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Early
career (2001-2002)
The band was formed by frontman Gerard Way and
ex-drummer Matt Pelissier around a week after the
September 11, 2001 attacks. Gerard had witnessed the
planes crashing into the World Trade Center. It
influenced his life to the extent that he decided to
start a band. Gerard wrote the song "Skylines and
Turnstiles" to express his feelings about September
11th. Shortly thereafter, Ray Toro was called up and
asked to join the band because at the time Gerard
couldn't sing and play the guitar at the same time.[2]
The first recording sessions were done in Matt's attic,
where the songs "Our Lady of Sorrows" (then called
"Bring More Knives") and "Cubicles" were recorded. Mikey
Way, the younger brother of Gerard, loved the demo so
much that he decided to join the band.[2]
My Chemical Romance was signed with Eyeball Records and
played in the same room as Pencey Prep and Thursday. It
was there that the band met Frank Iero, the lead
vocalist and guitarist for Pencey Prep. After Pencey
Prep broke up in 2001 or 2002, Frank became a guitarist
for My Chemical Romance, just days before the band's
debut album was recorded.[2]
Three months after the formation of the band they
recorded their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets,
You Brought Me Your Love, subsequently released in 2002
on Eyeball Records. Despite only joining the band a few
days before the album recording sessions began, Frank
Iero played guitar on two of the tracks, one of them
being "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville".
Major career (2003-2005)
In 2003, the band signed a deal with Reprise Records.
Following a tour with Avenged Sevenfold the band began
work on their second album, entitled Three Cheers for
Sweet Revenge. Released in 2004, the album went platinum
within a year. The band released three singles from the
album: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Helena" and "The
Ghost of You".
It was during this time that the band replaced their
drummer, Matt Pelissier with Bob Bryar, after they went
to Japan in July 2004. The true nature of Pelissier's
departure was due to an argument with band member Ray
Toro or as a result of mistakes made by the drummer
during live performances.
At the start of 2005, the band was directly supported on
the first ever Taste of Chaos tour, and was also the
opening act for Green Day on the American Idiot tour.
Later that year MCR co-headlined and headlined their own
tour with Alkaline Trio and Reggie and the Full Effect,
around the US.
That same year 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.
Life on the Murder Scene (Summer 2006)
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 couple of
live performances. An unauthorized biography DVD Things
That Make You Go MMM! was also released, on June 27,
2006. The DVD does not actually feature any My Chemical
Romance music clips or performances, but contains
interviews with those who knew the band before much of
their fame.[3]
The band started recording their third studio album on
April 10, 2006 with Rob Cavallo, producer of many of
Green Day's albums.[4][5]
It was originally thought to be titled The Rise and Fall
of My Chemical Romance, but in an interview with Kerrang!
magazine Gerard Way suggested this was just the album's
working title, stating "It was never the title of the
album, more a spoof, or joke."[6]
On August 3, 2006, the band finished shooting the videos
for their first two singles from the album, "Welcome to
the Black Parade" and "Famous Last Words", to be
released on January 22, 2007.[7] The video was directed
by Sam Bayer, director of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen
Spirit" and Green Day's American Idiot videos.[8]
During the shoot for "Famous Last Words", band members
Gerard Way and Bob Bryar were injured. Way suffered torn
ligaments in his ankle and Bryar a burn to the leg which
caused a severe staph infection that needed constant
monitoring in hospital. Consequently the band was forced
to cancel a few tour dates. While these injuries were
reported by several news agencies to have been the
result of a car accident, a statement released by the
band on their website and MySpace page has confirmed
that these injuries occurred on the set of the video.[9]
The Black Parade (August 2006-present)
On August 22, 2006, the band played a special one-off
show at the 1800-capacity London Hammersmith Palais. The
show sold out in 15 minutes prompting tickets being sold
on eBay well over the tickets' face value. The name of
the album they promoted was announced and 20 people
dressed in black capes with their faces obscured paraded
around Hammersmith, followed by a large group of fans
and street team members with signs saying "The Black
Parade". Later during the show the album title and the
UK release date were confirmed. Prior to the band taking
the stage it was announced that My Chemical Romance were
unable to play, but they would be replaced by "The Black
Parade". After initial crowd hostility it became clear
the band were simply performing under a pseudonym in
keeping with the theme of the album. When the set began,
the backdrop art displayed the words "The Black Parade".
