Justin Cathal Geever (born February 21, 1973), known professionally as Justin Sane, is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...

, a punk rock band formed in 1988 in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, known for its

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

political views. Sane holds

dual Dual or Duals may refer to: Paired/two things * Dual (mathematics), a notion of paired concepts that mirror one another ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality *** see more cases in :Duality theories * Dual (grammatical ...

US and Irish citizenship and lives in Pittsburgh. His stage name was bestowed upon him by friends in Pittsburgh's punk scene.

Biography

Early life

Sane was born the youngest child in a working class Irish-American family, and cites his parents as inspirations. His parents were vegetarians and they opened the first vegetarian restaurant in Pittsburgh, inspiring Sane to become a vegetarian and animal rights advocate. As a boy he saw his parents participate in rallies, and as he got older he participated. Sane's sister Lucy gave him his first guitar which got him into punk rock and

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

. The first song Sane wrote was about a young person overdosing, and his second was about

televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...

Career

In 1988, Sane formed

with friend Pat Thetic. In 1996, they released their first album, ''

Die for the Government ''Die for the Government'' is the debut studio album by the U.S. punk rock band Anti-Flag, released in 1996. After this album, bassist Andy Flag played with Anti-Flag on their EP ''North America Sucks'', but left soon after as they couldn't get ...

''. Later that year, Andy Flag left the band as a result of personal disputes. Various band members came and went during 1997 and 1998, after which they finally settled on a permanent line-up consisting of Sane as lead guitarist/vocalist, Thetic as drummer, Chris Head as guitarist/backing vocalist, and Chris "#2" Barker as bassist/second vocalist. In 1998, the band released their second album, ''

Their System Doesn't Work For You ''Their System Doesn't Work for You'' is a compilation album by punk band Anti-Flag, released in 1998. It was the first album released by the band's label A-F Records. Background It is a reprint of the nine Anti-Flag songs available on their s ...

''. In 1999 Anti-Flag released their third album, ''

A New Kind of Army ''A New Kind of Army'' is a punk rock studio album originally released by Anti-Flag on May 25, 1999. It was reissued by A-F Records on October 19, 2004, and is also the only album to feature only Justin Sane as lead vocalist. All other albums fe ...

'', and founded their own label,

A-F Records A-F Records is an American independent record label founded by punk rock band Anti-Flag and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was created to help expose more political punk bands to a larger audience. The label's offices were damaged when a ...

. In 2001, they signed to

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

after discussions with the label's owner, "Fat Mike" Burkett. Following their switch to Fat Wreck Chords, the band released ''

Underground Network ''Underground Network'' is Anti-Flag's third studio album, released on Fat Wreck Chords in 2001. Widely considered to be the band's breakthrough album, it helped make Anti-Flag become a household name in the U.S. punk scene with tracks like "Unde ...

''. ''

Mobilize Mobilize may refer to: * Mobilize (company), an American political technology platform * ''Mobilize'' (Anti-Flag album) (2002) * ''Mobilize'' (Grant-Lee Phillips album) (2001) * Mobilize.org, an American not-for-profit * Mobilize, a mobility c ...

'', recorded shortly after the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

, was released early 2002. Anti-Flag released a

split CD A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "var ...

with

Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...

seven months later. 2003 saw the release of ''

The Terror State ''The Terror State'' is the fifth studio album by Pittsburgh punk rock band Anti-Flag, released on October 21, 2003, on Fat Wreck Chords. The album's artwork was regarded as somewhat controversial (picturing lead vocalist Justin Sane's niece, R ...

'', produced by

Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello ...

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...

. Anti-Flag's first DVD, '' Death of a Nation'', was released in 2004. The DVD includes live footage, three music videos, an interview with the band, behind-the-scenes tour footage, and three montages compiled by the band. In 2006, Anti-Flag released ''

For Blood and Empire ''For Blood and Empire'' is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Anti-Flag. It was released on March 21, 2006. It was the band's first release on RCA Records, which caused the band to receive criticism from many due to their in ...

