Hogan celebrates the release of her third record, "Because It Feel Good," October 12 at the Hideout, and whether or not you've heard the record (released October 9), hearing her live doesn't compare. Not that the record is bad—quite the opposite, in fact—but it's like comparing a saint to an angel: sure, one is all good, but the other is a fucking sword of God.

A quick read through the record's liner notes reveals Hogan had help from some of the usual gang, including Andrew Bird and Chris Lopez. It also, however, includes a line about recording some of the vocals in an abandoned elementary school boys' locker room. Huh?

"We did it there because it sounded gooood," she says. "Me and my producer David Barbie were talking about reverb, and we were looking for a natural location for better sound. And there it was, the Rutledge Academy [in Georgia], standing empty except for some construction workers wearing 'What would Jesus do' bracelets." The two got permission to record (after assuring the town folk that they weren't making "satanic devil music," she stresses) inside the school, and searched for an internal location, finally settling on the boys locker room. "It was 'the heart of the house,' so to speak."

Hogan continues. "We went in and did it in one night. In fact, the rain on 'Speedfreak Lullaby' was from that night. We came in and set up after dinner, and we were just about to roll, and it started to rain. The school had an old tin roof, which made the rain just deafening. But we figured we'd go ahead and do it anyway."

Having been in Chicago for almost five years, has she thought about moving back to her native Atlanta? "I was actually just there a week ago. I get kind of weirded out when I go home; the Atlanta I loved isn't there anymore. After four-and-a-half years away, the people are different. I don't recognize the people at shows anymore. But at the same time, I'm not really a Chicagoan either. For a while that kind of choked me up, but I've come to embrace it. I'm a free agent."

Rising stars?
Few bands are able to tread the line between modern pop/punk rock (what I call kid-punk rock) and scathing hardcore. Rise Against, a phoenix arisen from other band's ashes, does it and does it well; the band recently released its debut, "The Unraveling," on Fat Wreck Chords.

Composed of four Chicago-area natives (Tim McIlrath, Kevin White, Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes), Rise Against began when Principe and guitar player Dan Wleklinski (since replaced by White, formerly of In Truth and The Enemy) disbanded 88 Fingers Louie. Hooking up with lead singer McIlrath (of Baxter) and Colorado transplant Barnes (formerly of Pinhead Circus), the four sent out a twelve-song demo to various independent record labels throughout the country. Mike Burkett (of NoFx, owner of Fat Wreck Chords) was interested.

"We knew Mike because of 88 Fingers," says Principe. "We called him just to make sure it got listened to, and in a few weeks, he got back to us and said he was interested."

Fans of 88 Fingers Louie will notice that the difference between the two bands lies entirely with singer McIlrath. "Musically it's not that different than 88," notes Principe. "In fact, a lot of the songs on the record I wrote for 88. The vocals definitely separate the bands."

Instead of the sugar-coating played by endless Green Day drones, Rise Against keeps a sharp edge, which is further honed by McIlrath's sometimes melodic, sometimes growling vocals. From the record's opening track, "Alive and Well," I can't help but compare his voice to SNFU's Mr. Chi Pig.

Rise Against was prepared to tour the East Coast in September, but recent events forced a postponement until November. Are they unsettled by the prospect of traveling? "We're concerned, but we're still gonna do it," says Principe. "We want to do the East Coast, and we're excited about it. But at the same time, everything that happened is still in the back of our minds."

And, in light of recent events, is there still a place for the protesting that is punk rock's backbone? "That's hard to say," answers Principe. "In the past, there were always a ton of kids who would say negative shit about the U.S., but suddenly, everyone's Mr. Patriot. I don't know how I feel about the fact that, in a time of crisis, everybody can change their views like that—that's pretty lame."

Rise Against plays October 12 at the Fireside Bowl with The Honor System and Redline.