Against Me!

All Music Guide:

Before becoming a full-fledged punk band, Against Me! was an acoustic solo project spearheaded by Tom Gabel, who began playing shows as a 17-year-old in Gainesville, Florida. Starting in 1997, Gabel performed as a solo act wherever anyone would have him, drawing much influence from early acoustic protest music. By 2001, he'd beefed up his sound with the help of a full band -- including guitarist James Bowman, drummer Warren Oakes, and bassist Andrew Seward -- but there would always be some anarchism and Billy Bragg in the group's raucous braggadocio. After a few initial 12" and 7" releases, Against Me! issued the fan favorite Reinventing Axl Rose in 2002. The underground hit blended elements of punk, folk, and country into socially conscious and impassioned anthems. Continuing their reputation of always being on the road, the musicians logged countless tour dates around the country in support of their early material.

A slightly more polished album, As the Eternal Cowboy, was released in 2003 on the indie label Fat Wreck, followed by a compilation of that album's demos titled The Original Cowboy. After the release of a DVD (We're Never Going Home) and another 7", the band returned with its most mature effort to date, 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity. A subsequent headlining tour in support of the introspective, politically aggressive album saw Against Me! proudly hitting every U.S. state, and they signed with Sire Records in December 2005. Later they issued a rough version of Searching for a Former Clarity, titled Total Clarity. They were back on the road by spring 2006, this time opening for the Alkaline Trio, and spent the summer months playing the main stage at the Warped Tour. Though the guys were officially signed to Sire's roster, they released their last indie album in the form of Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!, a concert album recorded while on tour in London with Murder by Death.

In July 2007, the band's major-label debut -- New Wave, a decidedly more rock-oriented record produced by Butch Vig -- hit shelves. New Wave was the first album by Against Me! with no acoustic tracks; it was also their first on a major label's tab. Reviews were generally favorable, and the band toured heavily in support of its release. By the summer of 2009, drummer Warren Oakes had officially left the group to pursue an alternate career as a restaurateur, eventually opening up a Tex-Mex eatery in Gainesville. Hot Water Music's George Rebelo joined in his place, and the revised lineup re-enlisted Butch Vig to produce the White Crosses album, which appeared in mid-2010.

Wikipedia:

Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in Naples, Florida in 1997 by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. Since 2002 the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman and bassist Andrew Seward. After releasing three studio albums through independent record labels, Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, which reached no. 57 on the Billboard 200. Their fifth and most recent album, 2010's White Crosses, was their most successful, reaching no. 34. In 2011 the band launched their own record label, Total Treble Music, through which they plan to release future albums. In 2012 Grace publicly came out as transgender, beginning a transition to living as a woman and taking the name Laura Jane Grace. The band is currently recording their sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues.

Biography [edit]

1997–2002: Formation and Reinventing Axl Rose [edit]

Against Me! was formed in 1997 by singer/guitarist Laura Jane Grace as a solo act, occasionally performing with backing musicians. The first Against Me! release was an eponymously titled 1997 cassette demo. With the addition of drummer Kevin Mahon, a second demo, Vivida Vis! (1998), was released in limited numbers by Misanthrope Records. The band's first EP, Against Me!, was released in 2000 through Crasshole Records. Their first widely distributed release was the EP Crime as Forgiven by Against Me! (2001), released by Plan-It-X Records and Grace's own Sabot Productions. A third EP, an eponymously titled acoustic recording by Grace and bassist Dustin Fridkin, was released later that year.

Mahon left the band and was replaced by Warren Oakes, and second guitarist James Bowman was added for the band's first album, 2002's Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose, released by No Idea Records. Fridkin left and was replaced by Andrew Seward, and this lineup released the single "The Disco Before the Breakdown" (2002).

2003–05: As the Eternal Cowboy and Searching for a Former Clarity [edit]

Against Me! signed to Fat Wreck Chords and released their second album, 2003's Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy. It reached no. 36 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and was supported by singles for "Cavalier Eternal" and "Sink, Florida, Sink". The DVD We're Never Going Home followed, documenting their Spring 2004 tour. 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity was their first album to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching no. 114. It spawned singles for "Don't Lose Touch" and "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)", which also became the band's first music videos. The live album Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! followed in 2006.

