For roughly the past 30 years, political punks Anti-Flag have been releasing music fueled by rage toward the government and society, as well as bringing their energetic, invigorating live performance to stages around the world. In 2023, Anti-Flag is dropping their 13th studio album “Lies They Tell Our Children”, and this release is nothing short of stellar. We spoke with the band’s longtime bassist, Chris #2, about the record, the band’s evolution, what they stand for and against, and more…
Rockin’ Interviews – Hey Chris, how are you doing today?
Chris #2 – Very well, on a plane headed back east to finish our last 3 shows of the year. It’s been a lot of work to get back into the community and collectivity of punk rock out of the last few years of the pandemic. We’re grateful for every show we play and all who interact with these songs and ideas.
Rockin’ Interviews – Absolutely. Anti-Flag’s new album is titled “Lies They Tell Our Children”. When establishing the concept for the record, what were the central lies you had in mind?
Chris #2 – It started mostly with a list, trying to decipher what were the overarching moves within global politics, corporate-influenced cultural shifts, economic and social injustice, etc. The intersectionality of these things often leads right to the exploitation of a hyper-capitalist ideology. Specifically it was war-based economics, systemic racism in the form of redlining, the disinformation marketing bought and paid for by the very same corporations that were profiting off of the death of the planet and the climate crisis, the sale of our identities, digital lives and how cheap it really is to leave us vulnerable, targeted and exploited. To break down just a few of the issues behind the songs.
Rockin’ Interviews – Right, and rather than speaking simply about modern societal issues, this album focused more on the historical events that have led us to where we are now. When writing these songs, how did you determine what historical issues you wanted to focus on?
Chris #2 – Again, we had a list, and then we wrote music and found ideas that fit emotionally with the sonics. From there it was working through the foundation of the story we wanted to tell. It was quite an intense and arduous process, but one way to approach an album that we have never done.
Rockin’ Interviews – Totally, it’s very unique and clearly it worked out well for you. This album is the band’s 14th full-length studio release, and the first ever concept album you have done as a band. What made you decide that a concept album was the best way to convey these ideas?
Chris #2 – This kind of picks up where the last question left off, but when you’ve made 13 records, are headed into the 30th year of being a band, the challenge and inspiration comes to be doing things you’ve never done before or finding new ways to communicate your ideas and intention. So this album serves to scratch that itch. We don’t ever want to rely on how we’ve done something in the past. We are consistently trying to be better versions of ourselves, personally, individually, musically and artistically.
Rockin’ Interviews – That’s the way to keep the spirit of the band alive. Your music is very politically charged and the political climate has shifted dramatically since the band’s early days. How have you adjusted your message from the first album through this upcoming album as the country has become more and more divided?
Chris #2 – When our band started, we never thought we would move beyond ourselves and our local scene… so everything we do and have done beyond that is an adjustment to that initial hope for our band. The international / global aspect to the politics and void of empathy that we’re trying to address in our songs is ever evolving to the moments they’re written in or influenced by. We can cite both specific times where we have gone from ideas like the song “Fuck Police Brutality” written about the Pittsburgh police department which at the time (in 1996) had the highest police brutality rate in the country. To now, where that song has taken on new meaning in the wake of the alarm bells sounded by the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, George Floyd and countless others. The empathy of those statements transcends border law and time.
Rockin’ Interviews – Certainly. As shown in the Track By Track videos Anti-Flag has put out, some of the production of the album was done virtually through Zoom. How was the writing and recording of this album different from previous albums?
Chris #2 – Those were a few songs in particular where due to some personal happenings in our lives we had to stay bunkered down in Pittsburgh to make the album. We embrace technology and the ability to try new things when it comes to our music and recording process. So finding new solutions to those hurdles wasn’t anything but an exciting challenge and a new possibility to learn something. I’d say as a whole, having the 6 months + from December to June to write, re-write, produce, record, and manipulate the songs and artwork of the album was a real change of pace. Usually things are breaking up that process, or we’re writing individually and then sharing the ideas after they’ve been fleshed out. Almost every piece of music and lyrics for this album was conceived in real time with the four of us and the people who helped us make the album. It felt far more akin to how we made our first couple records where it was just us in a room without preconceived notions of what we were making.
Rockin’ Interviews – You’ve said the Anti-Flag discography has “real lineage between them”. What do you feel has pushed you to grow as an artist and as a band collectively?
Chris #2 – The intention of the band, the need for the approach to be honest and strive for relevancy. We want to be a voice of dissent in moments of injustice. We want people who interact with the band whether on record or at a show to feel the urgency to irradiate systems of oppression and division. That’s the story we’re trying to tell with every album, so they definitely connect the dots of where we were at in those specific moments in time.
Rockin’ Interviews – For sure and you’ve done just that. If you could eradicate just one problem in this world to make it a better place, what would you do?
Chris #2 – Remove corporate money and influence from electoral politics and have bodies of government that work in the interest of people instead of campaign finance or personal wealth.
Rockin’ Interviews – If there is one song on “Lies They Tell Our Children” that sums up what Anti-Flag stands for, what song is it?
Chris #2 – Probably The Fight of Our Lives or Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die. Both songs are great examples of the concept behind the album and the recognition that those closest to the suffering are often closest to the solution, that when we’re armed with the knowledge of where and how our enemies have gained their power we are better suited to change or reclaim that power structure.
Rockin’ Interviews – Is there anything else you’d like to include?
Chris #2 – The record comes out Jan. 6 2023 and then we will be on the road sharing these songs and ideas for the rest of the year. We hope to see you at the shows, solidarity forever.
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