Against Me!

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Against Me!
Against Me! at Warped tour 2011-08-09 01.jpg
Against Me! lineup in 2011: Seward, Weinberg, Grace, Bowman
Background information
Origin Gainesville, Florida
Genres Punk rock, alternative rock, folk punk, anarcho-punk
Years active 1997–present
Labels Misanthrope, Crasshole, Plan-It-X, No Idea, Sabot, Fat Wreck Chords, Sire, Total Treble, Xtra Mile
Associated acts Hot Water Music, The Draft, Forgetters, Angels & Airwaves, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Rocket From The Crypt
Website againstme.net
Members Laura Jane Grace
James Bowman
Atom Willard
Inge Johansson
Past members Kevin Mahon
Dustin Fridkin
Warren Oakes
George Rebelo
Jay Weinberg
Andrew Seward

Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, United States, in 1997 by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. Since 2002 the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman. 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 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 dropping her birth name. The band finished recording their sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, during the summer of 2013, and released it on the twenty-first of January, 2014.

Biography

1997–2002: Formation and Reinventing Axl Rose

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 demo tape, in 1997. It was self- released in very limited numbers. 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 Sabot Productions (run by longtime Against Me! tour manager Jordan Kleeman). 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 of the Tennessee band kill devil hills, and this new lineup released the single "The Disco Before the Breakdown" (2002).

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

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".[1] 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.[2] 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

Against Me! on tour in support of New Wave

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.[2][3] "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.[4] 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.[5][6]

Oakes left the band in June 2009, in part to focus on running his Mexican food restaurant.[7][8] "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."[7] Oakes was replaced by Hot Water Music drummer George Rebelo.[8] The following month Fat Wreck Chords released The Original Cowboy, an album of demo recordings from the Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy sessions.[9]

On August 17, 2009, Against Me! headed into the studio with New Wave producer Butch Vig.[10] Their fifth studio album, White Crosses, was later released on June 8, 2010.[11] 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.[12]

Against Me! released White Crosses, their second album with Sire, on June 4, 2010.[13] 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.[2] On the eve of a scheduled tour of Australia and New Zealand that September, the band 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."[14][15][16]

2010–present: Transgender Dysphoria Blues and recent activity

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.[16]

Throughout December 2010, Grace spoke of George Rebelo's intentions to record an album with his primary band Hot Water Music.[17] In January 2011, Weinberg was officially confirmed as Against Me!'s new drummer.[18] 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.[19]

Grace had expressed the desire to release at least one album per year for the next decade[20] and that Grace hoped to record Against Me!'s sixth studio album in Winter 2011.[21] 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.[22]

On June 3, 2011, the band announced that they started their own record label, Total Treble Music.[23] In September 2011, Grace built a recording studio in Elkton, Florida, for future Against Me! projects.[24] The studio has since been named Total Treble Studio.[25] The first band to record an album in the studio are Cheap Girls from Lansing, Michigan, with their album Giant Orange.[25][26]

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.[27][28] "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?'"[28] Gender dysphoria is the theme of the band's sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, a concept album about a transgender prostitute.[29] They began recording in February 2012 at Total Treble Studio, working without Butch Vig, who produced New Wave and White Crosses.[30] Instead, Grace is acting as both recording engineer and record producer for the album.[30] Weinberg departed the group that December.[31] Drummer Atom Willard filled in with the band for their 2013 Australian tour dates,[32] and was confirmed as the band's new drummer on July 31, 2013.[33] In March 2013, the band canceled their US tour with Bad Religion. In May 2013, bassist Andrew Seward also announced his departure from the band. Grace 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.[34] On June 24, 2013, Grace announced that recording for Transgender Dysphoria Blues was finished.[35] Grace went on a solo tour in August in a handful of east coast US cities in support of the record.[36]

On July 15, 2013, Against Me! released the "True Trans" single for free, featuring the new acoustic song "FUCKMYLIFE666" and the namesake "True Trans Soul Rebel". On August 29, 2013, Inge Johansson, formerly of The (International) Noise Conspiracy and Refused, was confirmed as the new bass player.[37] On November 12, 2013, the studio version of "FUCKMYLIFE666" was released.[38] On December 19, 2013, "Black Me Out" was released. The band began touring for their new album on New Year's Eve, 2013 in Pittsburgh. Their new album has musical qualities reminiscent of their earlier work. [39]

On January 21, 2014, Against Me! released Transgender Dysphoria Blues, their sixth full-length studio album.[40] This album is the first by the band since their lead vocalist, Laura Jane Grace, came out as a transgender woman.

A new live album, 23 Live Sex Acts was recorded on tour by the band in 2014, and was released on September 4, 2015.[41]

In October 2015, the band announced that they were working on their next studio album at Rancho Recordo studio in Fenton, Michigan. Grace has stated that she hopes to have the album out by summer 2016.[citation needed]

Band members

Against Me! lineups
1997
Against Me! (demo)
1998–2001
Vivida Vis!
Against Me! (EP)
Crime as Forgiven by Against Me!
2001
Against Me! (EP)
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, vocals
  • Dustin Fridkin – bass
2001–02
Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, lead vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar, vocals
  • Dustin Fridkin – bass, vocals
  • Warren Oakes – drums
2002–09
"The Disco Before the Breakdown"
The Original Cowboy
Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy
Total Clarity
Searching for a Former Clarity
New Wave
Black Crosses
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, lead vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar, vocals
  • Andrew Seward – bass, vocals
  • Warren Oakes – drums
2009–10
White Crosses
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, Lead vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar, vocals
  • Andrew Seward – bass, vocals
  • George Rebelo – drums
2010–12
"Russian Spies / Occult Enemies"
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, Lead vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar, vocals
  • Andrew Seward – bass, vocals
  • Jay Weinberg – drums
2012–2013
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, Lead vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar, Vocals
  • Andrew Seward – bass, vocals
  • Atom Willard – drums (touring)
2013
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar
  • Atom Willard – drums
2013–present
  • Laura Jane Grace – guitar, lead vocals
  • James Bowman – guitar, vocals
  • Inge Johansson - bass, vocals
  • Atom Willard – drums
Current members
Former members
  • Kevin Mahon – drums, percussion, vocals (1998–2001)
  • Dustin Fridkin – bass, vocals (1998, 2001–02)
  • Warren Oakes – drums, percussion (2001–09)
  • George Rebelo – drums, percussion (2009–10)
  • Jay Weinberg – drums, percussion (2010–12)
  • Andrew Seward – bass, vocals (2002–2013)
Touring members
  • Franz Nicolay – piano, keyboards, accordion, vocals (2010)
  • Tyson Yerex – piano, keyboards, guitar (2009–2010)
  • Adam Trachsel – bass (2010)
Recording members

Timeline

Discography

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Main article: Against Me! discography
Studio albums
Demo albums, EPS, etc
Live albums

References

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  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Againstme.net Archived March 22, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Againstme.net
  15. ↑ Archived October 1, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Againstme.net Archived February 26, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Music.cbc.ca Archived January 25, 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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