How did you discover the Gaslight Anthem?

When I was 15 I was on a real Green Day-hype, listening to them all the fucking time. And I used to search up a lot of covers of them, so I hit this real good Green Day-cover by this dude. And then I just instantly thought "oh, let's see if he has something else..", so I did. He had a cover of Here's Looking at You, Kid up on his youtube. And I liked what I heard, although the quality wasn't that good, and he got the chords wrong. So I searched up the original, and it was this instant "oh fuck"-feeling of emptiness. Like everything I knew about music and every chord or clever line I knew was just.. monotonous and horrible in comparison. Changed my life forever, and I haven't looked back once!

I always like telling this story but I never get to in full detail because I don't want to annoy anyone but y'all will probably appreciate it.

The middle part of my high school years were really lonely for me (my group of friends decided to stop hanging out with me for some reason) so I spent a lot of time on the computer in my basement talking to friends of friends from my summer camp on AIM and sharing music together. In late 2006 or early 2007 one of these friends sent me "Sweet Delta Blues", labeled as The Gaslight Anthem. I thought it was cool, and he sent me the rest of that TCM EP (still thinking it was Gaslight) a week later. I listened to that thing on the bus to and from school for a long time.

A couple months later that same friend IMed me telling me that Gaslight put new music up on their MySpace, so I went and listened to "I'da Called You Woody, Joe" and thought, 'Wow, this is a big improvement.'

A little bit more time passed and that AIM friend sent me Sink or Swim, which had leaked by that time. I listened to it idly in the background a couple times, thinking it was pretty good.

One day I went to my brother's apartment a few miles away to hang out, and had my iPod with me. I remember the very instant that the music gripped me was during "Drive", after the chorus comes back from the bridge as Brian sings with just the guitar and all of a sudden the kickdrum appears and carries the rest of the chorus until the rest of the band jumps back in - that knocked me over like nothing else I've heard before or since, and gave me one of those goosebump moments in music (I think there's a technical term for it).

I could go on with how I became taken with the rest of that album, but you get the idea. : )

My older brother introduced me to most the music I listen to today. He got me listening to gaslight by getting me concert tickets for my 16th birthday, in 2009. We went to the concert at the stone pony with two other friends and after the first song they played we all new that this would be the first of many gaslight concerts we would go to. It was the most memorable concert I have ever been to, I have never been so sweaty in my life. Made so many memories that night. Ever since we have gone to every show we could!

I went with my family to go watch Bruce Springsteen at Hyde Park. The 59 Sound was INCREDIBLE. After that, The Gaslight Anthem have overtaken Springteen as my favourite artist/s and my mother's 13 years of hard work is ruined.

A friend and I were at a graduation party and good tunes were needed so he put Gaslight on shuffle and let it play. No complaints were made. and I was sold as a fan.

I heard the 59 sound on local radio and liked it. About a year later I was looking for something new to listen to, so I downloaded the rest of 59 sound, followed by American slang, then the rest. Am a fairly new gaslight fan but my timing is good with Handwritten and a tour coming up. I hate it when I get into a new band only to discover they played in town three months ago.

At the beginning of 2011 I read some posts in another forum (U2) about The Gaslight Anthem and their awesome live performances. I checked them out on YouTube, bought some records, finally saw them live and fell in love.

And the best thing was, that this love opened my eyes (and ears) to a new style of music. In this last one year I discovered so many great bands, I wouldn´t knew without TGA. So thank you Gaslight and the guys who posted about them.

In September of 2008, I decided to randomly download the song of the week on iTunes - something I never really did 'cause I'd always forget about it (and besides, I feel they hardly have any great music as a free download). That song of the week was the '59 Sound... a few days after I first heard it, I went out and bought their album. It's been love for Gaslight ever since!

In the "Other Music Forum" of the Pearl Jam boards about 2 1/2 years ago. Loved what I heard...drove 2 1/2 hours to go see them in Kansas City....and skyrocketed from there. Been in love with them ever since.

Knew of them since 59' Sound but only took notice when my brother was blasting American Slang in his car. I was blown away by the melody, the lyrics and most of all Brians vocals!

I discovered them August 2009 when I had flown in early to Boston for a business trip. Was supposed to go with a colleague but her trip was cancelled and I ended up being alone in the city for the weekend. Not knowing what to do in Boston on my own I asked my US colleagues and they told me about a free concert with various bands being given at city hall. So even though I was tired (only having arrived that afternoon & jet-lagged as hell) I decided to go. Once there I tweeted that TGA was playing (had never heard of them) and a friend in the UK told me I had to see them, that they were good. I did and needless to say they impressed me and I've liked them ever since...

