Frank Iero facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Iero
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Iero performing in September 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Frank Anthony Iero, Jr. |
| Born | October 31, 1981 Belleville, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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| Spouse(s) |
Jamia Nestor
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 3 |
Frank Anthony Iero, Jr. (born October 31, 1981) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and backup singer for the rock band My Chemical Romance. He is also a guitarist in the supergroup L.S. Dunes. Frank Iero was the lead singer for the band Leathermouth. He also has his own music project, which has been called Frank Iero and the Future Violents, frnkiero andthe cellabration, and Frank Iero and the Patience. His first solo album, Stomachaches, came out on August 26, 2014.
Contents
Frank Iero's Early Life
Frank Iero was born in Belleville, New Jersey. When he was a child, he often had bronchitis and ear infections. He spent a lot of time in the hospital. He went to Queen of Peace High School. Later, he went to Rutgers University on a scholarship. However, he left college in his final year. He wanted to go on tour with My Chemical Romance.
Iero's parents separated when he was young. He grew up living with his mother. She let his many bands practice in her basement. His father and grandfather were also musicians. They greatly influenced Iero when he was young. His father taught him to play drums. But Iero later started playing the guitar.
Frank Iero's Music Journey
Starting Out: Early Bands and Pencey Prep (1997–2002)
Frank Iero began playing in local bands when he was 11 years old. This was part of the New Jersey punk music scene. Before joining My Chemical Romance, he was the lead singer for the punk band Pencey Prep. This band released an album called Heartbreak in Stereo. It was released on an independent record label called Eyeball Records. The band then broke up. While playing with Pencey Prep, he became friends with Gerard Way and the other members of My Chemical Romance. He liked their first demo songs and helped them get their first concerts. After Pencey Prep broke up, Iero played in other bands. These included I Am A Graveyard, Hybrid, and Sector 12. Then, he was asked to be the rhythm guitarist for My Chemical Romance.
My Chemical Romance (2002–2013)
Iero joined My Chemical Romance in 2002. He played on two songs from their first album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. These songs were "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" and "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville". Iero also played on the band's second album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, which came out on June 8, 2004. My Chemical Romance released their third album, The Black Parade, on October 24, 2006. Their fourth and final album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, was released on November 22, 2010. The band announced they were breaking up on March 22, 2013.
Other Projects: Leathermouth and Side Bands (2007–2016)
Iero was the lead singer for the hardcore punk band Leathermouth. They released their first album, XO, in January 2009. The band later split up in 2010. He also played bass with Reggie and the Full Effect on their farewell tour. His first solo song, "This Song Is A Curse", was a bonus track. It was on the soundtrack for the Tim Burton film Frankenweenie.
On December 7, 2010, Iero left the record company Skeleton Crew. He had started this company with his wife. He wanted to focus on his family and his music with My Chemical Romance. He said he couldn't manage his band career, his new twin daughters, and running a business at the same time.
In early 2013, Iero and James Dewees announced a new project. It was a band called Death Spells. They also announced a tour and a show at the Skate and Surf Festival. Before their tour, Death Spells released a short demo of a new song each night. This ended with their first full song, "Where Are My ...?", and a music video. Their full album, Nothing Above, Nothing Below, was released on July 29, 2016.
During this time, Iero also played new solo songs live. He also shared some on his SoundCloud page. He hinted that he had enough songs for a full solo album. This was later confirmed.
Solo Career (2013–Present)
On November 28, 2013, Frank Iero announced a two-song release. It was called "For Jamia..." and came out on December 10. After My Chemical Romance broke up, Iero started writing songs in his home studio. He played some of these songs live in 2013. He also recorded a full album. Iero played all the instruments on the album except for drums. Former My Chemical Romance drummer Jarrod Alexander played the drums. He also put together a touring band. This band included Evan Nestor, Rob Hughes, and Matt Olsson.
In June 2014, he announced he had signed with Staples Records. His first album, Stomachaches, was released on August 25. He used the name frnkiero andthe cellabration for this project. After the album, he went on tour. He opened for Taking Back Sunday and the Used in the US. He also released a song called "Weighted" and its music video. Another song, "Joyriding", also got a music video. The band toured in the UK, Mexico, the US, and Europe. They also played at the Reading and Leeds festivals.
In 2016, they played two acoustic shows in New Jersey. They showed new songs and announced they would record a second album. On May 22, 2016, they officially announced the new album. They also changed the band's name to Frank Iero and the Patience. The band played at Shadow of the City festival and both Riot Fest dates in September 2016. After a car accident that injured Iero and his bandmates, all remaining shows for 2016 were canceled. Iero released his second album, Parachutes, on October 28, 2016. He started touring again in 2017.
On December 31, 2018, Iero announced his new solo name: Frank Iero and the Future Violents. He released his third solo album, Barriers, on May 31, 2019. Loudwire magazine called it one of the best rock albums of 2019.
In August 2024, Iero released XNauseousX. This was a special deluxe version of his Stomachaches album. It celebrated the album's ten-year anniversary.
