Bad religion

For the past three decades, Bad Religion -- with their guitar overdrive-laden, melodic ditties "oozin' aahs-in'" was a phrase coined especially for the seminal band's trademark harmonies -- have been the gateway for many a teenager to the world of punk. Their sound has, oddly enough, become something that's classic and current at the same time.

Graffin attributes that to its members, who are constantly trying to improve their craft -- but in the 34 years that Bad Religion has been making music, they've also influenced countless musicians from the obvious Rise Against, Gaslight Anthem to the not-so-obvious Tegan and Sara and the obscure folk singer William Eliott Whitmore , in both sound, intelligent lyric-writing and ideology.

A huge part of that influence is through guitarist Brett Gurewitz's label Epitaph Records, who has nurtured punk rock bands in Southern California and has given intelligent, agitpop-punk bands such as Social Distortion and Bad Religion a worldwide audience. That music can be an agent of societal change is one of the reasons the venerable L. Their sly intellect is still cloaked in pop-punk hooks and guitar overdrive and presented in under 2 minutes, and Graffin's academic leanings he has a Ph.

Graffin spoke to Artbound about the new album, the evolution of punk music, Bad Religion's early days and the essence of the band.

Bad religion' controversy

Graffin : I was born in Madtown [Madison], moved to grade school in Milwaukee and my dad has lived in the same house in Racine. My wife's family are also longtime Wisconsin people so we've been flying the flag for a long time. We have an entire group of us -- an entire part of Rancho Park is called Little Racine and we named it that because plenty of friends in my age group all moved to Los Angeles.

That you spent your childhood in the Midwest is not something a lot of people know about -- and it's a fascinating fact, given that you and your sound is so closely identified with Southern California.