WFA: Rise and Strike

It might seem kind of counterintuitive at first, but punks are actually some of the most kind hearted welcoming people on earth. Don’t be fooled by their gruff demeanor. Look beyond the mohawks, tattoos, combat boots, and battle vests and more often than not you will find someone who will pick you up when you are down. Whether it’s in life or in the pit.

Part of what makes punk so endearing is that it feels like music you could make. The barrier to entry of three chords, beating the tar out of a drum set, and screaming about whatever pisses you off is so low it sounds like anybody could do it. This isn’t to say that punk doesn’t require talent. More so that it is accessible. Like country or rock, punk is the music of the people. Often working or lower class. Frequently offering a safe harbor to marginalized communities. An outlet for the disaffected youth, a voice for the unheard.

Now obviously it’s not all rainbows and kittens when it comes to punk rock. There is plenty of focus on sex, drugs, and violence. And every scene has its sorted past and bad actors. But for the most part the punk and hardcore communities are uplifting forces for positive change.

Rise and Strike are a hardcore punk band from NorCal and they are exemplars of exactly the right kind of punks. Or as they might put it, proponents of positive violence. I was able to speak with current vocalist and former drummer Brandon Ennis about the inception of the band, passion for music, mental health struggles, and loved ones lost but not forgotten.

‘Rise and Strike began around 11 years ago as a project that came out of our love of a more aggressive straight forward type of hardcore. My brother Josh envisioned it as such, and asked me to be the frontman. At the time in our current bands he was on bass and I was on drums. But we wanted something where we could both explore more our love of lyricism in the hardcore we admired.

‘Our first few shows were insane. At a beautiful space called the Gypsy Shack in our little mountain town in NorCal. I always looked up to bands like Minor Threat, The Chariot, vocalists like Darby Crash of The Germs all the way to Jason Aalon of Letlive. And I really wanted to bring that extremely high energy element to my frontman presence, as I feel it’s not seen often enough in the heavy music scenes.

‘After a while, and a lot of life circumstances, we ended up in Long Beach Southern California. Not knowing what bands we would pursue or continue, we decided to give Rise and Strike a try there. It was far different than the original, I had moved back to drums. This definitely proved a crucial step in the band as it got us to focus a lot more on our song writing, and conceptual crafting of the music in relation to how the themes could be presented as a whole.

‘The band came out of 2020 stronger than ever, with me back on vocals, and playing such shows as Northern Alliance with so many legendary hardcore bands and countless west coast tour runs. It’s definitely changed over the years. But I’m not sure this band will ever die.’

Rise and Strike released an EP at the beginning of the year that has actually been in the making for a very long time. In Memory of the Kids we Used to Be is laden with meaning as a title, project, and song. Most obviously as a eulogy to the fallen. Friends gone too soon to overdose, suicide, cancer, and accidents. Whenever you lose someone you love a small part of them lives on, wedged in your heart. It’s painful sometimes but through melancholic remembrances they live on through us. It’s the only form of afterlife I believe in and for me it’s more than enough.

‘So this EP actually began with a collection of older songs I had written over the span of the last 13 years. I knew eventually it would be the groundwork for an EP I’ve been wanting to do for a long part of my life. In celebration of and as a grieving process through art. To deal with the pain we’ve all faced from losing our friends who didn’t make it this far.

‘We kept it on a back burner during the following 6 months while we hit the road, playing damn close to 100 shows that year. At some point along the way I asked Matt to send what he had been working on and something changed. I remember hearing the reimagined riffs and melodies to “Broken Strings” for the first time, imperfections of my drumming and all, it came together in a very raw and unpolished way.

‘At that point we decided, yeah we are going to release this. I felt all this emotion well up within me just hearing the rough tracks of it. I knew I wanted to share it with everyone who may want to hear it.

‘We spent all the time recording our parts alone. Not once did we spend time in a room together doing so. Looking back, I think that is what brought out of us the performances you hear now while listening to it. It took that separation, that independence, and that long drawn out period of introspection on both our parts to dig and search and find our own vision of how to get across these feelings of loss in musical form.

‘And once we brought it all together, everything fell into place. Which I don’t know if that happens all that often, that syncopation despite the separation during a writing and creative process, but it did. Almost feels like we had our fallen friends beside us throughout the entire process.’

As a song “Euology For the Kids we Used to Be” is emotional and powerful. ‘It’s not enough to sing these songs!’ As forceful as an opener to the EP as “Eulogy” is lyrically sonically it is a slow tension racked buildup.

‘And I’ve heard it said
What good is a heart if it does not break?
I’ve heard it said
Tomorrow means nothing if we all die today
I’ve spent too many nights
Wishing tomorrow I would not wake
But I won’t give in
This life is mine to make
This life is mine to take
This life is mine.’

There is a strong sense of self-empowerment in fully taking ownership over your own life. As Camus famously put it, the only serious philosophical problem is suicide. His conclusion was that you should face the absurdity of life by rejecting the option of self death and instead fully embrace the freedom of life. The project In Memory of the Kids we Used to Be tackles heavy subject matter such as this head on. These topics are difficult to talk about, but they must not be ignored and they cannot be denied.

‘These are issues that I have grown up with. My family, and then as I grew older, gravitating toward friends with similar issues. Everyone I befriended and became close with had struggle, immense struggle, and came from varying degrees of broken homes. Our outlets to help us forget and escape were not always healthy ones.

‘It wasn’t until I found solace in music, and not the peripheral bullshit that comes with it. But the music in and of itself, which showed me a better way to express these emotions. Every song on this EP was written with the loss of my best friend/cousin on my mind. I began writing them after he passed away in 2011.

‘The vocal tracks for me, came out very raw. Lots of voice cracks, lots of points where I screamed without any regard to and vocal control. I felt like I just wanted to purge these emotions I’d been holding onto for so long.

