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Pete Wentz - bassist and lyricist
Patrick Stump - lead vocals, guitar
Joe Trohman - guitarist
Andy Hurley - drummer
They are not an emo band, thought their lyrics are strong on emotions. They are not a punk/pop band, though they admit to punk/pop roots. They are Fall Out Boy, a hard-driving rock band whose music reflects a wide spectrum of influences united in a style that's unique, bold and original.
Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, Patrick Stump and Andy Hurly, all veterans of Chicago's hardcore scene, began playing together in suburban Wilmette in 2001. Wentz had previously been the frontman for the disbanded hardcore band Arma Angelus. He and childhood friend Trohman began writing lyrics together. They were soon joined by vocalist Stump whose gritty yet melodic style was a perfect fit. After a couple hits and misses at drummer, they were eventually joined by former Racetraitor percussionist Hurly who they knew and had played with previously.
"Whenever I'm not doing interviews, I'm probably writing music and he's (Wentz) writing words, and at any given moment we're putting something together." ~ Patrick Stump
In 2001, the group released a three-song demo that was enthusiastically received by Chicago area fans. In May of 2002, Fall Out Boy (FOB) teamed up with Project Rocket and released a split CD on the Uprising label. Their debut album, Fall Out Boy's Evening Out With Your Girlfriend, released on Uprising in 2003, contributed to their exploding popularity around Chicago and beyond. Producers from across the country were contesting for a piece of the action. Fueled by Ramen Records got the call.
"Every band thinks they're doing something way better than they're actually doing, and way greater than they're actually doing." ~ Patrick Stump
FOB released their second full length album, Take This To Your Grave, later in 2003 on Fueled by Ramen. Hit singles off the album like Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy and Saturday were featured on FUSE and MTVU. They also signed with Island Records granting them the right of first refusal on their next album. The acoustic EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue which included a DVD, was released on fueled by Ramen in 2004.
"L.A. was a good place for us, because we're not L.A. party-type people at all. When we landed, it was like being on this foreign planet where people just happen to breathe oxygen." ~ Pete Wentz
Pete Wentz's attempted suicide in 2005 threatened to terminate the group as well, but somehow they managed to survive. "It's so hard to think about and understand. I'm not making an argument for being a disturbed genius; I was a confused kid. I felt like I was Pete Wentz for everybody else, and I didn't have Pete Wentz to turn to." The song "7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)" from their next album From Under the Cork Tree, is based upon Wentz's experience.
"After all of the dinners and "best new…" trophies and acclaims, there will be a time when no one cares about this band again and we will just still be the best of friends." ~ Pete Wentz
From Under the Cork Tree, the title of which has origins in one of Wentz's favorite children's' books The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, was their major label debut. An immediate hit, the album, destined to go double platinum, debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 70,000 copies in its first week. The first single, Sugar We're Goin' Down," climbed to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made it to #1 on MTV's TRL. Their video won the MTV2 Award at the 2005 MTV Video Awards and the band was nominated for "Best New Artist" at the 2006 Grammies.
"Every band wants to write the new Coldplay record. The problem is most of these bands suck and should get back in the shorts and write pop-punk." ~ Pete Wentz
FOB's next album, Infinity on High, released on February 6, 2007, was an immediate success. It opened at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 260,000 albums in its first week. The single This Ain't A Scene, It's A God Damned Arms Race rocketed to the top of the charts in both the US and Britain. Before embarking on the Honda Civic Tour in spring of 2007, the group made numerous promotional TV appearances hitting virtually every talk show on the air, including those hosted by David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Carson Daly, and Ellen DeGeneres. They were also booked as one of the headline acts appearing in the July 7th 2007 Live Earth concerts
The band also shared top billing in the Young Wild Things Tour with Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T's and Cute Is What We Aim For, which began in October, 2007.
FOB's success continued with the release of their chart topping album Folie A Deux in December of 2008.
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