“Roadie for a Day!
05-28-2004
My Chemical Romance is giving you the chance to be a Roadie For A Day on their leg of the Warped Tour.
Ten (10) winners will be chosen to be Roadie For A Day. You read it right, ten. Each winner will recieve one (1) All Access pass, a $10 per diem and a special package from My Chemical Romance and etnies.
Tour Dates:
6/25 Reliant Center @ Reliant Park at Houston , TX
6/26 Smirnoff Music Center at Dallas , TX
6/27 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Selma , TX
6/29 New Mexico State University Practice Fie at Las Cruces , NM
6/30 Peoria Sports Complex at Peoria , AZ
7/01 California State University at Fullerton , CA
7/02 California State University at Fullerton , CA
7/03 Pier 30/32 at San Francisco , CA
7/04 Desert Breeze Park at Las Vegas , NV
7/06 Coors Amphitheatre at Chula Vista , CA
7/07 Seaside Park at Ventura , CA
7/08 Sleep Train Amphitheatre at Marysville , CA
7/09 Idaho Center at Nampa , ID
7/10 The Gorge at George , WA
7/11 Columbia Meadows at Saint Helens , OR
7/13 Thunderbird Stadium at Vancouver, BC ,
7/15 Race City Speedway at Calgary, AB ,
7/16 Gallatin County Fairgrounds at Bozeman , MT
7/17 Utah State Fairpark at Salt Lake City , UT
7/18 Invesco Field @ Mile HIgh at Denver , CO
7/24 Tweeter Center at Tinley Park , IL
CONTEST CLOSED!”
etnies.com 2004
source: web.archive.org
original titles for tracks on three cheers for sweet revenge”
“The final tracks for the record have been determined. They are:
(in no particular order)
1. To the End
2. Give ‘em Hell, Kid
3. Thank you for the Venom
4. The Ghost of You
5. I never told you what I do for a living
6. Cemetery Drive
7. Hang ’em High
8. You know what they do to guys like us in Prison
9. Helena
10. If we’re not careful, We’ll turn into Catholics
11. It’s not a fashion statemen, it’s a fucking deathwish
12. I Promise it’s the last time
13. The Jetset lifestyle will kill you”
from mychemicalromance.com 2004
source: web.archive.org
chemical burn by jeff schechter 06/2004 amp scans from mcrhollywood
“THE LIGHTS DIM, AND WITH THE CROWD MILLING AROUND THE energy amongst the young fans in attendance at the Majestic Café in Detroit seemed like a pocket of gas, pent up and ready to erupt. Like a match struck, My Chemical Reaction hit the stage with an explosive presence and the room goes from dormant to devastation. “The crowd’s energy was amazing tonight,” says singer Gerard Way, “The kids climbing up and diving offstage; man that’s why we love Detroit.”
Tearing through a set interwoven with fan favorites, and songs off the impending release on Reprise Records: Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, My Chemical Romance left the stage littered with equipment, and the crowd screaming for more.
Since the release of the debut, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in the summer of 2002, it has been a relative landslide of hype about the band. Well- deserved hype at that. From starting the fire on the Warped Tour, to tour-ing constantly throughout the United States, My Chemical Romance has established a heightened state of street credibility and a much wider fan base, as well as a growing energy in their songs and stage performance. Described as an explosion of rage and integrity, whether at one of their shows, sweating and screaming right along with singer Gerard Way, or enchanted by the melodies of “Demolition Lovers” screaming from a stereo, all in question have to agree that My Chemical Romance is a prevalent force to be reckoned with in the years ahead.
Recently signing with the major, Reprise Records, My Chemical Romance jumped right back to work after relentless touring that has spanned the United States and much of Europe; in the UK, Germany, Holland, and Spain. As they now come into their own, My Chemical Romance does not plan on taking their music, newfound position, or their fans for granted. Like a snake full of fresh venom, My Chemical Romance curl up to attack, back in the studio recording what is described as, the darkest and hardest music to date by singer Gerard Way. After such intense songs as “Headfirst for Halos” and “Cubicles” it will be an anxious wait to see what this fresh young band will crank out next.
“We went for a grainy, dirty sound, trying to capture the intensity of our live performance on the album,” stated guitarist Frank lero. “We werea bit apprehensive, waiting to seehow the label treated us in the studio. But it worked out great, Reprise gave us creative license to create the sort of record we wanted, this is definitely the record we set out to make.” After a debut record that made such an impact, receiving acclaim from Keith Morris of Black Flag, and the Circle Jerks fame, it will be quite a thing to see how the band has approached their sophomore effort. “Keith Morris is one of my musical idols,” lero admits with enthusiasm, “He contacted the band, and expressed how much of a fan he was of what we were doing. He is actually on Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. That is one of my greatest experiences so far, writing a piece of music for one of my heroes to perform on our new record.”
My Chemical Romance is like a chemical reaction leaving all things in their wake changed forever. These guys come right off a freight train of rock and roll fury; first stop, right in your face. Raw talent, dark lyrics, and heavy angst cover the debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. Layered musical tent coupled with a fierce sense of annihilation unleash an addiction for My Chemical Romance that is manifested in their solid, loyal fan base. Such a diverse sound was cultivated from the individuals in the bands different tastes.
“We are all different guys, musically,” says lero. With tastes from Brit-Pop, to classically trained guitarists, and hardcore punk rock enthusiasts, My Chemical Romance is a melting pot of beautifully chaotic sounds. “Heading back into the studio, we were anticipating it to be more difficult, so having a lot of ideas already prepared helped in the process.” lero comments on the recording process, “As a band we wanted to capture the live aspects of our shows, because we didn’t feel that the first record did our live performance the justice it deserves.” While exuberant in the youth of My Chemical Romance, this band has paid their dues, and it is like.breaths of fresh air to have such an original band make such an impact in so short a time. Hailing from the turbulent streets of urban New Jersey, the tale of My Chemical Romance chases these five young men back to the days of high school. As acquaintances in younger con-years, the members of My Chemical Romance were tried and true members of the local music scene. It was in their own individual bands that they began a fledgling approach to the world of an indie-rock movement. As time goes, so did the bands, and they all head off in separate directions, seeking separate paths. Keeping in touch over the years, it became apparent that each man’s path wasn’t leading to the places they had imagined. Singer Gerard Way was living in his mom’s basement, making transit to New York City doing animation, when he called up drummer Matt Pelissier, and found they were both in precarious limbos. Not sure where they were headed, the two got together to play some music. After rounding out the roster with Ray Toro and guitar and Mikey Way on bass, the seething seed of My Chemical Romance was born. lero recalls the early days, “After they had all gotten together, Gerard, Ray, Matt and Mikey, I was a huge fan of the music they were making. After the band I was in at the time split up, they decided to get another guitarist, and asked me to join.” The story behind the band is as captivating as the music they create. “This new record is really gonna blow up, it is just as true to what was done with ‘Bullets’ but more energetic and over the top. I can’t wait for the fans to get their hands on the new record. We are set up to tour so much in the next year; I forget what my house looks like already.”