'' on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. ''

The Bright Lights of America ''The Bright Lights of America'' is the seventh studio album released by Anti-Flag on April 1, 2008. Much of the album was released on the band's MySpace with twelve of the thirteen tracks on March 24, 2008. This album was different from the pre ...

'' was released in 2008. In May 2008, Sane moved to

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

but he subsequently returned to Pittsburgh. On March 4, 2009, Sane jumped into the crowd at a concert at the LCR in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

to stop a scuffle which broke out and landed awkwardly, breaking his collar bone. This caused Anti-Flag to cancel the remainder of their tour with

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...

and their upcoming headlining tour of Europe. The same year, a 2 track split album with Rise Against was released, originally given away with any merchandise purchase on the 2009 Rise Against/Anti-Flag/Flobots UK tour.

Equipment

Sane primarily uses ESP and LTD Eclipses, now almost exclusively after becoming an endorser of ESP. In the past, Sane used

Gibson Les Paul The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typi ...

s as well. Sane usually uses high gain Marshall amp heads like JCM800s, 900s, & 2000s and Marshall 1960 cabs. Sane and Head have used

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and Hiwatt amplifiers and cabinets on recent tours.

Education

Sane graduated from The Oakland School in Pittsburgh and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

, majoring in

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

and minoring in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Solo work

Sane has released several solo recordings, such as 2001's six-track EP ''These are the Days'' and 2003's ''

Life, Love and the Pursuit of Justice Justin Cathal Geever (born February 21, 1973), known professionally as Justin Sane, is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of Anti-Flag, a punk rock band formed in 1988 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, known for i ...

''. These recordings generally focus on love, family, and more everyday concepts rather than the politically charged stance of Anti-Flag.

Discography

Anti-Flag: * ''

'' (1996) * ''North America Sucks'' (1998) * ''

Their System Doesn't Work for You ''Their System Doesn't Work for You'' is a compilation album by punk band Anti-Flag, released in 1998. It was the first album released by the band's label A-F Records. Background It is a reprint of the nine Anti-Flag songs available on their s ...

'' (1998) * ''

'' (1999) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2002) * '' BYO Split Series, Vol 4'' (2002) * ''

'' (2003) * ''

'' (2006) * '' A Benefit For The Victims Of Violent Crime'' (2007) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

The People or the Gun ''The People or the Gun'' is Anti-Flag's eighth studio album. The album was released on June 9, 2009.Tate, Jason"New Anti-Flag Album Information"''AbsolutePunk.net''. Retrieved on March 31, 2009. It was their first album released on independent l ...

'' (2009) * ''

The General Strike ''The General Strike'' is Anti-Flag's ninth studio album. The album was released on March 20, 2012.http://www.anti-flag.com/?p=172 The album marks the band's second release for SideOneDummy Records. The first single from the album, "The Neoliberal ...

'' (2012) * ''

American Spring American Spring (known as simply Spring before 1972) was an American pop music duo formed in Los Angeles, California. It consisted of sisters Marilyn Wilson and Diane Rovell, who had earlier been members of girl group the Honeys. As with the H ...

'' (2015) * ''

American Fall ''American Fall'' is the eleventh studio album by American punk rock band Anti-Flag, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was released on November 3, 2017, via Spinefarm Records, making it their second record released through the label. In the US, ...

'' (2017) * ''American Reckoning'' (2018) * ''

20/20 Vision Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...

'' (2020) Solo: *''Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Justice'' (2002) *''These are the Days'' EP (2002) *''Gas Land Terror'' EP (2011)

References

External links

*
Anti-Flag official websiteInterview with Justin Sane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sane, Justin Living people A-F Records artists American expatriates in the United Kingdom American punk rock guitarists American punk rock singers Fat Wreck Chords artists Musicians from Pittsburgh RCA Records artists University of Pittsburgh alumni Singers from Pennsylvania 1973 births Guitarists from Pennsylvania Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Feminist musicians