Not since Sinead O'Connor ripped up a pic of the Pope and the Dixie Chicks trashed Bush has a musical act inspired as much controversy as Against Me! and the fan fallout that ensued after their switch from an indie to a major label. But, if you haven't crossed the picket lines into the anti-Against Me! camp, or clogged up PunkNews with vitriol, and you've been a true-blue fan since the first time Tom Gabel picked up a guitar, then there's a fair chance you consider Against Me! "your" band.
We know, we know: You've been listening to them since practically before they were a band. You have We're Here to Ruin Your Fun on tape, and Tom's First Demo is amongst your most prized possessions. You were actually AT the Laundromat shows. You could spend hours arguing Against Me!'s place within the anarchistic punk canon. You'd grab As the Eternal Cowboy and Reinventing Axl Rose if you were headed to a deserted island and could only bring along two albums. (And Crime as Forgiven By if you were allowed to bring an EP).
You swore you'd never love again when they left Fat Wreck for Sire (once home to The Ramones, The Replacements, The Smiths, The Cure and Dinosaur Jr.), but you pretended to be sick the day New Wave came out so you could stay home and spend some special "getting-to-know-you" time with the album, which reflected the band's misgivings and anxieties about signing to a major and "keeping it real" in the face of the punk police.
And above all else, you still know, deep down in your heart, that Against Me! shows are some of the most intense live shows you'll ever experience. And you're past the point of crying "sell out" when a band's outgrown an indie, right? Do we still hate it when our friends become successful? Anyway, we're just gonna borrow Against Me! for a week, okay? Just a week. Then you get them back.
Watch Against Me!'s "Thrash Unreal" video -- (it's one of our favorite tracks off New Wave) -- check out photos from their Artist of the Week shoot in New York, watch their MTV commercial spots, and witness the gospel of Gainesville's greatest all week long on MTV.