Fall Out Boy

Panic! At the Disco Opener Patrick Stump 'Taking No Prisoners'

26 Oct 2011 10:12:23 EDT

Ex-Fall Out Boy singer and Panic! tourmate tells MTV News his solo project has 'very punk-rock moments, very Motown moments.'
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker, with reporting by Matt Elias

Patrick Stump might be known to many as the lead singer of Fall Out Boy, but since the band entered an indefinite hiatus nearly two years ago, Stump has been working to create a name for himself a solo artist. Currently on tour as the opening act for Panic! At the Disco, Stump is doing just that.

"I know a lot of people still haven't heard me as a solo artist," Stump told MTV News. "[My current] band and I are starting to get into this groove where it's like we've really proven it to the immediate people around us, so now it's just going out and taking no prisoners."

Stump has taken the approach of developing a new sound altogether on his first solo studio album, Soul Punk. He said Prince and David Bowie were two of the record's key influences.

"The record itself and the live show: It's really an uptempo R&B kind of thing," Stump said, describing his new approach. "There are some very punk-rock moments, some very Motown moments."

Already closely associated with Panic! At the Disco through Fall Out bandmate Pete Wentz's efforts at getting them signed in their early days, Stump has seen the pop-punk headliners come a long way.

"When I met them, they felt like our little brothers," Stump said, laughing. "They've long since come into their own, and it's really awesome to get to open for them."

The Panic! tour, which kicked off earlier this month, hits Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday (October 26) and wraps up next month in Sauget, Illinois. While Stump is out to prove his validity as a solo artist, he knows there is already much to be thankful for: getting to do what he loves most for a living.

"I love being a musician," Stump said, smiling. "I write, and I play, and I think about music all the time. It's really fun to go into rooms with people who don't know what to expect."

Will you be checking out the fall Panic! tour with opening act Patrick Stump? Tell us in the comments below!

Related Videos

Opening Act: Artists To Look Out For

Related Artists

Patrick Stump's 'This City' Video: Go Behind The Scenes Now!

26 Jul 2011 06:53:05 EDT

Clip for the first single off the Fall Out Boy frontman's Soul Punk album is a decidedly minimal affair.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Patrick Stump realizes that his new single is called "This City," and, because of that, you're probably expecting the video to be filled with sweeping shots of skyscrapers, bustling crosswalks and all manner of urban ephemera. Which is why he chose to include none of that in the final product — and not much else, for that matter. He wants the message of the song to stand on its own.

"There's not really a plot, there's not really a story to it," Stump told MTV News last week on the set of the "City" video. "The song's called 'This City,' and it describes a lot of these images in a city, and I feel like those images are already there; it would be kind of redundant to take a camera into a city; it's almost like the colors and the lights and the images that are going to be around this are going to be representing the life in a city."

So there was nary a building to be seen on the "City" set in Glendale, California. Instead, it was just Stump performing his verses in front of several screens (Lupe Fiasco, who guests on the song, wasn't on hand), which director Ken Koller will fill with projections and colored lights. It's an artfully abstract way to present the song, one that Stump said he and Koller agreed on almost instantly.

"One thing that Ken and I were talking about is that a city is so complicated, so ... we wanted to do something a bit different with it, and a bit more abstract," he said. "I mean, the treatment was really funny to look at; it was literally one sentence, like 'Patrick stands in a room and sings and we project all these images and lights on the walls.' And that was it."

And while Stump admitted that Koller's bare-bones treatment freaked out his management, he stuck with it because he believes that simplicity truly makes for better art. It's a message that's taken on added significance now that he's gearing up to release his Soul Punk LP, due October 18. Because like the "This City" video, Stump would much rather prefer to let his music do the talking.

"I feel like videos and stage performance, those were always natural to me — I'm a musician and that's a comfortable surrounding for me. And videos are the same way," he said. "Interviews and photo shoots and all those things have sort of been learning experiences, because they're not something that comes natural to me. It's a really weird feeling to talk about yourself all day; you have to either really like yourself or have a really great sense of irony. ... It's just a totally different thing."

Related Artists

Blink-182 To Release New Single 'Up All Night' Friday

13 Jul 2011 10:08:49 EDT

Band has been talking about elusive comeback single since 2009.
By Gil Kaufman

Like a whisper campaign about a tatted-up unicorn, Blink-182's elusive first reunion single, "Up All Night," has been the subject of chatter for years. The band first started talking about the tune in 2009, when they reunited after a nearly four-year hiatus, but because the recorded version of the song wasn't quite finished at that point, they decided against playing the song live during their subsequent tours.

