ANTI-FLAG are streaming “Coward In My Veins,” an exclusive b-side off of Cease Fires! Cease Fires is an album of b-sides and rerecorded material to be released on A-F Records December 18th. Pre-orders for the picture disc LP are available HERE. “Coward In My Veins” is one of two previously unreleased b-sides present on Cease Fires. A quote from Chris #2 can be found below.
Photo credit: Megan Thompson
“Coward In My Veins was a track we all thought for sure would be on American Spring, one that when it didn’t make the sequence we knew would need an important release to see light of day. It really only didn’t make it because it was so different for us. The rhythm elements are so driving, and then the chorus is so pop. That said, lyrically it’s got some crazy subject matter references, Russian Winter and Brazilian Summer Olympics corruption, the iron maiden across Europe, “the land of grace” lyric is a reference to conflict in Venezuela. Looking back it kind of was a huge foreshadowing of where we are at politically. The largest wealth gap in history has created an unprecedented struggle to either change or sustain the status quo. “I’ve seen every thing I need to see” to decide which side of that line I want to be on.” – Chris #2, Anti-Flag.
The material on Cease Fires comes from the 20 Years Of Hell 7″ subscription series released in 2013. The 7″s, limited to 500 subscribers, featured re-recorded material from the Anti-Flag catalogue on the a-side, and new material from a A-F Records band on the b-side. Cease Fires is a compilation picture disc LP of all of the Anti-Flag tracks, including the two unreleased b-sides “Coward In My Veins” and “The New Jim Crow.” This is the first time this material is available to fans outside the subscription series, and the first time any of this material has been available digitally.
Everyone who pre-orders the Cease Fires picture disc will be entered into an exclusive contest. One winner will receive the ESP guitar used in the making of the Brandenburg Gate music video, signed by the band. Five winners will receive the last remaining 7″s from the 20 Years Of Hell series. Each winner will receive all six 7″s.
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Tour Dates:
12/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Four Chord Music Festival
02/19 – Houston, TX – Walters#
02/20 – Dallas, TX – The Prophet Bar#
02/21 – San Antonio, TX – Korva#
02/23 – Tuscon, AZ – The Rock#
02/24 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater#
02/25 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park^
02/26 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory^
02/27 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour^
02/28 – Las Vegas, NV – Vinyl^
03/01 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge^
03/02 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory^
03/03 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre&
03/04 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon^
03/05 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre^* w/ The Homeless Gospel Choir
# w/ War On Women, The Homeless Gospel Choir
^ w/ Leftover Crack, War On Women, The Homeless Gospel Choir, Blackbird Raum
& w/ Leftover Crack, Potato Pirates
Great rock n’ roll doesn’t have to be mindless and socially conscious tunes don’t have to be dull. When art and enter-
tainment 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. Their most recent album 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.
Drawing inspiration equally from political thinkers like Howard Zinn and Cornel West as from The Clash and The Dead Kennedys, Anti-Flag got going in earnest in 1993, a year before massive records by Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid pushed punk back into the spotlight. Anti-Flag hail from Pittsburgh, site of the Homestead Steel Strike in 1892 (one of the most serious labor disputes in history), Hill District riots in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination, in a state that helped birth abolitionism.
Anti-Flag’s lyrics are as socio-politically minded as ever, but through the lens of deeply personal experience. Drummer/cofounder Pat Thetic’s uniquely identifiable rhythms and the dual vocals of Sane and bassist/vocalist Chris #2 ensure each song retains the sound Anti-Flag has established, even as Sane and longtime guitarist Chris Head unleash their heaviest riffs.Thankfully there remain those whose resilience is assured, who fight harder against adversity and difficult odds.They are the proud torchbearers for progressive collectivism, radical change, and a free expression with heavy social responsibility. They are the artists with the talent to create works worthy of their message. Bessie Smith, Woody Guth-
rie, MC5, Bad Religion, Boogie Down Productions, The Clash – and after more than two decades, Anti-Flag carries the tradition forward, injecting the underground and the mainstream with politically charged, deliberate, smart-but-no-less-
visceral neo-punk.
