Who: Gainesville, FL, punk band with one of the years best rock records, the Butch Vig-produced New Wave.
Sounds Like: New Wave is full of terrifically propulsive agit-prop like the anti-war anthem “White People for Peace.” But its also long on smart, catchy tunes, thanks partly to the bands array of non-punk influences, which include Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton.
Three Things You Should Know:

1. Not long before forming Against Me! as a solo acoustic project in 1997, singer Tom Gabel began a career as a teenage activist,joining lefty causes like Food Not Bombs and running a leftist zine called Misanthrope, for which he interviewed ex-Black Panther Bobby Seale.
2. Since the current lineup solidified around 2002, Against Me! have been one of the hardest-working bands in show biz, having done well over 1,000 shows in all fifty States and Europe. Theyve accumulated enough dumpster-diving stories to write a definitive guide to surviving poverty-stricken tours. “We used to make condiment sandwiches,” says drummer Warren Oakes. “You know, get packets of onions and relish from a gas station and make a sandwich.”
3. The Boss likes them. In March, Against Me! played their biggest headlining gig yet to nearly 2,000 fans in Jersey — including Bruce Springsteen, who saw the show and popped backstage. “When I saw him, I almost shit my pants,” says bassist Andrew Seward. “Hes a really nice guy,” Gabel adds. “He said that were very soulful.”

In Today’s News: Gabel was arrested last night in Tennessee on battery charges after allegedly slamming a fellow patron at All Saints Cafe’s head into a countertop. Witnesses say the frontman tore a story about his band that had been defaced with obscenities off of a wall, and then assaulted Jared Smith when he asked why.
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