I was killing before killing was cool xX

HAMILTON, Ohio — It was one of those odd quirks of fate — the kind of coincidence you just
can't plan. For a week my producer Monty and I had planned to travel to, of all places, Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday, to catch up with, of all people, Jenna Bush. The president's younger twin has turned author, penning "Ana's Story," a heartfelt book for teens about a young HIV-positive woman she met while volunteering with UNICEF in Latin America. Dayton was the latest stop on an extended book tour that the first daughter has been conducting to launch "Ana's Story," and we were promised 20 minutes with her — which we got, and you'll see more on that in coming days here and on MTV.

But Southwest Ohio also happens to be the home of Hawthorne Heights, the rock band that this past weekend suffered the sudden death of its guitarist and "screamer," Casey Calvert. Calvert's passing in Washington, D.C., on Saturday afternoon, only hours prior to the second date of Hawthorne Heights' Wintour '07, was referred to by the band, in an official statement on its Web site, as "unexplainable," and in fact the cause is still a mystery. An official for the city's medical examiner's office says that the actual cause of death may not be known for as long as 90 days.

Jenna Bush just turned 26 on Sunday, and she writes about a young woman, now 17, living in a developing country with a condition that, despite huge advances in treatment, is still considered terminal. Casey Calvert turned 26 only a month before Jenna. He lost his life to God knows what, and leaves behind family and friends asking "why?" Just as I asked why — almost six months ago — when I lost my best friend in the world, at only 32, in a way as abrupt, random and unanticipated as Casey's. So it was with some sense of what his loved ones were going through — having had their world turned upside down only a few days earlier — that Monty and I arrived in Dayton.

It would have been perfectly understandable that Hawthorne Heights would have no interest in talking to the media at such a moment — much less on-camera. But not only did they agree, Calvert's wife, Ashley, invited us to their Hamilton, Ohio, house on Wednesday night, to share their thoughts on Casey and to allow us to see the place that he called home.

That home is a quaint two-story structure in a development on the outskirts of even more Midwest-quaint Hamilton — and as we approached the front door, I wasn't sure what to expect. I only knew that this is as tough as any moment in life gets for a family, and that whatever it felt, whatever it wanted, was cool with us. What our five-person crew found was actually kind of remarkable: a twinkling Christmas tree in the front room, and Ashley, a sweet and gracious 25-year-old, an animal lover (as was Casey — big time), who was holding back a Shar Pei with one hand while another dog barked from the back. A couple of cats were running around, and plenty of friends were in the kitchen, including her mom, brother and, of course, the Hawthorne Heights guys — JT Woodruff, Eron Bucciarelli, Matt Ridenour and Micah Carli. They were all talking about Casey, whose body was arriving on a flight later that night, and talking about Friday's funeral. They were quiet, naturally, but far from somber. And in fact maybe even a little — happy? — that MTV News was there.

Hawthorne Heights wanted this moment — this opportunity — to honor their friend, and, as we started the half-hour interview with the band to, as they put it, "put to rest some of the rumors and misinformation that have been out there since Casey died." Those rumors include the suggestion that the guitarist had suffered from acute asthma or other lingering physical conditions that contributed to his death. Untrue, says the band — and they reemphasized the point, first made in their Web site statement over the weekend, that there were no illegal drugs involved. Ashley Calvert seconded that assertion, saying "never" in the time she knew Casey had he used any dangerous drugs.

So what did happen to Casey Calvert? All the bandmembers know is that on Friday night they kicked off their tour in Detroit, went to a radio station-sponsored bowling event at which Casey was his usual crazy self, and drove overnight to D.C. According to Matt Ridenour, Casey was in "great" spirits, staying up late, singing songs from "Aladdin" into the wee hours of the night. Oddly though, Matt went to his bunk, and a while later, Casey pulled the curtain aside to say, "Hey man, I'm finally going to sleep. Good night." Matt recalled, "It was the only time he had ever said good night to me."

By early Saturday afternoon, the band was about to soundcheck at Washington's renowned 9:30 Club, but Casey wasn't up yet. The awful discovery was made by Eron Bucciarelli. The drummer said he went to wake Casey up in his bunk, tried to move him and got no response. His skin was cold, and he was stiff. "I went to get our tour manager," Eron said, "and when neither of us could wake him, we called 911." The rest is a scene that only plays out in our worst nightmares.

