Zach Blair is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

-based hardcore punk band 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...

. He is originally from Sherman, Texas

Sherman, Texas

Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

.

Before joining Rise Against in early 2007, Blair was a member of hardcore punk group Only Crime

Only Crime

Only Crime is a melodic hardcore group formed by Good Riddance singer Russ Rankin and Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbecin 2003. The band plays melodic but hard-hitting punk rock that borrows heavily from early-1980s hardcore bands such as Black Flag.-History:...

 along with his brother, Doni Blair, who currently plays with the Toadies

Toadies

Toadies are an alternative rock band from Fort Worth, Texas, best known for the song "Possum Kingdom." The band's classic lineup consisted of Todd Lewis on vocals/guitar, Mark Reznicek on drums, Lisa Umbarger on bass, and Darrel Herbert on guitar. It formed in 1989 and disbanded in 2001 after...

. The brothers were founding members of the bands Hagfish

Hagfish (band)

Hagfish were a punk rock band from the Deep Ellum district of Dallas, TX that included George Reagan III, Zach Blair, Doni Blair and Tony Barsotti for the majority of the bands career, including all of their studio albums...

 and Armstrong. Blair was also Flattus Maximus of GWAR

GWAR

Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...

 from 1999-2002. He has also been a second touring guitarist for The Loved Ones

The Loved Ones (American band)

The Loved Ones is a punk band based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in late 2003, the band currently consists of Dave Hause , David Walsh , Chris Gonzalez , and Mike Sneeringer...

 and was second guitarist on the instrumental band, The Mag Seven's album The Future Is Ours, If You Can Count.

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...

's fifth studio album, Appeal to Reason

Appeal to Reason

The Appeal to Reason was a weekly political newspaper published in the American Midwest from 1895 until 1922. The paper was known for its radical politics, lending support over the years to the Farmers' Alliance and Populist movement before becoming a mainstay of the Socialist Party of America...

, released on October 7, 2008, was its first with Blair. He also appeared on the band's sixth studio album release, Endgame

Endgame (Rise Against album)

Endgame is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against. Produced by Bill Stevenson, it was released on March 15, 2011. Rise Against began work on the album in September 2010, after completing touring in support of its previous album, Appeal to Reason, in mid-2010...

, which was released on March 15, 2011.

On the reverse of his Les Paul

Les Paul

Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...

 standard, there is a Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks

William Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...

 sticker with a skull and cross bones on the left to it.

Blair currently resides in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. He lives the straight edge

Straight edge

Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...

 lifestyle, as do his bandmates Tim McIlrath

Tim McIlrath

Timothy "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...

 and Joe Principe

Joe Principe

Joe Principe is the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He primarily uses Fender basses, Mesa amps and cabinets, and he uses pick-playing exclusively....

. Blair is a vegetarian and animal rights

Animal rights

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...

 advocate and actively promotes PETA

Peta

Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...

 with the other members of 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...

.

Equipment

Guitars

• Gibson Les Paul Custom (Black). Custom made for Blair by Gibson. Single humbucker (bridge), single knob (volume) and toggle switch middle and neck position made into kill switch
• Gibson Les Paul Classic (Black) w/Seymour Duncan JB pickups
• Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue (Chambered Body) w/Seymour Duncan Distortion Pickups
• Gibson Les Paul Standard (Black) w/ Seymour Duncan JB Pickups

Amps and Cabinets

• Marshall JCM900 4100 100watt Hi Gain Dual Reverb amp head (with 5881 Tubes)
• Mesa Boogie 4x12 Recto Cab with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers
• Mesa Boogie custom built Road Ready Cab with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers

Effects and More

• Boss TU-2 pedal
• Lehle P-Split A/B/Y splitter
• Boss NS-2 pedal
• Line 6 Echo Park pedal
• Rivera Channel Switcher
• Furman Power Conditioner
• Shure ULX Wireless Receivers
• Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus

Strings and Picks

• Ernie Ball Coated Slinky guitar strings (10-46 gauged)
• Ernie Ball Hybirds .10 - .52
• Dunlop Tortex Standard Guitar Picks (.50 .60 .73 .88)

Discography

With Hagfish

• Buick Men (1993)
• Rocks Your Lame Ass (1995)
• Hagfish
  Hagfish (album)
  Hagfish is the self-titled third studio album by Hagfish, released in 1998 on Honest Don's, a subsidiary label of Fat Wreck Chords. The album was reworked following a long delay with the bands previous label, London Records, who rejected the bands initial offering and eventually dropped the group...
  
   (1998)
• Caught Live (1999)
• That was Then, This is Then (2001)

With GWAR

• You're All Worthless and Weak
  You're All Worthless and Weak
  Released in 2000, You're All Worthless And Weak is Gwar's first live album. It was recorded at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, on Halloween, 2000. It features the return of Sexecutioner and Sleazy P. Martini, as well as Techno Destructo and his brother Bozo Destructo. The show was also one of the...
  
   (2000)
• Violence Has Arrived
  Violence Has Arrived
  Violence Has Arrived is the 2001 album by the band Gwar. It was released on November 6, 2001.According to an interview with Dave Brockie, it was supposed to be released on Sept. 11, 2001, but Metal Blade wouldn't release it until November...
  
   (2001)

With Armstrong

• Dick, the Lion-Hearted (2002)

With Only Crime

• To the Nines (2004)
• Virulence
  Virulence (album)
  Virulence is the second full-length studio album from melodic hardcore band, Only Crime. It was released on January 23, 2007 and features the same line-up as the previous album, To the Nines, including Russ Rankin from Good Riddance, Bill Stevenson from Black Flag, Descendents and ALL, Aaron Dalbec...
  
   (2007)

With The Mag Seven

• The Future is Ours, If You Can Count (2006)

With Rise Against

• Appeal to Reason
  Appeal to Reason
  The Appeal to Reason was a weekly political newspaper published in the American Midwest from 1895 until 1922. The paper was known for its radical politics, lending support over the years to the Farmers' Alliance and Populist movement before becoming a mainstay of the Socialist Party of America...
  
   (2008)
• Endgame
  Endgame (Rise Against album)
  Endgame is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against. Produced by Bill Stevenson, it was released on March 15, 2011. Rise Against began work on the album in September 2010, after completing touring in support of its previous album, Appeal to Reason, in mid-2010...
  
  (2011)