Bad Religion graces the cover of Mean Street Magazine!

With the release of "The Empire Strikes First" right around the corner, Bad Religion scored the cover of the latest issue of Mean Street Magazine and gave them a great interview; check it out below:

"'If a blue state is Democrat and red one Republican, then what color is a punk rock state? Thanks to bands like Bad Religion, America might soon find out.

When Bad Religion started in the '80s, most people's image of a punk was a scruffy Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club. Stereotyped as mindless rebels by the ignorant masses, the true punks were anything but, offering a socially and politically aware voice for the truly disenfranchised. As the Sex Pistols critiqued the Parliament and the Dead Kennedys swiped at then-governor Jerry Brown, 280ZX-driving yuppies jammed to Billy Joel and Culture Club while looking down their coke-rimmed noses at all things punk. A decade later, yuppies went grunge, and punk rock sadly stepped into the mainstream with sweet pop melodies that ate away its political teeth. Bad Religion, however, never abandoned its socially relevant message, and as the wheel of political turmoil rolls back around, these punk rock originals are ready to show a new generation what musical dissidence is all about.

'I believe this album might feature the most direct criticisms you've heard from Bad Religion in a long time,' says singer Greg Graffin, referring to the group's new album, The Empire Strikes First. 'We wanted to streamline the process. This album is full of criticism and informed opinion, and we wanted to show that we are justified in our beliefs. We really didn't want to shy away from our opinions, and that's why we can say this album sounds more emphatic than the other ones.'"

Read the rest of this interview href='http://www.meanstreet.com/article.php?article_id=250&issue_id=53' target='_blank'>here