Ray Toro | |
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 Toro live with My Chemical Romance in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Toro |
| Born | July 15, 1977 Kearny, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | My Chemical Romance |
| Formerly of | Reggie and the Full Effect |
| Spouse(s) | Christa Toro (m. 2008) |
Raymond Toro (born July 15, 1977) is an American musician who serves as lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band My Chemical Romance. [1]
Toro was born July 15, 1977, [2] in Kearny, New Jersey. [1] [3] He is of Puerto Rican-Portuguese heritage. He grew up in a small house on the border between Kearny and Harrison, New Jersey, which he shared with his parents and two brothers. [1]
By the time he entered Kearny High School, he had become interested in music. Toro's brother introduced him to several bands whose guitarists influenced him greatly. He enrolled in guitar lessons, as well as typing lessons to improve his manual dexterity. [4]
Toro became involved with several local bands, the most successful of which were The Rodneys, who formed in 1994 and released their first and only album "Soccertown USA" in 1997. Future My Chemical Romance drummer Matt Pelissier also played for the band. However, after graduating from high school in 1995, Toro decided on film instead of music. He enrolled in an editing course at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, and his only musical pursuits[ when? ] involved playing drums in the short-lived band Dead Go West. [5]
In an interview with Rock Sound , Toro said that "being in a band wasn't really a dream of mine. I always wanted to write music. I enjoy recording more and the process of writing, I never thought that being in a touring band was a possibility. I enjoyed getting a bunch of scenes and cutting it together so it makes sense. I made one short film about a guy who was obsessed with eating eggs every day. He finally opens up this egg carton and there's one egg left, but he can't crack it open, so he gets driven insane." Ray himself has also stated he enjoyed Release the Bats by Pete Wentz. [6]
Rodney's frontman Shawn Dillon is credited with introducing Toro to Gerard Way in the late 1990s. Toro agreed to work with him and Pelissier in practice sessions, which were primarily held in Pelissier's attic. [4] After Gerard's younger brother Mikey joined the trio as a bass player My Chemical Romance was formed. [1]
In 2007, Toro appeared as himself in the slasher/horror/comedy movie Punk Rock Holocaust 2, with bandmate Frank Iero. [7]
Since My Chemical Romance's third album The Black Parade , Toro has been compared to Queen guitarist Brian May. He has long cited May as a key influence on his guitar style. As Toro said in an interview: "I appreciate [the comparisons]. He's one of my favorite guitarists. I just love his work. That guy is capable of everything. He can lay back when he needs to, then writes some of the best leads. He comes up with great harmonies, he's a great singer. To me it's an honor for anybody to say that I play like him or that parts remind them of Queen". [4] My Chemical Romance performed a portion of their 2011 Reading and Leeds Festivals headline concert with May. [8]
Toro was the leading force behind My Chemical Romance's #SINGItForJapan project, which was dedicated to supporting those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. [9] He arranged much of the instrumentation of the band's original track "Sing" to create a sound that emulated traditional Japanese music. "SINGItForJapan" was released on April 13, 2011, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. [9] [10]
My Chemical Romance has released four studio albums, two live albums, six extended plays, 19 singles, four video albums, 15 music videos, one demo and have 11 original appearances on other albums. The band was working on a fifth studio album before their split. [11]
On May 24, 2013, Toro posted a solo song, "Isn't That Something", to his SoundCloud account. [12] [13] He also stated how the track was entirely a solo effort: "I played everything. Sang everything. Recorded everything. Mixed everything. Myself" via his Twitter. [14]
Later in 2013 Toro joined James Dewees's band, Reggie and the Full Effect for a tour and contributed to his album No Country for Old Musicians . [1] [15]
In 2014, Toro provided guitars for Cuban American dark cabaret singer Voltaire's tenth studio album, Raised by Bats . [16] [17]
On January 1, 2015, he released a new song, titled "For the Lost and Brave", on his website, mentioning Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen who committed suicide, in the blog post. [18] [19] In an interview with Toro, Kerrang! magazine described the song's style as "aching synth-rock brimming with [My Chemical Romance]'s us-against-the-world spirit" and revealed that Toro intended to release his debut solo album later in 2015; Toro also commented that this was the first time he's ever "written lyrics or songs on [his] own". [20]
On November 18, 2016, Toro released his debut album, Remember the Laughter, after recording it primarily at his home since 2013. [21] [22]
On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance announced they would be reuniting with a date in Los Angeles on December 20 and a new merchandise line. [23] ⠀They later announced a 2020 North American tour, as well as dates in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The tour was later postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [24] [25]
Toro has cited heavy metal guitarist Randy Rhoads and hard rock musician Brian May as his two biggest influences. [26] As a teenager he was a big fan of Randy Rhoads because "he was one of the first players I can remember who mixed classical music with a metal and hard rock style of playing, and he did it very tastefully. It was really inspiring." [26] Later he began to listen to classical guitarist Andrés Segovia and Christopher Parkening. He admitted to being obsessed with the way in which they would take classical pieces and arrange them for a single guitar resulting in a moving melody and bass lines that work together. [27]
Despite declaring to be a "music snob" when it comes to new artists, he praised Muse's work. [28] He said that he mainly listens to the same music that he did when younger and enjoys the process of discovering harmonies or nuances that he was unable to notice during his youth, gaining a different appreciation for the music. [29]
Toro recognizes his older brother as a huge influence, being the person who bought him his first real guitar and showed him how to play it. [30] Toro also credits him for introducing him to bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Mötley Crüe, and Metallica.
