Rise Against was looking for a new range of cities where they could bring their punk-rock act to the stage. The band chose Kent, Ohio as the seventh destination on their 2012 tour.

“We tried to play a lot of places we haven’t played before,” vocalist and guitarist Tim McIlrath said.

Rise Against announced the tour in November when the single “Satellite” was released from the band’s most recent album titled “Endgame.”

McIlrath said the tour, which kicked off on Jan. 17 in Austin, Texas, has been great so far.

“We are kind of getting our stride now,” McIlrath said. “When we hit Kent State, we will be in-tune.”

The Chicago band has six full-length studio albums with hits such as “Swing Life Away,” “Ready to Fall,” “Savior,” “Prayer of the Refugee” and “Help is on the Way.”

“We write music because it’s sort of our instinct to do it,” McIlrath said.

The band also recently recorded a song, titled “Ballad of Hollis Brown,” for a compilation titled “Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International,” which was released Tuesday. Amnesty International, an organization that raises awareness about human rights, sponsored this project.

“Amnesty International contacted us and we were excited to do it,” McIlrath said.

McIlrath said the organization is a “very needed” one and that it was an honor to be among amazing artists who also completed songs for this project.

The band is known for their participation in organizations such as Amnesty International, among others.

“The band has been a vehicle of change and awareness through the years,” McIlrath said.

The bands A Day to Remember and The Menzingers will join Rise Against when they take the stage Thursday night.

McIlrath said it has been great playing with these bands.

“It’s fun to play for a lot of their fans,” McIlrath said.

The first leg of the 2012 tour with A Day to Remember and The Menzingers will continue through Feb. 5, and will end in Fairfax, Va. The bands Architects and Touche Amore will join Rise Against overseas until A Day to Remember joins them once more when they return to the United States.

“It’s a humbling thing to tour the world and see how small a part of it we are,” McIlrath said.

The doors at Thursday’s show at the M.A.C. Center open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. Students can purchase tickets at the M.A.C.C. box office for $20 with a student ID. Non-students can purchase general admission tickets for $35.

Contact Audrey Fletcher at [email protected].