Pencey Prep

Pencey Prep
Pencey Prep performing at the Wayne Firehouse, 2000. From left to right: Frank Iero (cut off), Tim Hagevik, Neil Sabatino.
Background information
Origin	Belleville, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Emo, punk rock, post-hardcore
Years active	1999 (1999)–2002 (2002)
Labels	B.CALM Press, Mint 400 Records, Eyeball Records
Spinoffs	My Chemical Romance
Spinoff of	Sector 12, Stick Figure Suicide
Past members	Tim Hagevik Frank Iero John McGuire Neil Sabatino Shaun Simon
Website	myspace.com/penceyprep

Pencey Prep was an American punk rock band from Belleville, New Jersey.

Background

Before Pencey Prep, two of the members played in local punk bands; Frank Iero from Sector 12 and Neil Sabatino from Stick Figure Suicide. ^{[1] [2]} While a student at Rutgers University, Iero was the guitarist and lead vocalist for Pencey Prep. Along with their label-mates Thursday, Pencey Prep was considered part of New Jersey's growing post-hardcore and punk scene, and in 2001, they signed with Eyeball Records. ^[2] They performed multiple times alongside Nada Surf and one-off shows with Atom & His Package, The Strokes, and New Found Glory among others at New Jersey's 1st Surf and Skate Festival in Asbury Park, NJ. ^[1] Pencey Prep released their only full-length album Heartbreak in Stereo in 2001 and was released by Eyeball Records. ^[3] Low attendance during a three-week tour in the Midwest United States and fighting within the band led to the band's demise and by May 2002, the members parted ways. ^{[4] [5]}

According to the band's Myspace page, the name is taken from the book The Catcher in the Rye ; Pencey Prep was the name of the school that the main character Holden was expelled from. ^[5]

After Pencey Prep

Sabatino left Pencey Prep in 2001 and started Fairmont, originally a solo acoustic project; however, McGuire joined on bass shortly afterward. ^[6] Looking back at the early days of Fairmont, Sabatino notes he "wanted it to be my former band Pencey Prep, I built the band up to being a five-piece with two guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals, and a screamer. That lineup lasted very briefly[;] I had felt in a way that I was [...] trying to write heavy music just to fit in with the rest of the New Jersey scene of the time." ^[6] From 2004 to 2007, McGuire played in Fairmont with Sabatino after reconciling and in 2007, McGuire joined Iero as touring bass player of the hardcore band Leathermouth. ^[7]

Shortly after disbanding, Iero began playing with the bands I Am A Graveyard and Give Up The Ghost, ^[2] before landing a spot as rhythm guitarist with My Chemical Romance. ^{[8] [9]} He joined My Chemical Romance days before they began recording their 2002 debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love , also released under Eyeball Records. The experience Iero gained from playing live with Pencey Prep, according to Laura La Bella's biography My Chemical Romance "bec[a]me invaluable when the band eventually booked live shows other than basement parties." ^[2] Keyboardist Simon went on to tour with My Chemical Romance, as well as co-author the 2013 comic-book series The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys with Gerard Way. ^[10]

In 2020, Mint 400 Records, run by Sabatino, and B.CALM Press, run by Iero, announced a remaster and reissue of Heartbreak in Stereo, the first time the album was officially reissued since 2007. The reissue appeared on streaming services in 2021, with physical editions on CD and, for the first time, vinyl and cassette, coming that year.

Members

• Tim Hagevik – drums (1999–2002)
• Frank Iero – lead vocals (2000–2002), guitars, backing vocals (1999–2002)
• John McGuire – bass, backing vocals (1999–2002)
• Shaun Simon – keyboards, moog (1999–2002)
• Neil Sabatino – guitars, backing vocals (2000–2001)
• Bruno Rocha – lead vocals (1999–2000)

Discography

Albums

• Heartbreak in Stereo (2001/2007, Eyeball Records, 2020/2021 Mint 400 Records & B.Calm Press) ^[11]

Singles

• ...Trying to Escape the Inevitable. (2000, Riversideriot) ^[12]
• Long Walk to Forever (2000, Self-Released) ^[13]

