The band Anti-Flag's guitarist/lead vocalist Justin Sane said his band's political stance emerged when he was a child.
"I had the blessing or curse to be born into an activist family," Sane said by phone from Pittsburgh. "My mom and dad were into the protests way before I was born. And once I was born, they raised me in that activist environment."
So, when Sane formed Anti-Flag in 1988, it was a natural decision to pepper the songs with left-wing views. "It still is interesting to see the reaction to our band. I mean even our name has sparked a few, uh, discussions. People have accused us for being anti-American. But they miss the irony."
The irony, said Sane, is that the band's name isn't against America but is against symbolism. "We are so far into the depravity of power that there are people in the government who have forgotten to represent the people. We need to start with a clean slate and have new people in those seats.
"When Anti-Flag started, I knew we were going to make a statement. And I see the band as a platform to try to help people make decisions that will benefit the world."
Still, Sane and the other band members — guitarist Chris Head, bassist Chris #2 and drummer Pat Thetic — have seen their share of problems. "We have people come to the shows and accost us with beer bottles while we are playing a show. And though it's been tough sometimes, we keep doing what we're doing. The reason is, there are many people who are more important than me who have taken the same stance and have said, 'If you mean it, you can't back down.' "
And Anti-Flag is not about to back down anytime soon.
The band is on the brink of releasing its seventh album, "For Blood and Empire," on March 21. The catch, however, is that the album is being released on a major label — RCA. And since jumping from the independent labels Go Kart Records, Fat Wreck Chords and its own label, A-F Records, Anti-Flag has gotten a lot of flak from hard-core fans.
"So what makes you think we've been accused of selling out?" said Sane with a laugh. "I'm not trying to justify our signing to RCA last year. But this is the story: We have been courted by major labels for the last 10 years. And each time we've been offered a contract, we ask them if we can have total artistic control. That means we don't have to report to the label for album content, album art, production and all that.
"The only label that agreed was RCA. In fact, when they agreed to our conditions, we sat there for a second, not believing our ears. But they knew what they were getting. We finally signed to them and went into the studio for 'For Blood and Empire.' "
One of the songs on the album that Sane is most proud of is "I'll Tell You, But I'm Dead." "It's about the war in Iraq. But it's not the typical protest song. I wanted to do something different with the theme. So I wrote the song through the eyes of a dead Iraqi. I wanted to put the war into perspective from the people that live there."
With the new record deal, Sane said the Anti-Flag messages reach a larger audience, and he has no regrets about signing with a major label. "It's been a huge help in our cause. And while there are fans who totally hate us now, there are others who understand what we're doing. And RCA is letting us keep it real."
If you go
What: Anti-Flag, the Casualties, AKA, the Unseen
Where: In the Venue, 219 S. 600 West
When: Wednesday, 6 p.m.
How much: $13
Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com