Live Band Members
- Frank Iero and the Future Violents
- Frank Iero – lead vocals, guitars
- Evan Nestor – guitars, percussion, backing vocals
- Matt Armstrong – bass guitar
- Tucker Rule – drums, percussion
- Kayleigh Goldsworthy – keyboards, violin, mandolin, backing vocals
- Frank Iero and the Patience
- Frank Iero – lead vocals, guitars
- Evan Nestor – guitars, backing vocals
- Steve Evetts – bass guitar
- Matt Olson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- frnkiero andthe cellabration.
- Frank Iero – lead vocals, guitars
- Evan Nestor – guitars, backing vocals
- Rob Hughes – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Matt Olson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Timeline
My Chemical Romance Reunion (2019–Present)
On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance announced they would reunite. They planned a show in Los Angeles on December 20. They also released new merchandise. The band announced more shows in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan for 2020. However, the tour was postponed to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last concert of the reunion tour happened on March 26, 2023, in Osaka, Japan. The band's future plans after the tour are not yet known.
Frank Iero's Music Gear
In the early days of My Chemical Romance, Iero mostly used a Gibson SG guitar. He likely used it for recording their first album. Later, he became well-known for using Epiphone Les Paul guitars. One special guitar was a Japanese-made Les Paul Elitist. It was called "Pansy" and was very important to him. He even made copies of it for decoration.
During an MTV performance around 2006, Pansy was accidentally broken. It was supposed to be thrown through an MTV sign, but the sign was stronger than expected. This caused the guitar's neck to break. The neck has since been fixed, and the guitar is still in Iero's collection. After this, Iero started using Gibson Les Paul guitars for The Black Parade album. He also used a Fender Stratocaster in the "Desolation Row" music video.
In 2011, he worked with Epiphone to create the Epiphone Wilshire Phant-O-Matic guitar. He used this guitar on tour with My Chemical Romance. He continues to use it with his own bands. He also uses Orange Rockerverb amplifiers and a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver pedal for his sound.
For the My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour (2019–2023), Iero used many different guitars. These included his classic Epiphone Les Paul, Fender Telecaster, and Fender Jaguar. He also got a new red Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster guitar. Iero seems to use Fender guitars more often now. He uses them with My Chemical Romance and his new band, L.S. Dunes.
Iero also worked with the Fender Custom Shop to create a special guitar called the "Frank"enstein Fender Jaguar. This guitar is now a key part of his collection. It has a unique look with a black finish and a special pickguard.
When playing bass with Reggie and the Full Effect, he used a black Fender Precision Bass. He also used an Ampeg amplifier that used to belong to My Chemical Romance bassist Mikey Way. Iero left Reggie and the Full Effect in 2014.
Epiphone Frank Iero Wilshire Phant-O-Matic
| Epiphone Wilshire Phant-O-Matic | |
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| Manufacturer | Epiphone |
| Period | 2012 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid body, double cutaway |
| Neck joint | Set neck |
| Scale | 24.75" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Pickup(s) | Epiphone Les Paul |
| Colors available | |
| Antique Ivory, Emerald Green | |
The Epiphone Wilshire Phant-o-matic is an electric guitar. Frank Iero helped Epiphone design it. It has an Epiphone Wilshire body but uses parts from an Epiphone Les Paul, like the neck and pickups. Iero had a long history with Epiphone guitars. He said that when his band was starting, they needed to save money. Epiphone guitars were a cheaper choice than Fender and Gibson. They also held up well on tour. When Epiphone asked Iero to help design a guitar, he wanted one that sounded and felt like a Les Paul. But he wanted it to be lighter. This would help reduce tiredness and back pain for musicians. The Phant-o-matic guitar was available in Antique Ivory and Emerald Green colors.
Frank Iero's Personal Life
Frank Iero has many tattoos. Some show logos for bands like Black Flag and The Misfits. Others show his love for his home state, New Jersey. He has a matching tattoo with James Dewees. He also has tattoos done by famous artist Kat Von D. These include a Frankenstein's monster and pictures of his grandmothers and grandfather. These tattoos were shown in Von D's book High Voltage Tattoo. The grandfather tattoo was even done on her TV show LA Ink. Some of Iero's other well-known tattoos are the words 'BOOKWORM' and 'HALLOWEEN' across his knuckles.
On February 5, 2007, Iero married his longtime girlfriend Jamia Nestor. He had proposed to her on May 25, 2006, while recording The Black Parade. On September 7, 2010, Iero announced that he and Jamia had twin daughters. On April 6, 2012, he shared that his wife had given birth to their son.
On October 13, 2016, Iero was injured in a car accident. He and his band were unloading their van for a show in Sydney, Australia. A passenger bus hit them. Iero was dragged about 10 feet along the curb. He believes a large backpack saved his life that day. He canceled all remaining shows for 2016. He later said, "It's incredible to me that we're all still alive. No one that witnessed the accident thought that we would be."
Iero has shared that he experiences synesthesia. This means he can "see" or "feel" sounds in different ways. He said it's hard to explain why he feels that way, but it's how he experiences music when he writes it.
He is a fan of the English football club Liverpool F.C..
Frank Iero's Music Albums
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See also
In Spanish: Frank Iero para niños
