Tom Gabel had a busy 2008. Not only did the front man of Against Me! headline the Van’s Warped Tour with his associates all summer long but he also recorded his own solo EP called Heart Burns and toured solo on the Revival Tour this past fall in support of it. The seven song EP was released under Sire records and has Tom Gabel taking things under his control, making for a good listen.
Just in case you didn't know, Tom Gabel was Against Me! from the get go. He started the band at age 16 all by himself and played acoustical shows in support of his first release the Acoustical EP. In a nutshell, his success with his solo material, which came from years of hard work and dedication, soon turned into the band Against Me! many are now familiar with. Hoards of fans have eaten up many of their albums that incorporated folk with punk rock and high sing along qualities. The rest is history.
Of course that history includes the heartbreak of many diehard fans when Against Me! went so called “corporate” and signed to a nation label. They released the radio friendly New Wave, one of the band's most successful releases to date. Tom Gabel and his band mates were called sellouts for what they did but, regardless of their decision making, they have moved on with new fans all over the world and seem to handle being seen in the spotlight quite well.
Now why Tom Gabel chose to do another solo album remains to be determined. Some may think he wanted to stray away from the band to focus on his individual talent while others think he went back to his roots as an apology to all of those diehard fans.
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