I don't care what you think

Since the Fall Out Boy "break up" took place last week, not much has happened. The band has still not confirmed or denied that Fall Out Boy is done for good; they're still using the term "hiatus," which by definition means infinite break.

Patrick did an interview with Spin regarding his new solo project. He told the music magazine that the music he's making now perfectly matches his personality, like "the Damned Things is sooooo Joe. It is Joe. That's the Joe that's been trying to get out for a long time. And [drummer Andy Hurley's hardcore band] Burning Empires -- it's so Andy." His album is going to have more of a funk taste to it, shown by the video he posted on his official website:

Patrick Stump from Patrick Stump on Vimeo.

Patrick also gave us a preview of some tracks he's written in the Spin.com interview. One, called "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" is a satirical piece. He said, "lyrically, I want to be direct. With my history in Fall Out Boy, there's some expectation that I'm going to be lyrically obtuse. But that song is a straight-faced satire of consumerism." He also told us the names of a few other new tracks, including: "Mad At Nothing," and "Love Selfish Love."

Joe and Andy's band, The Damned Things, shared with fans via twitter that tracking drums for their album is nearly complete. They are currently recording in New York City. They've also been posting "Studio Updates" through twitvid.

Pete created an official facebook profile this week and posted a link to it on his twitter. He also said he'd be working with Craig Owens in mid-February through an @reply.
You can also see his growing frustrations with what's been going on recently in his blog (for example, this most recent post). It's evident that the break from the band/the spotlight is exactly what Pete needs at this point in his life.
His clothing line, Clandestine Industries, though, just released some new merchandise yesterday. One shirt, which he called “oh oh oh so controversial," says "I Quit Clandestine," clearly mocking the drama surrounding the band's break up recently. Also released was a new hoodie, called Marauder 2.0, and four other t-shirts.


And that's it. That's all the Fall Out Boy news I have for you.
So, what do I do now?
I figure (for now) I'll explain why Fall Out Boy is such a controversial band and why I love them. You love them or you hate them, that's just how it is. Most people say it's this way because they are "crappy punk rock," or that Pete is just starved for attention. Whether he is or not, Fall Out Boy is definitely not bad music. They wrote all of their own material, which is abnormal in most of today's mainstream artists. Most either co-write with a bigger name artist or just flat-out pay someone else to do it for them.
Not Fall Out Boy.
Pete wrote all the lyrics on all the albums the band ever released (with some help from Patrick on their first album "Take This To Your Grave"). Then all the members in tandem wrote the music. On top of that, they always play their music live (I would know, I've seen them live five times) and the shows are always entertaining.
They also care so much about their fans. They have a fanclub, called Overcast Kids, where fans can pay a small yearly fee to be a member. They gave opportunities, such as meet and greets with the band, early entry to their shows, contests to win rare merch, ect., to all members of the club. Yes, I am a member. As a result, I met them twice in 2009, and had early entry to the Albany date of their last headlining tour, "Believers Never Die." That show was by far the best show I've ever attended. Not because I met them beforehand or because I was right up front because of the early entry, because they really put themselves out there on that tour. Their tour photographer took live shots during the show, printed them, and had them signed. He handed them out to kids after the show. I got the first one (which was actually a picture of Pete before the show even began) during the show. Pete came offstage and handed it right to me with a smile. It was so nice because I felt so connected to the band as a result, like they really did care about me as a fan to a huge extent.
That's why they're my favorite band.
So if you are one of the haters, you have to give them some credit. They're talented musicians and they care. I do understand that some people have had negative experiences with them, but that's no reason to say that they are untalented.
I also realize that I probably won't change any opinions through this blog, but I can hope that maybe some readers who don't like their music will give it another chance. If you really listen, to more than just the singles they've released, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Long live the car crash hearts

It's been a pretty interesting couple of weeks in the land of Fall Out Boy.

Over the last week, Pete took to his twitter to address many issues in regard to not only the band, but his personal life. Perez Hilton, an infamous gossip blogger, posted a vicious attack on Pete on his website. Accompanied by a picture of Pete's son Bronx crying, Hilton said, " ." Pete later replied on his twitter and his personal website, calling Hilton a "closeted bully," and threatening to hurt him physically. He later removed all threatening posts and posted an apology. Pete has always said that he tries to shelter his child from the media because he wants him to grow up as normally as possible.
Pete also donated his time to Haiti Relief efforts in New York City, attending the candle lit vigil and working with UNICEF.
It has also been announced in the recent past that Pete, along with Mark Hoppus cowrote a song together for the upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie, called "In Transit." He has also stated that he will be back in the studio with Hoppus within the next week, but just for fun.
Pete has also been working with Craig Owens (formerly of the hardcore band Chiodos) on some new material but they have yet to confirm any possible side project.

Patrick, who once vowed that he would never have an account on any social networking website, created a twitter (as seen on the right side of this page,) and a facebook. His personal website also got a makeover. On the site, he posted a video of himself playing various instruments, such as guitar, drums, and trumpet, that said he is currently working on a solo album. He told MTV news, though, that he doesn't want to think of it as a side project because "[He] never liked that phrase, but I'm sure it will get used.'Solo' just sounds to me like it implies that it's some kind of vacation or something." But it sounds like that a new record from him is something we can be looking forward to in the near future.

Last week, Joe was on Friends or Enemies radio everyday from 3-7 pm, which a bunch of different guests.
Joe, along with Andy, announced that they had started a band called The Damned Things with Anthrax's Scott Ian, Rob Caggiano and Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley.

Andy is also currently drumming for a new band, called Burning Empires, featuring Stuart Ross, Ryan Morgan, and Kyle Johnson of Misery Signals, plus Matt Mixon, formerly of 7 Angels 7 Plagues. All of the guys also work for Andy's record label.



Unfortunately, late Monday night, Pete hinted at the end of Fall Out Boy on twitter and his blog. He started a Q&A session with fans, one of whom asked when the hiatus would be over. He replied, "man. dont you get it? a hiatus is forever until you get lonely or old. i dont plan on either." And proceeded to post a short explaination on his blog. He says that he can never see himself playing with Fall Out Boy again, but they band may reunite without him in the future. This caused an uproar of attacks from fans on twitter, all blaming him for the break up. Andy did take to his twitter in Pete's defense, though it didn't have much effect. Pete later said, "attack me. i am one of YOU only with a kevlar and an alligator shell. blame it all on me. cos i can take it. if u knew only knew how i felt."
Though none of the members have officially stated that Fall Out Boy is indeed over, it seems pretty evident that they are. At least for now. Even if they did reunite in the future without Pete, it wouldn't be an official reunion.
This is a rough time for all the members of the band, so other artists, such as Alex DeLeon of The Cab, have shown their support for the guys in different ways. DeLeon posted this on his blog, and Pete reposted it on his. Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat of All Time Low also showed their support on twitter.
Regardless, Fall Out Boy has had a major impact on the music industry. Whether they are together or not, their diehard fans (including myself) will always support them and their future endeavors. We can only hope that one day, maybe five years from now, Fall Out Boy will come back together the way blink-182 did in 2009.

Pete posted this picture (and caption) on his blog today:


I miss truck stops and sneaking nachos.