Against Me!

The roots of Against Me!'s rousing punk-folk sound lie in Tom Gabel's role as guitar-and-stool troubadour around his native Gainesville, FL, beginning in 1997. The then 17-year-old Gabel performed as a solo act wherever anyone would have him, drawing much influence from early acoustic protest music. The band around him would eventually solidify by 2001 -- including guitarist James Bowman, drummer Warren Oakes, and bassist Andrew Seward -- and get considerably louder as punk bands often do. But there would always be some anarchism and Billy Bragg in the raucous braggadocio. After a few initial 12" and 7" releases, Against Me! issued the fan favorite Reinventing Axl Rose through No Idea in 2002. The underground hit blended elements of punk, folk, and country into socially conscious and impassioned anthems for late-night basement shows and bars. Continuing their reputation of always being on the road, countless tour dates were played around the country.

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