusive distributor and, more significantly, the first time Target is selling a record exclusively — took a little while to catch up to Best Buy, eh? "One of my father's goals was to release an album independently. ... Unfortunately, he never had the chance," Marley said in a press release. "This album and the way it is being sold is important to me in honoring my father's spirit." Bob Marley's spirit living on through a major retailer? Who knew? Marley's Love Is My Religion, his second solo release, features African percussion and "Into the Groove," "Be Free" and the title track.

Also pushing musical boundaries are Banco de Gaia, whose Farewell Ferengistan encompasses electronic and Middle Eastern beats, ambient passages and Qawaali drumming. "Flow My Dreams, The Android Wept" not only references the novella by author Philip K. Dick, which was adapted to became "Blade Runner," but the song includes a clip from the score to "A Clockwork Orange," as well.

Last but not least, this week brings the first CD by Peter Gammons, longtime ESPN analyst, baseball critic and, apparently, guitarist. Sadly, the 61-year-old will be celebrating the release of Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old in a hospital bed — he's still recovering after suffering a brain aneurysm last week. With a varied guest list that includes George Thorogood, Juliana Hatfield, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and a smattering of Sox players, all proceeds will be going toward Epstein's Foundation to be Named Later, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged kids in the Boston area. Don't get hooked on "Tanqueray" or "NyQuil Blues."

Song Title of the Week:

"The Ticket That Exploded" from Eastern Stars' July 5th, 1961

New Releases:

• Banco de Gaia - Farewell Ferengistan (Six Degrees)
  
• Blow Up Hollywood - The Diaries of Private Henry Hill (MJ12)
  
• Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  Buy Now: American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  
• Eastern Stars - July 5th, 1961 (Mental Monkey)
  
• Fat Jon - The Ample Soul Physician: Afterthought (Ample Soul)
  
• Peter Gammons - Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old (Rounder)
  
• Rodney Jerkins - Versatility (Darkchild/ Bungalo/ Universal)
  Read: "Want A Song From Superproducer Rodney Jerkins? He'll Sell You 11 For Just $18"
  
• Ziggy Marley - Love Is My Religion (Target stores only; Tuff Gong)
  
• Marc McGuinn - One Man's Crazy (Blue Flamingo)
  
• Alice Peacock - Who I Am (Universal)
  
• Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  Buy Now: The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  
• Tom Tyler - Asleep at the Switch (D.C.)
  
• Hans Zimmer - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" soundtrack (Disney)
  
• Various artists - Beat Classic (D.C.)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• J.J. Cale - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Carolyn Hester - Carolyn Hester (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Delbert McClinton - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Glenn Yarbrough - Come Sit by My Side (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Various artists - '80s #1 Hits (Madacy)
  
• Various artists - Best of "Miami Vice" (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Various artists - Roots & Branches: Artists, Songs & Recordings That Inspired the Legend of Johnny Cash (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Various artists - Summer Beach Party: Songs From the Classic Beach Movies of the '60s (Varèse Sarabande)

Music DVDs:

• Emerson, Lake and Palmer - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)
  
• The Kinks - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)
  
• The Nylons - "Live in Tokyo and More ..." (Unidisc)
  
• Van der Graaf Generator - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)

Coming Attractions:

July 11:

• Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  Preorder: Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  
• Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  Preorder: The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  
• Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  Preorder: The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (Sony)

July 18:

• Alien Ant Farm - Up in the Attic (New Door)
  Preorder: Up in the Attic (New Door)
  
• The Bronx - The Bronx (digipak; Island)
  
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (Virgin)
  Read: "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: You Can Call Them Sellouts"
  Preorder: Don't You Fake It (Virgin)

July 25:

• Flogging Molly - Whiskey on a Sunday (DualDisc; Side One Dummy)
  
• Jurassic 5 - Feedback (Interscope)
  Preorder: Feedback (Interscope)
  
• Pharrell Williams - In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  Read: "Pharrell Williams: Fired Up"
  Preorder: In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  

• Rise Against
• Rodney Jerkins
• Johnny Cash
• Ziggy Marley
• Peter Gammons

Motion City Soundtrack's Tony Thaxton, Justin Pierre and Matthew Taylor
Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

Last year, Warped Tour organizers caved under the massive weight of Internet postings from anxious fans and announced the tour's full itinerary in early February. But this year, things were different: They managed to hold off until the beginning of March.

On Thursday (March 2), Warped founder Kevin Lyman confirmed an itinerary obtained by MTV News, which lists dates and venues for 45 of the 49 cities the tour will hit this summer; it used to be 48 cities, but Lyman let it be known that Warped will now kick off on June 15 in Columbia, Maryland — and not on June 16 in Columbus, Ohio, as had previously been reported (see "Warped Tour Founder Vows To Press On Despite Being Punk'd").

"Yeah, we've added another city. Make sure people know about that," Lyman laughed. "We wanted to sort of roll this itinerary out a little bit at a time, but why not do it all now? I think people's enthusiasm about Warped speaks to just how amazing and strong our fanbase is."

The dates and cities for Warped 2006 — which includes Motion City Soundtrack, Thursday, Rise Against and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (see "Warped Tour Nabs Trailblazing Rocker Joan Jett For Trek") plus a host of others — had been announced last month, but with the addition of the venues, there's finally a proper itinerary for the tour.

