No. 24: Rise Against

This Chicago-native band has been around for 10 years, but reached fame with the 2004 release of Siren Song of the Counter Culture. Such hits as "Swing Life Away" and "Give it All" launched the band into fame. Since then, they've produced two more albums, the most recent being last year's Appeal to Reason.

You don't have to be a fan to know they have an opinion, and they love to share it. A good number of their songs are politically charged, and they even participated in the compilation cd Rock Against Bush Vo 1. They are PETA activists, who used their video for "Ready to Fall" as a means to show the brutal treatment of animals. Unlike most of their peers, 3 out of 4 members of the band live the straight edge life, not participating in drug or alcohol use.

The band has been accused of becoming more main-stream throughout the years, sounding more pop than punk. Though I personally agree, as Siren Song of the Counter Culture is one of my favorites and hasn't been matched by them since, I still enjoy their music and respect them as artists. They still hold the same views and live the same lives they did before their '04 debut. They love Chicago and put on a great show a few years back at the Congress, and I'm sure Lolla night 2 will be no exception.