Against Me! – We’re Never Going Home

Excluding a few compilation tracks, the only Against Me! material I have heard was on their recent Fat Wreck Chords release, The Eternal Cowboy; and I wasn’t impressed. Based on that CD, I wouldn’t recommend Against Me! to any of my friends; but after watching the band’s latest DVD, We’re Never Going Home, I must admit that my opinion has completely changed regarding the band.

We’re Never Going Home isn’t a live DVD like most of the DVDs that are released, it is a documentary. A documentary about a tour that took place from April 1st to May 2nd 2004 with Planes Mistake For Stars and No Choice. Of course, live performances are scattered around the documentary; performances in small, intimate venues surrounded by sweating, energetic fans. Right after the first live part of the DVD I thought to myself: “wow, that was good.” They sounded amazing, Tom Gamble’s voice was strong and harsh, and the crowd was insane. I decided right then and there that if they ever do come by Edmonton, I’ll definitely check them out. The live portions of the video made me change my opinion on them as musicians, but the DVD isn’t about their live show, it is a documentary about them; and that part made me respect them.

The DVD focuses on that one month of touring for Against Me!. It has interviews of the members and fans, drinking games, commentary from the members and other bands, a section on Buddy the golden retriever, and a large section on them being courted by multiple major labels. Labels like Virgin, Sire, Universal, and more have all been trying to get Against Me! to sign with them; the most prominent of them being Universal. They have the band telling us exactly what was going on and what they were thinking about it all. And what they said, although at times I disagreed, made sense, and really made me respect them. Adding some more insight to the whole major label thing, the documentary also has two employees of Universal Records talking about signing bands, and Fat Mike‘s views on the whole thing. The three opinions really make for a well rounded view of the entire process; and you’ll be happy to know that Against Me! have not signed to a major yet, and probably never will.

Another interesting part of the documentary was the section at the Skate And Surf Festival in Asbury Park, NJ. This section shows a side of the band which, although is funny, would probably piss you off if you were the other person. All the while you can still see their point of view too, its just makes you think a bit.

We’re Never Going Home isn’t for everyone. Some people will find it boring, some people will find the band annoying, while others, like myself, will learn from the DVD. I learnt about the band and their opinions, and I learnt about a side of the record industry I had no idea about before, and how pig headed some fans can be. From now on, I will recommend Against Me! to my friends, and I will watch this DVD again.