With the release of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge slated for June, the growing fever of the band’s energy criss-crosses the nation with Avenged Sevenfold on a tour that kicks off in Detroit April 3rd, also look forward to them on this summer’s Warped Tour www.warped-tour.com. With all that lay ahead of them, it is impossible to see just how far My Chem’s signature sound can go. You can check them out online at www.mychemicalromance.com, or wait and find My Chemical Romance in your town, tearing a relative black hole for the masses to peer into throughout the country. In the opinion of this writer, the harder they rock, the darker the better.“
06/11/2004 equal music interview with gerard by danielle moskowitz
“When Warner Brothers/Reprise invited me to come talk with Gerard from My Chemical Romance about their new album at their record release show, how could I have refused?
The show was in their home state of NJ, packed with 1300 cheering fans. What made the show even cooler for me was featured artist, Nightmare of You was on the bill too! (NOY is still currently unsigned and have been playing with My Chem. Good for them!) I love when Equal Music bands get together!
Is their latest apart of a trilogy? Front man Gerard explains. He also reveals what why it didn’t turn out to be the concept record they had planned it to be and what are they doing in Tokyo with The Beastie Boys? (Original interview from Oct. 31, 2003 follows this latest one from June)
DM: When we spoke last you guys were shopping for a producer. Who did you wind up working with and why?
Gerard: We wound up working with Howard Benson. A big reason was because he contacted us which is always very exciting. He was very enthusiastic about the project. It’s not so much that he got what world we came from because he’s worked with bands like P.O.D. and Blindside which is a completely different universe but he got what we were trying to do with the music and so we connected on a lot of levels.
DM: How was this experience different from working with Alex (Eyeball Records) and Geoff (Thursday [Island/Def Jam]) front man?
Gerard: That whole experience was hanging with friends and having a really fun time. There wasn’t a lot of money or pressure. But then this experience didn’t have that much pressure either which was weird. It was very a positive experience that had a really good flow. But yeah it was very different.
DM: You said in October that while you were finishing the first record you knew what you wanted the second one to be called (which is their latest, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge) and at the time since you knew the name for the second one you had an idea for what you wanted the third record to be called, although there’s not going to be a trilogy so how do you know? Where’s the connection with that?
Gerard: It’s the kind of connection where you kind of always have a sense of what you’re band is doing and where it’s headed. I think we have a good idea of kind of like what the first record should be.It should be fast and dirty and cheap. Then the second one you really up the ante and really go for it with this one. The third one you try to explore new avenues. We ended up doing a lot of that on this record. We actually ended up being way more experiemantal than we thought we were going to be. It sounded good to us so we said let’s keep doing it.
DM: To jump ahead, do you know what the next one’s going to be called?
Gerard: From this experience I learned I shouldn’t do that anymore because it locks you into something. And this record wound up being half a concept record because so much happened in our lives that when it came time to write lyrics I found out that it was less ficiton and more fact. So it’s a very loose concept record. I want to see what happens for the third one and actually not plan anything out. I think that will be interesting because- it’s not that we’re calculated but we always kind of know where we’re headed and kind of vibe on it. For the next one I kind of don’t want to have that.
DM: What kind of mood do you feel like the new album has?
Gerard: I just started listening to it as a piece now, not just bits here and there it’s really about loss. The first record was more about pain, misery and agression and violence. Although the lyrics can be disturbing at points, it’s really about loss. In the end that’s what it wound up being more about instead of some story. You can pick it out of at least four or five of the songs. Even the performances that everyone gives too makes it feel like it’s really about loss.
DM: Do you feel like it’s dark?
Gerard: Yeah. It’s already been called that by a lot of people. We got a parental advisory without even having more than one curse in it. I think it’s dark but I think it’s a lot more positive than the first record.
DM: Yeah, I remember you saying that you felt the ups were going to be more up and the downs more down.
Gerard: Yeah and they really ended up being like that. But, there’s definitely more moments of positivity and celebration than on the first record.
DM: What are some of difference of working with an indie and working with a major?
Gerard: This record was really painless so I can’t truthfully answer that as a band that’s in our position. We are really rare case of– it was very similar to the first record where we did exactly what we wanted and luckily because they knew who we were when they signed us that’s exactly what they wanted. There wasn’t much of a difference other than the fact that there was obviously a lot more deadlines and a lot more pressure to get things done on time. That was the big difference but that was actually it.
DM: You’re going to Tokyo soon for Summer Sonic Fest. You must be excited.
Gerard:Yeah, it’s awesome, we get to play with The Beastie Boys and I’ve never seen them.
DM: What’s going on for you guys for the rest of the year?
Gerard: Pretty much straight touring till the record cycle is over. It’s usually about eighteen months from the time you start a record until you’re done touring on it and should be starting a new one. There’s already stuff I really want to write. I want to start immediately. As soon as we finished this I wanted to just do another. We’re very much a live band but at the same time you get in the studio and you remember you’re very much all songwriters and we had forgotten that part of us. I’m still in that head fix where I want to write more songs.
DM: Maybe you can still do that while you’re on the road.