But their memories are nothing but fond. "I don't think I have ever read anything about Casey that didn't use the word 'crazy,' " said band frontman J.T. Woodruff. There's also "wacky," and "quirky" (as the band called him on their site), and that's one thing Calvert brought to this band — along with a shredding guitar, a piercing scream and a never-ending connection with the Hawthorne Heights fans. As J.T. put it, "Casey was on the same level as the kids we played for." And that is because Casey was, by all accounts, "a kid at heart."

No one knows that better than Ashley, who spent the past year and a half married to him. She talked with me at length about how "it was the little things in life that got him excited" — movies like "The Nightmare Before Christmas," animals and especially toys. Ashley took us on a tour of Casey's upstairs "toy room," a shrine to the sort of over-the-top cartoon toys that are one of Japan's coolest exports. When Casey is buried on Friday, it won't be in a drab black suit: It will be in his newest Kidrobot hoodie.

Ashley's story is even more wrenching than the band's. She had said goodbye to Casey on Friday, spoke to him a couple of times that day, and then on Saturday afternoon, after volunteering at an animal shelter, she got a call from her brother. "You've got to come home right now," he said. She knew something was up, but figured an animal or a grandparent had died. "Never in a million years did I think it would be Casey."

She says she doesn't remember much after that, except her knees buckling. According to the family, Ashley's been amazingly strong these last few days, tending to the minutiae of a funeral and apparently postponing the full emotional impact of what has happened for days or weeks. But the toughest moment in our interview came when Ashley remembered being handed Casey's jacket — specifically, the smell of it. As her eyes welled, she said, "It was Casey's smell and I just realized, I'll never have that smell again."

I never knew him, but Casey sounds like one of those humans who did stop and smell the flowers, who appreciated life more than many of us. Still, he battled depression for much of his life and in fact Ashley said he was taking medication for it. Casey's favorite charity was To Write Love on Her Arms, a group aimed at helping teens at risk for suicide. All of which may raise an obvious question — or not. Ashley says the idea that Casey could have harmed himself was just "incomprehensible" to her — not even possible.

Those answers may come in time. What we know for now is that on Friday, Hawthorne Heights will bury their best friend, and Ashley Calvert, her husband. The band says not only will it definitely continue — as Casey's mom made them promise they would in a phone call on Sunday — but adds that Casey will always be a part of them. He'll even continue to receive album credits. They are equally certain they will not hire another guitar player. No question. "We don't need another guitarist. We don't need another screamer," said Bucciarelli. "If the fans want screaming, they can provide it themselves." Or, as Woodruff put it, "He is the most irreplaceable person I have ever met. In all aspects."

Rest in peace, Casey.

------

I'm crying right now :'/

Chemical Romance's Gerard Way
Article from: Agence France-Presse
Neala Johnson

My Chemical Romance's charismatic frontman singer Gerard Way explains why the Black Parade is finally over and he's planning a real Christmas this year.



You've just touched down for your Australian tour. Have you brought the full shebang with you?

We have, but we've brought a different shebang. We didn't bring Black Parade 'cos we stopped playing as Black Parade in Mexico (last month); we wanted to end it there. But we've brought a production, lights and pyro.



Was it a case of, if you put on the Black Parade suit one more time you'd scream?

That's pretty much what happened. The whole idea behind it was to make that record really come alive, really play as the band, put our money where our mouth was. To be quite honest with you, 10 shows of that would have proved our point. After a while it was like, we really don't wanna play as another band, we just wanna play as our band. And we don't necessarily wanna play this record front to back, we wanna play other stuff as well.



Without the Black Parade element, how will your Aussie shows work?

We play more of a mixed set. We play a couple of old songs too, and I'm pretty sure we'll be playing a song we've never really played live -- Desert Song -- which is an unreleased song off Revenge. We never had a chance at the time to record it.



My Chem have also had a few personnel problems recently. Who is missing from this tour?

Bob (Bryar, drums) is missing. Frank (Iero, guitar) is back. He went through some personal things at home, had a family emergency, so we lost him for four shows. Bob tried to come out, but his wrists hurt too bad. He flew all the way to LA from home. We met up at the airport before coming over here, and he said, "I'm gonna go home and go to the doctor again''. So we lost Bob. But Tucker, from our friends' band Thursday, is coming out.



