It’s been a strange few months for Against Me!. First, the acclaimed punk rock outfit unexpectedly, and without explanation, canceled their entire fall 2010 tour just hours before it was set to begin. But a month later, they announced a 2011 tour with the Dropkick Murphys. Now, in the latest chapter of the saga, the punk foursome have left Sire Records, under which the band recorded 2007’s New Wave and this year’s White Crosses. Unlike the past two announcements though, this one came with a little explanation.
Frontman Tom Gabel cleared a few issues up in his most recent blog post. After apologizing to their fans for the sudden tour cancellation, the singer said, “a culmination of circumstances were engulfing us and we had to take some time off from touring to go home and sort things out.”
Some of those circumstances may have involved the band’s relationship with their label. “On a related note, after almost a five year relationship we are leaving Sire/Warner,” Gabel wrote. “We have nothing but gratitude towards all the people we worked with at the label and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to make the records we made while with the label.”
Gabel also revealed that Max Weinberg’s son Jay, who previously drummed for both The E Street Band and punk band Madball, will be behind the kit for Against Me! on their 2o11 dates. This isn’t more drama though. Previous drummer George Rebelo will be busy on the road with his other gig, Hot Water Music.
Against Me! 2010/2011 Tour Dates:
12/03 – Jacksonville, FL @ WXXJ 102.9’s “The Big Ticket”
12/04 – West Palm Beach, FL @ WPBZ 103.1’s “Buzz Bake Sale”
12/05 – Tampa, FL @ WSUN 97X’s “Next Big Thing”
12/11 – La Jolla, CA @ KBZT 94.9’s “Holiday Hootenanny”
02/23 – Niagara Falls, NY @ The Rapids Theatre *
02/24 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *
02/25 – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center
02/27 – Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater *
03/01 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore *
03/02 – Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club *
03/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
03/04 – Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom *
03/05 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
03/06 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues *
03/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory *
03/10 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom *
03/12 – Washington, DC @ Shamrock Fest
03/16 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *
03/17 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues (sold out) *
03/18 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues (sold out) *
03/19 – Lowell, MA @ Tsongas Arena *
* = w/Dropkick Murphys
