Emerging Artist: Against Me!



Inside of six short years, Against Me! launched itself from the basements of Gainesville, Florida, to the main stage of the Warped Tour, and beyond. The band's distinctive sound, which is a blend of punk, rock and folk, and its take-no-prisoners live shows, made us instant fans.

Aggressive touring, a critically acclaimed CD, and a string of good press (Spin magazine's "Best Album of 2007" and Rolling Stone magazine's "Best Punk Band, 2008"), found Against Me! touring with the Foo Fighters and playing some giant venues. They needed to step-up their gear and fast!

Tom Gabel (lead vocals, guitar), James Bowman (guitar, vocals) and Andrew Seward (bass), all depend on X2™ XDR95 Digital Wireless systems when they're on the road. "The wireless is amazing," commented James. "It's the best sounding unit I've heard."

James plays through a Diezel® VH4 head, a Bogner® Shiva head and two Orange® 4x12 cabs. At his feet are an A/B/C/Y box and a killer collection of stompboxes. It includes an MXR® EVH Phase 90, a flurry of Smart People Factory effects, a Line 6 ToneCore® Echo Park™, two DL4™ delay modelers (run in stereo!), and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Tom's rig includes a Vox® AC30, a Hi-Watt® SS212, a Fender® Twin Reverb®, a Matchless HC30, and a choice selection of pedals. When the band hits the studio, he swaps out many of the pedals for a POD® X3 Live.

To provide his signature growling bass tone, Andrew plugs his Fender® P-Bass into a LowDown® HD750 bass amp and an Ampeg® 8x10 cabinet. "I run it on the ‘British' setting," he said, divulging his LowDown amp settings. "It makes my bass sound like Judas Priest. That's a good thing in my book."

In addition to their live rigs, Against Me! uses a multitude of Line 6 gear at home and in rehearsal.

At home, Andrew records on his laptop with a UX2 USB interface and POD Farm™. You can find the rest of the guys using Line 6 USB interfaces as well as POD X3 Live and Backtrack™+ Mic. "We've been using them at practice," remarked Tom about the band's adoption of BackTrack+Mic. "Surprisingly great sound for such a small device!"

Against Me! is currently writing new material for their next album, which will be produced by Butch Vig. 

Get music, tour dates and more at the band's website and MySpace page!