Pencey Prep

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

Pencey Prep
Pencey Prep performing at the Wayne Firehouse, 2000
Pencey Prep performing at the Wayne Firehouse, 2000
Background information
OriginBelleville, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresEmo, punk rock, post-hardcore
Years active1999 (1999)–2002 (2002)
LabelsB.CALM Press, Mint 400 Records, Eyeball Records
SpinoffsMy Chemical Romance
Past membersTim Hagevik
Frank Iero
John McGuire
Neil Sabatino
Shaun Simon
Websitemyspace.com/penceyprep

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 2004–2007, 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 their 2002 release with Eyeball Records, Pencey Prep disbanded and 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]

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

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" 2001 Recorded Fall 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" 2001 Recorded June 2001 and later released on MySpace [15]
[17]
"Home" 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 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 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.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  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.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Bibliography
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