‘Everyone has their way to cope with these emotions, my journey is definitely one to always strive to find a positive or creative way. Because for a long time after losing my cousin, I gravitated toward self destruction. It’s not uncommon, I know, and not something to feel shame or shame others for. But I felt like at this point in my life if I could use this music to reach out to others who may be feeling similar pain. Maybe just for the evening we share at a show, or the few minutes the music finds them in their headphones, they can feel okay.’

When it comes to style and genre over the course of singles, demos, and EPs Rise and Strike have represented quite a wide range. Perhaps never quite so starkly as on the new EP, which shifts from more traditional hardcore into emo, post-hardcore, and even some raw screamo territory as on the devastating final moments of the closing track “Broken Hearts & Broken Strings”. What accounts for this sonic variety on display?

‘I’ve always felt that music is in the same realm, using the same practices and principles of say, meditation. Because it takes the listener, and immerses them entirely. In the moment at a show, you are entirely present. I’ve had shows that I can only describe as a truly religious experience. It’s hard to describe other than everybody in the room connected as one under this atmospheric canopy of sound. The rest of the world drifts away into the darkness not reached by the stage lights drowned out by noise and all that truly remains or even matters is that feeling you are left with right there in that moment. To me there is no better form of art I have found than that can truly create that for me. So that is what I strive for in return, to give back to others what was given to me.

‘As far as a particular sound that can translate that feeling? It is ever evolving for me. This last EP is in the realm of styles and sounds of this music that I have always loved most. So they definitely resonate with me and fit the lyrical themes as well. I know for others in the band, the sound and style varies with what types of music hit them the hardest, so generally we like to explore that from song to song.’

In addition to doing artwork for the bands Brandon creates digital and mixed media artwork in his own right as x-human-errOr-x. Brandon’s work under that banner is bold, provocative, and sometimes offensive. ‘It isn’t my duty to keep in mind how others will interpret my art while I create it. Only how I interpret my expression, and the freedom therein to explore that.’ Whether art inspires joy or disgust, the job of the artist is done. Either way it made someone feel something. Body horror in literature and gore in movies, any provocative imagery elicits a strong response. The right to be offended to see something you do not like should be protected just as the artist should be free to create and explore without constraints.

‘To me music is wonderful and beautiful. The bands I love have continued to have a lasting impact on how I view the world around me. But I also feel like the art of visual media that accompanies the music, i.e. album artwork and especially fliers for shows, is something that often gets overlooked as a secondary to the music. But to me it’s the first thing you see. Before the music is heard while browsing a record shop or a streaming platform now. What catches your eye? Even more so than a band name that hooks you, it is the artwork. I want the listener to be able to listen while they look, and look while they listen.’

Rise and Strike are outspoken and active within the community. They act consciously in solidarity with marginalized groups. Beyond general activism and artwork they are not shy about being politically involved. Is art inherently political and what responsibility do artists have to use what platform and voice they have?

‘Yes, this is something I have always felt was inherent to hardcore. To quote the timelessly relevant Zack de la Rocha: ‘I see so much focus on music these days, and not on the words being said. And I think that in order to communicate within hardcore, the lyrics must be at the forefront of every song.’ I see a lot of bands embracing complacency, fence sitting, or blatant silence in a time where none of that has a place in this music.

‘We recently played a show with a band I’ve loved for years called Racetraitor, and their vocalist had said something that truly resonated with me. How there is no true difference between what we do in hardcore, and what a pop singer may do. It’s all in essence, just entertainment. We put on an outfit, a persona, we stand on a stage, we perform, we say things to engage the audience and leave a lasting impression. Sell them merch, a lot of times not printed on ethically sourced clothing, but economically practical because we all have to survive within or in spite of this late stage capitalism machinery.

‘But the thing that separates this music from just solely entertainment, is the activism. If we can organize a show, we can organize a protest or a community dinner for the homeless. If we can rally people who differ but can find commonality in this music, then we can rally people in a similar manner for a protest or a demonstration. And the music in turn should be a catalyst to convey these ideas and messages.’

Live music has several subtle gatekeepers. Perhaps the most impactful, yet often overlooked is age. People don’t magically develop a love for music all of a sudden at age 21. In fact some of the most passionate listening years are as a teenager. Why is prioritizing all ages shows when possible so important to Rise and Strike?

‘Hardcore is and always has been for the kids by the kids. No matter how old we get, that mindset is and always will be our roots. The momentum and meaning behind the movement of these scenes would be absolutely nothing without the drive, anger, and passion of the youth. To exclude them is to deny what this music is at its very core. This music was started as a means to have a counter culture that is accessible and tangible rather than placing musicians in a celebrity or god like status, untouchable, on a pedestal.

‘Bars tend to prioritize making money and supplying booze, and so often, exclude kids in the process. Of course this isn’t absolute and there are exceptions. But I remember discovering this music as a teenager, and having to stand outside of shows. Even shows we played, but then had to stand outside the rest of the night because we were too young. This isn’t something I want to do to any kids coming into the scene. This music is not just for us, it is for them. As we grow old and gray they’re the ones who will take the torch and carry the scene forward.’

So what’s next for the band? Is there a full length debut in the works?

‘We do have more plans for later this year. An LP will be out at some point, along with some exciting announcements surrounding it. Then starting next year we plan to hit the road. In ways similar to how we have before, but in collaboration with some really rad people. Can’t say too much before it’s announced. But we are definitely stoked to be a part of it all and to share with everyone what we’ve been working on and working towards.’

Rise and Strike is…

Brandon Ennis – Vocals
Matt Garman – Guitar

Follow Rise and Strike on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp.

Concert photos by Angelize Photography