Origin: Gainesville, FL

Decades: 1990's and 2000's

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 alway... Read More