REBEL HEARTS Rise Against headline HeartSupport, a

Music Fest With A Cause

BY IDA V. ESKAMANI

“Can we be saved, or has the damage all been done? Is it too late to reverse what we’ve become? A lesson to learn at a crucial point in time — what’s mine was always yours, and yours is mine.”

The chorus of “Chamber the Cartridge,” the opening track of Chicago’s punk band Rise Against’s fourth album, The Sufferer & the Witness, found its way to me, and I’m sure countless fellow dejected teenagers, at the most crucial time in my life. I grew up the daughter of working-class immigrants who had plenty of their own troubles, part of a generation that had only known endless wars and divideand-conquer rule.

Getting a burned CD copy of Sufferer was one of those enlightenment moments that billionaire executives and their favorite bought-out politicians prefer we do not have. The one where we realize we are not alone, that disparity is by design, and the only way out is together. Released July 4, 2006, songs like “Chamber the Cartridge” are why, while most suggest Saul Alinsky readings as foundational for activists, I suggest Rise Against albums.

Rise Against are vocalist Tim McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, lead guitarist Zach Blair and drummer Brandon Barnes. More than two decades on, nine studio albums, touring the world numerous times over, and garnering millions of devoted fans, Rise Against is still writing anthems for underdogs.

Rise Against are also taking calls from Orlando Weekly while their kids are in school and they’re running errands around their neighborhood. At least that’s how we caught up with Principe.

“I am literally doing the most unexciting thing,” he says with a laugh. “My kids are in school and I’m in my car, running errands, in my Chicago suburb.”

Principe says that Rise Against never made an intentional decision to write protest anthems. “When we first got together, I think it just is a carryover from the influences that we grew up listening to, like Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Bad Brains. Bands that taught

Heartsupport Fest

1:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 18-19

Central Florida Fairgrounds

4603 W. Colonial Drive heartsupportfest.com

$85-$330 us to challenge our government, and really, all forms of authority.”

From protesting endless wars, challenging racism and sexism, supporting LGBTQ+ youth, boycotting states criminalizing immigrants, organizing with workers, defending animals and our planet, to taking on corporate exploitation and exposing dangerous far-right ideologies, Rise Against don’t turn their backs on a fight, or bite their tongues in the face of injustice. They’ve been consistently present, connecting the dots and using music to inspire progressive change.

Their songs also address deeply personal issues: lost friends, parenthood and loved ones. But as the adage goes, the personal is political, and our identities are intersectional and multifaceted. There is a common tie that binds these songs. For Principe, “there’s always this overlying sense of hope on all of our records, a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Punk always represented hope to the band, an inclusive space where misfits like them found solace and solidarity. It’s only fitting that it was at a Sick of It All show in Indianapolis when Principe invited McIlrath to join the band.

In some ways, Rise Against were an unlikely combination of influences. “[McIlrath] kind of grew up more on like the Fugazi kind of vibe and I grew up on the faster hardcore,” remembers Principe.

It’s a formula that created a melodic hardcore sound that is uniquely Rise Against; from their initial release, The Unraveling, in 2001 through 2021’s Nowhere Generation, McIlrath’s vocal range growls as it howls, paired with rapid-fire riffs and electrifying power chords.

Following our conversation, the full band were due to assemble in their rehearsal space to prepare for another tour, including a stop in Orlando this weekend for HeartSupport Fest. HeartSupport has been put together by August Burns Red singer Jake Luhrs, and it centers compassion and conversations about mental health.

When asked how a band that has been together for more than 20 years rehearses, Principe reflects that “when we’re playing together, it feels like we’re 16 again.”

In that spirit, Principe also made a point to speak to the burgeoning punk scene and the punk kids making it their own now, just as Rise Against did then. When asked what advice he would give young punks, he credited consistency and persistence.

“We always try to get on tours with bands different from us, with audiences that didn’t know us,” says Principe, “to get in front of as many new people as possible.”

He continues: “Tour as much as possible, get in front of as many people as possible, and of course make good music.” music@orlandoweekly.com

And much like the shows that inspired Principe to start a band, Rise Against shows are lifelines for fans. This writer’s first punk show was a Rise Against show, at age 17.

There’s something so undeniably powerful about a mass of misfits from all different walks of life converging together, for one collective purpose. What’s mine was always yours and yours is mine.

