The People or the Gun
Encyclopedia
The People or the Gun is Anti-Flag
's seventh studio album. The album was released on June 9, 2009. It was their first album released on independent label SideOneDummy Records
after the band's two-record contract ended with RCA Records
. The first track, "Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. (Sheep In Shepherd's Clothing)", was released on the band's MySpace page prior to the album.
In a March 21 interview with bassist Chris #2 in The Edge Magazine, he revealed that the band had recorded seventeen songs, but he wanted to cut the track number down "to a smaller number, ten or eleven," and make it a 30-minute album.
with support acts Four Year Strong
and The Ghost of a Thousand
, which saw the band doing 35 dates across Europe, between October and November 2009. The Economy Sucks, Let's Party! Tour began in January 2010 and took the band across 22 North American dates, with supporting acts Aiden
, Cancer Bats
and Fireworks
. In February 2010, the band continued the tour into Australia
with five performances at the Soundwave Festival.
A portion of the proceeds from album pre-sales on the SideOneDummy website were donated to the left-wing activist Amnesty International
. All pre-orders of the album on the SideOneDummy site received a digital download of two bonus songs, "Bring Down Their Wall" and "A Brief Misunderstanding of the Kings and Queens". An album bundle was also available on SideOneDummy's store, which included a three-track EP of unreleased material, plus both a The People or the Gun t-shirt and poster.
The song "The Gre(A)t Depression" includes repeated melodic interpolation of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
" by Bob Dylan
.
It also includes backing vocals from Tim McIlrath from Rise Against
, Greg Attonito from Bouncing Souls, Wade MacNeil from Alexisonfire
and David McWane from Big D and the Kids Table
.
Additional personnel
Production
Art
Anti-Flag
Anti-Flag is a punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, formed in 1988. The band is well known for its outspoken political views. Much of the band's lyrics have focused on fervent anti-war activism, criticism of United States foreign policy, corporatism, U.S. wealth...
's seventh studio album. The album was released on June 9, 2009. It was their first album released on independent label SideOneDummy Records
SideOneDummy Records
SideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
after the band's two-record contract ended with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. The first track, "Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. (Sheep In Shepherd's Clothing)", was released on the band's MySpace page prior to the album.
Writing and production
On December 2, 2008, Anti-Flag's bassist, Chris#2, posted in his bloghttp://nowarwithoutwarriors.blogspot.com/ that Anti-Flag had begun the recording of their album with "The Economy is Suffering, Let it Die." By December 18, Chris #2 had posted that nine songs had been completed, and on February 16, 2009, two pictures of the tentative track listing for The People or the Gun were posted on the blog.In a March 21 interview with bassist Chris #2 in The Edge Magazine, he revealed that the band had recorded seventeen songs, but he wanted to cut the track number down "to a smaller number, ten or eleven," and make it a 30-minute album.
Promotion
The band embarked on two tours to support the release of the album. The Eastpak Antidote Tour co-headlining with AlexisonfireAlexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
with support acts Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jackson Massucco...
and The Ghost of a Thousand
The Ghost of a Thousand
The Ghost Of A Thousand was an English five-piece punk rock band from Brighton, UK.-Career:The Ghost Of A Thousand confirmed on 31 March 2011 that they were as a band after 7 years together. After signing with Undergroove Records in 2007 the band toured extensively, playing alongside Gallows,...
, which saw the band doing 35 dates across Europe, between October and November 2009. The Economy Sucks, Let's Party! Tour began in January 2010 and took the band across 22 North American dates, with supporting acts Aiden
Aiden
Aiden is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in the spring of 2003. The members are WiL Francis , Nick Wiggins , and Angel Ibarra . wiL originally played bass but took over lead vocals when the original singer left...
, Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats are a hardcore punk/sludge metal band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Background:Cancer Bats originated in May 2004 with singer Liam Cormier and guitarist Scott Middleton, former member of Toronto heavy metal band At the Mercy of Inspiration...
and Fireworks
Fireworks (punk band)
Fireworks is an American pop-punk band from Metro Detroit, Michigan. currently signed to Triple Crown Records. Their most recent album, Gospel, was released on May 24, 2011.-History:...
