Gym Class Heroes

There is a pretty new Gym Class Heroes feature on Karma Loop TV. It’s actually one of the only videos available to view on Karma Loop, a hip-hop culture site and pod cast that’s mainly hosted by Boston’s own DJ Clinton Sparks (amazing producer for those who aren’t familiar). The GCH feature shows the guys taking part in their pre-show “rituals” which apparently involves about a half-ounce bag of green and few tall cans. The footage is pretty funny as it shows some definitely uncensored footage of Travie and his band-mates talking about some new songs they’re working on and features a little bit of in-concert footage as well. After the concert, the guys hit up a karaoke bar at some club called AK-47 (sounds dangerous) and get pretty wasted in the VIP section. They do a little rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” while they’re there. Funny stuff – go check it out here.

In other recent GCH video news, a few new videos have been posted on FriendsorEnemies.com. Check them out here. In one recent post by Travie done earlier this month, he puts on a little puppet show with his “bodyguard” Elliot. Travis made the post in celebration of Friend or Enemies’ birthday and sings a little birthday tune for them. He also seems to in love with Elliot, constantly kissing him and showing him other forms of affection. You can see a few other videos there as well including holiday greetings from Matt and birthday wishes for GCH friend Tyga. Check it out.

As reported in an earlier blog, the Young Wild Things Tour had to reschedule a couple of dates due to road closures on the tour route. I know, I couldn’t believe it either. Well, also due to the rescheduling tourmates Gym Class Heroes had to change a few of their Verizon Wireless in-store signings that were originally scheduled to happen before a few of their shows. I already reported two of the changes, but the GCH web site just announced another change for their December 1st signing. It has been moved to San Diego and will be happening at the Verizon Wireless store in Carmel Mountain at 11134 Rancho Carmel Drive. The time is still the same, as it will still take place at 1:30. This has been a rough tour for Gym Class Heroes, having to already cancel two of their Canadian dates and now having to reschedule three of their in-store appearances. All of the in-stores are still happening, however. Check the Verizon web site for all information.

In other GCH news, their mascot and good friend Jerry has spoken publicly for the first time. He has been making recent appearances at venues hosting the Young Wild Things tour, but recently helped the boys film a little promo for their new As Cruel As School Children MVI. I had originally posted a different commercial which featured just Travis, but I guess they decided to update it and splice in parts with Jerry as well. The fans love him, the camera loves him and I love him. Check out the commercial here:

Due to road closures on the Young Wild Things tour route, organizers have been forced to reschedule two of the upcoming dates this week. The tour, which consists of Gym Class Heroes, Fall Out Boy, the Plain White Tee’s and Cute is What We Aim For, has been selling out most venues thus far on the tour and I’m sure a lot of people who already hold tickets for these two shows will be inconvenienced as each are being pushed a day later.

The show at the Santa Star Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico which was originally intended to be on November 24th has been moved to the 25th and the show at The Jobing Arena in Phoenix, Arizona which was supposed to be on the 25th is now on November 26th. According to the Gym Class Heroes web site, previously purchased tickets for each show will be honored and refunds will be available at point of purchase.

Also, as I reported in an earlier blog, Gym Class Heroes are going to be appearing at a few Verizon Wireless locations for in-store signings and small performances. The Verizon web site has not yet changed their information, but the dates and times in Albuquerque and Phoenix have changed. The Albuquerque signing has changed to November 25th at 1:30 PM and the Phoenix signing has been switched to November 26th at 3:30 PM.

Gym Class Heroes have had their share of burdens on this tour, recently canceling two of their Canadian dates due to a death of one of the members’ close relatives. Hopefully things will start running a bit more smoothly for the remainder of the tour which wraps up in Las Vegas on December 2nd.

In recent douchebag journalism news, a brand new interview with Travis was posted earlier today on the Phoenix New Times web site. As the journalist proceeded to ask Travis boring, uninformed questions that had nothing to do with him or Gym Class Heroes, he then accused Travis of being “on some sort of medication” and having a “penchant for short, muttered answers”.

If this so-called journalist knew anything about Travis, he would know his answers are often long and elaborate when he is asked good questions. For some reason interviewer Cole Haddon thought it would be cool to ask him a bunch of hero-related questions because of the band’s name, which is just a stupid idea to begin with.

I am a journalism graduate and have actually interviewed Travis in the past. He was very kind and took my questions seriously because I took the time to research and come up with interesting topics of conversation. Any moron can look at the band’s name and ask questions like “So where did you get your name from?”

Then, on top of it all, this moron journalist disses Travis in his article for not giving longer answers to his retarded hero-based questions. That is completely unprofessional, and in my opinion, he is just trying to cover his own ass for a crappy interview. A good interviewer should be able to get his subject talking, no matter what it’s about. I have interviewed literally hundreds of musicians and sometimes I will come up with questions I think are good, but for some reason, that person just isn’t talking. At that point I may scratch all my questions and just begin having a normal conversation with the person to get him to loosen up, talk a bit more. Not just stick to my original questions and then diss the guy in my article because he didn’t answer them the way I was hoping. I’m not saying I’m a regular Barbara Walters, but any journalism student could tell you this.

Anyway, enough ranting. Just check out the bad, bad interview here.