I was looking around Spotify randomly one day this past December while going through a hard time because of this girl who totally broke my heart. Luckily I came across I Coul'da Been A Contender and was instantly hooked. I listened to every album on Spotify that night and bought every album the next day. They helped me get over that girl and they will always be a very important part of my life.

My bro started going to shows and listening to them constantly back in like late 07, and he's always trying to get me to listen to his music, and i was really digging sink or swim, then '59 sound came out later and i fell in love.
I didn't see them until like, 2009 I think? Whenever they went on tour with Alkaline Trio was when I saw them first.

Breanne wrote:

My bro started going to shows and listening to them constantly back in like late 07, and he's always trying to get me to listen to his music, and i was really digging sink or swim, then '59 sound came out later and i fell in love.
I didn't see them until like, 2009 I think? Whenever they went on tour with Alkaline Trio was when I saw them first.

Though I discovered Gaslight Anthem myself...my brother does the same exact thing. If it wasn't him I would have never heard Chuck Ragan. I am glad we both have brothers who can pave the way into some GREAT music. Haha

I was bored and on youtube and looking for interesting collaborations between Springsteen and whoever. I don't know what caused me to click on the clip of Bruce playing the 59 Sound with TGA but I did. Maybe it was because I thought "Springsteen with a young punk band? this I gotta see".

I'd love to say I had an epiphany and fell in love the second I heard it but it was more like I enjoyed it, and found myself just going back and watching it a couple times a day. Then it got stuck in my head and I really got into it.

So I checked out their songs on youtube, all songs from the 59 sound except for We Came to Dance and I just loved all the references to other artists that I was a fan of. So I bought '59 Sound right away and then heard they had a new album coming out in a few months. By the time American Slang came out (like 2-3 months later) I was obsessed.

fall 2008 right after the '59 sound was released.. heard the song 59 sound and then shortly after downloaded the album (illegaly) then shortly after that bought it then discovered sink or swim... then the rest is history

a few years ago i was downloading some music for a friend of mine, the only two songs that i remember him asking for were the 59 sound and rise against - prayer of the refugee. i instantly liked the 59 sound but it was only last year when i browsing youtube for springsteen clips that i watched him playing with tga and i remembered them and instantly bought all the albums and fell in love with them.

so i've been a proper fan since about september or october. better late than never & i hope to catch them if they come to ireland!

I was listening to the old Jersey Shore rock station G-Rock 106.3 late one night around December 2008/January 2009, and they played The '59 Sound. I remember being drawn in by it because it made me feel nostalgic for an era I'd never experienced, I guess. I can't really describe it. I downloaded the album online after that, and I liked it but I honestly couldn't really get into it and I didn't listen to it much aside from the title track. I wanted to like it more than I actually did...I was stupid back then, hah.

Fast forward to 2010 when American Slang came out, I was at a Green Day show in Camden NJ and there was a street team guy handing out promo CDs that had American Slang and the Queen of Lower Chelsea. I thought the CD was great. About a month later I was browsing around FYE one day and saw a ton of copies of the album and decided to scan the barcode and listen to the song samples. I loved every single song and bought the album, and the rest is history. The funny part is that now my favorite album is The '59 Sound

My boyfriend played them so much I was made to love The Gaslight Anthem. Best thing he's ever done

RaquelWaltz wrote:

My boyfriend played them so much I was made to love The Gaslight Anthem. Best thing he's ever done

Your boyfriend sounds like a great guy!

White Man In Hammersmith wrote:

RaquelWaltz wrote:

My boyfriend played them so much I was made to love The Gaslight Anthem. Best thing he's ever done

Your boyfriend sounds like a great guy!

Believe me. He is.

I was listening to SiriusXM a few years back (Alt Nation for any of those familiar) and they started to throw The 59 Sound into fairly heavy rotation. The first few times I didn't really notice, but then the song started jumping out at me, making me thing "damn, this seems like something special". So I went and bought the album. And it was probably the best album I've ever heard.

Which was the start of an addiction. My friends all are giving me shit because they're saying I'm like a junkie with the way I want Handwritten to come out.

while flicking through the channels in 2009 i dropped on "glatonbury highlights" and on there were this band id never heard of that just blew me away. watched the set and the next day went out and bought both "sink or swim" and "the 59 sound". they werwe pretty much playing perpetually for the next 6 months in my car. my life changed when i accidentally saw them on that late night highlight show. the best band i have EVER seen simple as that!!!!

Every now and then I'll go on Amazon and look up bands I love to find out what other people have purchased. That's how I found TGA. Loved them ever since.