Lyman (who's currently on the road with his other tour, Taste of Chaos), said that he's close to finalizing an on-sale date for Warped '06, and he'll be making that announcement in the coming weeks.

The dates for Warped Tour 2006, according to event organizers:

• 6/15 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
• 6/16 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Amphitheatre
• 6/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
• 6/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Metrodome
• 6/19 - Kansas City, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
• 6/21 - Antioch, TN @ Starwood Amphitheatre
• 6/22 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Fairgrounds
• 6/23 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Vinoy Park
• 6/24 - Miami, FL @ Bicentennial Park
• 6/25 - Orlando, FL @ Tinker Field
• 6/27 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltell Pavilion
• 6/28 - Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheater Lot
• 6/30 - Houston, TX @ Reliant Center
• 7/1 - Dallas, TX @ TBA
• 7/2 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
• 7/3 - Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U Practice Field
• 7/5 - Phoenix, AZ @ TBA
• 7/6 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
• 7/7 - Pomona, CA @ Fairplex Park
• 7/8 - San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
• 7/9 - Ventura, CA @ TBA
• 7/11 - Fresno, CA @ SaveMart Center
• 7/12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium Lot
• 7/13 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
• 7/14 - Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
• 7/15 - Seattle, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
• 7/16 - Portland, OR @ Columbia Meadows
• 7/18 - Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird Stadium
• 7/20 - Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
• 7/22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah State Fairgrounds
• 7/23 - Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
• 7/25 - St. Louis, MO @ UMB Bank Pavilion
• 7/26 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
• 7/27 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
• 7/28 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
• 7/29 - Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
• 7/30 - Chicago, IL @ Tweeter Center
• 8/1 - Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lakes Fields
• 8/2 - Brockton, MA @ TBA
• 8/3 - Scranton, PA @ Montage Mountain
• 8/4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 8/5 - New York, NY @ Randall's Island
• 8/6 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Englishtown Raceway
• 8/8 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
• 8/9 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
• 8/10 - Washington, DC @ Nissan Pavilion Lot
• 8/11 - Cleveland, OH @ Tower City Amphitheatre
• 8/12 - Toronto, ON @ Park Place
• 8/13 - Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean-Drapeau

• Motion City Soundtrack
• Thursday
• Rise Against
• Joan Jett

Rise Against's Tim Mcllrath
Photo: Fat Wreck Chord

Like Staind, Sevendust and so many bands before them, hardcore rockers Rise Against are finding their greatest success with the song most different from the rest of their catalog.

A year after their Siren Song of the Counter Culture was released, the Chicago group is riding high thanks to heavy airplay of its tender ballad "Swing Life Away."

"It's a working-class love song anthem," singer Tim McIlrath said. "It's basically a song that came out of an acoustic compilation we took part in a couple years ago. We got a really good reaction, so we put it on our record and it took on a life of its own. And people really embrace that song. It's something more fun for us, too. It makes our set a little more dynamic."

Rise Against are hoping to ride the momentum from "Swing Life Away" into their next single, either "Life Less Frightening" or "Anywhere But Here." ("It's like picking your favorite kid or your favorite parent," McIlrath said.)

The band has also just re-released its 2001 debut, The Unraveling, remixed and remastered by Bill Stevenson from the Descendents and Black Flag. "We added a couple of [compilation] tracks and the lyrics were always difficult to read, so we made it waaayyy easier," McIlrath said with a smile. "I'm really excited about it because I'm proud of those songs and it's a great way to create more awareness about our first record to our newer fans."

Touring, of course, is another way to create awareness, and Rise Against have no shortage of that. After playing a few radio festivals this month, including KEDJ's Edgefest in Peoria, Arizona, on Saturday with Interpol and Louis XIV, the band will join the Used, Killswitch Engage and Story of the Year on the international Taste of Chaos Tour.

Rise Against recently finished a trek with fellow Chicagoans Alkaline Trio and have also shared some dates with the Windy City's Fall Out Boy, Lawrence Arms, Holy Roman Empire and the Methadones. So is there a scene exploding there?

"I think Chicago always has a great scene; the world just chooses to pay attention every now and then," McIlrath said.

Rise Against plan to return to the studio at the end of the year and release their fourth album next summer.

• Rise Against

Photo: Fat Wreck Chord

• Rise Against

MTV.com Exclusive: Rise Against

• Rise Against

Linkin Park, Korn, Incubus, More At Weenie Roast '07

• Linkin Park
• Korn
• Incubus
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Bad Religion

Risa Against Photos 11.06

• Rise Against

KROQ's Inland Invasion: Devore, CA, September 23, 2006

• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Guns N' Roses
• Alice in Chains
• Atreyu
• Buckcherry

Pink Spiders, Gym Class Heroes And More At Warped Tour 2006

• Rise Against
• Pink Spiders
• The Casualties
• Joan Jett
• Gym Class Heroes

MTV.com Exclusive: Rise Against Photos 10.28.2004

• Rise Against

MTV.com LIVE: Rise Against Photos 01.06.2005

• Rise Against

You Hear It First Photos: Rise Against

• Rise Against