Fall Out Boy

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Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy in concert
Background information
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genre(s)	Emo,^[1] pop punk, alternative rock
Years active	2001–present
Label(s)	Decaydance (2005-present) Fueled by Ramen Island (2003-present) Uprising Records (2001-2003)
Website	www.falloutboyrock.com
Members
Patrick Stump Pete Wentz Joe Trohman Andy Hurley
Former members
T.J. Raccine "Mike"

Fall Out Boy (often abbreviated FOB) is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, (a suburb of Chicago) that formed in 2001. The band consists of Patrick Stump (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, primary composer), Pete Wentz (bass guitar, backing vocals, primary lyricist), Joe Trohman (lead guitar), and Andy Hurley (drums, percussion).

Fall Out Boy has won several awards for its album From Under the Cork Tree. Released in 2005, the album has achieved triple platinum status after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States. In support of the album, Fall Out Boy headlined tours in 2005 and the year before 2007 in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe.

In February 2007, the band released Infinity on High to major chart success, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 and selling 260,000 copies in its first week. The first single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", reached #1 on the Pop 100 and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. To promote the album, the band performed at the Live Earth concerts July 7, headlined the Honda Civic Tour through mid-2007, and the band performed at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 9. The band just finished the Young Wild Things Tour with the Plain White T's, Gym Class Heroes, and Cute Is What We Aim For.

1 History
2 Musical style
3 Philanthropy
4 Controversy
5 Discography
6 Awards
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

Fall Out Boy was formed in early 2001 by friends Joe Trohman and Pete Wentz. The two had played in various bands in the Chicago area. They decided they wanted to start a band that was similar to bands they listened to growing up such as Green Day, Descendents, and The Smiths. Trohman met high schooler Patrick Stump in a Borders Bookstore.^[2] Trohman introduced himself to Stump when he overheard him talking about the band Neurosis, in which they shared a mutual interest.^[3] Stump auditioned as a drummer, but as soon as his vocal range was discovered, he became the lead singer.^[4] Two other Chicago musicians were recruited: T.J. Raccine on guitar and a drummer simply credited as Mike.^[5] The following year, the band debuted with a self-released demo and followed it up with the May 28, 2002 release of Split EP, which featured Project Rocket, on Uprising Records. The group released a mini-LP, Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend, on Uprising Records, in 2003.^[6]

The band was nameless for its first two shows. At the end of the second show, it asked the audience to yell out ideas for a name. One audience member suggested "Fallout Boy,"^[7]^[3]^[8] a reference to the sidekick of the Simpsons cartoon character Radioactive Man.^[9]^[10]

[edit] Independent success

After the release of their mini-album, Andy Hurley, formerly of Racetraitor, joined the band and Stump picked up guitar, while Raccine and "Mike" left.^[11] During this time, they played many local shows at the The Knights of Columbus Hall in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the site of their first video: Dead On Arrival. The same year, after signing to Fueled by Ramen, they released their first full-length album, Take This to Your Grave, on May 6, 2003. The band received an advance from Island Records to record its proper debut, but the advance came with a right of first refusal for Island on Fall Out Boy's next album.^[12] With major financing in place, the recording of Take This to Your Grave took place at the Butch Vig owned Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with Sean O'Keefe producing.^[12]

With singles "Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy" and "Saturday" receiving video airplay on FUSE and mtvU and radio airplay on mainstream stations across the country,^[13] the album sold very well and eventually achieved Gold status, but only after the success of the band's next album, From Under the Cork Tree.^[14]

In mid-2003, the band signed with Island Records which is a part of the mainstream label The Island Def Jam Music Group, along with Def Jam Records. This was after it picked up the option for its next album. In the meantime of recording its mainstream debut, the band released the acoustic EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue on Fueled by Ramen, May 18, 2004. It debuted at #153 on the Billboard Top 200, the band's first such entry on the chart.^[15] The two-disc set included a DVD with videos, more acoustic performances and a fan photo gallery.^[6]

[edit] Commercial debut

On May 3, 2005, Fall Out Boy released its major label debut, From Under the Cork Tree,^[6] which debuted on the Billboard 200 at #9, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week. The album achieved double platinum status and has sold over 2.5 million albums in the US alone.^[16] Earlier that year, the band's stability was threatened when Wentz overdosed on the sedative Ativan in a failed suicide attempt. The track "7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)" from their album From Under the Cork Tree is based upon Wentz's attempted suicide.^[17]

