Reinventing Axl Rose is the Debut Album by the Band Against me! and was Released on March 5, 2002
Reinventing Axl Rose by the band Against Me! is among the long list of incredible debut albums by punk rock bands. Laura Jane Grace’s legendary voice, a sort of folk with a core punk feel, and the incredible guitar and drum throughout the album are enough to label it as a “must-hear.” The time of the album’s release on March 5, 2002, is a period when everyone felt punk finally kicked the bucket. Yet, the album emerged giving life to punk rock with political-themed songs like “Baby, I’m an Anarchist,” an anthem for most, and “8 Hours of Sleep,” an acoustic punk song, plus songs that make you wanna rage like “We Laugh at Danger (And Break All the Rules).”
When reading the album title, you might be asking why “Axl Rose” and even ponder a bit with the “Reinventing” part. Open the book, Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout, written by Against Me!’s lead singer, Laura Jane Grace, and you will come to find the music of the band Guns ‘N’ Roses appealed to her because it felt dangerous. Not only that, but she loved the androgynous nature of Axl Rose and the idea a person couldn’t tell if the band members were women or men with their long hair and tight jeans. Beyond the history and reason behind the titles of albums, the books will open your eyes to those who transition into becoming how they identify such as Laura Jane Grace. Have to give her the utmost respect as she shared her journey with openness and honesty in the book.
While scouring YouTube, I was able to locate a live show of Against Me! performing several of their latest, as well as, the album Reinventing Axl Rose in full. The show is from when they played The Fest 16 at Bo Diddley Plaza in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday, October 28th, 2017. You have a front-row seat to the whole concert and it’s a good one, to say the least. The entire band looks as if it is having the time of its life, a stellar display of punk that earns the right to be turned up loud enough to annoy the neighbors. Watch below, swine.
