Decaydance Records: An Oral History

Fall Out Boy

The Forty Five has a great new oral history all about Decaydance Records. The part about Snakes on a Plane, specifically, brought back quite a few memories:

Midtown had broken up so Gabe was trying to figure out what he was going to do next. He had a song called ‘Bring it’ he was working on that had a cool vibe. Sisky from Academy called and said, ‘There’s a movie called Snakes on a Plane that might be the worst movie of all time. We should try to get our song ‘Black Mamba’ in it’. A friend of mine was the music supervisor on the movie, so I called him and asked if we could get the song in. He said there weren’t going to be songs in the movie, only score, but I convinced him to let us do a soundtrack. We went to Gabe and told him he needed to add some parts to ‘Bring it’ to be about snakes on a plane. He wasn’t super happy with me at the time but he was a team player.

Panic! at the Disco’s Flourishes Weren’t Just Dramatic. They Were Theater.

Panic! at the Disco

Maya Phillips, writing at The New York Times, looks back on Panic! at the Disco’s debut:

Fifteen years ago, a mysterious top-hatted figure and a parade of circus performers interrupted a wedding in a music video with an unconventional soundtrack: an energetic pop-punk song with a bouncy, carnivalesque cello opening.

This is how Panic! at the Disco announced itself in the “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” video, the first from its 2005 debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” Though the band has undergone many reinventions in the years since, it’s closely associated with its original aesthetic: a distinctive theatrical sensibility that drew on the sound of early 2000s pop-punk while also referencing vintage performance styles — burlesque, vaudeville, old Broadway musicals — to illustrate themes of duplicity, addiction and broken relationships.

Boys and Girls Club Gets New Studio Thanks to Brendon Urie

Brendon Urie

Jeremy Chen, writing for KTNV:

The Boys and Girls Club in Henderson unveiled a generous gift Sunday, allowing kids there to explore their musical passions, thanks to Las Vegas local Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco.

“It’s like an expensive new toy,” said Demelle Cooley, who attends the club. “I just can’t wait to unwrap it and start playing with it. It’s something different, it’s revolutionary.”

Fender Announces New Non-Profit

Fender has launched a new non-profit with various musicians, including Brendon Urie, Pete Wentz, and Avril Lavigne, to raise money for musical educational institutions and organizations.

Fender Play Foundation works with organizations, educators and artists to support communities through equipment donations, personalized instruction and artist experiences. Operating under the belief that music is the universal language that empowers self-expression and community building everywhere, the Fender Play Foundation strives to place these powerful tools in the hands of youth who aspire to play.

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Panic! at the Disco Breaks Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot Rock Songs Chart

Panic at the Disco

Billboard:

Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes” breaks the record for the most weeks spent at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart, posting its 31st frame atop the tally (dated June 8). […]

Hot Rock Songs (which began in 2009) blends streaming, airplay and sales data, according to Nielsen Music. “High Hopes” led the Rock Airplay and Rock Digital Song Sales charts for 17 weeks each and Rock Streaming Songs for 10 frames. (It ranks at Nos. 7, 2 and 2, respectively, on the June 8 tallies.)