Don’t let the stereotypes fool you; Gainesville is a fairly large city chock full of diversity. It has some seriously interesting characters. There’s an impressive amount of start-up company founders cooking up some innovation downtown, but then there’s also the Dancing Guy on the intersection of West University and SW 13th St. You can pretty much find any type of person here.
With that, it should come as no surprise that some of these characters stake a claim in the local music scene. Some have gone from the bubble of Gainesville to making a splash on the national level, now having massive crowds cheer their names.
The most famous of Gainesville’s musical legacies? It’s without a doubt Tom Petty.
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The front man of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was born and raised in Hogtown. I typically like to have faith in humanity and safely assume that everyone knows who Tom Petty is. For those that haven’t already done a quick Google search or just don’t know, Tom Petty is one of the greatest rockstars of the 80s (and pretty much the only music played in my father’s car besides Santana). Tom Petty has undoubtedly made some of the best music ever. Do yourself a favor and Youtube “Free Fallin” and “American Girl” right now and experience some of the best classic rock has to offer. He is currently with the Heartbreakers and still headlines big events like Bonnaroo music festival this past summer and the 2008 Superbowl XLII Halftime Show. Oh, and here’s a quick Petty fun fact: although he never attended UF, the campus still boasts a “Tom Petty tree” that he allegedly planted himself.
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Fellow Gainesville rock band Against Me! has been following in the Heartbreakers’ footsteps. This punk rock band also formed in Hogtown and has been living the classic tale of rags to riches. The story first began with the guitarist/singer Laura Grace (then Tom Gabel) playing at local downtown joints after she dropped out of high school and moved to Gainesville. It was a rough time for her, barely making ends meet with dumpster diving and no real job. Flash-forward a few years and Against Me! hits the number 11 spot on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart with their single, “Thrash Unreal”, and releases five successful studio albums. Against Me! conquered the rags and has reached rockstar dream status, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. The band has been experiencing trying times with Grace’s coming out as transgendered, but are set to release their new album “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” in 2014.
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One of the more well-known bands from Gainesville that have yet to forget their roots and still visit often is Less Than Jake. Less Than Jake formed in the nineties as a punk rock band, but shortly after decided to add some ska to their music and implement a horns section. There was no looking back, because Less Than Jake has been met with nothing but success. The band has gone on to release nine studio albums, tour with big names like Reel Big Fish and Blink 182, and even start their own indie record label- Sleep It Off Records. Despite massive success Less Than Jake has remained loyal to Gainesville’s local music scene. They have an album named “GNV FLA” and songs “Gainesville Rock City” and “City of Gainesville”, making it pretty obvious they’re proud of their hometown.
Many believe Gainesville’s music scene is lacking a certain level of dopeness, but any aspiring local music artists should know that it isn’t impossible to make a start here. The legacies serve as a role model. If Laura Grace could make it while broke and on her own, so can you.
The second you think about giving up is the second you’ve lost, so my advice to you is to keep hustling and never forget what made you start in the first place. I sincerely hope one of you makes it big so I can say, “Yeah, I saw them with about ten other people at Tall Paul’s before they got really famous.” I want to be that guy.
