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Fall Out Boy drops in on Las Cruces
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TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*
The Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour is 46 shows in 44 U.S. and Canadian venues from March 15 to May 13, including a stop Tuesday in Las Cruces. Besides the headliners, the show features the All-American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights and From First to Last on all dates, with the Hush Sound opening on the first half of the trek.
These bands represent the re-emergence and diversity of rock in today's music scene. The Tribune interviewed all five bands before the tour hit the road.
Each was asked the same 10 questions:
- Age?
- How would you describe your band's sound?
- What's new?
- What's the longest tour you've been on?
- What's the largest crowd you've played for?
- How did you get on this tour?
- What's your biggest thrill on stage?
- What do you hope to accomplish on this tour?
- What's next?
- Last word?
Here's a track from Fall Out Boy's latest album, "From Under
the Cork Tree."
Launch Player
This Chicago rock-punk-emo quartet's major label debut "From Under the Cork Tree" has sold more than 2 million copies and is still on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart after more than 40 weeks. It is being reissued with three B-sides and two remixes, along with new album cover art, to coincide with this tour.
The band members are Patrick Stump on vocals and guitar; Pete Wentz on bass and backing vocals; guitarist Joe Trohman; and Andy Hurley on drums.
Stump was this group's answer man.
1. 21.
2. Kinda like Green Day, but heavier, with some metal and pop, too.
3. We're just back from the Grammys. And we just shot a video for "A Little Less 16 Candles . . .." And we're getting ready for our new record; everything's written and we hope to record this summer. Other than that no official plans before the end of the year. We might play a little bit but not much new music this time out. We care about the songs people want to hear.
4. About three months.
5. Ballpark? I think . . . I don't keep tabs, but tens of thousands?
6. Pete and I were thinking about getting out on tour again, even before the last tour was over. I like to tour a lot; I love being on tour. The other bands are all friends and they were available.
7. Just playing. I like it a lot; I'm happiest when I'm playing.
8. No hopes or dreams; just do it. This arena stuff is weird, surprising and new to us.
9. Get back in the studio, record the new record and more touring. We have no concrete plans; we like to fly by the seat of our pants.
10. I'm just psyched about the new record and the sense of these songs. I'm waiting to really dig into it. We have about 15 to 16 keepers and a bunch of other ideas. The name of the new record? Oh, we have one, but no one gets to hear it until it comes out; it's a big secret.
Here's the All American Rejects singing from their latest
album, "Move Along," from Interscope Records.
Launch Player
Originally from Stillwater, Okla., this band is still riding high on the success of its sophomore release "Move Along," which in the fall entered the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at No. 6. That was spurred by the strength of first single "Dirty Little Secret," itself No. 7 on Top 40 radio and, for awhile, the No. 1 download at iTunes.
The pop-rock quartet is Tyson Ritter on vocals and bass; Nick Wheeler and Mike Kennerty on guitars and backing vocals; and drummer Chris Gaylor.
Got questions? Ask Wheeler.
1. 23
2. Straight-forward pop-rock.
3. Our record's been out six months and the second single "Move Along," the title track, is coming out.
4. Two months in the States.
5. Five thousand, though we played festivals in the UK and Japan where there were up to 60,000. I don't know if they were all there when we were on stage.
6. We were talking about what to do in the States this year. It came up about going out with Fall Out Boy; they're the band to tour with this year. They're really nice guys and we get along. We're direct support - we go on right before them - for all shows; we have about 35 minutes and do about eight songs.
7. Honestly, it's when we get to headline. After the encore, we go to the edge of the stage and smile at the audience. We get to see everybody. It's surreal.
8. This'll be our biggest tour ever and we hope to win over a lot of new fans. This is an eclectic bill. From First to Last is pretty hardcore and have different fans than us, kind of like every band on tap. Hopefully we'll get new fans.
9. We'll probably spend the summer overseas - the UK, Japan, Australia. I think we're going to Mexico for the first time, too, and South America.
10. Come out to the show; you won't be disappointed.
Here's Hawthorne Heights' song "Saying Sorry," off of the
band's latest album, "If Only You Were Lonely."
Launch Player
Since forming almost five years ago, this Dayton, Ohio, quintet is seemingly always on the road.
This fall, the band - Eron Bucciarelli on drums, Casey Calvert and Micah Carli on guitars, Matt Ridenour on bass and vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff - put out its first DVD, "This is Who We Are." It's a mishmash of live concerts, behind-the-scenes footage and home movies (some of it shot during the group's Albuquerque appearance last year). It was a precursor to their second full-length, "If Only You Were Lonely," which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart on its release Feb. 28.
Bucciarelli agreed to answer our queries.
1. 26.