You joined Linkin Park on the Projekt Revolution tour. Chester from Linkin Park says he sees a lot of similarities between his band and yours, particularly in the way people are finally coming to realise My Chem are the real deal.

That's an interesting thing to point out, because when a band comes out -- especially a band that has a large cultural impact, especially youth culture-wise -- people assume it's some weird new kind of niche music. But in actuality, kids have consistently throughout the history of music liked rock 'n' roll, and that's ultimately what it is. It takes a few years once a certain band has been out and had that impact for older fans to realise, "Hey, this is really no different from the bands I liked. It has different influences, it looks and sounds different, but it's rock 'n' roll''. There's almost like a hazing period.



Did you go into your shell at first, playing to Linkin Park's fans?

If anything it made us push harder, see how far we could really take 'em, especially with notions of sexuality. We're like, "Cool, they like us; now let's see if we push these sexual boundaries a little more how they're gonna react''. There was an extremely macho vibe in that crowd, and we were practically the biggest cupcakes on that tour, but they seemed to love it. I think they just needed a little razzle dazzle in their lives.



Why are you so big on pushing those boundaries of sexuality? You're a married man now.

Well, that's more of a recent thing (laughs). My wife totally backs the way I am on stage, that's one of the amazing things about her. I have 120 per cent respect for her when I'm on stage, so there are definitely certain things I would never do. But she knows my sexuality, and I know mine, so there's no reason not to push those boundaries. It's with the most noble intentions -- it's to make certain people realise just because somebody is a performer or slightly effeminate, -- even that guy at work or that kid at school -- there's no reason to shove 'em around. So much testosterone has been in rock for so long -- that's why I'm so interested in pushing it. All it boils down to is treating women like second-class citizens, calling people faggots, being borderline racist, if not totally racist. A lot of things are ingrained in the stupidest rock 'n' roll we completely oppose. So one way we can push it is through our sexuality.



Your marriage to Lyn-Z was a bit of a shock. When you spoke to Hit in July, you had just broken off an engagement to another girl. Come September, you were married.

I know! It's one of those situations where you don't know how your life's gonna go, and the minute you actually stop looking for something is when you find it. When I met my wife I was at a point where I was completely OK with being alone for a very long time, free of lousy people. I was very content to spend time with my friends, to work on music, to work on my comics. I was about to pack everything up and move to Portland, Oregon. And literally out of nowhere someone who I'd met four years ago when the band was a baby band, opening for her band, comes back into my life. We just picked up where we left off. It's always when you're not looking for it -- I was totally fine, and then I get hit over the head! It was like getting hit by a truck.



Does marriage mean you're actually able to make a home now?

Completely. I turned basically into a functioning grown-up overnight. I came off tour and started to set up a life. I'm very excited about that -- I actually have a life now when I go home, and it's an amazing life. I love that I have a best friend I can share it with, who I can work with and hang out with.



You spent last December in a hotel working on your comic book. It sounds as though you might have a real Christmas this year.

Yeah, I holed up in a hotel. I flew home for New Year's . . . God, I don't even remember what I did at Christmas, I don't even remember where I was. I definitely wasn't doing anything Christmas-like.

From MCR's MySpace:

Hi, it's Bob. We are very sorry about canceling our recent show in Maine. I have been having many problems with my wrists over the past few years. They have been getting worse but I kept playing. I have seen many doctors to get some relief so I wouldn't have to stop playing. I guess I pushed it too hard this time. During our show at Maxwell's I got a golf ball-sized lump in my wrist, I started to not only have pain, but lose control and feeling in my fingers. I went through a process to control the swelling and attempted to play the show with Bon Jovi the next day. The Bon Jovi show was really bad for me - I was dropping sticks and could barely hit my drums. After that show we decided I had to go get immediate treatment. I had to leave the tour. Being the stubborn person I am, I made a last minute decision to give it another shot on the second Bon Jovi show. It didn't work, we had to cut the set in half. We have a fill in now as I am getting treatment - he learned the songs in one day. We will try our hardest to make the show up to you when the specialists give me the okay. Thanks for understanding.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=2102684&blogID=327034597

 

 

Posted Nov 01, 2007 8:39 PM

I did NOT write this 8D

---

How do you go from being in one of the top rock bands, and then suddenly starting at the bottom with a new band?
Leathermouth was a brilliant act that must have been forming in Frank's head for so long.

