| Joe Principe | |
|---|---|
Joe Principe performing at Warped Tour 2006 in Marysville, CA. |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 14, 1974 , Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Genres | Melodic hardcore, punk rock, alternative rock, hardcore punk |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, bass, guitar |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Fat Wreck Chords (2001-2003) Geffen, DGC, Interscope (2003-present) |
| Associated acts | Rise Against 88 Fingers Louie |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Precision Bass | |
Joe Principe (born November 14, 1974) 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.
He is also a strict vegetarian, an animal rights advocate and actively promotes PETA with his band.[1]
Contents |
Joe began his musical career at age 15, learning to play by ear and influenced during his formative years by Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, the Descendents and other like minded bands. Starting out in Chicago punk band 88 Fingers Louie. After 6 years of touring and releasing records with the band, Joe formed Rise Against with singer/guitarist Tim McIlrath, former 88FL guitarist Mr. Precision, and drummer Brandon Barnes. In 2002, Mr. Precison left and was replaced by Todd Mohney, who was replaced by Chris Chasse in 2004, who was later replaced by guitarist Zach Blair in 2007. Rise Against released their first two records (The Unraveling, and Revolutions per Minute) on Fat Wreck Chords, and their next three (Siren Song of the Counter Culture, The Sufferer & the Witness, Appeal to Reason) on Geffen, and their latest album Endgame was released on Interscope.
In the spring and summer of 1994, he worked for a few months at Rotz Records, in the infamous basement warehouse. He was fired for incorrectly packaging CDs for The Offspring's third album Smash.
Joe currently resides in suburban Chicago. He had also stated his favorite food is pizza. In fact his fellow bandmembers confirmed the fact that it was common for Joe to eat pizza every day. He even has a 'Pizza' tattoo, as seen on the Generation Lost DVD documentary.
Along with fellow bandmates Tim McIlrath and Zach Blair, Joe is straight edge.
With the follow-up The Sufferer & the Witness poised to sustain Rise Against’s momentum, Principe has continued his own steady improvement as a musician. Previously a busier player, Joe focused on refining his interactions with the other instruments. “I made a conscious effort to let the guitars shine and to keep the rhythm with the drums. I didn’t want to do anything too flashy.” For most of the album’s tracks, Principe extended this no-frills approach to his tone. A pick and a touch of distortion were his building blocks, with a handful of studio rigs allowing him to find the right tone for each song: “I recorded with around five different setups, so we were able to blend whatever we wanted.” However, Principe did allow himself to try something radically different on The Good Left Undone, which features a mellow break led by a layered bass-chord dirge. “Yeah,” he laughs. “That was four tracks of bass using an EBow. I imagined something where there wouldn’t be any attack from the bass—just sound. The engineer, Jason, said, ‘We’ve got to get an EBow.’ So we did.”
Though he took more of a supporting role on Sufferer & the Witness, Joe still added a tasteful selection of his trademark fills and runs. “I did more low-register bass fills this time. Usually I go to the upper octave on a fill, but this time I stayed low.” Principe credits this move to years of playing along with his favorite recordings. “I spent hours and hours sitting next to a boombox, pressing play, rewind, play, rewind, and trying to learn other peoples’ parts.” In addition to training his melodic sensibilities by ’shredding with albums by Rancid and The Descendents, he also sweated along with NOFX and thrash metal bands such as Anthrax to develop his speed and stamina.
Principe is as humble discussing his own playing as he is discussing his influences, and the sincerity of his approach to both shows in his bass lines. “They’re probably not much for anyone else to listen to, but the melodies I play remind me of the Descendents. That influence came out on this album more than any other, which is one thing I’m pretty proud of.”