I could sing the Black Parade album from heart and tell you all the trivia about every music video they had: in “Famous Last Words,” Ray Toro and Frank Iero both suffered burns from the bonfire scene. 

Since I grew up in Utah (i.e., Mormon), I was a late introduction to the “emo revolution”. I missed out on the height of the Black Parade era, and my closest interaction with the emo aesthetic was an off-the-walls friend who I definitely didn’t understand. Yet somehow, the “Famous Last Words” music video popped up on my YouTube dashboard one day, and these pale, skinny goths won over my restrained Mormon-girl heart with their punk rock vibes. I wanted to wear the Black Parade uniform and seriously debated dying my hair white.

Then they broke up on my birthday.

My brain has rightfully repressed most of my teen years, but what I can remember of my reaction was that I was extremely excited to meet Gerard Way at WonderCon in Anaheim later that week. He canceled the appearance five days after the announcement of their breakup. I was upset, to say the least, later going to Tumblr to rant and mourn as you do when you’re newly fifteen.

I can only speculate the cancellation was because hordes of heartbroken fans would ferociously murder him in the name of emo instead of asking him for his autograph for the newest issue of The Umbrella Academy. 

MCR? Whomst’ve?

My Chemical Romance (or MCR) hails from Newark, New Jersey, founded by lead singer Gerard Way, his brother, bassist Mikey Way, guitarist Ray Toro, and Matt Pelissier. Guitarist Frank Iero would join them later on. The band was formed not long after 9/11, when Gerard was so changed by witnessing the World Trade Centers fall, he decided to start a band. The name came from Irvine Welsh’s book Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance. Mikey suggested the name after he spotted the book working at Barnes and Noble. Their beginnings were humble, and they fostered their initial fanbase on their MySpace profile and booking at the notorious Big Daddy’s venue.

Their real breakout was the release of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in the Summer of 2004. The album was incredibly successful, garnering punk rock classics such as “Helena”, “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”, and “The Ghost of You” (rip WWII-era Mikey Way).

While a triumph, this was later eclipsed by The Black Parade in ‘06. Anyone over the age of 18 has heard the well-known G note played at the beginning of the title track many, many times. The LP collected many accolades, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 (behind Hannah Montana), certified Triple Platinum, and being nominated for a Grammy. 

Their depressingly emotional lyrics, epic instrumentals, and rebellious subject matter defined them, albeit controversially, as an “emo” musical style. Gerard Way has publicly rejected the term, describing it as “F***ing Garbage”. However, he also described the band’s style as being “What-else-ya-got-emo”. Whatever the case may be, My Chemical Romance became a figure-head for the emo subculture.

The Breakup.

Now, why would a critically acclaimed and incredibly successful band break up, especially after doing a song for Yo Gabba Gabba?

Just listen to the Conventional Weapons album. 

Riding off the wave of The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (which contained the hit song “Sing”), My Chemical Romance released their final and worst album ever. Conventional Weapons revolved (no pun intended) around 10 unreleased songs recorded prior to the Killjoys album. MCR released two songs a month for five months finishing in February 2013. It was in all honesty, unremarkable. If you’re thinking “Hm, that release sure is close to Kate’s birthday on March 22nd.” You are correct. Their breakup came soon after the final song was released. One can only assume that our near-and-dear goth boys had burnt out completely. In fact, Way admitted in an interview with The Guardian, “[that] it wasn’t fun to make stuff anymore.” The pressure from the world to keep creating bigger and better music, as well as the weight of The Black Parade’s success, crushed any enjoyment they had in producing music. It was time to stop.

The Reunion.

Here we are now, in the last months of 2019. While everything seems to be going up in flames in a giant landfill fire, we can at least expect more music from My Chemical Romance before the year is up. Rumors of a reunion had begun in 2016, but it turned out the teasing on the band’s website was because of the 10th anniversary edition of The Black Parade, much to the chagrin of every grown up goth ever. It was actually Joe Jonas that leaked the reunion. In June of 2019, the boy-bander claimed that My Chemical Romance were rehearsing next to them in New York. 

And then no one believed him.

Joe Jonas proved to be the ignored prophet of the goth religion, because on Halloween, MCR officially announced their return with a comeback show in LA this December. Goth Christmas had finally come to pass. No need to worry about tickets to the show, they sold out within the first few hours of going on sale November 1st. If you didn’t snag a ticket- because you didn’t sacrifice a few goats for the chance to buy one- you can follow their Instagram as they continue to post cryptic images pertaining to the pending releases. Or, while you wait patiently for December to come bearing angry violent gifts of punk-rock, you can take this time to re-listen or listen anew to the iconic discography of My Chemical Romance.

But have we forgiven them? We’ll see.