But now they're ready to pull back the curtain on the song, which is slated to premiere at 10:30 a.m. EST on Friday. The tune will roll out on powerhouse Los Angeles rock station KROQ (106.7 FM) and on the band's official website, according to an announcement posted on the group's official Facebook page.

While recording on the band's first new album since their self-titled 2003 disc was recently wrapped, a release date for the as-yet-untitled CD has not been announced. Blink went on indefinite hiatus in 2005 amid inter-band tensions and announced their reunion at the 2009 Grammy Awards. They then hit the road that summer along with Weezer and Fall Out Boy.

Though they've kept it off the live list for two years, it's likely "Night" will be added to the band's set when they kick off their upcoming Honda Civic-sponsored tour dates with My Chemical Romance on August 5 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. In addition to MCR, the band will be joined by a rotating list of other support acts on the tour, including Manchester Orchestra, Rancid, Against Me! and Matt & Kim.

Bassist Mark Hoppus sounded pumped about the new songs in a recent Facebook post, writing, "Currently listening to THE FIRST MIX FROM THE NEW ALBUM!! Sounds kick. Ass. Cannot wait until this album is released! BOOM!!!"

Related Artists

Ashlee Simpson And Pete Wentz Headed To Court In Custody Case

08 Mar 2011 16:37:59 EST

Divorcing couple are engaged in battle over 2-year-old son Bronx.
By Gil Kaufman

The amicable split between Pete Wentz and soon-to-be ex-wife Ashlee Simpson-Wentz appears to be taking a slightly less friendly turn. The couple, who separated earlier this year and seemed to be on good terms, appear to be headed to court to resolve a brewing custody dispute over their 2-year-old son, Bronx.

(See photos of Ashlee Simpson And Pete Wentz throughout the years.)

According to TMZ, Wentz filed papers on Monday in response to Simpson's divorce petition. The former Fall Out Boy bassist asked that a judge grant joint physical and legal custody of their son and requested that each spouse pay their own legal fees. The gossip site also claimed to have obtained a copy of the divorce petition, in which lawyers for Simpson-Wentz checked a box indicating that she wanted primary physical custody of the toddler and that she wanted Wentz to pay her legal fees as well.

The Wentz form lists May 16, 2008, as the date of their marriage and February 9, 2011, as the date of their separation.

When news of the divorce broke last month, sources close to the couple said they were intent on riding out the split peacefully and putting their focus on Bronx's well-being. "It's very amicable. They're on very friendly terms and speaking — it's fine," an insider told People magazine at the time. "They've just grown apart. They've been growing apart for quite some time."

The source added that parenting their toddler remained their top priority. "It's all about Bronx for them. They're fantastic parents — Pete says she's a great mom, and she says he's a great father," the insider said. "It's about Bronx's care and well-being and happiness for them."

Insiders have also echoed the "growing apart" reasoning to TMZ, adding that their respective careers — Simpson has largely eschewed the spotlight since 2008's Bittersweet World, while Wentz has dabbled in fashion and piloted other musical projects — wedged them apart.

"After Bronx was born, Ashlee made a conscious decision to get out of the business, but Pete's heart was in music so he kept touring and that became a big issue in their relationship," the source added.

While insiders have maintained the split is drama-free, TMZ reports that Simpson left because of Wentz's antics. "It's really all about Pete's erratic behavior," the source said. "She really wanted out."

Related Photos

Pete Wentz And Ashlee Simpson: The Way They Were

Related Artists

Ashlee Simpson And Pete Wentz: A Timeline Of Their Love

09 Feb 2011 14:07:40 EST

Pop darling and Fall Out Boy bassist met at 2006 VMAs and juggled parenthood, music and their various professional projects.
By Jocelyn Vena

On Wednesday (February 9), news broke that after nearly three years of marriage, Ashlee Simpson had filed for divorce from Pete Wentz. But even in the early stages of their courtship, Simpson and Wentz were plagued by rumors about their relationship.

Check out photos of the ex-couple throughout the years.

Shortly after they started dating — after meeting at the MTV VMAs in 2006 — the gossip pages began speculating about the pair, who were often open about addressing the talk. In 2007 (months after they'd gone public), Simpson was preparing her next album when Wentz flatly denied he was working on new music with his girlfriend. "That's pretty much the silliest recent rumor I have read," he said. "Mostly [because] I want no part in selling a relationship. I mean, it is not true. She hasn't really played me any of [her album]. I heard part of a demo that I liked, though.

"I mean, reports getting out are a bummer when they are absolutely not true. But at the same time you have to understand that this is part of the territory."

