Justin from ANTI-FLAG chats with Jen before their Melbourne show.

Photo credit Megan Thompson

If you have not already heard of Anti-Flag here is their Bio. Great rock n’ roll doesn’t have to be mindless and socially conscious tunes don’t have to be dull. When art and entertainment devolve into mere commercial escapism, the status quo of an oppressive system and the empty banality of mediocre music will prevail. ANTI-FLAG burst through the concrete wall of apathy like a proverbial desert flower.

American Spring is an empowering, energetic antidote to the crippling cynicism that infects even the most dedicated of rabble-rousers. Co-produced by AWOLNATION’s Kenny Carkeet, Jim Kaufman and the band, Anti-Flag’s tenth studio album is both a shot across the bow of the political discourse and creatively challenging. American Spring is a stylistic leap forward that captures the essence of their dense catalog while conjuring a fresh new sound. Anti-Flag’s commitment to high caliber neo-punk music remains as strong as their devotion to raising awareness. “I hope this record can be an encouragement to people to never give up,” declares Justin Sane, guitarist/vocalist and cofounder of Anti-Flag. “I know that music changed my life.” American Spring is the next natural step in a career that produced activist-punk classics like For Blood and Empire (2006), The Terror State (2003), and Underground Network (2001), and inspired international audiences to learn more about the Occupy movement, the anti-war movement, and the idea that “socialism” isn’t a dirty word.

I was lucky enough to meet Justin before the show to have a chat about American Spring and their Australian Tour. There is so much that I could of asked him in relation to the essays that they have about their songs but was a bit rushed for time. You can see my other Antiflag interviews for more on that.

 I asked Justin is the Australian crowds and if they received the new music well and he said a very big YES and that the crowds have been awesome. He was looking a little tired and he told me that he had spent last night at The Cherry Bar on AC/DC lane, as you do when touring in Australia! He said that a lot of people that were at that show were there. It seemed a good night was had by all. Justin told me that he has jetlag pretty bad, as he was using Red Bull to wake up to perform and then not being able to sleep. 

I asked Justin how he felt about coming to a country whose government was so out of touch with the issues that are affecting the whole world and he replied. ” I can see why that in the case, I come here are realize  Australia is very isolated. You don’t realize how isolated that you are. Even with Australia been so far behind with gay marriage even in the United States we have a president that acknowledges climate change and a marriage and supports gay rights. We have been lagging behind for some time and it has caught up in these areas. Even the Pope now is somebody who you could say is the biggest advocate of doing something about man made climate change.  Even the Pope is hey Gay marriage, gay people are accepted in our church. He does not accept gay marriage but at least he is willing to accept gay people into the church. For a modern first world country that is kind of obviously disappointing to see any society lagging behind on these issues with its human rights or the environment or whatever it may be and now that I’m here it is amazing how is I get the sense of isolation here, it is great here and I love it here but is definitely very isolated. I can see how old ideas can hang on to certain people and they are really out of touch with what’s going on with the rest of the world.

That is so true! I told Justin that our new  prime minister Malcolm Turnbull promised his colleagues that if was to over throw Tony Abbott as PM then Australia could vote on Gay marriage but as soon as he won he said he was not going to do that. So a new face but same lies. I asked Justin his thoughts on Donald Trump and also Kayne West running for President.

Well I think that he represents a portion of our society that very much like the portions in society here or in China or wherever they may be that I just completely out of touch with the changes that the rest of the world are making to move forward. These are just going to be people that are left behind. is also a sad state of the politics to where politics are to a certain degree in the United States but Donald Trump and the people that think like him are dinosaurs, he won’t win in the general election. His party is on the verge of becoming irrelevant in the United States and politics. I really think this that group of Republicans are that insane and  out of touch as anyone. what is really interesting to me is that they are the mainstream Republican party and they are so out of touch with pretty much the majority of America. They are caught in the own little bubble and every time they open their mouths about taking women’s right to choose away  women turn from them in record numbers and that is just one area. The party knows about this but they can’t stop talking about taking money from Planned Parenthood which provides women’s health services so it  amazes me that they are so caught up in their own bubble in their own world, even though they know that  they are out of touch with mainstream America they are such ideologues that they can’t let go and it is just an example of how dysfunctional their party is.

Your song Sky is falling sometimes makes me so sad, it actually makes me feel like I was there watching his story unfold. Other times it makes me angry that the US are using drones to bomb.

You are welcome! ( both laughing) Mission accomplished!

I told Justin that my son, Nick, is in Europe at the moment and when he was in Switzerland he saw 20 refugees taken off the train he was on and taken away in Police cars. Needless to say this issue became very real for him. He has been a passionate refugee supporter here, and I think his Europe trip will bring him back a different person. Even more so passionate about what Australia should be doing. 

Wow that makes that issue real for him.

When then had a good chat about how Nick could become an activist in Human Rights when he returns to Australia. I inquired how Justin got his stance on Human Equality. He said that it just made sense, And that it is in his DNA and when he hears about something that is unjust it stirs a certain amount of passion in me and is just something that happens.

I asked if there was anyone is life that told him not to follow his dreams.  Justin said that he was lucky and that there was no one, his parents were always very supportive of the band and they saw that he had a vision and even though they didn’t really understand that they believed in him. He said that his parents also believe that music and art can change the world for the better and I didn’t see it is a fallacy they themselves were inspired by the folk movement and when out and change things so they were supportive of him. They said it made sense to them that he wanted to go and change the world.  He said he was very lucky.

I asked him Over the last 2 interviews we discussed Brandenburg gate, The Great Divide, Sky is falling, and fabled World at the moment my fav song is Walk Away. It changes all the time. I discussed with him that’s my daughter Emma had been in Cambodia and has a photographer took a lot of photos of the children as she was working in an orphanage. She didn’t take pictures of landscapes she took pictures of the children smiling but not with their eyes. I also told just in the it sounds like I send my children away all the time and we both had a laugh about that. After her experience we sat down and listened to the song Walk Away and I asked him if he had any thoughts on that song that we hadn’t already covered.

 He answered that it was definitely the song that was questioning the pain that people have to suffer through and recognizing that there has to be more than life than this. As the song says you just can’t sit around waiting for someone to pick up the reins and be the catalyst of change in your own life.  Although the song sends out a dark message I think that message is very important.

I ran out of time to ask everything I wanted and I knew that he had to get to Sound check and that he was already exhausted. I wish him well for the show and got the usual selfie with him. 

I really enjoyed their set, they have so much energy and crowd connection. I look forward to when I can see them again.

Photo Credits Jen Rees

Written by Jen Rees   Photo Credit Megan Thompson