. In February 2010, the band continued the tour into Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with five performances at the Soundwave Festival.
Album information
In late May 2009, a music video for the album's first single, "When All the Lights Go Out", was released.A portion of the proceeds from album pre-sales on the SideOneDummy website were donated to the left-wing activist Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. All pre-orders of the album on the SideOneDummy site received a digital download of two bonus songs, "Bring Down Their Wall" and "A Brief Misunderstanding of the Kings and Queens". An album bundle was also available on SideOneDummy's store, which included a three-track EP of unreleased material, plus both a The People or the Gun t-shirt and poster.
The song "The Gre(A)t Depression" includes repeated melodic interpolation of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Bringing It All Back Home album, released on March 22, 1965 by Columbia Records . The song was originally recorded on January 15, 1965 with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass...
" by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
.
It also includes backing vocals from Tim McIlrath from Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, Greg Attonito from Bouncing Souls, Wade MacNeil from Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
and David McWane from Big D and the Kids Table
Big D and the Kids Table
Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Allston, Massachusetts when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork In Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy...
.
Track listing
- "Sodom, GomorrahSodom and GomorrahSodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
, Washington D.C. (Sheep in Shepherd's Clothing)" – 2:50 - "The Economy Is Suffering...Let It Die" – 3:36
- "The Gre(A)Libertarian socialismLibertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
t Depression" – 3:08 - "We Are the One" – 3:07
- "You Are Fired (Take This Job, Ah, Fuck It)" – 1:00
- "This Is the First Night" – 3:33
- "No War without Warriors (How Do You Sleep?)" – 2:28
- "When All the Lights Go Out" – 3:08
- "On Independence Day" – 2:51
- "The Old Guard" – 4:17
- "Teenage Kennedy Lobotomy" (Hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
) – 1:06
Bonus tracks
- "A Brief Misunderstanding of the Queens and Kings" (Bonus download through SideOneDummy pre-order)
- "Bring Down Their Wall Again" (Bonus download through SideOneDummy pre-order)
- "The Weathermen Know Which Way the Wind Blows" (Bonus on iTunes)
- "Africom" (Bonus on iTunes)
Which Side Are You On? E.P.
Some releases of the album, including the first pressing of the Australian release, the Amazon.de pack, and versions in the US pre-ordered through Side One Dummy or bought at independent record stores, comes with a bonus disc titled Which Side Are You On? E.P. The tracks on it are:- "Bring Down Their Wall Again" - 3:14
- "The Weathermen Know Which Way the Wind Will Blow" - 2:45
- "Africom" - 3:35
Use in Popular Culture
In the episode "Fresh Blood", Season 3 Episode 11, of HBO's True Blood there is a sticker of the artwork for "The People or the Gun" on one of the doors in Fangtasia.Personnel
Anti-Flag- Justin Sane – guitar, vocals
- Chris #2 – bass, vocals
- Chris Head – guitar, vocals
- Pat Thetic – drums
Additional personnel
- Additional percussion by Anti-Flag
- Additional vocals on track 3 by Tim McIlrathTim McIlrathTimothy "Tim" James McIlrath is an American punk rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder for the American punk rock band Rise Against. McIlrath is known to support animal rights and actively promotes PETA with his band...
, Greg Attonito, Wade McNeil and David McWaneDavid McWaneDavid McWane is an American musician, writer, and filmmaker, best known as the lead singer of Boston ska punk band Big D and the Kids Table.... - Sixburgh Steel City Gang Voclas: Marc Riot, Tyler Kweder, Jason Cantu, Corey Cameron and Marc Code
- Additional handclapping by Katie Bullers and Anna Schwartz
Production
- Written, recorded and produced by Anti-Flag in Pittsburgh, PA
- Mixed by Mario J. McNulty at Alice's Restaurant
- Mastered by Mass Giorgini at Sonic Iguana
- Project coordinator – Jesse Jones
Art
- Artwork, layout and design by Mike Ski with No More Galleries