My Chemical Romance

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2001 - New Jersey.

Band Members:

• Gerard Way - Vocals
• Mikey Way - Bass
• Frank Iero - Rhythm Guitar
• Ray Toro - Lead Guitar
• Bob Bryar - Drums

Quote From Gerard Way:

"Punk is something that you believe in, not really dictated to you by something else. It's not a fashion style."

Early Days:

My Chemical Romance came into being in 2001 when vocalist Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelissier (who would later be asked to leave in August 2004) decided to form a band. Way asked guitarist Ray Toro to join the pair. The lineup of My Chemical Romance became complete when Gerard Way's brother Mikey and Frank Iero joined. The new group began touring around the northeast U.S.

Trivia Fact About My Chemical Romance:

The song "Helena" is about the grandmother of Gerard and Mikey Way. According to Gerard she was an artist who taught him to sing, paint and perform. She bought My Chemical Romance their first van for touring. Her funeral was a formative event in the lives of Gerard and Mikey Way.

First Album:

My Chemical Romance signed with New York-based independent record label Eyeball Records for their first album. I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was produced by Geoff Rickly, lead vocalist of the group Thursday, and released in 2002. The tone of the album was very dark and the group were frequently compared to Thursday.

Breakthrough:

In 2003 My Chemical Romance signed a major label contract with Warner Brothers subsidiary Reprise Records. They set to work on a second album. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge appeared in June 2004. It was designed as a concept album about two lovers who die in a gunfight in the desert. The man arrives in hell, but his lover is not there. He learns he must bring 1,000 souls to hell to be reunited with his lover. Although this is the concept behind the album, the group have stated that many songs wander off the plotline and relate to their own lives. Much of the album's music is relentlessly loud, intense, and fast.

The band put together a strong fan following through frequent touring. In the spring of 2004 My Chemical Romance were chosen as opening act for Green Day's sold out tour. In the summer of 2005 the group graduated to headlining status on the Vans Warped tour. In the course of touring they developed a strong mutual admiration relationship with Fall Out Boy.

The album debuted at #103 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart at the end of June 2004 and began a long, very slow climb up the chart. By mid-September 2005 Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge was at #31 and still climbing after 52 non-consecutive weeks on the chart. The album was being pushed up the chart with the help of the success of the single "Helena" heading toward the top 30 of the pop singles chart. By late summer 2005 the band became one of the hardest rocking groups to be frequently featured on MTV's TRL daily countdown show.

My Chemical Romance also drew a great deal of attention to the theatrical nature of their music videos. The video for "Helena" is centered around a funeral. The band's elaborate video for the song "The Ghost Of You" includes a World War II-era USO dance and battlefield footage.