By Josh Chase, Staff Writer

In a genre famous for its loud, fast and brief music – a three minute tune is something of an epic by punk rock standards – careers can be nearly as short as the songs. So Greg Graffin, who’s been belting out classics for the better part of 30 years as lead singer of Bad Religion, is the punk equivalent of an elder statesman.

In that role, Graffin has watched – in fact, participated in – the evolution of the genre from the 1970s and ’80s to today. In the process, he argues, punk has developed into a new brand of American folk – a musical style marked more by substance than by style.

“And because of that, its legacy will always be meaningful songs,” the singer said in an interview last week. “And that’s kind of the way the folk movement has continued and has been such an important part of the fabric of America – because of the songs and the way they connect with the lifestyle.”Bad Religion

It’s easy to see how Graffin can be so concerned with ensuring his songs have meaning: In many ways, he’s a professional thinker. Throughout his Bad Religion career, when he wasn’t recording or touring with the band, Graffin was hard at work earning his Ph.D. in biology from Cornell University. He currently teaches life science at UCLA and has other endeavors, too – writing a book and shooting a TV pilot are among them.

But for Graffin, it’s hard to imagine a life without punk rock. So, despite his other work, Graffin continues to deliver punk rock anthems to legions of liberty-spiked fans.

“[Music is] a process and we’re lucky if we can find a process in our lives that brings us happiness,” he said.

One of the more frequent outlets for that happiness, for Graffin, is Warped Tour, which will roll through Shakopee on Sunday, Aug. 2. Featuring over 60 bands, as well as extreme sports performances and festival booths, the show will kick off at 11 a.m. at Canterbury Park, 1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee.

“This thing, it’s a hallmark of a scene that started humbly,” he said of the tour’s place in punk culture. “And now that it’s grown to such cosmopolitan proportions, it is the summer event for this genre.”

Josh Chase can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jchase@swpub.com.