Gerard: Yeah, we plan to do it on Warped Tour. It will be our first time really on a bus so we’re going to have more space and we’ll be comfortable. Right ater that we’re going back to a van so Warped Tour is really going to be the time that we write.
danielle moskowitz october 31, 2003 (2nd interview below)
Juxtaposing raw vocals and a punk edge against riffs suddenly gone melodic, My Chemical Romance takes you from upbeat drumming in one measure to a moment where you find yourself lost in slow, somber guitars the next. Listen closely as their vocalist Gerard reveals glimpses of himself through his brutally honest lyrics that hold traces of darkness around them.
DM: The bands success seems to have come very quickly. How long were you a band before signing to Eyeball Records?
Gerard: Let’s see—January is when we started playing as a band. We signed around our third or fourth show. It’s been quick since the beginning.
DM: What were you doing with your lives before the band took off?
Gerard: I was doing animation in the city [New York]. I was actually doing toy design in Hoboken [New Jersey], and Frankie was going to school, Mikey was going to school, Otter was a mechanic, and Ray was delivering film I believe and interning and stuff like that for film. We all just weren’t happy doing what we were doing, ya know?
DM: Geoff from the band Thursday and Alex from Eyeball [Records] I know played a big part in the recording of your last CD.
Gerard: Yeah, definitely.
DM: Are they going to be playing any part on your CD that will be coming out?
Gerard: I don’t think so. Sometimes you want to use the same people sometimes you want to see what would happen with other people. I’m sure they’ll hear it and we’ll ask their opinions.
DM: So they’re not going to help produce?
Gerard: Nah.
DM: What made you guys decide that a major was the next best move?
Gerard: It was one of those things where everything else was moving really fast but we had been able to keep up with it, ya know? We had been able to keep up with the shows that we were getting which were like going from playing basements to playing in front of 10,000 people with Jimmy Eat World. So it went from that to that, and it seemed like a very natural progression. And although a lot of people think it seemed quick, all that talk and all that nonsense was happening before our record even came out. It was like, we basically not fought them off, but said hey we’re going to be a band and do that, ya know? And then when we’re ready…Actually it was a lot longer process than most bands that are getting signed today.
DM: What made Reprise the best label for you guys?
Gerard: It was the best company. They were very familiar with us. We had a lot of fans at the company before we had signed. We had a lot of people helping out before we had signed.
DM: And they understand where you guys wanted to go musically, as a band?
Gerard: Yeah, exactly. That was the big thing. They knew where we wanted to go, they knew how we wanted to do things, and they were going to let us do it our way. Very low pressure type thing. Just kind of let us be us and you distribute us.
DM: When is the new album due out?
Gerard: We’re hoping it will come out in about in about spring. We’re going to record in January. We don’t have a producer yet. We’re looking at a few people and they’re looking at us. So it’s kind of that whole game right now.
DM: Do you have a title yet?
Gerard: Yeah, it’s called Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. And it was a title that… we pretty much known the title for the first record before it was finished and as soon as we were done with that I kind of knew what I wanted the title to be for the second. So it’s kind of in the process where I kind of know what I want the third to be too.
DM: Is it a trilogy type thing?
Gerard: No. This one’s different from the last and it’s more fictitious, but it’s still heartfelt. And it’s more of a concept record than the last one, where the last one was more of an autobiography. But the next one’s more of a concept album about a person; the next one after that I don’t what know what it will be.
DM: While you guys have been on tour you’ve been playing new songs live and they seem to be heavier. Would you say that is the direction you guys are going in?
Gerard: Well, yeah. The heavier stuffs heavier. The heavy stuff we did before is definitely heavier now. Those same elements are there; we’re just spending a little more time on the heavy stuff. But at the same time I think there’s way more melody. Maybe not in the stuff we’re playing out live, but it’s more violently happy. But it’s also very ironically bleak ya know, as far as tone goes.
DM: Track seven on your CD [I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love] is called Skylines and Turnstiles. Is it true that it was inspired by September 11?
Gerard: Yeah, and in fact that event happening was a big thing about why we started the band because, I was on my to a meeting with Cartoon Network and then that happened and I was like what the fuck am I doing with my life.
DM: You saw it happen? You were in the city?
Gerard: Yeah, I was in Hoboken, on the way there. I was right across the river and I was on my way in right around that, very close to that area, but more around Canal, and I was like what the fuck am I doing?
DM: It made you feel like life’s too short and you need to go for what you want?
Gerard: Yeah, yeah exactly. Like obviously life is way too short, you don’t know when your numbers coming and I also felt like I wasn’t making a difference at all, ya know what I mean?
DM: There are a couple theories circulating about your repeated mention of vampires in your lyrics. Can you clear that up?
Gerard: It’s a metaphor for being in your twenties and getting sucked into that singles, alcoholic nightlife culture, ya know what I mean? It’s interesting, because you’ll find that a lot of bands use the supernatural as a gimmick, and that’s really all it is, it’s just like horror punk, and that’s all it is. We’re not really into vampires. I like to wear black, but…
Contact [email protected] for more about My Chemical Romance.
Check them out on select Warped Tour Dates later this year
“Gerard: I think ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor because I was in the supermarket with my mom when I was like seven and it came on the PA and I sang the crap out of it. That was the first time I had sang and everyone started clapping in time with the song; other people buying produce. I knew I had a gift, it really did happen.”
popyoularity.com interview with gerard and frank 2004
11/23/2004 gerard’s interview from coffee with cojo on artsucks.com
“It’s really cool when people you know, and knew from obscurity become famous in a field you would have never guessed that they were even involved in.
Here is some back story…My freshman year of college (SVA) I became fast friends with this kid named Gerard Way. It was our “foundation year” where they lump students into “general blocks” of courses, reguardless of major. The people you are grouped with, you are stuck with, because they will be in about seventy percent of your classes your foundation year. Being that Gerard was a cartooning and illustration major with a line-art-cartoonish-comic-book style, and I had been working at Marvel Comics for the past two years; we had a lot in common. He was actually a really good cartoonist (One of the top in our class).
Well, Gerard was best friends with this guy Todd. Todd was a funny guy, but I didn’t really hang around with him. I was a DJ for our school’s radio station (WSVA) at the time and I was dating this girl Cheryl.
