Against Me!

It was the year 2007, and I was about to make peace with a longtime mortal enemy. I was this close to saying, “Hey mainstream music media, you’ve picked up obscure and long-standing punk rock band Against Me! and given them a shot on our airwaves. I commend you. It’s about damn time they got some attention.” It lasted for the course of one whole single. Apparently, once music videos get political, all bets are off. Mainstream media and I are thusly back at square one in our eternal warfare. While I bide my time on the battlefield, I’ll gladly pick up where MTV left off by continuing to sing the praises of the Florida-bred foursome. It’s certainly a delicate line to walk, being a punk band writing catchy songs that are still mainstream accessible, but these guys pull it off. If ever there was a frontman who could make you want to wreck your throat trying to sing along to his signature gravelly crooning, it’s Tom Gabel. And if ever there was a band that could make you want to wreck the rest of your body by braving a real punk rock crowd, it’s Gabel and his band mates. - Brien Overly