I am VERY excited to announce that I will be performing with Hawthorne Heights at the 2013 Vans Warped Tour, playing the single, “OHIO IS FOR LOVERS” at the Dallas, TX, stop on August 2nd at the Gexa Energy Pavilion. If you can, PLEASE make it out there! Get your tickets! http://www.vanswarpedtour.com/events/
So, another great band has ended. My Chemical Romance from Belleville, New Jersey, decided to call it quits on March 22, 2013. When I found out that night, it seemed so surreal. I have been listening to this band for eight years. I first heard of them, like many people, during the ‘Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge’ era. I had seen the “I’m Not Okay” video a couple of times, but I never really paid attention to the actual song itself. It wasn’t until I saw the album at a Sam Goody (back when it was still around) at the mall in May 2005, & I bought the album, only because I REALLY liked the album cover. I listened to the album & I thought that it was alright. It was in the middle of the My Chemical Romance sensation. They were everywhere! Magazines, radio, every music channel you could possibly think of. My high school sweetheart was HEAVY into them & she would always show me their newest music videos & what not. Revenge was one of those albums that the more I listened to, the more I liked it. So, after starting to come around to that album, I was able to get a copy of their first album, “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love,” & I thought it fucking sucked! First time I heard it, I wanted to break the CD. Again, it was one of those, “the more I listened to it, the more I liked it” situations. I sort of came around to that album, as well. I even used the last track off of that album, ‘Demolition Lovers’ as a basis to help write Cemetery of Dreams, my first band’s song, back in the day. Still, I think that album is their weakest one & it is still my least favorite My Chem album. Then, ‘The Black Parade’ came out. That is when I REALLY started to get REALLY into them. The imagery, the music videos, the dark theme of the album, I loved the entire concept of that record. The songs were amazing, the lyrics were great, I just loved everything about that album. Three Cheers is their best album, but Black Parade is my favorite album, by far. It was around that time that they also released ‘The Black Parade is Dead!’ live CD/DVD album & I love that concert DVD. I still watch it, more often than not. After that album cycle, they went on an extended break & I had not from them in a long time. Some time had passed, & their new album, ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys’ came out. I bought the album, both in CD & vinyl formats, & thought the album was cool. Not their best, but definitively worth a listen. During that album cycle, I was fortunate enough to see them live during the Dallas, TX, stop on their Honda Civic Tour with Blink-182. They ended their set with “Cancer”, off of ‘The Black Parade’. It was awesome seeing Blink-182, as well. Shortly after that album cycle, they were recording their fifth album & it was during this time that guitarist, Frank Iero, recorded & released ‘This Song is a Curse’ for the ‘Frankenweenie’ movie soundtrack, & I LOVED it. Such a great song. I am a massive Frank Iero fan, if you were not aware of that. So, I loved the song. You should hear it, whenever you get the chance. A good song. They released ‘Conventional Weapons’ during the Winter season of 2012-2013. It was the batch of songs that were discarded to record a batch of new songs that eventually became ‘Danger Days.’ It was alright. I can see why they decided to shelve them. Then, on March 22, 2013, they announced their break up. I was shocked, because they seemed so determined to keep going, no matter what was thrown their “Way.” I’ve heard many rumors as to why they broke up, but whether you love them or hate them, you cannot deny that they had a vision. They were such a great band. The tattoo on my hand is My Chemical Romance related, but I got it for other reasons. After twelve years of making great music, we now have to bid farewell. Thank you for the memories.
So long and good night.
- Alberto J. Serna
Ten years ago today, Good Charlotte’s ‘The Young and the Hopeless’ & was a massive success. “It’s me against this world and I don’t care
Looking for a pair of these shoes, Macbeth shoes (AVA Edition Bonham), in size US 10. E-mail me if you have a pair if you’re willing to sell them! aserna45@yahoo.com
