Drummer Atom Willard is obviously not the subject of Against Me!'s latest album 2014's Transgender Dysphoria Blues. It is about singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace's recent sex change. Willard, though, said, "This is our baby and we wanted everyone to like it."
Willard, who officially became a member of Against Me! in 2013, has also played with Angels & Airwaves and Social Distortion.
While Against Me!'s latest work has been perhaps their most noteworthy work, it is also their highest charting.
Willard said they were doing something they truly believed in. As the group showed Louisville at Forecastle last year, they are all doing it and doing it with such passion. You can see it on stage that they are a cohesive unit.
Willard said, "We work so well together."
With the pace that they play, they had better be a well-oiled machine. Many songs flow right into the next one. Willard says that comes in his interest with Fugazi, an influential post-hardcore band from Washington D.C. who was all about being aggressive and keeping the momentum and energy in their favor.
Momentum is something Willard wants on Against Me!'s side on the stage or in their music. He says, "There's no reason to slow down," and "Once you get going it's hard to slow down."
That's why they have already began working on demos for the next Against Me! album. That's why they blow every crowd away. Why slow down? Why stop touring?
Against Me! plays Mercury Ballroom in Louisville Tuesday, February 10. Creepoid opens.
Photo courtesy of Against Me's Facebook page.
