Sane was the youngest of nine kids and grew up in poverty. Despite his family’s struggle he cites his parents as one of his inspirations. They opened the first vegetarian restaurant in Pittsburgh, inspiring Justin to become a vegetarian which he is to this day. As a kid he saw his parents participate in rallies. As he got older he participated. Sane’s sister Lucy gave him his first guitar which got him into Punk rock\Hardcore. The first song Sane wrote was about a kid overdosing, and his second was about TV Evangelists. Sane, as well as the other members of Anti-flag, all follow the rationale of straight edge but do not label themselves straight edge. This came about not from a religious stand point but rather from his younger years surrounded by drug use of his peers. In 1993, Justin formed Anti Flag with childhood friend Pat Thetic, and Bassist\Vocalist Andy Flag. In 1996 they released their first CD “Die for the Government”. After several American tours Andy Flag left the band due to personal disputes in 1996. Various individuals entered the band from 97-98 when they finally found their permanent line-up: Justin Sane as Guitarist/vocalist, Pat Thetic as the drummer, Chris Head as lead Guitarist/backing vocals, and finally Chris Barker (aka #2) as the bassist/second vocalist. 1998 was also the year they released their second CD “North America Sucks.” In 1999 Anti-Flag released their third CD “Their System Doesn’t Work for You” and opened their own label, AF records (anti-flag records). In 2001 they signed to Fat Wreck Chords. “Underground Network” debuted that same year, the album considered by many to be their most accomplished to date. Mobilize (a compilataion album) was released the following year. They then released a split CD with Bouncing Souls (A CD where two bands play eachothers songs) in 2002. “The Terror State” was released in 2003 and is credited as their most polished solid release. Anti-flag’s first DVD “Death of a Nation” come about in 2004. Its focus was the live performances of the preceding year. It also contained two music videos and an interview with the band. In 2006 they released their latest CD “For Blood and Empire” on RCA records. A lot of fans were skeptical of the new record label, though the album was well received. Sane graduated from high school in Pittsburgh and attended the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Communications and minoring in political science. He also was involved in womens’ studies. When Sane does not play in Anti-flag, he works on his own solo project recently releasing Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Justice as well as a 6 track EP These are the Days. In this solo project he diverts his focus to love, family, and more everyday concepts, rather than the political charged motivations of Anti-Flag. |
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