2. Rock with emo, punk and hardcore influences.
3. Our second album for Victory Records debuted Tuesday (Feb. 28). Then the Fall Out Boy tour.
4. Eight weeks on the Warped Tour. But we've been on the road so long. We usually have a few weeks off between tours, then we go back out. We're constantly touring.
5. Detroit, on the Warped Tour last year. They said there were 30,000 people, but I'm not sure we played for all of them. We did a radio fest in Dayton, our hometown, where there were 20,000.
6. Fall Out Boy asked us; we've known them for a long time. One of the first shows we did was at a comic book store in Columbus (Ohio) with them, when we were still A Day In the Life, about three years ago.
7. Just looking at the audience and how they react to our music. I like when they get excited about our music and sing along, and the moshing. When I'm up on the (drum) riser, I have a pretty good view.
8. Hopefully win over new fans; Fall Out Boy have more fans than us. We want to get people excited about our music and pick up some new fans.
9. A little time off: Matt and Casey are getting married. We have some dates with Yellowcard and some U.S. festivals, then Europe, then Canada. After that, nothing's definite.
10. This should be an awesome tour. This is a whole new ballgame for us, this arena tour. Playing larger arenas is a new experience for us. Oh, yeah, please pick up our new album and check us out on this tour.
Here's "The Latest Plague," the second track of From First
to Last's latest CD, "Heroine."
Launch Player
Even before the 2004 release of its Epitaph debut, "Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count," this hardcore quartet from Orlando, Fla., has been building a rabid fan base through road work.
Its second effort, "Heroine," which came out Tuesday, is still in the hardcore-heavy metal-punk rock vein, but the lyrics are more optimistic and the music has some stirring industrial rock and art-punk flourishes.
Of the band members - Sonny Moore on vocals; Travis Richter on guitar and backing vocals; Matt Good on lead guitar and backing vocals; and Derek Bloom behind the drums - Moore was first to raise his hand to answer.
1. I just turned 18.
2. Heavy rock with industrial and grunge influences.
3. "Heroine", our new record. It's heavy and intense, but not screamo and not too much molten music. I think we've created our own sound on this one. And we're excited because we're on the cover of Alternative Press this month.
4. Nine months in a row. We've been going from tour to tour for three years. We're on the road for nine months of the year.
5. Three thousand at the WFMU radio show in New Jersey.
6. We're buddies with Fall Out Boy; we met them last year on the Warped Tour. They asked us to come out with them.
7. I'm thinking just playing all new songs this tour. We have about 30 minutes, so (we do) about six or seven songs.
8. New record, new fans. Just break down barriers between us and the fans. I'm feeling reborn with this new record, and I'm excited about this tour.
9. Europe and we're doing the whole Warped Tour this year.
10. Come out and see us; the new songs'll be great live.
Hailing from Chicago's underground music scene, the members of the Hush Sound - Bob Morris on guitar and vocals; Greta Salpeter on vocals, piano and keyboards; Darren Wilson on drums; and Chris Faller on bass - are relative newcomers.
The band's DIY release "So Sudden" was reissued by Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance Records in the fall and has sold almost 5,000 copies. (The Decaydance imprint, distributed by Fueled by Ramen, is Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's vanity label; he is its main talent scout.)
Morris has got all the answers.
1. I'm 21, and we range from 21, 20, 19 and 18 . . . that's Greta.
2. I'd say it's probably like Ben Kweller mixed with Saves the Day, with a little Fiona Apple. Different influences play pivotal roles in our band.
3. The new album we've been working on will be finished in seven days, then it's off to be mixed. It's better than we anticipated. We'll finish March 13, then go for this tour March 14. It (the record) should be out the first week in June; it doesn't have a title yet. After this tour, around the time school lets out for Greta, we're doing about 10 dates with Fall Out Boy and the Academy Is . . . in the UK.
4. One week. We haven't toured much because Greta is still in high school. Her dean gave her time off for this Fall Out Boy tour.
5. Two thousand at a show in Rockford, Ill.
6. We're on Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen. Pete (Wentz) helped us out, getting on the label and this tour; and Patrick (Stump) is helping produce the album. We're good friends with them.
7. Whenever we're playing well. We get off on playing really well and the audience feels it.
8. Exposure and a chance to hype the new record. As a band, we're getting stronger and writing better.
9. We're doing a month on this tour with Fall Out Boy. Then we're off a few days and then the shows in England. We're also planning our summer tour. The Warped Tour? We're really not a Warped Tour kind of band.
10. This is like a dream. We recorded our first album one month after we became a band last year. Pete found us on the Internet after we posted one of our songs on PureVolume.com. He's an awesome guy. We had a full-length release out two months after forming the band.