On September 2, 2006, My Chemical Romance posted
"Welcome to the Black Parade" on their MySpace page and
their PureVolume page. It can also be heard on their
official website.[9] "Welcome to the Black Parade" had
its first radio airing on September 11, 2006. On
September 26, 2006 the "Welcome to the Black Parade"
music video was released in the UK, and on September 27
in the US.[6]
On October 12, 2006, My Chemical Romance made a rare
in-store performance to 500 fans at Virgin Megastores on
London's Oxford Street. In order to get wristbands for
the event, many fans slept outside the shop the previous
night. British band Towers of London caused trouble at
the event when the Towers guitarist, Dirk Tourette,
allegedly flicked a cigarette butt at Bob Bryar while he
was performing.[10]
"Welcome to the Black Parade" reached number one on
October 15, 2006, on the UK Singles Chart, giving them
their first number one.
October 21, 2006 marked their first appearance on
Saturday Night Live as the musical guests where they
played "Welcome to the Black Parade" and "Cancer".
The Black Parade was released on October 23, 2006 in the
United Kingdom and on October 24 in the United States.
"Something Incredible Comes This Way" is a biography
written by Paul Stenning (Published in 2006). It
features their beginnings, right through to The Black
Parade.
My Chemical Romance played six dates from January 19 to
February 4, 2007 in the world renowned Big Day Out
festival in Australia and New Zealand. They were billed
alongside Tool, Muse, The Killers, and Jet.
Gerard Way commented that the band would be returning to
New Zealand at the 2007 Big Day Out in Auckland.
In Kerrang! magazine, issue 1138, My Chemical Romance
won the following categories in the 2006 poll: Best
Band, Worst Band, Best Album (The Black Parade), Worst
Album (The Black Parade), Best Track ("Welcome to the
Black Parade"), Best Video ("Welcome to the Black
Parade"), Best Live Show, Best Thing About 2006, Worst
Thing About 2006, Hero of 2006 (Gerard Way), Villain of
2006 (Gerard Way), and Sexiest Male (Gerard Way). In
issue 1139, Kerrang! rated The Black Parade as the 4th
Greatest Album of 2006.
In Rolling Stone magazine's ranking of the top 50 albums
of 2006, The Black Parade was voted the 20th best album
of the year.
Recently, My Chemical Romance performed "Famous Last
Words" on top of the Pontiac Building on MTV's New
Year's Special. Another notable detail from this
performance is Gerard Way's newly dyed (still short)
black hair.
The US headlining tour titled The Black Parade started
on February 22, 2007. The band is currently on tour with
Rise Against, who in July released The Sufferer and the
Witness.
The band will embark on The Black Parade World Tour this
spring.[11] They will tour the Europe with dates in the
U.K, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden with
Thursday as support at the end of March beginning of
April.
On April 2nd, My Chemical Romance will release "I Don't
Love You" as their third single off The Black Parade
album. The single will be a UK only release. To coincide
with this release date, the band will perform an
exclusive gig for Radio 1 at the Koko venue in London.
Tickets are exclusively available as competition prizes.
In May, My Chemical Romance is scheduled to headline the
first day of New Jersey's annual rock festival, The
Bamboozle.[12] The band has headlined the festival in
past years.
The band will be announcing a new leg of the tour on
Monday, February 19, 2007 that will include dates in
Canada in May. They are also confirmed to play at Oxegen
'07 in Ireland in July.
On February 22nd, 2007, at the first concert of The
Black Parade world tour in Manchester, New Hampshire, My
Chemical Romance announced the addition of Reggie and
the Full Effect frontman James Dewees, who will play
keyboards/synth on the tour. Formerly of The Get Up
Kids, Dewees most recently toured with New Found Glory.
My Chemical Romance will be headlining Friday night of
the Download Festival in 2007. Festival organisers were
criticized by many fans of the festival who felt did the
band failed to fit the rock/metal festival, and the
official announcement[13] received thousands of negative
responses to the choice.
My Chemical Romance won the award for "Best
International Band" at the 2007 NME Awards. Gerard also
won the "Hero of the Year" award.[14]
On March 12th, 2007, My Chemical Romance appered on the
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as the host. They played
their single, "Famous Last Words" at the ending of them
show as flames were bursting behind them.
On Tuesday, March 20, 2007, My Chemical Romance started
the second leg of their tour, (Europe - UK, Ireland,
Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark) playing at Plymouth
Pavilions to a sell out crowd.
According to various reports, My Chemical Romance will
most likely be a part of Linkin Park's Projekt
Revolution tour this summer, along with Billy Talent,
Taking Back Sunday, HIM, and of course, Linkin Park.
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