A few months later I broke it off with Cheryl…Time passed and somewhere along the line (I can’t remember how long exactly) Todd started seeing Cheryl. Of course that’s when Todd would want nothing to do with me (being that he was with Cheryl now), and it’s also where I lost touch with Gerard (Naturally, he being Todd’s best friend and all).
Well, I would run into Gerard in school over the years from time to time, and I remember seeing one of his cartoons printed in “THE BIG BOOK OF THE WEIRD WILD WEST” which was part of one of my favorite graphic novel series’ (THE BIG BOOK OF).
Then in 2003 sometime I ran into Gerard walking down Third Avenue right off of St. Marks Place. I hadn’t seen him in like seven years and his name slipped my mind, but I was sure it was him.
I followed him, he was going pretty fast “MARK!” I yelled to him, and he turned around. He looked at me with the expression of searching one’s memory to place a face.
“Cojo?” He said, then corrected me “It’s Gerard by the way, where did you get Mark from?”
“I don’t know, maybe St. Marks? I was just drawing a blank on your name, I’m sorry, but I knew it was you and I had to stop you, how ya been man?” I asked.
Irarely run into old classmates so I offered to buy him a cup of coffee. We were right in Cooper’s Square so we hit a Starbucks (If you’ve never been in Cooper’s Square, you will be amused to learn that there are three Starbucks Coffee shops within sight of one another…it’s really freakish).
I paid for his coffee and we shot the shit. He blew my mind telling me that he’s the lead singer for a band called “MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE” and that they just got back from touring Europe. What the fuck? A far cry from cartooning.
I told him about all the weird work I’ve been doing. It’s so rare that I actually run into someone from school who is successful and doing something they love. It was really refreshing. I took a few photos of him as we talked. I’m weird with documenting things- as if you haven’t noticed.
We left Starbucks and kept shooting the shit. Having nothing to do he decided to join me for the rest of the afternoon. We walked over to the Virgin Megastore on 14th and he pointed out the magazines his band had been spotlighted in and what music he’s into and what not.
It was funny cause he’s like: “We’re in Alternative Press all the time” and I was like, “Hey, I worked for A.P., I did stuff for the Warped Tour a few years back and actually visited their office in Cleveland!” (-author’s note: you will read about this Cleveland trip in the past updates after the site hard launches in Feb-). It was cool cause we knew the same peeps.
I showed him the magazines I was in, and turned to the pages to show him the artwork. One neat thing about being in magazines is that you have a mini portfolio of your work at any magazine shop you walk into in the country.
Well, he invited me to see his band perform at THE KNITTING FACTORY the next week. I told him I would try to make it, but I was really slammed with work so I probably wouldn’t be able to make this one, but I’d really like to do an interview with him or him and the band sometime where I could record our conversation.
Like just hang out and shoot the shit with them (cause he’s just a down to earth Jersey born kid like myself) and pitch it to magazines afterwords, accompanied by a portrait I would do of their members. He was like: “Man, I wish you had a tape recorder on you now, the stuff I’ve been saying is good shit, totally printable shit!” And he was right, I really was digging at him about what happend that got him to make the transition from art into music and was getting the “real” answers, not the way a rockstar talks to a reporter, but the way an old bud you goofed off with in drawing class and you haven’t seen in years talks to you.
I told him I’d look out for his band in the mags and if I saw something or could help em’ out I’d spotlight it or give him a buzz. He thanked me for payin’ for the Starbucks and then I caught a train uptown.
Well, September Maxim’s Blender did a whole page on MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, showcasing them as the next big thing. Then last week I was out with my girl and we walked by a magazine rack, and on the cover of AP (Alternative Press) was Gerard and his band in some serious Rigamortis style dead make-up.
“No SHIT!” I exclaimed, and picked it up. I explained to Tracy (my girlfriend) the story of how I knew this guy. That night I was flipping through the channels and I came upon MTV and what the fuck, there was a MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE video! Same day as I saw the cover! The song was catchy as hell. I couldn’t believe it. I was like: “No crap… they are gonna be huge!” Just after their song, a yellow card video started. I guess that’s their genre. I asked Ink’s brother (17 year old semi-pro skateboarder) Mikey if he knew of My Chemical Romance. He told me he’s a fan, has their albums. I asked Jain, and she was like, “Um yeah, they are actually a really popular band! They’ve been out for a while.”
So I guess this update is long overdue, and so is a congrats to Gerard. Keep kickin’ ass man! Next time you are back in town, give me a buzz.
Just another day in the life of an Art Juggernaut.
translation: “my chemical romance interview. “for us, the live stage is the only place where we can be ourselves.”
The songs are like a collection of rock anthems from all over the world, past and present, and it sets the hearts of listeners ablaze.
Who is the emo band that rocked the Summer Sonic stage?
My Chemical Romance, from New Jersey, who just released their major debut album “THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE” in July, came to Japan for the first time at Summer Sonic 04. MCR’s music is called “screamo” because of their friendship with their friends, including THE USED, and their style, and it contains the street/garage sensibility unique to the generation that went through American punk in recent years… but if you listen to it with a calm ear, you can see that although the vocals are “screamo style,” the songs have a beautiful structure and tearful melodies that are related to British heavy metal, and they also feature beautiful guitar solos. In other words, MCR is a band that plays heavy metal at the street level… That’s why they must have been so welcomed right from the start in Japan, a country that has a strong tradition of heavy metal music (probably) – their first performance in Japan was a big success.
45 minutes after the end of the thunderous “Summer Sonic” stage
We caught up with the two excited guitarists!
I’ve never been to a show like that before! I’ll never forget this experience.
–Now Frank Iero (FI): This isn’t real.
How was the live show you just finished?
FI: Seriously! I’ve never done a show like that before. It was a memorable moment in my life. I’ll never forget it!
–You seem very excited. What was so amazing about it?
Ray Toro: No, not “What”. WTF! I mean, they were so welcoming! I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction at all. It felt like a hometown show. Oh, what can I say… ahhhh… anyway, it feels great!– (Laughs)
Was the positive reaction because the new york was great? Especially the first single “I’m Not Okay” it’s really exciting… It’s a great song, and the song structure is well-crafted, building up from the intro, and the solo is uplifting too. Did you feel any magic when you made it?
