Anti-Flag Use Tragedy To Inspire EP And Next Album

The murder of Anti-Flag bassist Number 2's sister earlier this year propelled the politically charged punk band to take action at a more local level than usual. The proceeds from their latest release, an EP called A Benefit For Victims Of Violent Crime, are going to The Center For Victims Of Violence And Crime in their hometown of Pittsburgh.

"They were there and helped out Number 2's mom a lot in the direct aftermath of the murder," drummer Pat Thetic says over the phone from Pittsburgh. "We felt as though it was a good organization to work with because, God forbid somebody else has to deal with that, they'll have someone to help them through it. We felt that this was a local organization that needed our support.

"With the EP we were like, 'Let's try and do something with this really shitty, fucked-up situation and turn it into something that isn't as shitty and fucked-up.' It was a great way for us to take action, and we're always better when we're taking action."

The charitable EP wasn't the only thing that came out of the tragedy. It also prompted some differences on the band's very under-wraps new record, which is slated for release in the spring.

"That had a major effect on our writing process and the things that we wanted to talk about and say on this record," says Thetic. "It's a pretty sketchy thing to be dealing with as a band. It definitely had an effect on how we see the world."

Another thing to listen for on the new record came about because of a suggestion from producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex). When the band told him they wanted to make a larger sounding record with more textures, he told them they should rent orchestral instruments.

"We actually played them," says Thetic. "Not only was it fun, but it sounded good.

"Not that we can play them well, but we can bang on shit. We've been banging on shit our whole lives. We got a glockenspiel, concert cymbals, a 25-inch bass drum, and just banged on it 'til we got it right.

"We learned early on that other people aren't going to do anything for you. So if you want it a certain way, then just do it yourself. Even if you fail, you feel better about your failure. We were able to go and find instruments and play them ourselves. It just added to how we like to roll our lives and make our music. It's going to rock your ass off."

Here are Anti-Flag's tour dates opening for Alexisonfire:

Dec. 1 Vancouver, BC @ Pacific National Exhibition
Dec. 2 Kamloops, BC @ Interior Savings Centre
Dec. 3-4 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
Dec. 6 Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Centre
Dec. 7 Saskatoon, SK @ Saskatoon Prairieland Exhibition Centre
Dec. 8-9 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
Dec. 10 Thunder Bay, ON @ Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
Dec. 12 London, ON @ John Labatt Centre
Dec. 13 Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Civic Centre
Dec. 14 Trois-Rivieres, QC @ CEGEP De Trois-Rivieres
Dec. 15 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Dec. 16 Mississauga, ON @ Arrow Hall