Against Me! - Biography
Florida punk band Against Me! was formed in 1997 by singer/guitarist Laura Jane Grace. Melding pop-punk with Billy Bragg-style folk rock, the group began as a solo act fronted by Grace (née Tom Gabel), before eventually coalescing into a full band for 2002's official debut, Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose. A year later, the band signed to Fat Wreck Chords for the release of their second full-length, Against Me! As the Eternal Cowboy. Against Me!'s major label debut came in 2007 with New Wave, a Sire Records release produced by Butch Vig that was designated "Album of the Year" by Spin magazine. The following year saw the band on tour with the Foo Fighters.
In 2010, Against Me! left Sire and a year later, established their own label, Total Treble Music. In 2012, Grace--who was then living under the name Tom Gabel--announced that she was transgender and would be making the transition to living as a female. That same year, the band started recording Transgender Dysphoria Blues, a concept album about a transgender sex worker, recorded and engineered by Grace. It was released in January 2014.