The first CD he bought was Cowboys from Hell by Pantera. [31]
Toro married wife Christa in November 2008, during My Chemical Romance's break between The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys .[ citation needed ] They have two sons, one born in September 2012, the other in April 2016. [32]
My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of the most influential rock groups of the 2000s and a major act in the pop-punk and emo genres, despite the band rejecting the latter label.
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is the second studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on June 8, 2004 by Reprise Records. With this album, the band produced a more polished sound than that of their 2002 debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. It was the band's first release to feature rhythm guitarist Frank Iero on all tracks, as well as the final release to feature drummer Matt Pelissier, who would later be replaced by Bob Bryar.
I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love is the debut studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on July 23, 2002 by Eyeball Records. Produced by Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly, it was recorded at Nada Recording Studio in New Windsor, New York, in May 2002. In the band's 2006 documentary Life on the Murder Scene, the band describes the painful conditions lead singer Gerard Way was in during the recording of the album due to a toothache, causing the album’s recording to take longer than planned.
Frank Anthony Iero Jr. is an American musician who is the rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist of the rock band My Chemical Romance and a guitarist in the supergroup L.S. Dunes. He was also the lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Leathermouth. He has a solo project titled Frank Iero and the Future Violents. He released his debut solo album titled Stomachaches on August 26, 2014.
Michael James Way is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He is also the multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist of rock duo Electric Century. Way co-wrote Collapser with Shaun Simon, which was released July 2019 on DC Comics.
"Helena" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance from their second studio album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004). It was released to radio stations as the third single from the album on March 8, 2005. The song is featured on the soundtrack for the 2005 film remake entitled House of Wax and played during the full credits. The song was heavily inspired by the Misfits' "Helena", it was named after Gerard and Mikey Way’s grandmother, Elena Lee Rush.
"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" is the lead single and fifth track from My Chemical Romance's second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" was released to radio on September 28, 2004. The song is also featured on the soundtrack of Burnout 3: Takedown.
Pencey Prep was an American punk rock band from Belleville, New Jersey.
The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance. Released in Europe on October 23, 2006, and the United States on October 24, 2006, through Reprise Records, it was produced by the band with Rob Cavallo, known for having produced multiple albums for the Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day. It is a rock opera and concept album centered on a dying man with cancer known as "The Patient". The album tells the story of his apparent death, experiences in the afterlife, and subsequent reflections on his life. It is the band's only studio album to feature Bob Bryar on drums before his departure in 2010.
"Famous Last Words" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It was released as the band's second single on January 22, 2007 from their third studio album, The Black Parade. It is also the band's ninth overall single, and the final track on The Black Parade. The music video premiered on December 12, 2006 on MTV2 and on December 13, 2006 on the Much Music program, and on MuchOnDemand in Canada.
"I Don't Love You" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance that serves as the third single from their third studio album, The Black Parade. Its music video premiered on the band's official YouTube and MySpace pages on March 7, 2007, and the single was released on April 3, 2007.
Leathermouth was an American hardcore punk band led by Frank Iero. The band formed in 2007, and in January 2009 released their first album XO.
XO is the only album by Leathermouth, My Chemical Romance's rhythm guitarist Frank Iero's hardcore punk side project. Although the album did not chart on the Billboard 200, it did reach No. 21 on the Top Heatseekers chart.
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is the fourth studio album by the American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on November 22, 2010 by Reprise Records. Its songs are associated with the band's well known sound of alternative rock, pop-punk, and punk rock, along with an introduction of new musical elements, including power pop, pop rock, and electronic rock. The primary musical inspiration for the album came from contemporary rock, psychedelic rock, and protopunk bands of the sixties and seventies. It was the penultimate album released by the band before their six-year disbandment from 2013 to 2019.
The Mad Gear and Missile Kid is an EP by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is the first and only release by the band featuring Michael Pedicone.
Conventional Weapons is a compilation album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, produced by Brendan O'Brien and released as a series of singles between October 2012 and February 2013. It marked the band's final release of studio material before their break-up from 2013 to 2019.
May Death Never Stop You is the first greatest hits compilation album by My Chemical Romance, spanning the band's entire career up to that point. It is the only album to feature keyboardist James Dewees as an official member of the band, playing on the album's lead single, "Fake Your Death."
Stomachaches is the debut studio album by Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the American rock band My Chemical Romance, released under the moniker of frnkiero andthe cellabration. It was officially announced in June 2014, and released on August 25, 2014 on Staple Records and B.CALM Press.
Robert Cory Bryar is an American retired musician and sound engineer best known as the drummer of the rock band My Chemical Romance. The longest tenured and last official drummer, he performed in the band from 2004 until his departure in 2010.
The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts is a reissue of American rock band My Chemical Romance's third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). The reissue combines the original album with several unreleased demos and live tracks created during the recording of The Black Parade, titled Living with Ghosts.
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| Authority control databases: Artists |
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