My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance |
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My Chemical Romance is an American Rock band hailing from New Jersey. The current members of My Chemical Romance are brothers Gerard Way (lead vocals) and Mikey Way (bass), Bob Bryar (drums), Frank Iero and Ray Toro (guitar). While some consider them to be emo, the band (and many of their listeners) deny it. In a recent interview[1] lead singer Gerard Way said "I dont think Emo ever fit us...even in the beginning...maybe geographically but at that time, when we would play VFW halls...we were always odd man out." Their sound has been described by Rolling Stone as "Queen meets The Misfits."
The band cites their main influences as The Misfits, Morrissey/The Smiths, Iron Maiden, Thursday, The Cure, and Queen[2]. Some other bands/artists that the band has claimed to have made an impact on their music are Black Flag, Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Growing up, they were also very influenced by horror films and comic books, and therefore their music, lyrics, and image all have overt elements of fantasy, storytelling, horror, and theatricality. The band members hail from Belleville and Kearny, New Jersey, except drummer Bob Bryar, who is from Chicago, Illinois. Bassist Mikey Way coined the band's name from a book entitled Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, by Irvine Welsh. Gerard Way was recently arrested for wearing too much makeup and for destroying the spirit of music. His band is around simply so a bunch of businessmen can make a couple million bucks. Otherwise, Gerard would be flipping burgers at McDonalds.
Biography
Early career (2001-2002)
The band was formed by frontman Gerard Way and ex-drummer Matt Pelissier. The first song they wrote was Skylines and Turnstiles, which was written by Gerard about his feelings on September 11th. Shortly after, Ray Toro, Mikey Way (Gerard's brother) and Frank Iero would join the band.
The band then recorded their first album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, and released it in 2002 on Eyeball Records. When I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was made, they had only been a band for about three months. Frank Iero had joined My Chemical Romance only days before the band hit the recording studio for their debut album. After the release, they toured with bands such as Underoath, The Used, Thrice, and Taking Back Sunday.
Major career (2003-2005)
In 2003, the band signed a deal with Reprise Records and began working on their second album after finishing a tour with Avenged Sevenfold. The album, entitled Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, was released in 2004 and went Platinum a year later. The album contained three singles: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Helena" and "The Ghost of You".
At the start of 2005, the band were direct support on the first ever Taste of Chaos tour, and were also the opening act for Green Day on their American Idiot tour. Later that year they co-headlined and finally headlined their own tour, for the first time ever with Alkaline Trio and Reggie and the Full Effect around the country.
My Chemical Romance and The Used collaborated on a cover of the David Bowie and Queen classic "Under Pressure" that was released as a benefit single on iTunes and other internet outlets.
Recent and future plans (2006-present)
On March 21, 2006, a 2 DVD/1 CD set entitled Life on the Murder Scene was released. It includes one DVD chronicling the band's history, and a second DVD with music videos, the making of their videos and a few live performances. The release of the album/DVD was delayed twice; it was first rumored to be released on November 8, 2005 and was postponed until February 7, 2006, then was delayed again until it was finally released on March 21, 2006.
My Chemical Romance has recently been working on their third album, tentatively titled The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance, possibly due for release in 2006 or 2007. The band started recording the album on April 10, 2006 with Rob Cavallo who has produced every Green Day album since Dookie except Warning:.[3]
Members
- Gerard Way — lead vocals
- Mikey Way — bass
- Frank Iero — rhythm guitar, backup vocals
- Ray Toro — lead guitar, backup vocals
- Bob Bryar — drums
Discography
Albums
| Album Cover | Date of US Release | Title | Label | US Billboard Peak[4] | US sales |
| July 23, 2002 | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love | Eyeball | Did not chart | ||
| June 8, 2004 | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | Reprise | 28 | 585,000 | |
| March 21, 2006 | Life on the Murder Scene | Reprise | |||
 |
2006/2007 | The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance | Reprise | Not yet charted |
DVD
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock chart | US Modern Rock Charts | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 2002 | "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" | - | - | - | - | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love |
| 2002 | "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" | - | - | - | - | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love |
| 2004 | "Headfirst For Halos" | - | - | - | - | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love |
| 2004 | "Thank You For The Venom" | - | - | - | #71 | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge |
| 2004 | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" | #86 | - | #4 | #19 | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge |
| 2005 | "Helena" | #33 | - | #11 | #20 | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge |
| 2005 | "The Ghost of You" | #84 | #38 | #9 | #27 | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge |
| 2006 | "Thank You For The Venom" | - | - | - | #71 | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge/Life on the Murder Scene |
| 2006 | "Cemetery Drive" | - | - | - | - | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge/Life on the Murder Scene |
References
- ^ "Teen Titans" — Rolling Stone (2005-07-14)
- Rolling Stone Counter Refrence
- ^ ArtistDirect.com
- ^ Pause & Play, Punknews.org
- ^ Billboard Chart Positions