FI: Well, let me tell you something. This song is something that you can’t really call “written”.
Really? Is that so?
FI: That’s true. The song itself only has four chords, right? Except for the solo, it’s all four. So at first, I thought it would be a boring song. But when we got together in the studio and Ray was playing those four chords over and over… Gerald (Way/vocals) started singing. The other members were silent. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. Then I realized it was an incredibly beautiful song. I felt it was worth completing. So I tried to change it up with the chorus. The root remained four.
—The guitar solo in this song creates a harmony with the guitar, creating a grandeur that is reminiscent of Queen. How did this come about?
FI: That solo was all Ray!
RT: Of course we were totally inspired by Queen! We were all saying, “Let’s have a big guitar solo. Nobody does that anymore!” So I layered the guitars on it and made it as epic as possible. Also, when we were writing the song originally, we talked about making it as production-heavy as possible in the studio… Another thing I did consciously was to think of all the ‘80s pop and ’70s bands I liked. I thought, “What would they do to make a song that’s really epic…?” That’s also where the two-second piano in the middle of the song came from. It doesn’t really mean anything, but it’s a bit like a soundtrack.
In terms of age, he was still very much alive.
FI: To tell you the truth, that second part is from the live album “CHEAP TRICK AT BUDOKAN” (1978) [laughs] I really wanted to include it. To begin with, even though some people have performed it live, I’ve never heard it performed in a studio album. I tried to include that as well and create the biggest anthem I could think of.
Q: Not just “I’m Not Okay,” but all of MCR’s songs…The composition is designed to make the listeners excited. They are all uplifting and dramatic. Is this something you do consciously?
FI: I’m totally aware of it.
RT: Yes. You can hear it in the song, but I change parts one after another. For example, We never repeat the same parts twice, and as the song progresses, new elements are added. We want it to feel like it’s building from one thing to the next. Every member of the band contributes to that. The drums, the vocals, the melodies…everything helps the song to go higher and higher.
FI: Especially the new album, “It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish” crescendos all the way through. It just gets stronger and stronger. It all comes together in a spectacular finale. The whole band sings together for an anthemic ending. Because I like it! Our styles are completely different, maybe that mismatch is a good thing?
MCR’s music tends to be dramatic. Is that due to the influence of the music you’ve listened to up until now?
RT: I grew up listening to heavy metal, like Ozzy Osbourne. I was obsessed with guitar heroes. I like bands that feature guitar players such as the late Randy Rhoads (g/Ozzy Osbourne) and Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix… In other words, Randy is the one who combined heavy metal with classical music, but his guitar playing I think he is the person who has had the biggest influence on my style. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but it has a melody. And it’s timeless. Melody.
FI: Richie Havens. My first woodstock. He was the opening act for the concert. He took me to an acoustic I just played it with one guitar, like a solo. There wasn’t much, just sitting on the stool. He played very melodic and rhythmic guitar. But it’s a completely unique style that can’t be imitated. He had tiles… Such a great performer. I’ve never seen him before! I’ve seen Richie on stage about 10 times now, and I’m blown away every time. He’s one of the reasons I don’t stop playing guitar. I also love Greg Ginn (guitar/Black Flag) and Thurston Moore (vocals, guitar/Sonic Youth). In other words, I like dirty and emotional guitar more than intellectual style.
——————Hmm. You two have completely different tastes…
FI: Well, we are completely different types of guitarists, but maybe that mismatch is a good thing.
–You mentioned a lot of artists, but listening to your album I can sense a strong influence from heavy metal. But you also listen to a lot of different music from the ’70s and ’80s, right?
RT: Well, you can’t just listen to one type of music, you know? There’s so much good music out there. We can’t just pretend not to notice it! All of us in the band try to listen to as much as we can and want to absorb as much as we can from all kinds of music.
FI: What we heard was an influence in some way.
FI: I like to use a Marshall JCM900 connected to a SUNN cabinet, and an Epiphone Zak Wylde model Les Paul as the only guitar. I turn up the bass all the way (laughs). Treble is about mid-range. I add gain here and there. But I like to keep it sounding like a real guitar. Not a “buzzing” sound with too much gain, but more of a solid sound.
RT: Yes! And we both try to only use effects when absolutely necessary, and usually plug them straight into the amp. Oh, but we do use wah pedals. Personally, I’d love to see the wah come back!
–I see. So with Frank on the bass and Ray raising the middle, it feels like you’ve managed to balance the band sound well?
FI&RT: Exactly!
FI: That’s how I make it clear that there are two guitars. It’s better to have a difference where you can hear each guitar part and it doesn’t sound too cluttered.
――――So, let’s talk about your playing, not just the guitar sound.
RT: I’ve been in the middle of it all. But the best thing to do is come to a show and see for yourself! I think there have been times when people thought it was Frank and it was me, and vice versa. We’ve influenced each other so we have some similarities.
—So you’re influenced by each other’s playing?
RT: Yeah. At least I got it from Frank.
I learned to play dirty. Not just clean, but more emotional. Instead of being super technical and perfect, I gave myself a little more leeway and tried to avoid feedback and pick-squeezing.
Frank is especially good at pick slides. He likes to make noise out of the guitar, rather than a pretty sound.
He’s really good at bringing that out. Making noise, not just playing, is something I’m still learning.
FI: I’m the opposite, I’m learning to play clean, to keep things under control, but still let out emotion when necessary.
RT: A classic example of what you’re talking about is “The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You.” Frank has a really great part here. After the second chorus, it gets really quiet.
“THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE” Warner Music Japan [CD] WPCR-11883 Sensual vocal melodies and emotional guitars, as heard on the 1st single.Their popularity is on the rise thanks to the explosive emotion of their vocals. This is the band’s second album and their major label debut. Ray’s strengths are in his guitar playing, which always lifts the listener up. While talking about the existing screamo sound, such as the “screamo” part, a new sense of flavoring with the essence of gothic and metal shines. And it’s the same with everyday experiences! Everything that comes out of it naturally comes out in the work, and the more I shut out certain types of music or certain experiences, the less fertilizer I have. The goal is the stage. Keep playing to the limit. From what I saw on stage a while ago, the live equipment was, you both used similar things. How do you differentiate between the sounds?
