07-18 New Against Me! single, album
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Before becoming a full-fledged punk band, Against Me! was an acoustic solo project spearheaded by Laura Jane Grace,
whobegan playing shows as a 17-year-old in Gainesville, Florida. Starting in 1997, Grace performed as a solo act wherever
anyonewould have her,drawing much influence from early acoustic protest music. By 2001, she'd beefed up her sound with the
help ofa full band -- including guitarist James Bowman, drummer Warren Oakes, and bassist Andrew Seward -- but there
wouldalways be some anarchism and Billy Bragg in the group's raucous braggadocio. After a few initial 12" and 7" r ...read more
Before becoming a full-fledged punk band, Against Me! was an acoustic solo project spearheaded by Laura Jane Grace,
whobegan playing shows as a 17-year-old in Gainesville, Florida. Starting in 1997, Grace performed as a solo act wherever
anyonewould have her,drawing much influence from early acoustic protest music. By 2001, she'd beefed up her sound with the
help ofa full band -- including guitarist James Bowman, drummer Warren Oakes, and bassist Andrew Seward -- but there
wouldalways be some anarchism and Billy Bragg in the group's raucous braggadocio. After a few initial 12" and 7" releases,
AgainstMe! issued the fan favorite Reinventing Axl Rose in 2002. The underground hit blended elements of punk, folk, and
country intosocially conscious and impassioned anthems. Continuing their reputation of always being on the road, the
musicians loggedcountless 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
acompilation ofthatalbum's demos titled The Original Cowboy. After the release of a DVD (We're Never Going Home)
andanother 7", the band returned withitsmost mature effort to date, 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity. A
subsequentheadlining tour in support of the introspective,politicallyaggressive album saw Against Me! proudly hitting every
U.S. state, andthey signed with Sire Records in December 2005. Later theyissued arough version of Searching for a Former
Clarity, titled TotalClarity. They were back on the road by spring 2006, this time opening fortheAlkaline Trio, and spent the
summer monthsplaying the main stage at the Warped Tour. Though Against Me! were officially signed toSire'sroster, they
released their lastindie album in the form of Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!, a concert album
recordedwhileon tour inLondon 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 --
hitshelves.NewWave was the first album by Against Me! with no acoustic tracks; it was also their first on a major label's
tab.Reviews weregenerallyfavorable, and the band toured heavily in support of its release. By the summer of 2009,
drummerWarren Oakes had officially leftthe groupto pursue an alternate career as a restaurateur, eventually opening up a Tex-
Mexeatery in Gainesville. Hot Water Music's GeorgeRebelojoined in his place, and the revised lineup re-enlisted Butch Vig
toproduce the White Crosses album, which appeared in mid-2010.WhiteCrosses debuted at 34 on the Billboard 200 and
AgainstMe! were prepared to launch an international tour when they canceled a plannedlegthrough Australia and New Zealand
inSeptember of 2010. Two months later, the band parted ways with Sire, and then prepared forsomeend-of-the-year shows
withJay Weinberg sitting in for Rebelo on drums, a move that was made permanent early in 2011. That spring,thedemos
collectionTotal Clarity appeared on Fat Wreck Chords, and as Against Me! started work on a new album, they launched
theirownrecordlabel called Total Treble Music; that year, Grace also opened an Elkton, Florida-based recording studio bearing
the same name.
In a May 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Laura Jane Grace went public with her gender dysphoria, announcing her plans
totransitiontoliving as a woman and abandon her birth name, Tom Gabel. Against Me! began working on a new album
calledTransgender DysphoriaBluesin 2012 and, a few months after the interview, the band played its first dates since Grace's
news.Toward the end of the year, Weinbergleftthe troupe and, the following May, Against Me! announced bassist Andrew
Seward hadleft the band. Laura Jane Grace continued workingwithguitarist James Bowman and the band released Transgender
DysphoriaBlues to wide acclaim in January 2014.
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