My Chemical Romance (MCR or My Chem for short) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in New Jersey in 2001. The current members of My Chemical Romance are Gerard Way (lead vocals), Mikey Way (bass), Bob Bryar (drums), Frank Iero (rhythm guitar), and Ray Toro (lead guitar).
The band cites their main musical influences as The Misfits, Iron Maiden, and The Smiths/Morrissey. Growing up, the band members were also heavily influenced by horror films and comic books, and consequently their music, lyrics, and image all have overt elements of fantasy, storytelling, horror, and theatricality. The band members hail from Belleville, Newark, and Kearny, New Jersey, except drummer Bob Bryar, who is from Chicago, Illinois. Bassist Mikey Way coined the band's name from a book entitled Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, by Irvine Welsh.
In 2003, the band signed a deal with Reprise Records and began working on their second album. The album, entitled Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, was released in 2004 and went Platinum a year later. The album contained three singles: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Helena" and "The Ghost of You". Also, just before the making of the I'm Not Okay (I Promise) music video, Bob Bryar joined the band. At the start of 2005, the band were direct support on the first ever Taste of Chaos tour, and were also the opening act for Green Day on their American Idiot tour. Later that year they co-headlined and finally headlined their own tour, for the first time ever with Alkaline Trio and Reggie and the Full Effect around the country.
My Chemical Romance and The Used collaborated on a cover of the David Bowie and Queen classic "Under Pressure" that was released as a benefit single (to help victims of the tsunami disaster in December, 2004) on iTunes and other internet outlets and was also found on The Used's CD In Love and Death.