List of songs recorded by Pencey Prep

Title	Writer(s)	Album(s)	Year	Note(s)	Ref.
"8th Grade"	Pencey Prep	...Trying to Escape the Inevitable. Heartbreak in Stereo	2000 2001		[14]
"10 Rings"	Pencey Prep	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"19"	Pencey Prep	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"Attention Reader"		Non-album song	2001	Recorded in fall of 2001 and released on the bands website	[15] [16]
"Don Quixote"	Pencey Prep	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"Fat and Alone" (hidden track)	Neil Sabatino	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"Florida Plates"	Pencey Prep	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"Heroin Slow"		Non-album song	2001	Recorded June 2001 and later released on MySpace	[15] [17]
"Home"		Non-album song	2001	Recorded June 2001 and later released on MySpace	[15] [17]
"Lloyd Dobbler"	Pencey Prep	Long Walk to Forever Heartbreak in Stereo	2000 2001		[14]
"P.S. Don't Write"	Pencey Prep	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"Rebuilding Home"	Neil Sabatino	Pretending Greatness is Awaiting	2001	Recorded June 2001 and later released on Fairmont's Pretending Greatness is Awaiting	[15] [18]
"The Secret Goldfish"	Pencey Prep	...Trying to Escape the Inevitable. Heartbreak in Stereo	2000 2001		[14]
"The Secret Goldfish" (Acoustic)	Pencey Prep	Non-album song	2001	Recorded June 2001 and later released on MySpace	[15] [17]
"Trying to Escape the Inevitable"	Pencey Prep	Heartbreak in Stereo	2001		[14]
"Yesterday"	Pencey Prep	Long Walk to Forever Heartbreak in Stereo	2000 2001		[14]

References

Citations

1. Pencey Prep Members 2000.
2. La Bella 2008.
3. AllMusic Staff 2002.
4. Wien 2011.
5. Pencey Prep Members 2002.
6. Draisin 2008.
7. Harris 2008.
8. Greenwald 2005.
9. Rockszene Staff 2014.
10. Wolk 2009.
11. Pencey Prep – Heartbreak In Stereo , retrieved March 17, 2022
12. Pencey Prep - ...Trying To Escape The Inevitable. , retrieved March 17, 2022
13. Pencey Prep – Long Walk To Forever , retrieved March 17, 2022
14. Heartbreak in Stereo (Booklet). Pencey Prep. Eyeball Records. 2001. EB019.
15. "Discography". fairmontmusic. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005.
16. "penceyprep.net". penceyprep.net. Archived from the original on August 20, 2002.
17. "Music". MySpace. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012.
18. Pretending Greatness Is Awaiting (Booklet). Fairmont. Reinforcement Records. 2001. 43.

Bibliography

• AllMusic Staff (2002), "Heartbreak in Stereo Releases", AllMusic , retrieved February 13, 2014{{citation}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Draisin, Deborah J. (2008), "Jersey Beat Interview: Fairmont", Jersey Beat, retrieved February 13, 2014
• Greenwald, Andy (June 2005), "They Came From Outer Jersey", Spin , vol. 21, no. 6, p. 62, ISSN   0886-3032
• Harris, Chris (November 10, 2008), "Frank Iero Says My Chemical Romance Fans Will Be 'Bummed Out' By Leathermouth", MTV , retrieved February 13, 2014
• La Bella, Laura (2008), My Chemical Romance, Rosen Publishing, p. 119, ISBN   978-1-4042-1818-5
• Pencey Prep Members (2002), "About Pencey Prep", Myspace , archived from the original on January 6, 2009
• Pencey Prep Members (2000), "Biography", Pencey Prep Official site, retrieved February 13, 2014
• Rockszene Staff (January 27, 2014), "Das Beste aus 12 Jahren", Rockszene (in German), retrieved February 13, 2014
• Wien, Gary (2011), "#52 Fairmont", Are You Listening?, p. 113, ISBN   978-0-9836857-0-8
• Wolk, Douglas (July 27, 2009), "Gerard Way Talks New Comic "Fabulous Killjoys," Next My Chemical Romance Album", Rolling Stone , retrieved February 13, 2014

External links

• Official website
• Pencey Prep discography at Discogs