Local Releases

“Debut” is a strange word to be applying to a band that’s been around for over a decade, but it’s apt for Orlando Southern-rock band Prison Wine. While they’ve been playing stages around here among some good musical company for years, they’re only now releasing their first full-length album. Drowning Amanda Lynne is 11 new tracks of countryfried rock that’s got easygoing vibes and a sturdy stomp. The soulful grooves and hot guitar licks give both a smooth ride and a solid kick, like a good bourbon. The album also features guest cameos by J.P. Thieme and the mighty Jessy Lynn Martens.

The LP won’t be widely released until March 3 on Bandcamp, and not until March 24 for the other major streamers. But Prison Wine will have it available in both vinyl and CD at their release show on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Will’s Pub

To celebrate properly, the local boys have brought in the legendary Supersuckers to open up for them. Just kidding, Prison Wine are the local support for the illustrious country punks. But still, an irresistible confluence either way.

Concert Picks This Week

Mike and the Moonpies, Joshua Ray Walker, Jordan Foley & the Wheelhouse: Whether you call ’em traditional or alternative, Austin’s Mike and the Moonpies are a true country band with all the sweet, sweet pedal steel that implies. Fuck that crossover pop shit. The Moonpies bring it back to the golden age before country music lost its soul. Same goes for fellow Texan tourmate Joshua Ray Walker, whose resolutely classic sound is pure honky-tonk. (8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, Will’s Pub, $20-$25)

‘Debut’ is a strange word to apply to a band that’s been around for over a decade, but Orlando Southern-rock band Prison Wine are only now releasing their first album. Drowning

Amanda Lynne is 11 tracks of country-fried rock with a solid kick like good bourbon

Otoboke Beaver, The Pauses: Shonen Knife are lovable enough, but look to J-punk progeny Otoboke Beaver if you wanna get a little edgier. While still unmistakably Japanese, their punk rock is wilder, more hardcore and has enough feminist bite for the riot grrrls. They’re a four-lady fire that’s rightfully gaining heat in the global underground. (6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18, The Social, $25)

Curse Mackey, Sine, Element 104, Pressure Kitten: Both solo and as a member of bands like Pigface and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Austin’s Curse Mackey is a notable modern figure in industrial music. But what Orlando should remember about him is that he — along with the valiant David J. and tourmate Sine — helped try to salvage the second (second!) Bauhaus show in 2019 that Peter Murphy unceremoniously bailed on. In one of the more notorious moments in this city’s music history, Mackey stepped up to the mic and filled in for the iconic frontman. It was a heroic display in a no-win situation. Go support him and Sine as they play their own music on their own terms, free of anyone else’s bullshit. (7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, Conduit, $15-$20)

Vandoliers, Old Heavy Hands: Texas music heritage is the stuff of lore for good reason, and Dallas’ Vandoliers are a young, strapping distillation of that tradition and flavor. They’re an amalgam of Red Dirt country, Tejano splendor and punk spirit that’s rousing and grand. North Carolina tourmates Old Heavy Hands are equally noteworthy for a yearning country-rock sound that bleeds with punk and soul, and will make fans of Lucero and American Aquarium want to drink heavily. (8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, Will’s Pub, $15-$20)

Big Thief: Few acts have the “it” factor like rustic indie-rock band Big Thief right now. With some breathtaking work, they’ve become emblematic of a vision of folk music that’s modern and singular. With the distinctive character of singer, songwriter and guitarist Adrianne Lenker, their songs conjure a world that’s at once earthy and dreamy, a suspended realm where both the flight of idiosyncrasy and the weight of substance coexist. Big Thief’s current record, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (on 4AD), is a sonically and conceptually sprawling double album that should be an ideal vessel to illustrate the full spectrum and bloom of Big Thief’s sound on stage. There’s simply no other act like Big Thief. Come feel their spell.

(7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, The Beacham, $35) baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com

THURSDAY, FEB. 16

Haize, JoyBoy, OhTwo

On an immediate listen, Haize, JoyBoy and OhTwo sound nothing alike — but they share allegiances to darker, bleeding-edge sounds and beats. JoyBoy crafts dense webs of mutant techno, face obscured by emotionless masks — a contrast to the soulfulness at the heart of the grooves. OhTwo’s newest, eponymous album sees the duo leaning into a Style Council phase of embracing metropolitan melodies and aesthetics from around the world.