Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, that formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist-rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley.

With Pete Wentz as the band's primary lyricist and Patrick Stump as the primary composer, Fall Out Boy reached mainstream success with its major label debut, From Under the Cork Tree. Released in 2005, the album won several awards and has achieved double platinum status after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States alone. To support the album, the band headlined tours around the world in 2005 and 2006.

In 2007 the band released Infinity on High to major chart success, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 and selling 260,000 copies its first week. The lead 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 and headlined the Honda Civic Tour through mid 2007.

History

Early years (2001–2002)

Fall Out Boy was formed in early 2001 by friends Joe Trohman and Pete Wentz, who had played in various hardcore punk bands in the Chicago area. Inspired by bands they listened to growing up, such as Green Day, Descendents, and The Smiths, the pair decided to start their own band. Trohman met high schooler Patrick Stump in a Borders Bookstore. Trohman introduced himself to Stump when he overheard him talking about the band Neurosis, in which they shared a mutual interest. Stump auditioned as a drummer, but his impressive vocal range led to his placement as the lead vocalist. Two other Chicago musicians were recruited to play drums and guitar.

The band was nameless for their first two shows. At the end of their second show, they asked the audience to yell out their ideas for a name. One audience member suggested "Fallout Boy", a reference to the sidekick of the Radioactive Man from The Simpsons (which the band performed the closing theme song for in the 2009 episode "Lisa the Drama Queen").

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.

Independent success (2003–2004)

Following the release of their mini-album, the band saw a lineup change with the addition of Andrew John Hurley (formerly of Racetraitor) on drums, Stump switching to guitar, and the departure of Raccine and Pareskuwicz. During this time, the band often played local shows at the The Knights of Columbus Hall in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the site of their "Dead on Arrival" video. 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. In order to record a proper debut, the band received an advance from Island Records which came with a right of first refusal for Island on Fall Out Boy's next album. With major financing in place, the band recorded Take This to Your Grave at the Butch Vig-owned Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with Sean O'Keefe as producer.

With singles "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" and "Saturday" receiving video airplay on FUSE, mtvU and Target's in-store video stream and radio airplay on mainstream stations across the country, 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.

In mid-2003, the band signed with Island Records which is a part of the mainstream label 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 200, the band's first such entry on the chart. The two-disc set included more acoustic performances and a fan photo gallery.

From Under the Cork Tree and mainstream success (2005–2006)

With Pete Wentz as the band's primary lyricist, and Patrick Stump the primary composer, Fall Out Boy reached mainstream success with its first major label album on May 3, 2005, From Under the Cork Tree, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at #9, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week. The album achieved double platinum status after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States alone.

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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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 The All-American Rejects, Well-Known Secret, 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.

Infinity on High, Live in Phoenix and other projects (2007–2008)

In early 2007, the band released its second major label album, Infinity on High. The album had a successful debut week, selling 260,000 copies and reaching number one on the Billboard 200. This charting was spurred by the single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which reached #2 in the US and UK. Fall Out Boy then headlined the Honda Civic Tour to promote the album. Though the tour was initially postponed due to personal issues, it would take place with +44, Cobra Starship, The Academy Is... and Paul Wall as supporting acts.

Citizens for Our Betterment (2008)

A viral campaign was launched by Pete Wentz on August 18, 2008, to promote what is now known to be the band's fifth studio album Folie à Deux. The campaign started when the website for Decaydance Records was supposedly "hacked" by an organization called "Citizens For Our Betterment" (CFOB). Clues were left in links and images on the website, and Wentz left clues on his personal blog. On August 19, Ashlee Simpson was seen carrying a pamphlet for the organization, raising suspicion and sparking many rumors online. In the days that followed, new posts appeared on the Citizens For Our Betterment website and Wentz continued to blog, at times referring to November 4, the same day as the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Meanwhile, another band, Copeland, launched their own viral campaign. As part of it, they launched a similarly named site, CitizensFourOurBetterment.com, and spread links through various Fall Out Boy fan blogs in order to attract more people to their own site. While this mixing of campaigns was done without the knowledge of the members of Fall Out Boy, Wentz did post an acknowledgement on August 22, when CFOB again "hijacked" Decaydance Records website. Finally, on August 26, a blog post of a press release was made on the band's FriendsOrEnemies.com page officially announcing Folie à Deux as their upcoming album, due for release on November 4. It also revealed that a mixtape, titled "Welcome To the New Administration", was available for download on the FriendsOrEnemies website. Later the same day, the band made another post featuring a Buzznet video of them announcing the upcoming release of the album and explaining the name.

Folie à Deux (2008–2009)

On December 16, 2008, the band released its fifth studio album, Folie à Deux, as a follow-up to their 2007 album Infinity on High. The band collaborated with other artists such as Elvis Costello, Lil Wayne, Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, Doug, Alex DeLeon of The Cab, William Beckett of The Academy Is..., Debbie Harry of Blondie, and Pharrell Williams.

The lead single for the album, "I Don't Care", was released on September 3, 2008, on iTunes, and was number 68 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. The second single to receive radio play was "America's Suitehearts", released on December 8, 2008. Wentz stated the song is about the ongoing Bush administration.

In January 2009 the band announced they would embark on the Believers Never Die Part Deux Tour with Cobra Starship, Metro Station, All Time Low and Hey Monday to support the Folie à Deux release. Its name is based on their 2004 "Believers Never Die Tour". The group also performed alongside Kanye West and Kid Rock at the Youth Ball for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

On April 27, 2009 an EP was released on iTunes, titled America's Suitehearts: Remixed, Retouched, Rehabbed and Retoxed. It contains a remix from Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus. Fall Out Boy, along with Weezer, were the opening acts for Blink-182's summer reunion tour in 2009.

Believers Never Die – Greatest Hits and indefinite hiatus (2009)

A compilation titled Believers Never Die – Greatest Hits was released on November 17, 2009. It includes the band's past singles as well as two new songs. One of the new songs was confirmed to be the full version of "Alpha Dog", a track that was previously released as a demo on the Welcome to the New Administration mixtape. The album artwork, created by Daniel Danger, features two skeletons hugging; a reference to the skeletons found outside of Mantua, Italy who were found buried together while locked in an embrace. There are also numerous references to the band's career and previous works.

On November 20, 2009, the four band members announced they will be taking a break, an indefinite hiatus for the time being. "We don't know the future of Fall Out Boy!" said the four band members. Bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz has said that his personal reason for taking a break is that he feels that his name and marriage to pop singer Ashlee Simpson had become a hindrance for the band. He added: "I think the world needs a little less Pete Wentz".

Band members

Current

• Patrick Stump – lead vocals (2001–present), rhythm guitar (2003–present)
• Joe Trohman – lead guitars, backing vocals (2001–present)
• Pete Wentz – bass, backing vocals (2001–present)
• Andy Hurley – drums, percussion (2003–present)

Former

• T.J. "Raccine" Kunasch – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–2003)
• Mike Pareskuwicz – drums, percussion (2001–2003)