The Playlist: Zach Blair
Rise Against’s modern punk hero Zach Blair on singable riffs, unsung heroes and an addiction to barre chords
The first song I remember hearing… Mygeneration – The Who
“When I was young my dad was a classic rock radio DJ. As a kid I just loved The Who. The music was loud and aggressive. I didn’t realise I was getting addicted to barre chords, even at that age. My dad was watching Woodstock one day and I saw Pete Townshend doing what he did and I’ve been a fan ever since. The first song that grabbed me was My Generation.”
The track that made me want to play guitar… Ironman – Black Sabbath
“It was The Who and Black Sabbath. There was something with both of those bands that I identified with at an early age and I have been a lifelong fan. With Sabbath, I think the first thing that grabbed me was probably Iron Man. Every kid wants to learn that, that riff is so singable.”
A song I covered in my first band… Blackened – Metallica
“When I was first starting in bands we’d try to do Metallica and Anthrax covers. My brother and I joined ‘the good metal band’ in our town. Those guys could do (at least to my 15-year-old ears) perfect Metallica covers. This was around when …And Justice
For All came out and I was trying to nail the solo to
Blackened or something. I say nail it, I was most definitely not nailing it, it was my version of it. It was such a triumph to get close to anything like that.”
The song I’d love to cover with Rise Against… Nighttime – Killing Joke
“I’ve been on a real Killing Joke kick lately. They had a record come out in 2003 and there’s a riff in The Death And Resurrection Show that I think is one of the best riffs ever written. I’d also love to cover Night Time in Rise Against, personally. I think Geordie [Walker] is a genius. I’d love to have a go at anything from Black Flag or Fugazi as well.”
The most challenging song to nail live is… Torches - Rise Against
“There’s a track called Midnight Hands from a few records ago. It’s in Drop D and it’s a little tricky. It’s fun to play but it’s real easy to mess up. Torches is also tricky. That one switches back and forth. There’s real riffy metal there.”
The riff I wish I’d written… Rockbottom – UFO
“I love Rock Bottom by UFO. That is a ’70s rock ’n’ roll guitar riff by the great Michael Schenker and I love it. I always play that riff when I’m trying out new gear as well. I will play it until
somebody tells me to stop... I can’t stop.”
The track I would play to someone who had never heard our band… Survive – Rise Against
“This is before my tenure with Rise Against but I feel like it encapsulates the band. It’s fast, there’s a good riff, a hummable riff, the song’s lyrics are empowering as well. The lyrics show the ethos and ethic of the band. It moves quickly and is energetic.”
What I love playing right now… Welcometothebreakdown – Rise Against
“There’s a song from our last album called Welcome To The Breakdown that I’m enjoying playing. That one is classic Rise Against and is really fun to play. The Violence, a single from it that we released, is fun as well. It has this chugging riff all the way along that scratches the metal itch for me.”
Rise Against’s new album Theghostnotesymphonies, Vol1 is out now on Virgin