I got to Knitting Factory around 6 30pm. Did some promo stuff, passed out homemade flyers that Sarah made. I went through the line asking people to "check them out", and "seriously you're gonna love them." I took the liberty of going through peoples ipods to find My Chemical Romance then profusely tell them to "really, really check Leathermouth out."
Some beggings were successful, other people blew me off.

Sarah and I went in, we saw Frank sitting on the floor against a wall at the bar area. He was playing on his cellphone and we went to go watch a couple bands. I met Fred from The Color Fred/Taking Back Sunday, I had a good talk with him about TBS and his future. He's an amazingly talented guy. We wandered around for a good while, then went back to the bar area and talked to Frank.

Sarah talked to Frank about her friends band, The Scandals, and gave him one of their summer EP's. He was very accepting and was really personalble about it. I talked to him about my tattoo, then we talked about the street team, and handing out flyers. The release of the record. We talked about Radiohead releasing their album over the internet, and other general things. And the Maxwell's show next week. Frank is a great guy to talk to, he's so real. And we were sitting there, and I felt so comfortable. He makes direct eye contact too, which makes him even more ballin'.

After seeing another band, and the Color Fred we went downstairs to the tap bar where Leathermouth would be playing at 11:15pm (fucking ridic. i was falling alseep. so late.) Some girls were waiting there the whole time, which I dont see the point to that, they should have checked out other bands. So I went and sat against the wall with Sarah and EJ. Frank came down and wandered and socialized, good thing no one really bothered him. I went to the bar and got a drink and he gave me a wave/smile.

Then it was time for Leathermouth to start. Frank used a small mic that's usually for synthysizing(sp.) It looked pretty ill. There were only maybe 20 kids tops chilling in front of the stage. We all got really into the music when it started. Frank was great, he didnt act like he was in another famous band, he was so raw and intense. He grabbed girls heads and screaming in their faces. He was leaning all up into the crowd. He let kids scream into the mic. He let kids scream into the mic with him. I shared the mic with him so many times, I could feel his breath. I ruffled his hair (I was thinking of 'Im Not OK' ver1. music vid =D). This one new song was about President Bush, and I was feelin it sooo hard. But aw man, I got myself so into it, and so sweaty haha. Crazy, good, shit.

After we met up with Jean (big street team man haha), and he took us into this secluded corner and we waited to Frank to finish with all the little kids. He came over and we talked more about promotion and he thanked us, and we got pictures or whatever. Sarah and I took a 'BR000TAL' picture with him. I told him to make a tough face. He said he'd try, haha.

Yeah. I look foward to Maxwell's and the next Leathermouth show. Any more questions just ask me!

Taken from : http://tractable.livejournal.com/15783.html

 Hello friends

Goddamn it’s been awhile... Ok, so lots to say I guess. First things first,
sorry we've been away so long. There was a lot going on, legal troubles w/ s//c
and moving, family stuff and personal crisis, some bands breaking up and
some bands keeping productive, and a feeling that s//c was being heaped
into the lot of bullshit band dudes' t-shirt companies. I honestly have no
desire to be a part of that, and I know neither do you. Good news is that
leaving you all to your own devices has given me faith in the youth of
today and made me realize that I should never give a fuck what other
people say. If you don’t understand the crew than you never were a part of
it, and you really cant believe everything you read...I want to thank you
all for keeping s//c what it always was supposed to be, a gang, a
lifestyle, a community of kids who do it themselves...regardless of what
other people say or think of them. you all kept it down when even I forgot
why we do this. I’m sorry, it wont happen again. In fact we've decided to
do it even better this time, there are new things on the horizon friends,
things that will benefit the cause and make the "others" hate us even more
than they already do.

2nd order of bizzness.... please welcome our new friend Eddie to the s//c
family, he's handsome and awesome and his pit bull looks just like
mine.... his official job title is "gettin shit done" and also " kicking
franks ass so he does what needs to get done". I think its a match made in
jersey. Hmmm

Ok 3rd we are now restocking some choice items in the s//c store. They should be available shortly. If you want em go get em, Soon you will be able to spray paint your own favorite stuff, we will be providing downloadable stencils for just that shortly.

4th Letha-MOUTH! Is currently finishing recording this month and filming a
short (buckets O' blood) film to go along with the full-length...also there
is talk of a vinyl recording coming out previous to the full-length. Sounds
preeeetty cool hopefully this all goes according to plan.....man oh man how
do I get the inside Leathermouth scoop? I have no idea..