The post So Long and Goodnight to Emo? Apparently Not. appeared first on SCAD Radio.

There’s more stages than I ever remember seeing this year! With all these stages comes many diverse artists for fans with various music tastes. There are 6 stages: Journey’s Left & Right Foot(s? Feet?), Mutant Red Dawn & Mutant White Lightning, owly.fm, and the Full Sail Stage where the Local Lineup will perform.

With all that being said, here’s a guide to Vans Warped Tour 2018 artists!

Journey’s Left Foot

3OH!3

I have to admit, 3OH!3 is a guilty pleasure of mine. Their 2008 single “Don’t Trust Me” was iconic with lines like “Tell your boyfriend if he says he’s got beef, that I’m a vegetarian…” They went on to have 2 more songs playing on pop stations nationwide and worked with pop artists Ke$ha and Katy Perry.

Latest Album: Night Sports May 2016

RIYL: Cobra Starship, Mike Posner

Issues

Issues is one of those bands that you can’t grow tired of seeing live.

Latest Album: Headspace May 2016

RIYL: Woe Is Me, Crown The Empire

Knuckle Puck

Knuckle Puck is a Pop Punk band from Chicago, IL.

Latest Album: Shapeshifter October 2017

RIYL: State Champs, Neck Deep, Real Friends

Mayday Parade

The 2012 emo in me is always going to love everything Mayday Parade does. Sunnyland is one of my personal favorite new albums this year.

Latest Album: Sunnyland June 2018

RIYL: All Time Low, Pierce The Veil, A Day to Remember

Pennywise

Pennywise is a Punk music staple. Formed in 1988 and named after the clown from Stephen King’s novel It, these guys have been non-stop for 30 years now! They have over a dozen albums and they’ve been putting out a new album every-other-year for almost a decade and show no signs of stopping. Over the years, they’ve built up a huge fan base.

Latest Album: Never Gonna Die April 2018

RIYL: NOFX, Bad Religion, Rancid, The Offspring

State Champs

State Champs just released their newest album Living Proof, back in June so I can only hope they’ll perform my personal favorite song off of it, Crystal Ball. We had the pleasure of seeing them at Self Help Fest 2017 and know that, with the energy of Derek DiScanio’s vocals, it’s going to be a great show.

Latest Album: Living Proof June 2018

RIYL: Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck, The Story So Far, Real Friends

Reel Big Fish

Reel Big Fish is a Ska-Punk band that formed in 1991 and have released almost two dozen albums. While they haven’t released new music in a few years, they’ve been keeping busy on loads of festivals. A band as energetic and entertaining as this belongs on stage and they’re an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to.

Latest Album: Happy Skalidays December 2014

RIYL: Less Than Jake, Streetlight Manifesto

Waterparks

Formed in 2011, Waterparks has been working their way up for a few years now, really taking off in 2016. Their sophomore full-length album, Entertainment, was released in January 2018 and songs “Blonde” and “Lucky People” show exactly why they’re gaining so much popularity in the Pop Punk and Pop Rock music scene.

Latest Album: Entertainment January 2018

RIYL: Tonight Alive, All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens

Journey’s Right Foot

Real Friends

Real Friends were one of my highlights from Self Help Fest 2017 and I’m thrilled to see them on Warped Tour’s 2018, though it’s not the first time. They’ve been doing Warped Tour for a few years and killing it every time.

Latest Album: The Home Inside My Head May 2016

RIYL: State Champs, Neck Deep,The Wonder Years

Movements

Movements formed in 2015 and they’ve done very well for themselves in the past 3 years. Their 2017 album, Feel Something, really did make their audience do just that.

Latest Album: Feel Something October 2017

RIYL: Balance and Composure, Modern Baseball, Title Fight, Senses Fail

The Maine

This Arizona band has been putting out Pop Punk and Emo Pop music since 2007.

Latest Album: Little Lovely April 2017

RIYL: Mayday Parade, A Rocket to the Moon, Boys Like Girls, Forever the Sickest Kids

Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake have been around since 1992 and they never give a boring performance. We got to see these guys at Self Help Fest 2017 and had the time our lives enjoying the energy these guys bring combined with the Ska-Punk style that they’ve been perfecting for over 20 years.

Latest Album: Sound the Alarm February 2017

RIYL: Reel Big Fish

Simple Plan

The 2008 emo in me, she’s a little different, can’t wait to see Simple Plan on stage again! This Canadian rock band started gaining traction in 1999 and have been on Warped Tour 10 years. One of their most popular songs, “Perfect”, is one that will stick with me forever.

