We're Never Going Home

I was talking to my friend Sean a few weeks ago and he declared that I must check out the Against Me DVD that had just recently come out. I was aware that it had come out, but had a low interest in even trying to get my hands on it. My first experience with Against Me was a bad one, so I always had my reservations about them.

It was like 2 years ago, at the Fireside, and I was there with some friends to see the now defunct, but one of my favorite bands of all-time, Jinxpack. They (Jinxpack) were in the middle of a mediocre bill and we had plans of just heading in, seeing their set and bolting, which we did. We, along with all but maybe 6 other people in the room, had no idea who Against Me was and frankly, no one really cared. No one cared because the fans that were actually there to see Against Me were the biggest pricks in the entire world. They looked like hippies with bull ring piercings and they were obnoxious. They taunted and heckled every other band that took the stage that wasn't Against Me and they were relentless, so naturally everyone was pissed and it became an uncomfortable situation. So without ever hearing or seeing the band, I had already formed an opinion about them that I would later regret.

When their first album on FAT came out last spring, Eternal Cowboy, I was hesitent to even waste my time on it. In fact, I did listen to it maybe once or twice, but I only listened to find a track or two to play on All Ages, rather than for my own enjoyment. I never really gave it a chance, but it managed to always find it's way onto our show at least once a month.

I managed to see them a few times here in Chicago and when we were down in Austin for SXSW. Their live shows were awesome, but I still never really listened to them.

A month or two ago, I had one of their songs stuck in my head for days, so I grabbed the disc and listened to it on my way to work one day and something just clicked. I completely fell in love with all of it. So within days, I managed to get my hands on everything they have released and just recently I got my hands on a demo of their upcoming split with Lucero that was stolen from a Lucero show. It is so rad.

Long story short, Sean got me a copy of the DVD and it is one of the best band DVDs that I have ever seen. It chronicles a tour of theirs where they were approached by every single major label, let the bigshots take them out and get them drunk on the labels money, and then Against Me would say "no thanks" and move on. It is just so refreshing to see a punk band out there today that is doing it for what the music was intended. At one point, they were offered a million dollars to record an album. A fucking MILLION DOLLARS! They politely declined.

I swear to you that this DVD is worth watching a least once. Even if you have no idea who this band is, you should watch it and be impressed.