5th we are discussing having a virtual gallery for all you artists out
there.... I feel bad we cannot use your ideas or drawings for the clothing
due to legal reasons however i do think that so many of you are very
talented so I would like to develop a spot on our site where you can
submit your art and have it viewed by everyone who wants to see up and
coming artists...sound good? And

6th I would like to honor the forward thinking young adults who took it
upon themselves to start s//c , Leathermouth & David Costa street teams. Some of the teams even harassed Disney world patrons....gotta love that shit. Thank
you, thank you, thank you... you, my friends, are my new favorite people,
honestly without kids like you this would never survive, keep up the good
work. Thank you all for keeping me from putting a bullet in s//c's head. I
look forward to our future together. Believe in yourselves, and thank you
for believing in this. Forever indebted

XoXo
Frank + s//c

Gerard Way on Pearl Jam, his blonde dye job and his one regret about 'The Black Parade'

Today is the day that Mikey Way turns 27 years old.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKEY! ;D

xoxo Helene.

 

I came over this while reding an interview with The Bled's lead singer, James Munoz.

To get a backstage insight on your touring buddies, just tell us the first thing that pops into your head:

My Chemical Romance?
Lets see here… one word. Awesome! We toured with them back before they had a huge stage show and they’re all sweet guys. Frankie has an affinity for big black dildos, and I have that same passion for them so we bond over that. * James, who plays keyboards for them always makes the tour awesome. They’re really great guys.

To read the whole thing, go HERE ->  http://channelv.com.au/V/Article.aspx?ID=1268

RULES:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the "next" button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

[I don't usually post these thingys, but HEY i'm bored ^^]

-IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Little Death.

-WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Tomorrow i'll be you.

-WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I love my computer.

-HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
B-boys making with the freak.

-WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Mercy Me.

-WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
On a plain.

-WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Signals over the air.

-WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
No Substance.

-WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
One of my lies.

-WHAT IS 2+2?
Half a life.

-WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Quik check girl.

-WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Super Disco Breakin'.

-WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
She.

-WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Good Riddance (Time of your life).

-WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Black Eyed.

-WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Listening.

-WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
The Feast.

-WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The City Sleeps In Flames.

-WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
World War III.

-WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Dark Shines.

-WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Speed Kills.

-WHAT SONG WILL BE THE SUBJECT WHEN YOU REPOST?
Left Hand Suzuki Method

We (Me, my bro [André] and my cusin[Fredrik]) got to the festival around 11 o'clock. We decided we wanted to be there early so we could get some good spots in front of the stage. We didn't go to the stage straight away though. We met up with some people that Fredrik knew and got some food and stuff. Sooo, after just fucking around for an hour or so we went down to the main-stage. The area in front of the stage was closed so we had to wait for a little while. When it opened though i ran to get infront. I got a very nice spot in the middle but a little to the left, right infront of the fucking barrier ;D

We waited for about 4 hours before Pale Kids (A Norwegian band) came on. I liked them alot ;D Their bassist were kinda *cough* VERY*cough* cute, and their music was beautiful. After the concert they came down to sign autographs and stuff. Miriam (The girl beside me) had a sign that said 'Free Hugs', so she took it up in the air and screamed "Free hugs, free hugs!" and they came over to us. I got a hug from the bass-man ;D Then we just had to wait..

After some waiting, Frank suddenly appeared beside the stage. He met some eight-year-old boy who got to go backstage. *sigh* Lucky boy (: Well, i wanted to get contact with Frank.. So i screamed xD Everybody else around me screamed to though, so i desided to scream soething else than 'Frank!' or 'Frankie!'. I screamed 'Big Worm!' xD He turned around for a coupple of seconds, but nothing more..

After some more waiting Flying Crap (Another Norwegian band) went on stage. I kinda hated them xD I mean, their music was ok and stuff but the singers attitude was just yikes! He had all these fake guns with him that he fired off all the time, they had a toilet with them on stage, he broke a tv AND injected himself on the stage.. Fuckers. Their guitar-player is also one of the most 'yikiest' thing i've ever seen -_- 

After the crap left the stage we had to wait some more for Billy Talent to come on stage. The pressure got insane infront, but there was this securety guard named Emil infront that was really nice. Whenever i was thirsty i just had to pout a litlle and say "Emil, i'm thirsty." and he broght me water xD Yeah, enough about him..

