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Following the release of Fall Out Boy’s 2003 full-length debut, Take This to Your Grave, the Chicago quartet was flooded with hyperbolic praise. The group, which was signed by tiny independent label Fueled by Ramen, was declared the “next big thing” by multiple media outlets, and its album sold more than 200,000 copies. So expectations were high for the band’s major-label follow-up, From Under the Cork Tree, which came out on May 3 and will debut at #9 on next week’s Billboard albums chart. Some pundits predicted a groundbreaking pop-punk expedition, and others awaited a heart-rending emo excursion, but Fall… Read more »

When writing the lyrics for “From Under the Cork Tree,” Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, far right, shifted his focus from a romance gone horribly wrong to a more introspective vew of the world. After writing an album’s worth of lyrics about a girl who shattered his heart, Pete Wentz realized that the world is a bigger place than a cold-hearted woman and he needed to pen tunes that reflected that – a world where tsunamis could devastate parts of Asia, a war in Iraq could affect people on a global scale and the Molly Ringwald vs. Samantha Fox debate… Read more »

Modern-rock promotion finds itself at a crossroads as a growing number of terrestrial radio broadcasters tune out the ratings-challenged format. Record companies are attempting to adapt to modern rock’s recent marginalization on the airwaves in major markets like Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. by emphasizing other options for building buzz. In lieu of airplay, touring, blogs, ringtones, downloads, Internet and satellite radio, videogame tie-ins, alliances with brand marketers, film and TV exposure, sponsorships and placements in commercials all are growing in value. The marketing strategies for a number of big-name rock artists with current or upcoming releases show… Read more »

Hawthorne Heights frontman JT Woodruff can scream like nobody’s business, but when he’s speaking to you one-on-one, it’s in soft, hushed tones, like his voice has been wrapped in a woolen scarf. And his voice gets even softer when he’s asked about his band’s recent successes: the record that’s climbing the charts, the headlining slot on this summer’s Warped Tour and the video that’s just been added to MTV’s rotation. It’s one thing to be uncomfortable in the spotlight, but Woodruff’s aversion to sudden fame is downright Rivers Cuomo-esque. “Uh, well, it means more kids are coming to our shows.… Read more »

“I asked the audience to raise their hands if they had a flag sticker on their car,” relates KillRadio singer Brandon Jordan. Sweaty yet adrenalized, the diminutive ska/punk/rock singer is relating an amusing anecdote of his band’s first foray into live performances. “About three-quarters raised their hand,” he continues. “I told them they were fucking idiots because they’re breaking the flag code. Flags are only supposed to be flown on poles. They’re not supposed to be stickers; they’re not supposed to be bandannas, they’re not supposed to be jeans… it doesn’t make you a patriot. The cloak of a scoundrel… Read more »

BEVERLY HILLS, California – If only iTunes charts meant as much as Billboard charts. “I’d be on the front of People magazine every week,” Ben Folds joked. “I have a real disproportionate Internet fanbase. On iTunes, it’s me and the Boss.” In “the real world,” a.k.a. record stores, though, Folds has pretty much tossed in the towel. “You don’t have to walk in the mall for very long to realize I’m not really in that world,” Folds said during a promotional trip to Los Angeles last week that included, of all things, an in-store performance at Virgin Records. “The misconception… Read more »

Rock group Linkin Park are threatening to leave their record label, saying Warner Music has limited resources and is lagging behind in the industry. The band’s management company said in a statement that they doubted Warner’s ability to sufficiently promote the band’s upcoming album due to recent cost-cuttings at the company. Linkin Park claim to be responsible for 10 per cent of Warner’s music sales. However, representatives at Warner are accusing the band of overstatement, saying they have accounted for only about three per cent of American sales over the last five years. “While Linkin Park’s talent is without question,… Read more »

It’s been awhile (pardon the pun) since New England nü-metalers Staind have been around, but the band is all set to make its triumphant return to the rock forefront this summer – and in a big way. Staind’s new album, Chapter V, will be hitting stores on August 9. The band will also be joining forces with Southern rock purveyors 3 Doors Down and hard rockers Breaking Benjamin in late June kicking off a 44-date North American road trip. But before Staind take to the blacktop, frontman Aaron Lewis and guitarist Mike Mushok will be giving their fans a little… Read more »

New York – Radio’s playlist liberation movement hatched in late 2001 at a birthday party in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A radio was blasting when Howard Kroeger, director of operations and programing for CHUM Broadcasting’s Winnipeg stations, arrived at his friend’s 40th-birthday bash. It was a competitor’s classic rock station, and Kroeger used the occasion to conduct an informal focus group among the partygoers, most in their mid- to late 30s. Whenever Boston, the Cars, Meatloaf, Supertramp or some other ’70s staple came on, it got an overwhelming thumbs-up from the Molson-enhanced crowd. But there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm when… Read more »

Temecula, California, emo quintet Finch have been plenty busy since exchanging fisticuffs with bro-rockers Disturbed at last summer’s Rolling Rock Town Fair. The group has finished a new album, Say Hello to Sunshine, and is scheduled to kick off a tour this week. Guitarist Alex Linares said Say Hello to Sunshine – Finch’s first full-length for Geffen and the successor to their 2002 debut, What It Is to Burn – will signal a change in direction for the band. Those expecting What It Is to Burn, Vol. 2 might be in for a bit of a shock on the June… Read more »