Tom Gabel has led this Florida, USA-based punk band from its original incarnation as a solo act in 1997. Gabel began performing under the Against Me! name in his native Naples, playing low-key acoustic shows and recording a self-titled demo tape. Drummer Kevin Mahon joined him in 1998, augmenting Gabel’s basic guitar and vocal set-up but maintaining the original folk punk ethic. A five-track vinyl EP was released in a very limited pressing in 2000, and was followed by the first widely distributed Against Me! releases, the Crime, As Forgiven By Against Me! and Acoustic EPs. James Bowman (guitar/vocals) and Dustin Fridkin (bass/vocals) had by this point been brought into the line-up, and Warren Oakes replaced Mahon for the recording of the band’s album debut Reinventing Axl Rose, which was released by No Idea Records in 2002. The first Against Me! recording to feature an all-electric band, the album featured new versions of older tracks such as ‘I Still Love You Julie’, ‘Walking Is Still Honest’ and ‘Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious …’.
New bass player Andrew Seward was brought in prior to the band’s debut for the established independent label, Fat Wreck Chords. Released in 2003, As The Eternal Cowboy was harder, faster and more polished than the earlier recordings, a move that caused some consternation among the band’s loyal fanbase. The follow-up Searching For A Former Clarity struck a better balance between staying true to the original DIY ethic and natural progression. If the band’s move to Fat Wreck Chords had been a shock for their original fans, then a major label contract with Sire Records was probably tantamount to treason. Nevertheless, the quartet pushed on with recording sessions for a new album, teaming up with Butch Vig of Garbage in the studio.
