SINCE FORMING RISE AGAINST WITH singer Tim McIlrath in 1999, Joe Principe has flown the flag of a straight-edge punk rocker, picking fights with his P-Bass and wooing audiences with honest, heartfelt angst and aggression. This month, Rise Against joins Rancid and Billy Talent for a two-month trek around the United States.
You seem to pick using mostly upstrokes. Why is that?
When I started to play bass, that’s what felt most natural. I didn’t realize until later that Paul McCartney plays like that, and so does Mike Herrera from MxPx. My upstrokes are always harder, and they always come first.
How do you get ready to play?I stretch my legs and forearms. My vocal warmup consists of screaming to get rid of the phlegm [laughs].
What music are you listing to while you’re on the road?I’ve been listening to Torch [Death to Perfection, Kong Tiki Records]. Their sound is really slow, sludgy, and heavy. Plus, I always default to the Clash, Elvis Costello, and Bedouin Soundclash. I love reggae for its grooves.
How did you get your tone on the record?We used one of my Fender ’62 reissue Precisions. For amps, we used my Fenders, plus a 20-watt Marshall head, an Ampeg B-15, and a Tech 21 SansAmp.
What were your sources of inspiration when recording Appeal to Reason?Our co-producer Bill Stevenson played drums in the Decendents, and I’m definitely influenced by the incredibly melodic bass lines in that band. So I often tried to play things I thought Bill would like. Recording with Bill really improved my playing. He was a little bummed that my upstrokes were sounding louder than my downstrokes, and he really helped me with my timing.
CHECK HIM OUT
Rise Against, Appeal to Reason [Geffen, 2008]
GEAR
Bass Fender ’62 Reissue Precision Bass
Rig Fender TB-1200 head, Fender 8x10 cabinets, Avalon U5 DI
Studio Marshall 2061X, Ampeg B-15, Tech 21 SansAmp DI
Picks & strings Dunlop Nylon .88mm (dark grey), Ernie Ball Regular Slinky roundounds (.050–.105)