Their first single, "Sugar, We're Goin Down", peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on the Pop 100, and #3 on the Modern Rock Charts.^[18] The video reached #1 on MTV's TRL, where it was retired on August 26, 2005. The video won the MTV2 Award at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, prompting a huge new interest and surge in sales. The band was also nominated for "Best New Artist" at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

The second single off the album, "Dance, Dance", became their second Top 10 Single when it peaked at #9 on the Hot 100. It reached #6 on the Pop 100, becoming the band's highest charting single when it reached #2 on the Modern Rock Charts.^[18] The video for the song premiered on TRL on October 11, 2005; it soon reached #1 and was later retired on January 17, 2006. "Dance, Dance" was also featured on the PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova by Konami.^[19] The third single off the album, "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More 'Touch Me'", was much less popular than both prior singles, but still managed to peak at #65 on the Hot 100^[18] and hit #1 twice on TRL, retiring on June 6, 2006.

The band headlined the Nintendo Fusion Tour in the fall of 2005, joining The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Boys Night Out, and Panic! at the Disco on a 31 city tour.^[20] Due to its increased success from their MTV Video Music Award, the group headlined the Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour, a pop/punk event that featured All-American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights, and From First to Last. The tour also featured The Hush Sound for half of the tour and October Fall for half. They played to 53 dates in the US, Canada, and the UK.^[21]

[edit] Continuing prosperity

Fall Out Boy's latest album is titled Infinity on High and was released on February 6, 2007. The lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", debuted at the 2006 American Music Awards. The video debuted on MTV on Tuesday, December 19, 2006. In the album's opening week, Infinity on High reached #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 260,000 copies.^[22]

"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart on February 4, 2007, making it the band's most successful song in the UK to date. The single also peaked on the U.S. Hot 100 at #2 and the U.S. Pop 100 at #1.^[18] "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" (the second single released from the album) reached #81 on the U.S. Hot 100 by way of digital sales alone.^[23] "Thnks fr th Mmrs" was released on April 9, 2007, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on the UK Singles Chart.^[18] On July 9, 2007, the third single from the album, The Take Over, the Breaks Over, was released.^[24]

Fall Out Boy was the headlining act of the Honda Civic Tour. The U.S. portion of the tour was originally scheduled to start April 18 and end on June 11. However, due to personal issues,^[25] it was postponed until May 11 and ended July 2 in Anaheim, California. The tour is now continuing in the United Kingdom and is scheduled to end in Africa to support Invisible Children Inc.^[26] The band is working with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for the tour.^[27] Their touring in 2007 took them to Uganda, South Africa, Indonesia, Philippines, and Russia.^[28]

The band performed on the MTV Video Music Awards on September 9, 2007. In the band's Fantasy Suite, they performed the remix of "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" with Kanye West, Paul Wall, Skinhead Rob, Lupe Fiasco, Tyga, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, Lil Wayne, and Brendon Urie of Panic at the Disco.^[29]

Showing its versatility, Fall Out Boy has collaborated with rappers Kanye West and Timbaland and toured with Paul Wall. West produced and is featured on the remix of "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race". They also worked with Timbaland on his new album Shock Value, where they are featured on the track "One and Only", for which Stump and Wentz both contributed in writing.^[30] Stump was featured on two songs with Gym Class Heroes (also signed with Fueled by Ramen), including the band's hit single "Cupid's Chokehold". He also was a guest vocalist on Motion City Soundtrack's single, "Everything Is Alright". The band is headlining in the Young Wild Things Tour with Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T's and Cute Is What We Aim For, which began in October with a sold out show in Columbus, Ohio. ^[31]

[edit] Future projects

According to a recent interview with Billboard, the band already has an album's worth of material ready to put out, but has yet to record. ^[32] Patrick Stump told the magazine, "There's lots of really bizarre ideas on there, everything from folk to ... actually, I was experimenting with piano phases, like Steve Reich, the composer. There'll be some weird stuff, but at the end of the day, it's probably just gonna be a pop record." Also, according to Wentz's journal on the group's website, the album is going to be "raprock", although this was likely a joke.^[33]

On January 14, 2008, MTV interviewed Pete Wentz about the Infinity on High follow-up album. Wentz revealed the album has folk styles, but it is not essentially a folk album. "I think the one aspect we're bringing to the record is something Oasis did a lot, where they'd play these really distorted, awesome riffs, and they'd have an acoustic guitar over the entire song," Wentz said.^[34]

Music sample:

"Beat It (feat. John Mayer)" cover excerpt

From the album **** Live In Pheonix.

