Rise Against switches up mix of politics and punk

Rise Against is doing a lot of doubleheaders on its latest tour, including a two-night stand at Burton Cummings Theatre this weekend.

The politically charged punk rock band from Chicago is trying something new with its live shows — playing smaller venues and stepping away from staple songs to plumb the archives for deep cuts.

“For a band that’s been together for 26 years and 10 records, it’s important to keep it fresh and keep it interesting. It’s like a marriage,” lead guitarist Zach Blair says over the phone in between a pair of shows in Toronto.

Concert goers can still expect to hear hits — such as Savior, The Good Left Undone — alongside music from the band’s latest album, Ricochet, and lesser-known tracks. The latter sometimes requires improvisation.

“There’s nights where things don’t work out so well… because you don’t know the actual song you wrote and recorded 15 years ago and have never played live,” Blair says with a chuckle.

Ricochet, released last August, is another departure for Rise Against, sonically and production-wise. The band tapped a new creative team for its 10th studio album, recording with Grammy-winning producer Catherine Marks and mixer Alan Moulder in Los Angeles.

“Everything was different and it was an amazing experience,” Blair says.

Ricochet has more of an arena rock vibe than previous releases, but retains the band’s familiar social commentary via lead singer Tim McIlrath’s writing. The album preaches the value of human connection in a world of political chaos and division — in January, the band performed at an anti-ICE benefit concert in Minneapolis with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine.

Rise Against has endeavoured to bring Ricochet’s message of connection to life with its All Rise Together (ART) Project, which invited fans to create original posters and appear in a series of music videos.

“It was one of the cooler things we’ve done,” Blair says.

The guitarist says punk music and shows remain an important outlet for youth who don’t feel represented by mainstream culture. Blair grew up in a small town in northern Texas, where listening to punk, hardcore and metal was far from the norm. He and his brother found a like-minded community and a sense of belonging in Dallas’s underground music scene.

“It was everything, because it opened our world so much; there were other people like us. To know you’re not some isolated weirdo, that could be the cure to a kid’s depression,” Blair says.

Rise Against performs in Winnipeg on Saturday and Sunday with openers Destroy Boys and Koyo.

Blair is looking forward to exploring the city, but says spending two nights on a tour stop is a double-edged sword. While in Toronto, Blair busied himself with record shopping and catching up with his friend Damian Abraham from the Canadian hardcore band, F—cked Up. The extra leisure time is welcome, but it can make moving on harder to do.

“You get a chance to unpack your bag and settle in… you get a semblance of home for a second, then you gotta go,” he says.

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