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Mobilize (AF014)

by Anti-Flag

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about

02.19.2018 - Marks 16 years of 'Mobilize'! Check out what Justin Sane & Chris Dos had to say as they reflected on the album, it's recording process, even the birth of the infamous "gunstar" logo below:

From Justin Sane:
"The making of this record marked a moment in the history of Anti-Flag where we had a monumental choice to make.

We were a few days into a recording session on 9-11-2001. Within days of the 9-11 attacks, America experienced an outbreak of fear that gave rise to a wave of rabid nationalism and deafening cries for war.

We knew war was not the answer though many of our allies in the anti-war movement now believed that war was inevitable and worse yet, necessary. Friends and even family were telling us that our name was now too radical and it was time to change it or break up. Stores pulled our records from their shelves. T shirts, patches and CDs were mailed back to us from “ex-fans.” Death threats came. In absolute fear of appearing unpatriotic, the media regurgitated the White House’s propaganda as gospel.

As a band we felt totally alone. We took a few days off from the studio to digest everything that was happening in this world turned upside down. Should we bow to the pressure coming at us from all sides? Change our name? Break up? In the end we decided to stay true to the mission of our band. Here was the ultimate example of the danger of nationalism being exploited by politicians to gain support for an unjust war in search of corporate profits. It was EVERYTHING Anti-Flag had ever attempted to warn about in song. The choice was easy… we weren’t going to back down to anyone.

I remember riding my bike around my neighborhood contemplating the dialogue I felt was missing from the national debate. On one of those bike rides the chorus for what would become “911 For Peace” popped into my head.

“I don’t want to die.

I don’t want to kill.

We are all human, it’s time to prove it.”

I went home and worked on the verses. It poured out of me as easily as anything I had ever written. The next day the band met and we finished the song together.

The story continued as we recorded “911 For Peace” and the rest of what became Mobilize; including Pat Thetic’s inspired vision for the now iconic “gun star” logo. The Mobilize For Peace Tour that followed became a gathering place and beacon of hope for those who felt alone in a country that had gone insane. For many who opposed the military response to 9-11, it was first time since the attacks that they were able to find allies and solace. To this day it remains the most inspiring tour I have ever been part of.

I’m proud that these songs exist. Over the years we have grown immensely as song writers and musicians, but more importantly these songs firmly document the stand we took against corrupted patriotism, state propaganda, war and injustice in 2001 and beyond. If any lesson in my life taught me to be brave and always stand by my convictions it was living through the surreal days post-September 2001, when it felt like we didn’t have a friend in the world but we knew we were on the right side of history."

Peace, Justin Sane

“Nationalism of one kind or another was the cause of most of the genocide of the twentieth century. Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people's minds and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead.”

― Arundhati Roy, War Talk

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From Chris "#2" Barker:
"This was maybe our most difficult record to make and release. We were in the studio on September 11th, by the 12th we had friends, family, and a whole lot of enemies telling us to change our bands name, that we HAD to support the president. We had every store that carried our records or shirts send everything back, we were “banned” from the radio, death threat handwritten letters sent to A-F Records...

We understood people’s fear/anger/pain but we had one goal with this record, create a document of people who believed that violence was not the solution to violence.

This record also was the birth of our gunstar logo; also a response to the outpouring / knee jerk reaction of a call to arms in the states. Pat Thetic came up with the idea, he took a photo of an M16 from one of his father's gun magazines and tore it in half. Chris Head created the actual logo from Pat’s crazy collage idea.

Another great story from the record art is, Pat asking John Yates (Stealworks) if it was obvious enough that the flag was upside down on the cover; to which John responded with “if you can’t tell that flag is upside down, you need to go back to school”... a quote we still pull out to this day."

Much Love,
2

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'Mobilize' is available this week for a name-your-rate price! You can also pick up a copy on vinyl for only $5.00 via A-FRecords.com!

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released February 19, 2002

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Anti-Flag Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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