RT: I’m more into distortion. I play a lot of riffs and generally like to emphasize the mid-range.
My model was the crunch guitar sound of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” (1986).
FI: On the other hand, I only use distortion to a natural degree.
Can you tell me the specific equipment names?
RT: The amps are Marshall “JCM2000” and “1960”.
Cabinet. The guitar was bought by my brother for Christmas 10 years ago.
It’s a very easy one to make, but the sound is great!
I also use an Epiphone Les Paul.
036 GuitarBreakers Vol.8
He said it was a good example of how the differences between the two of them are well expressed.
Can you name any?
FI: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us
In Prison, I guess?
RT: You’re right!
FI: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us
“In Prison” is huge! The first two verses are
It’s rhythmic and dirty, and then…
Ray’s guitar hero-like, epic solo begins (laughs). And it has a light rhythm. And then there’s “To The End” too.
RT: Yes. In some ways, I play more technically than Frank, but “To the End” has a great guitar solo, it’s fast, and it’s got some rhythmic, dirty parts. But I think you can hear the difference in our playing styles on every song to some extent.
—By the way, on the album, which is left and which is right?
Are you playing the channel?
RT: Well, in the verses, I mostly play on the left.
Ray is on the left. And Frank is on the right in the chorus.
Frank really blossoms in this scene. It’s totally different from his previous style.
FI: Mmhmm!
—Finally, could you tell us about your future goals regarding guitar and songwriting?
FI: For now, I’d like to be able to turn the parts I’ve written for the next album into proper songs.
Also, we have a clear goal as a band.
But I’ll keep it a secret until I achieve it (lol).
RT: For me personally, I just want to keep improving.
FI: Me too!
RT: We both love playing guitar.
That’s what life is all about, so I want to keep improving both in technique and melody.
FI: For us, it was a live show that lasted less than two hours. I think that the only chance I have is to be myself, to experience a pure and spiritual moment. So my goal is to continue to play all the way to the end. There is a joy that cannot be expressed in words. I don’t think you can understand it unless you have experienced it!
My Chemical Playing – A magnificent world created with guitar
The key to My Chemical Romance’s songs is the twin guitars. When the two guitars intertwine, sometimes intensely and sometimes elegantly, it gives the listener a great sense of exhilaration.
Ray was crazy about guitar heroes like Randy Rhoads and Joe Satriani, while Frank loves Greg Ginn and Thurston Moore. They come from completely different backgrounds, but as Ray says, “When we get together, we don’t know why, but a special atmosphere is born,” which is the characteristic of the My Chemical Romance sound. In fact, Alba
If you check out his playing, you can hear many good examples of two-guitar ensemble. One of the best is the backing for “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” As mentioned in the interview, the bass in this song is a repeat of four chords (D → Bm Em → A), but it is amazing how the performance is not at all simple. Due to space limitations, I will not post an example.
“I’m Not Okay” style guitar solo sheet music.
I’m sorry I can’t introduce it, but I definitely want you to check out the ensemble in the A-melody. So, I’ll introduce the solo below. This performance was inspired by Queen and was meant to be grand. The harmonies are great, but the chord progression is deliberately E/G#, even though E would have been fine in the flow. This is one of the reasons why it feels so grand.
In the harmonies from bars 1 to 8, you want to be aware of the speed at which you raise the pitch of the choking, and the speed and depth of the vibrato.
The first half of bar 12 means “play five notes in two beats.”
gerard:
“We have a photographer I really love, Justin Borucki. He ended up doing all the photos of the band for the record. But he was supposed to do this set up of a man and a woman. It was supposed to be a photo of them covered in blood.
So, I pass all my sketches over, and he’s sitting there looking at them and he’s like, “What do you want me to do with these?” I was like, “I’m just going to give them to the photographer and he’s going to recreate the situation.” He goes, “How come you’re not using these?”
I’m like, “I don’t know. I haven’t done art in years.” So, I didn’t think of myself that way. I didn’t think they were good enough. He loved them. He was like, “This is your cover, dude.” ”
bonus photo of gerard from this interview:
04/17/2004 skate and surf fest elyse janowski interview with gerard
spacey recorded the band during it’s early years and I wanted to post their new video and talk about their work. mcr referred to spacey in an interview on their channel “sweet dude, sweet hair, bootlegger”
they have released uploads of these early shows and have the best quality audio you could find- because they are originals. you may have seen mcr archive and myself post about these recordings but I don’t think enough people know about spacey. they recorded the 2003 seton hall interview, djrosstar, loveline interviews. they recorded the first sister to sleep, jack the ripper, among other things. their yt about:
“Four of my MCR recordings were used on four official releases and other promotional uses: * Like Phantoms Forever CD-r – Jack The Ripper [Morrissey] (live) * Headfirst For Halos CD and 7” – Our Lady Of Sorrows (live) * Thank You For The Venom 7” – Jack The Ripper [Morrissey] (live) * MySpace Music Player – Sister To Sleep (soundcheck) * UnleashTheBats.com exclusive download – It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s A Fucking Deathwish (live)” – spaceyraygun
—————————————————————————— Episode Title: Three Cheers For Warped’s Little Darlings! Synopsis: From almost getting shot to fear of karaoke, My Chem comes clean. Cast: Gerard, Franky, Mikey and Jenna. [Photos by L. La Mer] Air Date: Warped Tour/Summer 2004 ————————————————————————-—–
Other than being able to sit down for interviews with wonderful people like us, what does being on the Warped Tour mean to you? Frank:Oh wow! Personally, ever since I was in bands at thirteen I tried to do battle of the bands… play Warped Tour and things like that. I never actually won any of the battle of the bands but it’s a dream come true to be on Warped. It really is! It’s unlike any other tour we’ve been on and you can’t prepare for it in any way. But it’s definitely a dream come true to play with some of my favorite bands of all time.
