ANTI-FLAG

Let’s talk about your latest release, 20/20 vision! Firstly, I wanted to address the title of the record and get a brief explanation over why you felt this was the best suited title to encompass all of the tracks. There’s a lot of forces at work to keep folks choosing apathy over empathy, cynicism over optimism. The search for clarity through smoke screens of division is the main theme of the record. But there’s an overarching question about the future. What do we want it to look like? We know what it looks like if the status quo remains the same. I’m far more interested in a future that is centered on social, economic, racial and environmental justice.

With a lot of the themes that inspired this record revolve around Donald Trump and his government, how long have you been writing or sitting on some of these tracks for 20/20 vision? Started writing Dec 2018. This is the first record where we had art work, album title, and it’s storyline built before hitting record. “Hate Conquers All” was the first song written for the album. We knew it would open it. The ashes of The American Fall.

This record takes the time to address a very specific figure head, versus that past which had a lot more general overlook of nationalism. Why do you feel it’s so important to take this approach this time around? Honestly because these times are unprecedented. The normalcy of violence, xenophobia, racism, sexism, attacks on lgbtq+ communities, immigrants and refugees. All of it on levels we’ve never seen. Donald Trump is a symptom of a disease for sure, but he’s a massive fucking tumor of a symptom.

I wanted to ask about the specific topics that come through on the record. Which other events sparked your need to write about these themes? There are a good handful. From the environment, to for profit prison and healthcare system failures. It’s a record about right now. The false populist movements of Trump, Boris Johnson, the AfD, etc., and the globalization economic failures that brought them.

With your music video for “The Disease” you essentially have anti-Rose Coloured Glasses. How did you come up with this concept? Would you say that the music video is a direct reflection on the subject matter? Do you feel with music videos, you want it to specifically reflect on the topics in the track, or do you feel that the music video expands to something larger? This concept was taken from a film from the 80’s called They Live. Personally music videos are a necessary evil for us. We don’t particularly have a ton of fun making them. But they are all part of the process of us searching for folks to hear the songs and share in the stories of them.

Each of your songs has a lyric sheet for it with illustration from Willow Quillen. How did you find Willow Quillen and decide to have her work on these pieces? She’s a good friend who lives in Pittsburgh. I sat with her and we talked about specific lyrics to highlight, and how they should feel. She did a great job visualizing the songs. It goes without saying that design and art plays a large roll in sharing information. What sort of motifs do you consistently comeback to as a band? Do you think that there is a visual that is more representative of this time versus the past? I just think about being a kid, listening to dead Kennedy’s records. Their art was always so in depth and thought provoking. We just want to carry on that tradition of making each record unique and worth spending the time on.

This kind of political climate can often be exhausting and hard to bare. How do you combat the exhaustion? And where do you see hope? We get to do this really awesome thing and play hundreds of shows every year. Meet people who are fight fascism and doing the tangible work to spread empathy. Each show is a shot of hope and optimism. Then we have each other. We rely on our brothers in the band to carry weight when it’s too heavy for others. That’s a unique part of what we do.

I’m sure there are a lot of people who want to know your opinion on getting involved and becoming active and what they can do. What do you think are the most effective ways for others to get involved? Do it. It’s fun. You’ll make friends. You’ll find that hope and optimism are bottomless wells. Start with the big ones. Amnesty International, Sea Sheppard, Greenpeace. Tangible victory goes a long way when becoming active. Go to a protest. An extinction rebellion march. A women’s march. In 2020 if you want to be a revolutionary, be kind. The status quo is one that is filled with division and hate. The antithesis is everywhere.

With the exception of the world tour, what should people be expecting from you? Honestly we’re looking to be allies and accomplices in the fight for the lives of our brothers, sisters and all in between who are being victimized and marginalized by world leaders that put neo-fascism and profit over people. We just happen to partake in this fight with guitars.