children and numerous responsibilities. That was the beauty. And then the longer we did it things just kept coming our way." Rising popularity (2004–2007) Rise Against's extensive touring schedule helped to establish an early fanbase, and attracted the attention of major record labels, including Dreamworks Records. The general consensus among Fat Wreck Chords musicians was that major record labels sacrifice musical integrity in exchange for commercial profit. Rise Against held the same belief, but eventually came to the conclusion that unlike other labels, DreamWorks supported their politically charged lyrics. According to McIlrath: "Their faith in what we do and the fact that they cared about stuff we cared about was an eye-opener." The band signed with Dreamworks in September 2003, and was given complete creative control to record their major record label debut album, Siren Song of the Counter Culture. The band went into the album with the assumption that Dreamworks was going to drop them at any moment, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity by working with their "dream producer". They chose Garth Richardson, who was known for his work with heavier sounding bands like Rage Against the Machine and Sick of It All. While writing songs for the album, Rise Against's lineup once again changed; Mohney quit, and was replaced by Chris Chasse of the band Reach the Sky. The recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences, the biggest of which was the transition from Dreamworks to Geffen Records. In November 2003, Dreamworks was acquired by Universal Music Group, and eventually merged with Geffen. The transition period between labels left Rise Against without an A&R representative, and little acknowledgement from Geffen executives. Siren Song of the Counter Culture was released on August 10, 2004. For the first six months, the album sold poorly, and attracted little fanfare. Rise Against's incessant touring resulted in greater exposure and an eventual increase in sales. It became the band's first album to reach the Billboard 200, peaking at number 136, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of 500,000 copies. Siren Song of the Counter Culture was praised for its lyrical content, but drew some criticism for a lack of individually memorable songs and perceived overproduction. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Give It All", "Swing Life Away", and "Life