Seeing as though it’s Warped’s ten year anniversary, give us some insight as to the kind of kid you were when you were ten. Frank: Asshole. I was such an asshole! Uhhh Delinquent. I was told I was too intelligent for my own good but I don’t know about that. I didn’t like authority and this was at ten! Gerard: Tell me what has changed? Frank:She just said ten, she didn’t say now! But I could give you the same answer; you never know! Gerard:I didn’t want to say anything. Frank:I was pretty much like I am today but I wish I knew now what I knew then. Does that make sense? Gerard:I liked Star Wars when I was ten.
There’s a rumor circulating around that My Chemical Romance is the love child of the Warped tour… Gerard, Mikey and Frank in unison: Whoa! Wow!
Gerard:We are loved. Frank:But what does that mean, that the Warped Tour and another tour got together and had… Gerard:Yeah like Ozzfest and Demolition Derby got together and… but yeah, I feel it. We are extremely accepted and supported and loved so… Frank:But I almost got shot the other night though. [He says this almost nonchalantly as if it’s a frequent occurence.]
Shot? As in shot, shot? Frank: Pellet gun shot.
Why would someone want to shoot you? Frank: Oh, I wasn’t allowed in a certain VIP barbecue that I wanted in to. Mikey:Chris was like, “just go up and tell them my name and you’ll get in” and the guy was like, “who?” Frank:And he was like “I’ll shoot you.” [Forms a gun with his hand and points it at me.] But as far as a lot of the bands on this tour, they really respect us and it’s great because we really respect the bands. They come to watch us all the time and it’s been amazing. Gerard:We’re very lucky. We feel lucky everyday when some of our favorite bands make time out of their day to come and watch us. And they do that everyday. Frank:The other day, well not yesterday but the day before, we closed and it was really late like 8:10 to 8:40 and we didn’t think anybody was going to come to watch us. But it was all of our favorite bands, like the Souls (Bouncing Souls) came out, Anti-Flag came out… It’s a beautiful tour! Gerard: It made me proud.
Kinda like what happened today? Frank: Oh yeah! That was amazing!
What happened anyway? Frank:All the power went out; the generator exploded. Gerard: It just went out yeah. Frank:It has never happened to us, ever.
The response was incredible. Frank:We traded a great set for a great experience. Gerard:Exactly!
*Note: Earlier that day in mid-performance, My Chem lost all sound just as they began to play their hit song “I’m Not Okay.” Instead of walking off and calling it a day, the band and the crowd began to sing the song accapela. It was quite impressive to watch the dedication and love that their fans have towards them.
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is a very strong title. Whose concept was it and is the band afraid of karma? Gerard: Is the band afraid of karma? Uh…wow! Frank:See here’s the thing… [Turns to Gerard] Before you say anything… think about what you were going to say because I want to say something about karma. Mikey: I think the album is a product of good karma. I think we’ve done good things for people and I think that what occurs from the album can only be good. We’ve never done anything wrong to anybody. Revenge is meant in a different sense, not in the literal sense. You know? Frank:Here’s the thing about karma. ‘Oh if you don’t do this,’ something bad is going to happen but who’s the one striking down on people? Somebody needs to do that. So if we’re the ones to serve the revenge that’s fine by me. Maybe we’re just the angels of death? Gerard: Now it feels like when we play, we have a purpose. There hasn’t been a moment… once in a while you get a little depressed, caught up in something else, but we feel like we have purpose every time we play to do some kind of damage. Not really to ourselves or to the equipment or anything but to what’s generally accepted as okay. Like chewing up and spitting up the same bullshit, sounding like everybody else, being homophobic, all these things that are very accepted in punk rock that are amazingly still alive and well. It’s fucking shocking… Frank:People never cease to amaze us. Gerard:…and it doesn’t feel like a threat to those bands you know. Really close friends of ours have said that and it’s probably the best compliment that I’ve ever gotten for the band, that we were a threat. Ever since hearing that, I take it to heart everytime we get on stage.
In ‘To The End’, why does the elevator only go up to ten and would you feel okay getting off on the thirteen floor? Gerard:Well, I felt that picking a lower number would be like ‘I can’t get high enough’ so I had to pick somewhere around ten. I felt like I just needed to get higher; like the top just isn’t good enough. I think that’s kind of a metaphor in how we feel and how we operate as a band, that the top isn’t good enough since that’s not what we’re after. It’s not good enough for us because we want to make a difference and actually change things. We don’t just want things thrown at us. But I’ve gotten off on thirteenth floors. They make them right?
I know someone that lives on the thirteenth floor. Gerard:You do?
I truly do. Frank:It’s good luck.
I think so. Frank:I think it’s good luck. Gerard:I’m superstitious though.
When you listen to a CD you need something to reference it to. When I listen to MCR, your sound changes from one song to the next and I hear a whole slew of things. Was this done deliberately? Gerard:We can’t really write songs that sound alike. We like to capture moods and you can definitely pinpoint those moods. You can say this is the same kind of mood or feel. We like to explore themes and moods but style is something we can’t live with ourselves doing over and over. And if that means we run out of material eventually then that’s fine because you’ll never get something twice from us.
Yeah in like an hour. Frank:I don’t know. Gerard:Let’s say the whole band died, we’d just get back together and start playing again! [everyone laughs]
You’d find each other. Gerard:Yeah, I think that’s what we’d do because this feels like our purpose. You know, it seems like our cause. Frank:We’re definitely not done yet! Gerard: Yeah, if we died I feel like we would find each other and just start over.
Do you think writing in the first person makes you more vulnerable? Gerard: Umm… sometimes. I was always worried it was going to make me an egomaniac. I was more worried about that, but then I realized that the way I ended up writing is just more I, I, I, instead of a you and a we. When I say “I” I usually mean the band. I usually mean it in a way that I think that these guys are feeling it at the same time without saying we. [turns to Frank and Mikey] Don’t you feel that way? Like when we’re on stage and they’re singing with me, I feel like they mean it the same way. Frank:It’s a more definite thing, more urgent. Gerard: Yeah.
You’re in a karaoke bar and you’ve had too much sake. What song… [Frank turns to Gerard] I know what you’re going to say!
…do you sing and do you totally rock it or do you totally kill it? Frank: He rocks the shit out of it! Totally Bon Jovi! Gerard:Bon Jovi… ‘Living On A Prayer.’ It’s funny because a lot of people give me shit when we go to karaoke because I won’t do it.
