Fall Out Boy - Biography

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Fall Out Boy is a band formed in early 2001 in Wilmette, Illinois after good friends Joe Trohman and Pete Wentz met high schooler Patrick Stump. Stump originally auditioned as a drummer, but soon became the lead singer. 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, also on Uprising Records, in 2003.

2003-2004: Independent success

After the release of their mini-album, Fall Out Boy built a large cult following playing in the Chicago area and bassist Pete Wentz, formerly of Racetraitor, joined the band while the two other members left. At this time, Stump also took over rhythm guitar duties. During this time, they played many local shows at the The Knights of Columbus Hall in Arlington Heights, Illinois, also the site of their first video: Take This to Your Grave, on May 6, 2003. The band received an advance from Island Records to record their proper debut, but the advance came with a right of first refusal for Island on Fall Out Boy's next album. With major financing in place, the recording of Take This to Your Grave took place at producer & Garbage drummer Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with Sean O'Keefe producing.

With singles "From Under the Cork Tree.

In mid-2003 the band signed with Island Records, part of the super label The Island Def Jam Music Group along with def jam records. This was after they picked up the option for their next album. While recording their mainstream debut, they 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 Top 200, their first entry on the chart. The two-disc set included a DVD with videos, more acoustic performances and a fan photo gallery.

2005-2006: Commercial debut

On May 3, 2005, Fall Out Boy released their major label debut, 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 and has sold over 2.5 million albums in the US alone. Earlier that year, the band's stability was threatened when Wentz overdosed on the sedative Ativan in a failed suicide attempt. The track "Infinity On High and was released on February 6, 2007. The lead single, "Timbaland Presents Shock Value, where they are featured on the track "One and Only", for which Stump and Wentz both contributed in writing. Stump was also featured on two songs with Gym Class Heroes (also signed with Fueled By Ramen), including their #1 Single Cupid's Chokehold. He also was a guest vocalist on Motion City Soundtrack's single, "Everything Is Alright" as well as contributing to If You Could Remember".

The band played the US portion of the Live Earth concerts on July 7, 2007 at New Jersey's Giants Stadium, along with AFI, Akon, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, John Mayer, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, KT Tunstall, Ludacris, Melissa Etheridge, The Police, Rihanna, Roger Waters, and the reunited Smashing Pumpkins.

The band toured the world almost constantly in 2007, with gigs throughout the US & Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe & Asia.

2008-2009:

On April 1st 2008, Fall Out Boy released their live album, "**** Live in Phoenix". This was a recording of their live gig in Pheonix on June 22, 2008. It also contained a studio recording on Micheal Jackson's Beat It with John Mayer as a guest on the guitar.

On the 18th of March, 2008, Fall Out Boy claimed they would play a gig in Antarctica, to be in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only band to have played in each of the 7 continents within 9 months. However, because of weather conditions they were unable to.

A viral campaign was launched on March 18, 2008 by Pete Wentz to promote the now-known 5th Studio Album, Folie à Deux. It started when the website for 'Decaydance Records' was supposedly hacked by an organization called 'Citizens for Our Betterment'.

On December 16th, 2008, Fall Out Boy released their 5th Studio Album, Folie à Deux (literally meaning Madness shared by two). The lead single for the album, I Don't Care was released on 8th September, 2008.

Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz has recently released the news that he is going to be a father .

source: lastfm