Trapped In The Margins

Rise Against is a punk rock band from Chicago – a point that they gladly recall at their show in Asbury Park back in July 2021. The lead vocalist Tim McIlrath occasionally stopped to speak to the crowd about all the injustices in the world. I, one of very few Black fans, gesture to the crowd that I’m watching them. I know that the revolutionary nature of this band has definitely gone over most of their heads. But it’s different for me.

I found Rise Against in 2008 just after my brother was killed. Pop punk, heavy metal/ death metal/ hardcore music were the only things that kept me going. I wanted to rage. I was angry. My brother was the golden boy. My mother’s baby. The one who could be a total asshole and get away with it. He was older but not wiser in my teenage eyes. He was everything and nothing at the same time. I adored him and it hurt to know that he was gone. Rise Against was the backdrop of my truly justified teenage angst. It was oddly soothing to listen to them.

Years have passed and my angst subsided, only to be replaced with nihilism. I long forgot about the band that saved me with their lyrics that is until four years ago. 2021 was one of the worst years of my life. Everything imploded and I was left a total mess. Then, I met the man that would change me in ways that I never knew possible. One of his favorite bands was Rise Against. He brought up the band and I was instantly transported to my teenage bedroom.

The timing of this post is four years in the making yet it’s perfectly timed as the band will release their latest album ‘Ricochet’ on August 15, 2025. I look forward to seeing how their latest music will transform my life. Maybe it won’t be as transformative as the songs of my teenage angst. Maybe it will become the soundtrack to my adult life. All I know is that I am grateful to this little band from Chicago for being the soundtrack to personal growth.