Panic at the Disco
Genre:Electro,Pop,Punk/Hardcore,Rock
City/State:Las Vegas, NV
Website: www.panicatthedisco.com
Members:Brendon Urie (Guitar, Vocals), Jon Walker (Bass), Spencer Smith (Drums), Ryan Ross (Guitar)
Before they were even teenagers, guitarist Ryan Ross and drummer Spencer Smith began jamming together, playing Blink 182 covers in their hometown of Las Vegas. As they grew older and matured, they invited classmates bassist Brent Wilson and vocalist Brendon Urie on board and formed Panic! at the Disco.
The boys took their name from lyrics in the song Panic, by Name Taken, and soon began practising in the living room of Smith's grandmother's house.
During their jam sessions, the boys started to plot out and produce tracks that would comprise their first release.
Panic! at the Disco began self promoting, leaving messages for Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz via internet forums and profiles, which linked back to their own Pure Volume site. Wentz was pleased with what he heard and decided to meet the band personally and brought them to his label - Decaydance Records, an offshoot of label of Fueled By Ramen. Once signed, Panic! quickly recorded their debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out which was released in 2005. It wasn't until they had completed their album and returned home that the band played their first ever live show, with over 200 people attending.
After A Fever You Can't Sweat Out was released, a cult following was immediately established across the globe. While not entering the charts in high positions, their tracks slowly gained momentum, and became more accessible to the mainstream audience with high rotation on music video channels around the world. Their interactive online sites have also propelled their popularity, giving fans the opportunity to be involved with their online presence.
The band appeared on MTV's Total Request Live in January 2006 for the premiere of their first music video for the single I Write Sins Not Tragedies. After the appearance, Panic! apologised to any fans who might have thought the action was too 'mainstream,' but gained a lot of publicity as a result regardless.
In mid 2006, Panic! began their own headline tour across the UK, Europe and the US, with the majority of shows selling out soon after tickets were released. Weeks afterwards, original bassist Brent Wilson departed the band, and was temporarily replaced by the band's friend, Jon Walker. The temporary position was soon announced as permanent after Panic! officially listed the change on their MySpace page.
Continuing on with their 2006 headlining tour, Panic! at the Disco had an overwhelming response from Australian fans, selling out three of their four shows within an hour - requiring two venue changes to accommodate for the high demand.