Really? Gerard:Yeah. I’m terrified of karaoke unless I’m wasted! That’s the only way I can do karaoke.
You can go on stage and perform for a whole bunch of people… [Gerard shrugs as if to say that he doesn’t understand it either] Frank:It’s funny because it’s rare that we would be out and not wasted. Gerard: Yeah, yeah, that’s true. [to Frank] What would you sing? Frank: I have been known to do ‘I Got You Babe’ with a friend of mine, Greg Southside and we do the shit out it! We’ve been kicked out of bars because we did it so well. But Ray would like to sing probably ‘Only The Good Die Young’. Gerard:By Billy Joel.
In ‘You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison’ the main character is made to do pushups in drag. If you were forced to so something in drag, what would you choose to do? Gerard:Karate. [everyone breaks out in laughter] Frank:I liked the “if you were forced, what would you choose to do.” Gerard:It’s like the drag fairy comes by and says “what would you like to do?” Ahhmm yeah, karate. Frank:Really? Gerard:No. Really, I would do what I did when I dressed in drag this one time before. I went to school in drag, in art school and my day was completely different because everybody thought I was a chick. Frank:He looked like Christina Ricci. Gerard:You should see me as a chick. So I went as a girl, as like an experiment and it worked really well and everyone was really nice to me but I couldn’t talk obviously… You know train conductors were really cool to me on my commute… Frank: I would date Gerard. Gerard:HA! I looked hot as a chick.
Which of your band mates is most likely to accidentally stick a fork in a toaster… Frank:Mikey.
You are offered something for free. Which do you choose? Sky diving lessons, a custom tattoo, a lap dance from an exotic dancer or 50 free sun tanning sessions? Gerard:Oh the lap dance! Frank:The tattoo. Mikey: What were they again? [Everyone helps little Mikey out] Mikey:I guess the tattoo. Frank: I knew it! Which is funny because you don’t have any. Gerard:You would see what you could get and trade it for money.
Seeing as this is an electoral year, which person on the Warped Tour would you choose to run the country and why would they get your vote? Gerard:Fat Mike. Frank: #2 from Anti-Flag. That kid can rally. Gerard:Can they run together? Frank: Sure.
The Velvet Bag of Doom: First up is Frank who pulls fill in the blanks from the bag.
Caution! Do not put _____ anywhere close to me! Frank: Our drummer.
Oh no! I didn’t pack _________ Frank: Enough underwear.
If I was ever to miss the bus, I would ________ Frank: Stay home.
Mikey’s up next and he pulls word association. First thing that comes to mind.
Video games Mikey: Mario
Birthday Mikey: September
Jack Daniels Mikey:Uh. Coca Cola
Spanking Mikey:I don’t know! Gerard:Not even a bare ass? Mikey:No.
Gerard pulls ‘name the band associated to the lyric’
“And you will tell all your friends you’ve got your gun to my head” Gerard: We can do another one because I’ve sang that one with Taking Back Sunday on stage.
Okay then, round two is a word association again… First thing that comes to mind.
Warped Tour Gerard:Hot
Buses Gerard:Nice
Marijuana Gerard: Stinky
Plastic Surgery Gerard: Awful
Why should the world give a damn about My Chemical Romance? Gerard: Because we give a damn about it. Frank:Save your life. Gerard:Yeah. Good enough for me. And there are so few people that actually do give a damn about the world. Frank: Yeah.
Very true. Gerard: I have a nihilistic attitude so it’s like, the new gay…it’s popular. You know what I mean? Frank:Popsicle is the new black. Gerard:What did I say? Oh yeah. Screaming is the new gay, everybody’s doing it. Frank:I wish it were Popsicle. Gerard: Popsicles? Frank:Popsicles should be the new black and then everyone would have one.
ray: I like how they have that like uh- they got nasa thing? like what up with that poster of the dude? of the astronaut? how does it make it like principals office it just works it’s so funny.
the time gerard cut his balls trying to shave the stench from his body
frank iero interview, idobi radio w/ dj rossstarspaceyraygun’s original recording05/26/2004
interviewer: alright you ready? i heard someone in your band cut themselves while shaving their balls. is this true?
frank iero: hahaha that is completely true. (completely true)
interviewer: who was it? it
frank iero: wahahaha oh man. heh uh I guess he’s not like whatever about it because he told the story on stage but. alright well, we were on tour one time and uh gerard was like in the bathroom for a long ass time somebody brought up the fact that when you’re on tour yknow it’s like.. when you’re on tour and you haven’t showered in a month yknow? or like gerard doesn’t shower at all. hardly. he really stinks. and the hair on your nuts it’s like- really keeps the smell in yknow so he figured like if he got rid of the hair, yknow he might cut down on some of the reeking uh so he had like a buzzer and he shaved himself and I guess he cut some- his balls and it just started bleeding everywhere
interviewer: this is terrible man
frank iero: what’s that?
interviewer: this is a terrible question i’m gonna go to the next one
frank iero: alright
interviewer: thank you for telling us that though, revealing private information
frank iero: hey it’s not my thing
interviewer: it’s not your balls
audio from spaceyraygun on youtube! spacey was a fan when the band was just getting started. check out their about! their audio was used in some official mcr stuff.x
this post is about the bat. I had one. you can get them anywhere and put them in your car! 😎
“Gerard: I think ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor because I was in the supermarket with my mom when I was like seven and it came on the PA and I sang the crap out of it. That was the first time I had sang and everyone started clapping in time with the song; other people buying produce. I knew I had a gift, it really did happen.” popyoularity.com interview with gerard and frank 2004
04/17/2004 skate and surf fest elyse janowski interview with gerard
03/28/2004 concert for compassion oak canyon ranch silverado ca from blackvelvet.com flyer- theydrewblood.blogspot.com
taken by cher on frank_iero_plz’s livejournal 11/10/2004 nintendo fusion tour jillian’s louisville ky
mtv.com interview about the show reefshark_mama on instagram theydrewblood.blogspot.com 11/13/2004 best buy parking lot orange ca
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