Billy Talent was fucking awsoooome =D It was kinda bum that i could't jump (I was stuck between the barrier and 10 thousand people) because i love their music. Ben was really sweet. He said that he loved norway and that his neck hurt because there was som many pretty girls here ;) After a coupple of songs i noticed Gerard, Matt, Frank and Bob at the side of the stage. Bob took alot of pictures, and Gerard smoked and headbanged slightly xD Totally sweet. Then after Billy Talent left the stage there was about an hour and a half before MCR came on.

They opened with 'This Is How I Disappear" and everybody went insane (including me xD). I still couldn't jump though -_- My camera went out of batteries after about 20 minnutes, so i didn't get too many My Chem pics :( Something that suprised me was that they played 'The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You'. I was totally happy thoght cause it's one of my favourite songs on Revenge ;) Bob spinned alot around with his drum-kit, Matt smiled and played awsome, Ray seemed to be extra happy by some reason and Frank.. Well we all know what Frank is like xD <3 He spit on me again.. Gerard slapped Ray in the back of his  head at one point, did the chicken dance, fake-cried, and there was a little Freard-ness going in xD Frank hit Gerard on the ass ^^  After many songs they went off stage but the piano dude stayed. Evrybody was like "Come back! We want mooooore!". I knew from last time that they wold come back thogh.. So Gerard came on and sang cancer. A girl behing me cried hystericly and i must confess that i shed a copple of tears myself too xD While Gerad sang, Bob stood beside the drums and talked into a mike and motioned wildy with his hands x] Evrything has to come to an end, and this ended with 'Helena'..

After the show ended i just stood there cause i couldn't really walk xD. My Whole body hurt, and it still does. It was all woth it though =D Eventually a guard told us we had to leave :(  When we where out of the main-area-thingy i sat sown and called my friend Ida, who is a big My Chem.fan, and couldn't come.. She was so sad and i started to cry. IDA!  I WANTED YOU THERE <'3

Then my dad picked us up and one of the best days of my life was over.

9 May 2007 - MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE GET ROUGH AND READY

My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way has told Rock Sound that he expects the band's next album to be more stripped down and raw than 'The Black Parade'.

"I think the next record will probably be smaller and cheaper!" he told us. "With 'The Black Parade' we just tried to make the biggest record of the year. It was nothing to do with whether it was a commercial success or not. We just wanted to make the biggest record we could. Now it's probably about reversing that and making a record that's, maybe, tracked live. Something more raw but not necessarily more punk. It'll be simpler but not necessarily more aggressive."

"We put everything into 'The Black Parade'," drummer Bob Bryar added. "And I don't think we can top that in that direction. We tried every single thing we had, every idea and every instrument. So it's going to be something that's completely different. We need to finish this touring and then just take a break because we went right from doing the touring on the last record into the studio and then we started touring again."

The band also told us that their increasing popularity means that it's harder to meet their fans than it used to be. "When the number of people that's coming to your shows increases, the number of people waiting outside afterwards increases,” bassist Mikey told us. "Sometimes you can't do it because it's not safe. It's really all about the safety of the kids. Sometimes you'll go out there and kids will start rushing towards you or start climbing on top of each other and it's a situation where people can get hurt. Venue security and our guys assess whether it's safe to go out but we still do it as much as we can because those are the people that support us and keep us going. Without them we're nothing."

Today it's Mike Dirnt's 35th Birthday ^^

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE!

 

xoxo

Musician of the Month
This Month: Drummer Bob Bryar of My Chemical Romance Walks Us Through His Musical Roots

What was your first real drum kit like?

My first real kit was a lemon yellow Pearl Export. It had a big 40 (floor) tom and the roto toms. I didn’t have any cymbals, so I was using pieces of cardboard to practice. In fourth grade, I got a silver snare drum and a couple of sticks. And I’m really pissed off I never saved that stuff because it’d be awesome to have now.

Did you have rock ‘n’ roll heroes growing up or were you more inspired by jazz drummers?

I was mostly inspired by jazz. The weird thing is that Green Day’s Dookie was a record that I would play along to, and then I’d go back to jazz. I also got introduced to Rush in high school. There was this thing with all of the elitist drummers at my school like, "Oh, rock drummers suck. You’ve got to be able to play jazz." But I’d listen to Neil Peart and, yeah, he was playing rock music, but he was playing it in a way that was very musical. So I learned that you can be musical and play drums. You don’t just have to beat the shit out of them and kick them over, you know?