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

A CD and DVD of live material recorded during a June 22, 2007, concert at Phoenix's Cricket Wireless Pavilion was released on April 1, 2008. Of note, the album, to be called simply "****", contains a new studio recording covering Michael Jackson's Beat It with John Mayer as a guest guitarist^[35]. The song premiered for the first time on Wentz's site Friends or Enemies,^[36] and was released as a single on March 25, 2008. Following its release, it debuted at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at the 19th position on the chart.

On March 18, it was revealed that Fall Out Boy would play a show in Antarctica to go into the Guinness Book of World Records as the only band to play a concert on all seven continents in less than nine months. The band played a March 23 show in Santiago, Chile in South America^[37], but the group found that weather conditions would not permit them to play in Antarctica.

[edit] Musical style

While widely considered to be a pop punk and rock band,^[38]^[39] Fall Out Boy has been referred to as emo by some accounts.^[40]^[41]^[42] One particular group the band attributes its success to is Kansas City emo group The Get Up Kids. Pete Wentz was interviewed for a retrospective article in Alternative Press when The Get Up Kids disbanded in 2005, and stated that "Fall Out Boy would not be a band if it were not for the Get Up Kids."^[43] Fall Out Boy's main songwriters are Patrick Stump (melody) and Pete Wentz (lyrics), though they traditionally credit the whole band as songwriters. Their albums Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree are both said to have pop punk as well as punk rock sounds and influences,^[44]^[45] and their latest work, Infinity On High, features a wide range of styles and instrumentation, including orchestral and choral arrangements ("Thnks fr th Mmrs", "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave") and a slower piano ballad ("Golden"). The band has shown signs of experimentation, working with hip hop producers and artists, including Timbaland, Lil Wayne and Kanye West, and have also been influenced by R&B music.^{[citation needed]} In general, the group has direct ties to melodic pop music, with Patrick Stump becoming a producer aside from his work with the band, and they also are closely connected to hardcore punk, as evident in their use of throat vocals and their prior involvement in the underground Chicago music scene^[6]. Moreover, a central part of Fall Out Boy's sound is rooted in the band's lyrics, mainly penned by bassist Pete Wentz, who commonly uses irony and other literary devices to narrate personal experience and stories.^[45]

[edit] Philanthropy

Fall Out Boy has stated that it is supporters of Invisible Children Inc., and Pete Wentz has participated in Invisible Children's Displace Me Campaign.^[46] The band also performed at the American leg of Live Earth on July 7, 2007.^[47]

[edit] Controversy

Although drummer Andy Hurley is vegan and has done promotions for PETA, Fall Out Boy has received criticism from animal rights groups for using chimpanzees, an orangutan and a monkey in the music video of "Thnks fr th Mmrs". Despite objections from these groups, the band’s bassist Pete Wentz brought a chimpanzee to the Kerrang! Awards and was pictured at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards with a black and white monkey.^[48].

[edit] Discography

Main article: Fall Out Boy discography

Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend

Released: January 28, 2002
Label: Uprising Records

Take This to Your Grave

Released: May 6, 2003
Label: Fueled by Ramen
Certification: U.S.: Gold
Singles: "Dead On Arrival" · "Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy" · "Saturday"

From Under the Cork Tree

Released: May 3, 2005
Label: Island Records
Certification: U.S.: 2x Platinum; CAN: 2x Platinum
Singles: "Sugar, We're Goin Down" · "Dance, Dance" · "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More 'Touch Me'"

Infinity on High

Released: February 5, 2007
Label: Island Records
Certification: U.S.: Platinum
Singles: "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" · "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" (Digital single) · "Thnks fr th Mmrs" · "The Take Over, The Break's Over" · "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You)"

[edit] Awards

2005

MTV Video Music Award - MTV2 Award for "Sugar, We're Going Down"

2006

Grammy Award - Best New Artist
MuchMusic Video Award - People's Choice: Favorite International Group for "Dance, Dance"
Kerrang! Award - Best Video for "Sugar, We're Going Down"
Teen Choice Awards - Rock Track for "Dance, Dance"
Teen Choice Awards - Single for "Dance, Dance"
Teen Choice Awards - Rock Group
MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's Choice