Months later, the two were fighting off rumors that the tight-knit Simpson clan hadn't been very welcoming of Wentz. Despite the speculation, though, Wentz and Simpson seemed like a close couple, often appearing at events together showing support for each other's projects. And in April 2008, the duo became engaged. Just days later, Simpson denied rumors that she was pregnant, saying, "I just think it's an inappropriate question to ask any woman."

Wentz and Simpson were married only a month later, in May, but the rumor mill was in full swing insisting that Ashlee and Pete were indeed expecting a bundle of joy. An official baby confirmation finally came at the end of May.

"While many have speculated about this," the couple shared, "we wanted to wait until after the first trimester to officially confirm that we are expecting our first child. This is truly the most joyous time in our lives, and we are excited to share the happy news and start our family."

In November 2008, Ashlee and Pete had their son, Bronx Mowgli.

"Every time I see my son, it looks like he's landing on the moon and discovering new rocks and stuff," Wentz said at the time. "I mean, every time he looks at his hand, it's like he's Christopher Columbus making it across the ocean. It's pretty awesome."

"Motherhood is the most fantastic experience I have ever been through," Simpson wrote at the time. "Bronx makes me laugh and smile every day! ... I can't wait to spend [the holiday] with my new family. Christmas tree goes up tomorrow!"

However in March 2009, the couple were battling rumors of marital woes. Again, they denied there was anything to worry about, but by June of that year, gossip had Wentz's ex, Michelle Trachtenberg, coming between the pair.

After Simpson got into an argument with the "Gossip Girl" star at a party in Los Angeles, Simpson's publicist responded in a statement, "It was just a misunderstanding. Ashlee has since apologized to Michelle, and they remain on good terms."

Wentz and Simpson have kept busy the last couple of years, working on various projects. According to TMZ, Simpson cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

Related Photos

Pete Wentz And Ashlee Simpson: The Way They Were

Related Artists

Ashlee Simpson Files For Divorce From Pete Wentz

09 Feb 2011 12:54:48 EST

In papers filed Wednesday, Simpson also seeks joint custody of son Bronx Mowgli.
By James Montgomery

On Tuesday, Ashlee Simpson filed for divorce in the Los Angeles Superior Court, ending her marriage of nearly three years to Pete Wentz.

"After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to file for divorce," reads a joint statement from Simpson and Wentz, sent to MTV News. "We remain friends and deeply committed and loving parents to our son, Bronx, whose happiness and well-being remains our number one priority. We ask that everyone honor our privacy as we navigate this next phase of our lives."

(Check out photos of the ex-couple throughout the years.)

According to documents obtained by TMZ, Simpson cites "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split, and is asking for joint legal custody — and primary physical custody — of their 2-year-old son, Bronx Mowgli.

She also asks the court to restore her name to Ashlee Nicole Simpson. In 2008 — less than a month after marrying Wentz — she announced plans to formally change her name to Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

According to TMZ, the couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement before marrying.

The couple began dating in late 2006 and wed on May 17, 2008, in a non-denominational, "Alice in Wonderland"-themed ceremony held at the Simpsons' home in Encino, California. The event was presided over by Simpson's father, Joe, with sister Jessica serving as bridesmaid.

In the months leading up to the wedding, rumors began circulating that Simpson and Wentz were expecting their first child together. Wentz originally dismissed those rumors as part of a "witch hunt" but later recanted, saying that he was just trying to protect Simpson's right to privacy. Bronx Mowgli was born in November 2008.

In 2009, amid reports that their marriage was in trouble, Wentz e-mailed MTV News to say, "You shouldn't believe everything you read on the Internet. It's nonsense."

MTV News' e-mails to reps for Simpson and Wentz were not responded to by press time.

Related Photos

Pete Wentz And Ashlee Simpson: The Way They Were

Related Artists

Travie McCoy To Hit The Road With Pete Wentz

24 Jan 2011 14:33:25 EST

Donnis, XV, Bad Rabbits also along for the ride on Sgt. Schlepper's Who Needs Hearts Club Band Tour.
By James Montgomery

Travie McCoy is gearing up for his first-ever solo headlining tour, and he's bringing an old friend along for the ride.

On Monday (January 24), McCoy announced the details of his Sgt. Schlepper's Who Needs Hearts Club Band Tour (good name, BTW), a North American jaunt that kicks off March 17 in Toronto and crisscrosses the continent before wrapping up April 3 in Seattle. Joining him on the trek will be his good pal Pete Wentz — who will be taking his new Black Cards project out on the road for their first full-scale tour — rappers Donnis and XV, and hip-hop/funk collective Bad Rabbits.

