AGAINST ME!

By Jeannette Madden
Contributing Writer

Florida punk band Against Me! hits The Venue at The Hub Feb. 8 in support of their newest release 2010’s “White Crosses,” which, according to Tom Gabel [lead vocals, guitar and founding member] is named after what he saw around the corner from a St. Augustine, Florida, house he was living in when he was writing the record. “There was a church and on the church lawn there were 4,000 white wooden crosses about a foot high off the ground, and it was called ‘the cemetery of the innocence’…one cross to represent every abortion that happens in America everyday. In my opinion, a real eyesore to have to look at and a really disgusting display. So, the song itself [from the album] is a pro-choice song, but I thought that the title left itself open to interpretation, where people wouldn’t necessarily know the meaning right away and could infer their own.”

HIGH PLAINS READER: Can you give me a quick history of the band?                                                                                                                                     
TOM GABEL: A quick history of the band?                                                                                                                                                                 
HPR: Or a long history, whatever.                                                                                                                                                                             
TG: A condensed version [laughing]. I started playing under the name Against Me! in 1997 as just a solo project with no real ambition of doing anything and the band’s really grown from there, you know? We’ve released five full-length albums, a handful of EPs, a DVD and tour lots of amazing places I never thought we’d get to tour to and play with lots of amazing bands I never thought we’d get to play with…it’s been an incredible ride.                                                                                                                                                                           
HPR: I bet it has been. Why don’t you tell me about each of the band members.                                                                                                                               
TG: I’ve known James [Bowman, guitar] since I was probably 13 years old, we went to high school together. And then Andrew [Seward] plays bass and he’s been playing in the band for probably about eight years, nine years now? And then the newest edition, Jay [Weinberg], who plays drums and we’ve been playing with him for only a couple of months now, but it’s been a lot of fun.                         
HPR: Sure. Tell me about your influences and what are you listening to when you aren’t playing?                                                                                                                   
TG: I listen to everything. You know, shit, from David Bowie to Clash to Johnny Cash. You name it, as long as it’s got intelligent lyrics and a good melody behind it all.                                                     
HPR: And, your writing process? How does that work?                                                                                                                                                           
TG: I usually start with lyrics first and kind of shape the music around the lyrics, and once I have enough to kind of work with, you know?                                                                             
HPR: How old are you?                                                                                                                                                                                         
TG: I’m 30.                                                                                                                                                                                                 
HPR: My music editor says that there’s some big things happening or on the verge of happening for Against Me! Any idea what he was talking about?                                                             
TG: [Laughs]. I don’t know. I mean, we’re doing a lot of touring and we just had our record come out probably about seven months ago. We’re touring the United States on a headlining tour right now and when this one ends we’re going out with the Dropkick Murphys for a little under a month. Then we head back over to Australia for some touring and then finalize plans for into the summer and the whole time we’re working on the next record. Definitely some busy times, and we’ve always got stuff going on.                                                                                                             
HPR: Do you have a favorite place to play?                                                                                                                                                                     
TG: Australia, by far. It’s fantastic weather, beautiful people, great food, always fun shows. Every time you go back, when you think it can’t get any better, it always is.                                               
HPR: What happened with Sire Records?                                                                                                                                                                       
TG: Well, our contract was up so we’re moving on, you know? I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the headlines but the other day Warner Bros, which owns Sire, I guess put itself up for sale through Goldman Sachs, and I know unfortunately a lot of people have lost their jobs there recently…they’re just kind of downsizing the company, they just aren’t doing too well. It’s a really tumultuous time for the label, unfortunately, so we’ll have to see what happens with them.                                                                                                                                             
HPR: Are you considering going back to Fat Wreck Chords?                                                                                                                                                     
TG: Probably not, no. My view point kind of with being in a band is you want to have as many experiences as you can along the way and as many new experiences, which is why we’ve never really done more than two records with a label…                                                                                                                                                                       
HPR: Sure.                                                                                                                                                                                                     
TG: Then we move on, just to have a new, fresh experience.                                                                                                                                                     
HPR: Hasn’t that caused some difficulty for the fans, the people that follow you?                                                                                                                                 
TG: I think that’s been more of a story really, an angle for a lot of writers, a lot of press that we’ve got. We’re the band that came from playing the basement scene or whatever, you know, humble beginnings, and as this grew…I think with any band there’s going to be a natural ‘well, we don’t like you’ or ‘you’ve changed’ but when you’re a band that’s been together over 10 years that’s just what happens. I don’t necessarily think it’s been anything more for us than anyone else.                                                                                                                                 
HPR: And along those lines, you have been around for quite awhile now. What’s your take on the music industry these days?                                                                                                 
TG: Um, it’s interesting and that’s kind of going back to what we were talking about, you know, what we’re going to do next, the label…things right now just seem like they’re in such a period of change, and I don’t know where the chips are going to land so I’m like, you know, wondering if it’s not smart to just hold tight for a second and see what happens. Now, more than ever, it’s easier to spread word about your band on your own. The day of there being deep pockets and king makers like MTV are kind of over. It’s really up to the listener, and I’m a strong believer that good songs will always rise to the top.                                                                                                                                                                 
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IF YOU GO:
What:  Against Me!
When: Wed. Feb. 8, 2011
Where: The Venue at The Hub, 2525 9th Ave. SW, Fargo
Info: thehubfargo.com or 701.205.3182