Bad Religion still relevant after 27 years of punk
by Paul Saitowitz

The Pree-Enterprise (special), August 17, 2007

Jay Bentley now lives in Vancouver, but he was raised in Los Angeles. And he says that upbringing helped shape the world view of his punk band Bad Religion.

The bass player for veteran punk has the sneaking suspicion that the underworld resembles an urban sprawl of strip malls and condos littered with endless streams of traffic under a thick layer of billowing smog.

Sound a bit like Los Angeles?

The city has always been a backdrop for this enduring act and may have played a part in honing the angst that has resonated with so many of the group's fans over the years. After all, these guys were there during punk's infancy and may have played a small part in furthering its rebellious attitude.

"When we were 16 or 17, there was a lot of rage and alienation growing up on the outskirts of the city, and I think we were able to harness those emotions in the band," Bentley, now 43, said in a phone interview. "Luckily, we've been able to maintain those feelings in some form for all these years, which is part of the reason we've been able to do it for so long."

This summer the band will embark on its fourth Warped Tour. The raveling punk rock fete has been around for the past 12 summers.

This year's bill is filled with a majority of bands that weren't born when Bad Religion started playing. Most of the crowd is even younger.

With more than two decades in action, the punk quintet is firmly entrenched in the hallowed position of being the Rolling Stones for the mohawked set. Will they see a third and fourth decade?

"I think to this point, the music that we are playing and the way that we play it live is still relevant enough that it doesn't make us seem some like a bunch of has-beens up there," Bentley said. "If we ever reach that point ... and I hope someone will tell us if we do ... I'm sure we'll stop, but until then we'll keep on going."