Latest Album: Taking One for the Team February 2016

RIYL: Green Day, Sum 41, Blink-182

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive is an Australian rock band that’s been around since 2008. Their music was featured in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, in 2014. When I think of Tonight Alive, though, I’m always reminded of the awesome hair colors that singer Jenna McDougall has rocked over the past decade!

Latest Album: Limitless March 2016

RIYL: We Are the In Crowd, PVRIS, Paramore

We The Kings

I think it’s safe to say, We The Kings will always be known for their 2007 platinum single, “Check Yes Juliet”. If that was a little old for you, then you might recognize their 2013 song, “Sad Song” which surprised a lot of fans by ending up back on pop radio nationwide.

Latest Album: So Far June 2016

RIYL: Mayday Parade, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low

Mutant Red Dawn

The Amity Affliction

Upcoming Album: Misery August 2018

RIYL: Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember, Beartooth

Chelsea Grin

Latest Album: Eternal Nightmare July 2018

RIYL: Whitechapel, Suicide Silence, Born Of Osiris

Deez Nuts

Latest Album: Binge & Purgatory April 2017

RIYL: The Ghost Inside, Stick to Your Guns, Being As An Ocean

Ice Nine Kills

Latest Album: Every Trick in the Book December 2015

RIYL: Chelsea Grin, Crown the Empire, Motionless in White

Kublai Khan

Latest Album: Nomad September 2017

RIYL: The Acacia Strain, Sworn In

Mychildren Mybride

Latest Album: Vicious World October 2017

RIYL: Oh Sleeper, The Chariot, Impending Doom

Sharptooth

Latest Album: Clever Girl October 2017

RIYL: Hatebreed

Twiztid

Latest Album: The Continuous Evilution of Life’s ?’s January 2017

RIYL: Insane Clown Posse

Wage War

Latest Album: Deadweight August 2017

RIYL: Every Time I Die, Ice Nine Kills, August Burns Red

Mutant White Lightning

August Burns Red

Latest Album: Phantom Anthem October 2017

RIYL: Parkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, A Day to Remember

Crown The Empire

Latest Album: Retrograde July 2016

RIYL: Of Mice & Men, Memphis May Fire, We Came As Romans

Dayseeker

Latest Album: Dreaming Is Sinking /// Waking Is Rising (Reimagined) June 2018

RIYL: Silent Planet, Capture The Crown, Kingdom of Giants

Every Time I Die

Latest Album: Low Teens September 2016

RIYL: Norma Jean, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Underoath, Letlive

In Hearts Wake

Latest Album: Ark (Deluxe Edition) June 2018

RIYL: Northlane, The Amity Affliction, Parkway Drive

Motionless In White

Latest Album: Graveyard Shift May 2017

RIYL: Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Bring Me the Horizon

Nekrogoblikon

Latest Album: Welcome to Bonkers April 2018

RIYL: Alestrom, Dethklok

Senses Fail

Latest Album: If There is Light, it Will Find You February 2018

RIYL: Silverstein, Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights

Unearth

Latest Album: Watchers of Rule October 2014

RIYL: As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed

owly.fm

As It Is

Upcoming Album: The Great Depression August 2018

RIYL: State Champs, Neck Deep, Moose Blood

Assuming We Survive

Latest Album: All Roads Lead Home June 2016

RIYL: Wage War, Icon For Hire, I Prevail

Broadside

Latest Album: Paradise June 2017

RIYL: Seaway, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck

Capstan

Latest Album: In the Wake of Our Discord January 2018

RIYL: Bat

Doll Skin

Latest Album: Manic Pixie Dream Girl June 2017

RIYL: Bad Seed Rising, The Gospel Youth

Don Broco

Latest Album: Technology February 2018

RIYL: You Me At Six, Enter Shikari, Young Guns

Grayscale

Latest Album: Adornment May 2017

RIYL: Broadside, State Champs, Waterparks

Makeout

Latest Album: The Good Life September 2017

RIYL: Mac DeMarco

Palaye Royale

Latest Album: Boom Boom Room June 2016

RIYL: Andy Black, Waterparks, Sleeping With Sirens

Sleep On It

Latest Album: Overexposed November 2017

RIYL: State Champs, Waterparks

Story Untold

Latest Album: Waves February 2018

RIYL: Minority 905, Amasic, Twenty One Two

Trash Boat

Latest Album: Crown Shyness July 2018

RIYL: New Found Glory, Transit, Balance and Composure

With Confidence

Upcoming Album: Love and Loathing August 2018

RIYL: State Champs, As It Is, Waterparks

Full Sail Stage – Local Lineups

Farewell Winters

Kaiser Solzie

Lightburns

Tropidelic

Awake At Last

Small Talks

Beebs and Her Money Makers

Bodysnatcher

Kosha Dillz

The post Warped Tour Pre-Show 2018 appeared first on SCAD Radio.