An exclusive pre-sale begins Tuesday, along with special VIP packages that include a ticket, a meet-and-greet with McCoy and, according to a press release from Atlantic Records, "a Travie piggy-bank (for all the future Billionaires)." For more information about pre-sales and VIPs, head over to the tour's ticketing site or McCoy's website. All remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday.

In addition to his upcoming tour, McCoy is set to enter the studio with his group Gym Class Heroes to put the finishing touches on The Papercut Chronicles II, their first album since 2008's The Quilt. In late 2009, McCoy told MTV News that the new GCH album is shaping up to be a return to their early days (as evidenced by the title), saying, "It's definitely going back to the essence of Gym Class Heroes, which is four dudes sitting in a room, vibing off each other and making organic, dark metal."

Dates for Travie McCoy's Sgt. Schlepper's Who Needs Hearts Club Band Tour:

» 3/17 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
» 3/18 - Montreal, QC @ Le National
» 3/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
» 3/20 - Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
» 3/22 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
» 3/23 - New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
» 3/24 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
» 3/25 - Chicago, IL @ The Metro
» 3/26 - Minneapolis, MN @ Station 4
» 3/27 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
» 3/28 - Denver, CO @ Summit Theatre
» 3/30 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
» 3/31 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
» 4/1 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
» 4/2 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
» 4/3 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

Will you check out Travie and Pete on tour? Let us know in the comments!

Related Photos

MTV.com Exclusive: Travie McCoy

Related Artists

The Damned Things Aim To Bring '20-Foot Zombie George Washington' On Tour

07 Dec 2010 17:05:04 EST

Hard-rocking supergroup features members of Fall Out Boy, Anthrax and Every Time I Die.
By James Montgomery

Nearly three years ago, Joe Trohman and Scott Ian met up, drank a fair amount and started talking about — of all things — their mutual love for Thin Lizzy. That initial conversation was the de facto beginning of the Damned Things, their heavy-riffing, hard-strutting new band.

Of course, back then, both men were still busy with their day jobs — Trohman as the guitarist of Fall Out Boy and Ian as the epicenter of thrash legends Anthrax — so rather than pursuing the idea of forming a group together, they simply recorded a demo and kept the project under wraps, referring to it only with a super-secret (and sorta-awesome) code name: Methuselah.

As you probably know by now, in the time since those initial sessions, things have changed, which means that, as 2010 comes to a close, Trohman and Ian now have a full band (joined by FOB drummer Andy Hurley, Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano and Every Time I Die yowler Keith Buckley) and a brand-new album, Ironiclast, due next week. About the only thing that's changed is the name of the project. Seems no matter how rad of a handle it might have been, Methuselah just wasn't going to cut it.

"It was a really a good name; we couldn't use it for legality's sake," Trohman laughed. "There'd probably be some guy in a Florida trailer park that was like, 'I was in Methuselah in the '60s, and check out this band with these current dudes that I think are rich. That's my money!' "

"There were a few bands called Methuselah," Ian added. "But nobody actually had it trademarked, so we could've used it, but the second we would've done anything, our lawyer was like, 'Expect to be sued,' so we didn't want to start this with a lawsuit."

So instead, they settled on the Damned Things — "Keith thought of it, because he's a words guy," Trohman joked — and got to work, reshaping their older material into a lean, mean batch of songs that somehow manages to incorporate the best elements of each member's other bands (the speedy riffs of Slayer, the hooks of FOB and the growl of ETID) while still remaining, at its core, a very retro-leaning record, with the blue-collar heart of Thin Lizzy and the majestic fretwork of Led Zeppelin being two obvious touchstones. And, somewhat surprisingly — given, you know, the whole Fall Out Boy connection — they've managed to win over even the most die-hard of hard-rock fans. For the most part.

"It's gratifying. I love the band and love the record, and everybody else in the band loves the band and loves the record, and that's, first and foremost, the most important thing to me," Trohman said. "And we all have made music in the past partly for ourselves and partly for other people, so it's nice to see people digging it whether they want to or not. ... I'm actually happy to see that there's people that really, really like it, or don't like it, because of the fact that we're able to invoke some sort of strong feeling. It's a good thing, I think."

And despite the varying nature of their respective groups, Trohman and Ian say the Damned Things remain, for the foreseeable future at least, their main focus. That's sort of the whole point of the thing, really.

"We've got tours lined up to the summer at this point — actually, options and opportunities to do stuff worldwide all the way through October. And that's obviously what we're hoping for. We were hoping we'd make a record that would stand on its own and not be about, like, 'Well, let's just book this band because it's these guys from this band and these guys from this band,' " Ian said. "It's really been about the record. The record's been the driving force. If anything, with the success of [first single] '[We've Got a] Situation [Here]' on the radio, it's been more about that than even who's in the band anymore, and that's kind of what we've been hoping for, and that's why we get to go on tour, and that's why we'll keep playing shows. ... Really, when it comes down to it, nobody really cares who's in the band if you make a crappy record."

