Against Me!

一组对音乐充满执着，包覆狂放急躁庞克之声，宣泄些许美式新民谣之音，这次却完全放弃Acoustic方式诠释，推翻你对乐曲既定想像空间的乐团Against Me!，不止仅有这些本事，他们可以把破坏性极强的金属气流混搭至濒临崩溃边缘EMO领域，冲力加速度引爆最畅快之聆听感受，见识到他们独立时代的不妥协宣言。
 
团中灵魂人物Tom Gabel，自17之龄便展开个人不插电演唱生涯，偶而会因场子需求，加入客席贝斯与鼓手。虽然Tom以Against Me!之名录制DEMO带，却没让乐迷留下太多印象，只知道那是Tom Gabel的首张DEMO。直到2001年找来对音乐抱持相通理念的吉他手James Bowman、贝斯手Andrew Seward、鼓手Warren Oakes等三位，加入以Gabel主唱/吉他为首的Against Me!，这个团名才真正受到重视。标榜着无政府主义，高频音量大声唱着庞客乐种，经过多支单曲试探，赢得许多乐迷爱戴。2002年推出第一张专辑 “Reinventing Axl Rose”，在庞克声响中巧妙融入民谣、乡村之音，获得AMG四星半近满分赞誉。陆续於2003和2005年发行 “As The Eternal Cowboy” 以及 “Searching For A Former Clarity”，逐步建立起Against Me!独立界响亮名声。
 
经过多年奋战终获主流大厂赏识，拱出首张跨入国际舞台之作 “New Wave”，找来曾制作过Nirvana、Smashing Pumpkins、Sonic Youth畅销大碟，同是Garbage鼓手之重量级制作人Butch Vig操刀。开场同名单曲「New Wave」，吉他隆隆作响四处回荡，加入Tom粗犷Power的嗓音诠释，一股热血沸腾的情绪油然而生；首支主攻「White People For Peace」，虽高声唱着反战之歌，却愤怒表示这些抗议、这些难过的泪水，似乎无法引起政府的同情，更无法消弭因战争而引起的悲动印记；对于下一代提出值得深思严肃议题的「Thrash Unreal」，将以限量方式出版，许多乐迷已经摩拳擦掌准备抢购收藏；浓烈放克频率围绕之「Stop」以及爽快渗入EMO情绪的「Piss And Vinegar」，都是Against Me!极尽所能发挥高能量破坏力的表徵。
 
The roots of Against Me!'s rousing punk-folk sound lie in Tom Gabel's guitar-and-stool troubadourship around his native Gainesville, FL, beginning in 1997. The then 17-year-old Gabel performed as a solo act wherever anyone would have him, drawing much influence from early acoustic protest music. The band around him would eventually solidify by 2001 — including guitarist James Bowman, drummer Warren Oakes, and bassist Andrew Seward — and get considerably louder as punk bands often do. But there would always be some anarchism and Billy Bragg in the raucous braggadocio. After a few initial 12& and 7& releases, Against Me! issued the fan-favorite Reinventing Axl Rose through No Idea in 2002. The underground hit blended elements of punk, folk, and country into socially conscious and impassioned anthems for late-night basement shows and bars. Continuing their reputation of always being on the road, countless tour dates were played around the country. The slightly more polished As the Eternal Cowboy followed from Fat Wreck in 2003, and after a DVD (We're Never Going Home) and another 7&, the band returned with their most mature effort to date, 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity. A subsequent headlining tour in support of the introspective and politically aggressive album saw the band proudly hitting every U.S. state. They signed to Sire Records in December 2005 and were back on the road by spring 2006 opening for the Alkaline Trio. That summer found Against Me! on the main stage at Warped Tour, their first time on the festival. Though the guys were officially now on the roster at Sire, they released the live album Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! on Fat Wreck in August 2006. Recorded while on tour in London with Murder by Death, it harnessed the band's notoriously invigorating live show as well as any album could. Finally, in July of the following year, the band's major-label debut, New Wave, a decidedly more rock-oriented record produced by Butch Vig, hit shelves.