When the various high school bands you were in didn’t last, what kept you pursuing a career in rock music?

I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to do it, so I kind of gave up, really. I left high school my senior year. [As I was leaving,] my asshole band director looked at me and said, "You’ll never be anything." I was like, "Go fuck yourself" and walked out of the building. That was the last thing that the band director ever said to me: "You’ll never be anything."

Eventually, you earned your degree in recording and sound engineering. What are some of the basics for making live performances sound good?

My attitude was to make it the best no matter what. It just really interested me to make something coming off the stage sound better than on the record. When I went to work at House Of Blues in Chicago as the sound guy, I started meeting bands and eventually started going on tour and meeting people. That’s how I ended up meeting My Chem.

What are some advantages of using a click track?

When I was doing my training for marching band, I always practiced with a click. It makes your sense of rhythm more accurate. A lot of people will say, "Oh, your emotion should dictate how slow or fast you play." But I see it way more simply. Some days I feel like shit. Some days I drink too much Red Bull. And that’s the way you play. When you go into a studio, you want each line to blend together seamlessly, to keep that flow. So you use a click. So I figure, if you do it in the studio because you want it to be perfect, why not do it live?

Say, how are things coming with your solo project of songs about Gerard [Way, vocalist]?

[Laughs.] The internet is fucking crazy! That’s seriously been the weirdest thing in the world. We do meet-and-greets after shows and people come up wearing "We Support Bob Bryar’s Solo Project" T-shirts. I never knew what was going on, but it was from the "Black Parade" video shoot, where I must’ve been bored or something and started singing a song about Gerard. People kind of ran with that. You know what? Maybe I’ll throw something together. We’ve got a Pro Tools rig with us. I’ll think about my directions and maybe put it out for fun. Even though it’d be the worst thing ever.

 

 Steal This Music
Bob Bryar’s Top 5 Albums to Play Along To:

1. Soilwork
A Predator’s Portrait

2. Rush
Exit…Stage Left

3. Metallica
Ride The Lightning

4. The Bled
Pass The Flask

5. Killswitch Engage
Alive Or Just Breathing

 

 Learn From My Mistakes

"No matter what, if you want to be a musician, it [takes] a lot of luck.  But you can't get that luck without showing that you deserve it.  On the technical side, you need to practice, practice, practice.  It sounds really obvious, but it's really true.  The people that care about being good -- that really strive to be good -- those are the ones who ultimately succeed.  Be in a band for the right reason: To be in a great band that has something very important to say; not to be famous or meet chicks or get cheap drugs.  You have to do it because you really enjoy performing for people and sending out a message."

(From their official site: www.mychemicalromance.com)