And to that end, they're already lining up plans for their upcoming shows (including a two-month run on the Jägermeister Tour alongside Buckcherry, All That Remains and Hellyeah), which may or may not include a cameo by the star of the Ironiclast album cover: a thoroughly zombified George Washington. Because, really, all great metal bands need a solid mascot.

"That might happen," Ian laughed. "Because, you know what? If we're ever that big, where we could have a 20-foot zombie George Washington come onstage, we will."

Will you check out the Damned Things on tour? Let us know in the comments!

Related Artists

Patrick Stump Clears Up Rumors About Solo Album On Twitter

19 Jul 2010 15:23:24 EDT

'I was tempted out of my cave by misinformation,' he says of his recent tweets.
By James Montgomery

Patrick Stump has never really been the most tech-savvy dude — his social networking presence isn't exactly what you would call robust — so, when he took to his Twitter account late Friday (July 16), it was clearly because he had something important to say.

"This is the first tweet I'm typing myself," he wrote on the page, which, up until this point, had been maintained/updated by someone else. "Gonna clear up some misinformation."

At issue were stories about his upcoming solo album, several of which seemed to insinuate that he'd no longer be playing every instrument on the disc (something he's long maintained), but would be joined on the album by former Taking Back Sunday bassist Matt Rubano and drummer Mike Fasano.

"Matt Rubano is playing in my band, he's a genius, but he is not playing on the record," Stump wrote. "Mike Fasano isn't playing on the record either, he's my drum tech, and a damn good one ... I'm still playing everything on the record and it's almost done."

Considering that the Rubano stuff had been circulating since late May, you get a pretty good idea of how often Stump checks in online. But, since he had momentum, he also used his Twitter to address a Washington Post blog post that quoted him as saying his debut disc would feature "outsider folk."

" 'Outsider folk' was a misquote. I said, 'Outsider funk,' but it's not even really that anymore," he wrote. "It's basically an R&B album, but as they say, 'Talking about music is like dancing about architecture ...' You'll have to just hear yourself."

He closed by promising that fans would be hearing his much-discussed solo debut very soon, writing, "Patience will be rewarded. I guarantee no Chinese Democracy."

MTV News sent Stump an e-mail to see if he had anything to add to his, uh, addendums, and, somewhat surprisingly, we got a response — one that hinted, in a very funny way, that fans probably shouldn't expect another outpouring of Tweets like this any time soon.

"The only thing I have to add: I still don't dig Twitter. To paraphrase Lee Marvin, 'I know my career must be doing great 'cause I'm getting quoted incorrectly,' " Stump wrote. "I was tempted out of my cave by misinformation. But you'll never see me tweet what I had for lunch."

Related Artists

Ludacris, Pete Wentz, Jillian Michaels Get Nostalgic On 'When I Was 17'

09 May 2010 08:58:00 EDT

'My father did not know how to cook,' Luda says of working at Pizza Hut for money — and meals.
By MTV News staff

Ludacris once delivered pizzas instead of rhymes. Instead of motivating people to live a better life on "The Biggest Loser," Jillian Michaels wasn't very motivated to hang out with anyone in high school. And Pete Wentz kicked around a soccer ball instead of playing bass.

How do we know all this? Well, they dished all about it on the latest episode of MTV's new show "When I Was 17," airing Saturdays at 11 a.m.

While he's the face of Fall Out Boy these days, Wentz didn't think he'd find fortune or fame as a rock star. In fact, he thought he'd be the next David Beckham. "I played soccer, but I wasn't really a jock," Wentz said in the episode. "It was something I was really passionate about. I feel like I had a magical connection with the ball. I wanted to play professional soccer in Europe."

Ludacris also had an alternative career back in the day: He used to work at Pizza Hut. "Not only did I get a job at Pizza Hut to get a little extra change in my pocket, but I also did it so that I could eat," he explained. "I lived with my father. God bless my father, I love him to death, may he rest in peace, but my father did not know how to cook. Simple as that."

It seems that food service is quite the popular industry for 17-year-old future celebs. Michaels, admittedly, wasn't very good at it though. "I began looking for jobs. I became a waitress," she recalled. "I was the worst freakin' waitress in the world. I was not very good at customer service. [I was like,] 'Oh, you don't like that? Sorry.' Waitressing was not for me."

Don't miss "When I Was 17," airing Saturdays at 11 a.m. on MTV!

Related Artists