2005–10: New Wave and White Crosses [edit]

Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, produced by Butch Vig. It debuted at no. 57 on the Billboard 200 and featured their first charting single, "Thrash Unreal", which reached no. 11 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. "White People for Peace", "Stop!", and "New Wave" were also released as singles, and New Wave was named as Spin's album of the year. The DVD Live at the Key Club followed later that year. In 2008 Against Me! supported Foo Fighters on a North American tour, and Sire released the digital EP New Wave B-Sides.

Oakes left the band in June 2009, in part to focus on running his Mexican food restaurant. "I didn't want to play music with Warren anymore", said Grace, "it's been a long time coming. Warren's heart hasn't been in this for a while now." Oakes was replaced by Hot Water Music drummer George Rebelo. The following month Fat Wreck Chords released The Original Cowboy, an album of demo recordings from the Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy sessions.

On August 17, 2009, Against Me! headed into the studio with New Wave producer Butch Vig. Their fifth studio album, White Crosses, was released on June 8, 2010. Against Me! joined Billy Talent on tour in Canada in March 2010, and also supported the Silversun Pickups on a tour of the United States that summer, bringing along touring keyboardist Franz Nicolay.

Against Me! released White Crosses, their second album with Sire, on June 4, 2010. It was supported by singles for "I Was a Teenage Anarchist", "White Crosses", and "High Pressure Low" and was their highest-charting album to date, reaching no. 34 on the Billboard 200. On the eve of a scheduled tour of Australia and New Zealand that September, the bands suddenly cancelled all touring plans due to "a culmination of circumstances", expressing the need to "take some time off from touring to go home and sort things out."

2010–present: Transgender Dysphoria Blues and recent activity [edit]

November 2010 saw Against Me!'s departure from Sire Records, their first (and only) major label. Following a two-month hiatus from touring, the band spoke for the first time since their tour cancellation, talking of their upcoming December 2010 shows, which saw Jay Weinberg cover for George Rebelo on drums, as he toured with Hot Water Music.

Throughout December 2010, Grace spoke of George Rebelo's intentions to record an album with his primary band Hot Water Music. In January 2011, Weinberg was officially confirmed as Against Me!'s new drummer. Total Clarity, an album of demos and unreleased songs from the Searching for a Former Clarity sessions, was released on May 24, 2011, through Fat Wreck Chords.

Grace has expressed her desire to release at least one album per year for the next decade and that she hopes to record Against Me!'s sixth studio album in Winter 2011. As well as this, she spoke of releasing a 7" on Sabot Productions before Summer 2011, featuring two original songs. This was announced as being Russian Spies / Occult Enemies, which was released on June 14, 2011. In the same studio session, the band recorded a cover of the theme song for a season 8 episode of One Tree Hill, which aired May 3.

On June 3, 2011, the band announced that they started their own record label, Total Treble Music. In September 2011, Grace built a recording studio in Elkton, Florida, for future Against Me! projects. The studio has since been named Total Treble Studio. The first band to record an album in the studio are Cheap Girls from Lansing, Michigan, with their album Giant Orange.

In May 2012 Grace publicly came out as transgender, having dealt with gender dysphoria since childhood, and began a transition to living as a woman by taking hormones, undergoing electrolysis treatments, and taking the name Laura Jane Grace. "I felt like I drop-kicked them in the face," she said of informing the other members of Against Me! "We had the most awkward hug ever, and then they left. And the second I shut the door, I was like, 'What the fuck did I just do?'" Gender dysphoria is the theme of the band's sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, a concept album about a transgender prostitute. They began recording in February 2012 at Total Treble Studio and are working without Butch Vig, who produced New Wave and White Crosses. Instead, Grace is acting as both recording engineer and record producer for the album. Weinberg departed the group that December. Drummer Adam Willard will be filling in with the band for their 2013 Australian tour dates. In March 2013 the band publicly canceled their US tour with Bad Religion. In May of 2013, bassist Andrew Seward also announced his departure from the band. Laura has expressed that she felt the band could possibly in the future not continue under the name Against Me! but will, however, because she believes the new record has a message she wants to get out.