My chemical romance säger: hey this is frank im here
marmalade säger: Hello rockstars how are you doing.
My chemical romance säger: good, how are you computer generated questionaire?
lily säger: what is the craziest thing you have done on tour?
My chemical romance säger: hmm, well we tend to not that crazy these days. living fast is for young people we're getting old and very low key. the craziest thing we do these days are playing shows and reading books...once a bird bit gerards head, that was crazy.
Liz. säger: What do you think about Sweden?
My chemical romance säger: i like it here, i really liked it last time cause it didn't rain. but its very nice. the people we've met here haved been very nice.
Wen säger: Hi Frank, Do you have a girlfriend? ;)
My chemical romance säger: yes, she's been putting up with my shit for close to 5 years now and we're getting married next year. she's my favorite person, she makes me laugh.
Thomas Nimstad säger: How did you get together?
Thomas Nimstad säger: Are you all friends in real life?
My chemical romance säger: well we all met through mutual friends. and yes we are friends in real life as well as on tv. we all like the same dumb shit.
patrick säger: how is it possible for anyone to be as EMO as you guys are...?
My chemical romance säger: haha i have no clue what that means, but i guess you start with a bad haircut and a pill habit.
Olivia säger: Is it true that Frank is sick, so that he cant come to the concert? By the way, Happy Birthday Gerard ! :)
My chemical romance säger: well i am frank, and im always sick, but i will be at the concert, see you there. i'll tell g for you.
maja säger: How have you celebrated Gerard today? :)
My chemical romance säger: i knitted him a pair of socks, and rubbed his neck. he liked the socks.
Am. säger: hello! I'm not a big fan of your music, I don't really think it's suits me. But if you give me one good reason, why I should listen to your music, I will do it. thanks, bye.
My chemical romance säger: ha i don't have to prove anything to you, listen to what you like not cause someone tells you to.
Louise säger: Hi! What kind off music/groups do you listen at?
My chemical romance säger: i like all types of music, but lately ive been more inclined to listen to noise.
Alice LB säger: What's your favourite band in Sweden? I'm going to your konsert in Malmö today!
My chemical romance säger: the refused.
Elin and Julia!! säger: Hi!Favourite song?Of your own?
My chemical romance säger: of all time it's sitting by the dock of the bay by otis redding, favorite song by us...: cancer.
Emelie säger: Hello MCR! I love your sounds! How I do to be a good singer?
My chemical romance säger: thanks. practice.
Muzze säger: Are you nervous before a concert?
My chemical romance säger: yes everytime. if you lose that feeling, something's wrong.
Mathilda säger: My mom is 38 and I'm 16, so I was kind of surprised when she said she liked you guys. Do you think you have fans older than my mom, or is she the only one of her kind? ;) (Happy birthday, Gerard!:)
My chemical romance säger: haha i have no clue, um no wait i remember a really old guy at a show in denver...he was like 70. he had a feather in his hair. your mom should hang out with him. his name was Camenchairo.
null säger: Poodle
My chemical romance säger: oh i got 2 more questions then i have to go sorry
My chemical romance säger: make em good
My chemical romance säger: poodle isnt a question
Moderator säger: A lot of people wonder when you are coming back to Sweden
My chemical romance säger: well we're here now. and we will be back july 1.
Moderator säger: We have technical problems, but a lot of people wonder how many tatoos you've got!
My chemical romance säger: ha too many. ok thanks guys. im gonna go play a show now. see you there.
Moderator säger: Thank you Frank!

Well yesterday the day I’ve been waiting for for ages finally came around; the day I was going to see MCR for the first time (in Copenhagen, Denmark) <3

April 9th: The trip started on the 9th because we had to take a plane and everything. In we I mean: Me, my cousin, my brother and my dearest Ida<3 Hmm, so we just hung around at the hotel the rest of that day.. Waiting.

April 10th <3: We (my brother, my cousin and I) got up pretty early because we had to go shopping some clothes for the concert and stuff. At 3am we took a taxi down to stand in the line. There was about 200/300 people in front of us.  It was pretty cold but as time went by people stood closer to each other, and everybody kind of warmed each other. Hahah, kind of cozy. At around 8am, they started to let people in. It took AGES because they had to check if anyone had brought anything dangerous or something like that. At 9am 'Funeral For A Friend' came on, and i was ripped away from the others. In the beginning i was kind of sad for it but *BAM* and i was in the very front.

Then around 9:30am, THEY finally came on. Gerard didn't come in on the hospital-bed-thingy though. They started playing DEAD!, and people all around me went nuts ( me to x] ). I had a perfect spot 'between' Frank and Gerard ( Mikey also popped forward a couple of times (: ). Yes, so they played on.. At the end of 'House of Wolves' (i think) Frank knelt down right in fucking front of me while playing, and he had a towel on his head  =D Bless him<3  I tried to get his attention by holding my hands up together as a heart (towards him) and it fucking worked! He looked me right in the eye, and grinned at me like crazy =D

 After "i'm Not okay (I promise), Frank tok some water in his mouth and spit it out on us. It hit me on the cheek. That was kinda weid x)

 At the last song (Heaven Help Us) i kind of "eye-contacted" with Gerard to because there where allot of people who didn't know that song. And I love 'Heaven Help Us', so I jumped up and down in the start when the song is kind of calm, and he looked at me.. At times it got really intense in the Moshpits (people passed out all around me), and Gerard told us to "Open those fucking Moshpits!". Aww, he's so thoughtful.

I've talked allot about Frank and Gerard now, but that's because they where so fucking near me. The other's where amazing to of course =D <3 ..Worm stood beside the stage the whole show x)

After the show was finished i remained in front to try to catch something. I got a little teddy-bear that Frank held for a second and then threw it to the back of the stage =D

It was the best day of my entire life =D Thank you My Chemical Romance for being so awesome <3