If there were ever a time for Bad Religion to justify its existence, that time would be now during the first kaleidoscopeing furor of a generation united. And the 24-year-old California punk-rock outfit does not disappoint. The group’s members may sometimes find themselves preaching to the converted, but they have good intentions, and an outstanding ability to truly (and without a trace of doubt) place hope in a younger generation of musicians and voters. The group’s latest Epitaph release, The Empire Strikes First, rocks harder than most discs put out by contemporary punkers 20 years younger.
Brian Baker has been blasting out the thick, token Bad Religion powerchord chaos for 10 of the band’s 24 years, alongside one of the most furiously admired punk-guitar icons of the last two decades, BR founding member Brett Gurewitz. Baker himself is a lifelong punk pioneer whose earlier groups included two seminal DC hardcore bands, Dag Nasty and the immortal Minor Threat. Former Circle Jerks member Greg Hetson rounds out the slamdash sonic six-string assault and co-founder Jay Bentley’s undeniably powerful bass, along with Brooks Wackerman’s devastating drumming, finish up the rhythm section.
That takes care of the music, but Baker explains that, “Historically, Bad Religion’s value has always been in the lyrics.” And that is the domain of Gurewitz and hyperkinetic frontman Greg Graffin (who holds a PHD in evolutionary biology, Baker dubs him “a mad scientist” because of his endless intellectual tinkering). And for a band that cut its teeth criticizing Reaganomics and hypocritical religious fundamentalism, another less-than-honest presidential administration must have seemed like perfect inspiration. Especially after regaining steam with the release of 2002’s critically acclaimed “comeback” album (Gurewitz left the band for eight years in 1994) The Process of Belief, Bad Religion had a difficult task in front of it.
“It (The Empire Strikes First) was a wonderful challenge and what really helped was we had this opportunity of our current system of government basically disintegrating before our eyes,” says Baker, who speaks with a frenzied energy not dissimilar from his unrelenting guitar technique. “I mean if you want to talk about a perfect opportunity for a band such as Bad Religion who is so generally political and certainly topical, we had a lot of ammunition. So it was really just a matter of finding a way to condense our rage in a way that actually made musical sense.”
Empire also marks a return to the common Bad Religion theme of dissecting religion and specifically Christianity with standout tracks like “Sinister Rouge,” “God’s Love” and most pointedly on “Atheist Peace.” “I, as well as other members of the band, am alarmed that we have a commander in chief who is dictating international and domestic policy based on his fundamentalist Christian beliefs, completely in violation of the Constitution. This record is a product of where these guys’ (Gurewitz and Graffin) heads are. Graffin was a little bit deeper into the core of what Bad Religion started out as and that’s why the songs came out this way,” says Baker, who also has a deep understanding of political awareness.
“My pet peeve is the veil of secrecy,” he explains. “The malfeasance within the government and most importantly anything to do with John Ashcroft. Basically, the destruction of our civil liberties and right to privacy is what really freaks me out. There’s so much to be pissed off about. I’ll take anything that is going to get somebody to the polls and vote against this administration. I’m behind that on a base level. But I hope to educate as well. I hope people understand that it’s not just a unilateral attack on a benign country with thousands of soldiers dead and wounded. That’s a big enough reason, but there’s so much more on the plate.”
And while themes of religion and politics are the focus of the overwhelming majority of Bad Religion’s lyrical content, this disc sounds fresh and charged. Part of this is Gurewitz’ sublime production work, the rest lies in the fact that Bad Religion produces its best work when it is motivated to spread a message. And the boys haven’t had motivation like the Bush administration in decades.
“We are well aware that we’re something of an institution and there are a lot of people who follow Bad Religion, but when it comes down to it, it’s the six members of the band who we are trying to please most of all,” says Baker. “This still has to be an artistic outlet for us and I don’t want to get out there and write Suffer over and over again. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue what we’re doing with this and just naturally let it evolve. Of course it also has to remain relevant. We have to feel that there is value here. I don’t want to be on the state-fair circuit opening for Everclear. There still has to be this passion. There still has to be the need to create this music. And as long as that exists, we’re going to keep doing it. But I don’t know how we can sustain that infinitely. But so far 24 years is a pretty good start.
“In the 10 years that I’ve been in the band,” continues Baker, “I still read reviews that say we’re ripping off the Offspring. It’s very hard to find ways to retain what is valuable about Bad Religion and still be somewhat experimental.” But with Gurewitz at the helm in the studio, the band peruses new styles and utilizes its creative force. From the vaguely industrial mechanical metalhead opening of “Sinister Rouge,” to the passionate, multi-tonal Graffin plea of “Can that be all there is?” midway through the album, the group is implementing an organic transformation to evolve. And this transformation is well understood by the group, especially during one of the album’s most lucid moments when Graffin quotes himself 20-plus years earlier asking, “How could Hell be any worse?” during the entrancing blast of “Los Angeles is Burning.”
“It sounds like the first Bad Religion record that was written by 40-year-olds instead of 15-year-olds in somebody’s garage,” says Baker. “It’s just a natural extension. You’ve gotta get better at this if this is all you’ve done your entire life and I think that The Empire Strikes First is a grown up version of How Could Hell Be Any Worse? It’s a natural progression.”
Bad Religion also allows its friends some time in the spotlight, and Empire showcases some of the band’s most memorable recorded guest appearances with contributions from RhymeSayer hip hopper Sage Francis (with a tight rap the length of a Gurewitz guitar solo on the album’s showpiece track, “Let Them Eat War”) and some guitar shredding from the Heartbreaker’s Mike Campbell on “Los Angeles is Burning.” Baker explains: “The L.A. guys know everybody. I’m from the East Coast. All my friends are in the Cro-Mags. Brett knows everybody. It’s California networking.”
After dropping the album, Bad Religion hit up this summer’s Warped Tour, where Baker had access to thousands of next-generation punks and helped the Punkvoter.com booth to register hundreds of kids to vote each day on the road. But when discussing the next wave of political punk bands, Baker suggests some improvements, asking for, “Less ‘suck this’ and more ‘look at this.’ I’d like things to come off a little less simplistic. I’d like to have a feeling that people are really paying attention and not just wantonly waving their arms and saying, “Republicans are bad! The president is evil!” These are really easy things to do.
“Participating in the process is more than simply echoing a T-shirt. It’s not voting against George Bush because Fat Mike tells you to. I would like to see people participating and not simply judging. And I would love to see more of that. And some bands are great at it: Propaghandi, Anti-Flag. A lot of people really know what they’re talking about. I’d just encourage more bands to do that.”
After a short break, Bad Religion will hit all the major swing states in a pre-election run across the nation. The urgency with which they will take on this challenge is endearing. This is a band fighting its way into the cluttered minds of the Y (why?) generation. After, the group plans to touch down in South America, Japan, Australia and Europe for its international tour.
Brian Baker doesn’t expect to change the world, but he would like people having experienced Bad Religion live or via The Empire Strikes First to come away with two things: “On one level I hope it would peak somebody’s interest about what’s happening. Basically to provoke some thought. Investigate a little into our political process or investigate the history of organized religion. On a second level, I would like people to go, “I cannot believe that those old fuckers kick so much ass!”‘
For more information on Bad Religion, the band’s earlier recordings and Punkvoter.com visit Badgerherald.com for web-exclusive content.
