They ARE Okay

**This is a little story I just wrote in application for a job at the Alternative Press. I'm actually quite pleased with it so I thought I'd share. I had to include samples of writing about music, so I went ahead and picked a topic I like and know a bit about. Yeah, I know, "obsess much" but aren't you supposed to write about things you like & know? Anywho, wish me luck with the job!**

They Are Okay
How the five self-professed geeks of My Chemical Romance took the music industry by storm and head into 2006 to record one of the year’s most anticipated albums.

Lately it seems like you can’t pick up a music magazine without reading something about My Chemical Romance. These five boys from Jersey have gone from relative nobodies to rubbing elbows with the likes of Billie Joe Armstrong, Diddy and Jay-Z all in what seems like a matter of months. So, the question that a lot of slightly jaded twenty-something music-listeners are asking is, “why should I give a rat’s ass about MCR?” Good question. Here’s why.

Because they’re really good. Because they’ve brought something to their music that all of the other screamo/emo/metal/whatever-genre-you-want-to-put-MCR-in bands have been lacking. Because they’ve got charisma. Because their live shows are non-stop music. Because they’ve worked their little Jersey asses off. Because their next album is one of the most anticipated in the industry.

For those readers that somehow managed to avoid all mention of My Chemical Romance for the last year, here’s a little background on the quintet. Though each member of MCR grew up with music in his life in some manner, the spark for actually putting a band together was, in many ways, the result of September 11th. Frontman Gerard Way was burdened with the difficulty of making it as a comic book artist in New York City when the Twin Towers were hit and the struggle to comprehend what had just happened combined with the difficulty of making it as an artist forced Way to reassess his life and the direction it was taking. Ultimately, and luckily for music fans around the world, Way decided to hang up his paintbrush and began writing songs. He reconnected with Ray Toro, a buddy from Way’s childhood, and the two went about pulling together a seemingly rag-tag group that would one day become one of the hottest bands to hit the stage. Way seduced his younger brother Mikey to join as bassist and he was then followed by the addition of guitarist Frank Iero and drummer Matt Pelissier.

The band cut their first album for Eyeball Records and was challenged by the difficulty and luck of being connected to another Jersey-born band, Thursday. Though comparisons were inevitable, the contacts proved useful and “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love” helped MCR develop a fan base both in the U.S. as well as in other countries. It wasn’t until the release of “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” in 2004 that U.S. listeners really began to take notice of the band. The combination of strong song-writing, music videos that verge on miniature movies, incessant touring and a strong following resulting from the Warped Tour helped make MCR one of the biggest bands of 2005, culminating with their first headlining tour and their nomination for three VMA’s including Best New Artist, Best Rock Video and Best Choreography.

The rise to fame wasn’t without its difficulties though and much has been written about the troubles MCR faced in the course of their ascendancy within the music world. Way’s downward spiral into alcohol and drugs, Pelissier’s dismissal from the band and replacement by Bob Bryar and the challenges posed by constant touring have all impacted the five young men making up MCR today. While such events are impossible to ignore, at this point in the band’s existence, it seems more rewarding to look at where the band is headed rather than look at what is practically ancient history in the music world.

Currently, My Chemical Romance is finishing up their first headlining tour with a number of shows in Canada and Australia. They’ve recently made appearances on Fuse’s “Daily Download,” MTV’s “TRL” as well as getting to participate in the Leeds and Reading music festivals in the U.K. and perform at the VMA’s. One would anticipate that a vacation of some sort should be in MCR’s future, though it seems that the wave of momentum from the last year will actually spur these five into the recording studio sooner rather than later. What will the third My Chemical Romance album bring to listeners? It’s difficult to say since Gerard Way has made comments that the next album will be taking the band in a new direction. Whatever the final result is, fans can be sure that the Way brothers, Iero, Toro and Bryar will throw themselves into it with the same passion and intensity as they’ve put into everything for the last four years. Is taking the band in a new direction risky? Sure it is. Is it difficult following up a wildly successful album with another that is equally, if not more, successful? Of course. Is My Chemical Romance up to the challenge? You bet. They’ll no doubt head into 2006 and the recording studio with guns blazing and their fans can’t wait to see the results.