Joe Trohman

Joe Trohman
Joe Trohman performing with Fall Out Boy on August 15, 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Mark Trohman
Born	(1984-09-01) September 1, 1984
Origin	Hollywood, Florida
Genres	Pop punk, alternative rock, heavy metal, hard rock
Instruments	Guitar, bass, vocals, percussion
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Island, Son Of Man
Associated acts	Fall Out Boy, The Damned Things, With Knives, Arma Angelus
Notable instruments
Fender Telecaster Gibson Les Paul Washburn Idol Joe Trohman Signature Model

Joseph Mark "Joe" Trohman (born September 1, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and musician. He is best known as the guitarist of the Chicago-based pop punk band Fall Out Boy,^[1][2] as well as the lead and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. Fall Out Boy went from underground pop punk to number one on the US Billboard 200 with their 2007 album Infinity on High. With Damned Things on hiatus, Trohman and Josh Newton formed With Knives and the group released their debut EP "Schadenfreude" in April, 2012 with Trohman on lead vocals and guitar. It was released through Son Of Man, the label he co-owns with Newton. With Knives played a few dates in the US before becoming quiet and announced the project was on a break. On February 4, Fall Out Boy announced a comeback with a new album, tour and single.

Early life

The son of a cardiologist,^[3] Trohman was born in Hollywood, Florida.^[4] He was raised in South Russell, Ohio before his family moved to the Chicago area.^[5] His family is Jewish, although he noted to JVibe, "I think we were more Jewish culturally than we were religiously because after my brother's bar mitzvah, we stopped going to synagogue entirely."^[6] Trohman and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois,^[5] and Trohman played bass with Wentz in a band called Arma Angelus.^[3]

Musical career

In high school, Trohman became involved with the Chicago hardcore scene. At the age of sixteen, he joined local band Arma Angelus and spent a summer touring as the group's bassist.^[7] He developed a friendship with the group's vocalist, Pete Wentz, and the pair discussed forming a more melodic band influenced by groups such as Green Day.^[7] Trohman then met Patrick Stump in a Borders bookstore, and recruited him to join the band, which was subsequently named Fall Out Boy.

With bassist Pete Wentz as Fall Out Boy's primary lyricist and vocalist Patrick Stump as the primary composer, Fall Out Boy reached mainstream success with its major label debut, From Under the Cork Tree. Released in 2005 by Island Records, the album debuted on the US Billboard 200 at No. 9, won several awards and achieved double platinum status after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States. The album spawned two top 10 hits; "Sugar, We're Goin Down which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold more than 2 million digital downloads in the US, and "Dance, Dance" which peaked at No. 9 and certified platinum. To support the album, the band headlined tours around the world in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, the band released the follow-up album Infinity on High, to major chart success, debuting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 260,000. The album was certified platinum one month after its release. Infinity on High's lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", reached No. 1 on the defunct-Pop 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Thnks fr th Mmrs", sold more than 2 million copies in the US. In 2008, the band released their fifth studio album, Folie à Deux which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 150,000 first week sales and was later certified gold. The band opened for Blink-182's 2009 reunion tour and shortly released their first greatest hits compilation album, Believers Never Die - Greatest Hits in November 2009 before announcing an indefinite hiatus. Patrick Stump embarked on a solo career and Pete Wentz created the DJ duo Black Cards. Trohman and Fall Out Boy bandmate Andy Hurley started a band called The Damned Things with Anthrax members Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano and Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley and bassist Josh Newton. They released their debut album in 2010, Ironiclast. Trohman then began work on a new band With Knives with Newton, releasing a debut EP, "Schadenfreude" in April 2012. In February 2013, Fall Out Boy reformed and became Trohman's primary music focus. They released their comeback album, Save Rock and Roll, and toured year-long in support of it. In October of 2013, they released a new EP, PAX AM Days.

Personal life

Trohman collects guitars,^[8] and has his own Signature guitar made by Squier Guitars by Fender, the Joe Trohman Telecaster.^[9] He is also a Star Wars enthusiast,^[8] and told starwars.com, "I still collect tons of action figures. My closet in my apartment is full — 95% of Star Wars toys."^[10]

Trohman's house in Chicago was featured in a 2007 episode of MTV Cribs.^[11] During Fall Out Boy's Hiatus, Trohman married his wife Marie.^[12]

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joe Trohman

• Interview with Joe Trohman at Guitarvibe
• Interview with Joe Trohman at Guitar Noize
• Interview at StarWars.com
• Joe Trohman at the Internet Movie Database
• Joe Trohman | Fall Out Boy | Guitar Rig Diagram
• ANTHRAX, EVERY TIME I DIE, FALL OUT BOY Members Join Forces In THE DAMNED THINGS?