Against Me!
Tom Vocals/Guitar
Warren Drums
James Guitar
Andrew Bass
Heavily influenced by Billy Bragg and the sounds of the Dirty South, Against Me! cleverly disguise their strong leftist opinions with sincere poetic lyrics. With a signature punk sound driven by distinct vocals, they defy all genres and incorporate aspects of alt-country, hardcore, folk, punk and even blues. As the pride of Gainesville, their punk-as-hell ethics have earned them a colossal fan following and the respect of the greater music community. They have a great story, and it goes something like this.
Back in 1997, a 17-year-old high school dropout named Tom Gabel first began writing and performing acoustic songs by himself and dubbed his one-man band Against Me! Up until that point, Tom was primarily known as a troublemaking hellion that had been smoking since age 12, often falling prey to small town Floridian bullies. This is the precise kind of background that lends itself to seasoned songwriting, contempt for the establishment and the creation of venomous art.
After releasing a few seven inches, the band brought forth their debut full-length, Reinventing Axl Rose, on Gainesville's much-respected indie label, No Idea Records. At that time, no one could have predicted the success that Reinventing Axl Rose would enjoy, and many consider it to be the best punk record of 2002--just ask around. Many see this band as the "Little Engine That Could" of underground music. And rightly so, as Against Me!'s following has grown exponentially as a result of their dedicated touring and grassroots fervor.
With their intense, fist-pumping, hand-clapping, sing-along live shows, Against Me! have made quite a name for themselves as a touring band. In only a couple years, they transformed from a band notorious for it's sweaty guerrilla shows in basements and punk squats to having the most talked-about live performance in the scene. It's an inclusive live show that's as furious as it is passionate; a show that leaves every person in the attendance with a hoarse voice the following day.
It was apparent that something special was happening for Against Me!, and for their next album, the band chose to work with Fat Wreck Chords. Being huge fans of the Replacements, Against Me! decided to record their Fat debut at Ardent Studios in Memphis--the same place where the magic of Pleased to Meet Me was captured. The top-notch production displays Against Me! at their best, and on The Eternal Cowboy, the band is more eclectic than ever as they fuse punk with a wide range of influences. Think Bruce Springsteen meets Hot Water Music meets Woody Guthrie meets Crass. Truly rockin'.
The Eternal Cowboy was released late in 2003 and, in typical fashion, was followed up by non-stop touring. No sophomore slumps for these upstarts. After months on the road with bands like Social Distortion, Anti-Flag, Rise Against and more, the band headed off to Australia and released their We're Never Going Home tour DVD on November 2, 2004. Now you can see what all the fuss is about.