In a recent video interview conducted with Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Rolling Stone got to the bottom of privacy on the tour bus during the Young Wild Things Tour. In such a large and lengthy tour, it can be hard to find some alone time on the bus amongst your band mates and, as Wentz began explaining some of the worst parts about the lack of privacy, the interview began to turn sour. He started explaining the need to do what you have to do when it comes to that special “alone time” we men often need to have. In this hilarious interview he admits that he has indeed been caught petting the one-eyed monster on board the tour bus.

After the Wentz interview, the good folks at Rolling Stone then proceeded to interview the Young Wild Things tour mates Gym Class Heroes to follow up on this groundbreaking story. They sat down with GCH’s Travis and Mike for another video interview in which Mike admitted to actually walking in on Travis in the midst of his self-gratification. Mike tells the story of literally catching Travis pants-down as Travie sits right beside him. Travis seems to handle it with some class, trying to retain as much dignity as he can while Mike tells the story.

Check out the video here. The interview was posted on Rollingstone.com late last week and, needless to say, is another fantastic piece of journalism from the folks at Rolling Stone. Kudos, boys, for breaking this fantastic story.

Gym Class Heroes and Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen just released a limited-edition As Cruel As School Children MVI, which has been made available is in stores today.

For those unfamiliar with the MVI format, it’s something record labels cooked up to counter low album sales due to downloading. Basically, it stands for Music Video Interactive DVD which allows you to tinker with tracks and do all kinds of crazy shit. The As Cruel As School Children MVI is 2-discs, which includes the DVD as well as a Bonus CD. The DVD features a live performance of Gym Class Heroes live in Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as exclusive remixes featuring rappers Lil’ Wayne and Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan and Keith from metallers Every Time I Die. The interactive part of the DVD allows you to remix your favorite GCH tracks from home and submit your work to the band for hours of endless enjoyment-times. High-Five! The CD re-release of As Cruel As School Children is basically the original album plus previously-unreleased songs, MP3 audio files of every song, never-before-seen live tracks, music videos, karaoke tracks, photo galleries, lyrics, buddy icons and more!

For fans who purchase the MVI at a Hot Topic store, you can get the DVD and CD plus an exclusive GCH T-shirt – all for $25 – while supplies last. The MVI is available at most music retail outlets or you can order it online if you’re responsible enough to handle a credit car.

Check out the Youtube videos of Travis talking about the new MVI and go get it!

A recent snippet of the new Kelly Rowland single “Daylight” has just been released. The song features Gym Class Heroes and though the full version has not been released, it is said to be the first single from her upcoming re-release of Ms. Kelley.

After sales of the original Ms. Kelley album did not meet expectations, Rowland went back into the studio to record some new songs to appear on the revamped version of the album. Among the new tracks is “Daylight” featuring Gym Class Heroes – an unlikely duet – but in my opinion, the small snippet of the track sounds good. It is rumored to be released in its entirety as the first single sometime early January 2008, unless it leaks to the internet beforehand. In a recent interview, Rowland also announced the song will be featured in a soundtrack to the French film Asterix, in which she will also appear in.

According to the rumor mill, a video for the single has already been filmed on location in England by director Jeremy Rall. Members of the Gym Class Heroes’ Varsity fan club received e-mails announcing plans to shoot the video, as the notice was calling for people to appear in the video as extras.

The short snippet of the song officially hit the internet on November 16th and has apparently been receiving radio airplay in the U.K.

For Gym Class Heroes, this is a huge opportunity to work with one of the most popular R&B songstresses of today. For Kelly Rowland, this is a chance to work with one of the most up-and-coming indie acts to help boost the sales of her revamped version of Ms. Kelley.

Check out the short snippet of the track a fan posted recently on Youtube below and judge for yourself. I think it sounds awesome as Rowland and Gym Class collaborate.

Canadian fans (such as myself) were disappointed earlier this week as they were not given the chance to see Gym Class Heroes perform on their two scheduled Canadian stops. They had to leave the Young Wild Things tour for a couple of days due to the announcement of recent tragic events.
The band announced earlier this week they would have to cancel their two Canadian dates due to the recent death of one of the band members’ close relatives (no details who as of yet). As a result, Gym Class did not perform at their dates in Ottawa and London, Ontario, on November 16th and 17th. The rest of the bands on the Young Wild Things Tour played as scheduled, but unfortunately GCH did not appear. It was a disappointment to their loyal Canadian fans, although I’m sure many sympathized with the loss the band must be feeling.
An announcement recently posted on the GCH web site extends an apology to Canadian fans who wanted to see them and promises they will be returning soon to make up for their absence. There are no details given on which band member has lost the loved-one and things are being kept pretty quiet still. I’m sure more information will be released in the coming weeks for concerned fans.
The band rejoined the tour for their show in Rochester, NY, on November 18th where perhaps they explained to the audience what had happened. As further developments are announced, be sure I will keep you posed on this blog.

While touring with The Young Wild Things, it’s been recently announced the boys will be doing some in-store signings and small performances at four select Verizon Wireless stores. The performances and signings are totally free, so this is a perfect opportunity for fans who didn’t get tickets to The Young Wild Things to watch Gym Class perform. Or, for fans who just can’t get enough, this is a chance to get a double-shot of GCH as all their Verizon performances are being held earlier in the afternoon before their gigs.

The select cities they will be doing their signings/performances are: Albuquerque, NM, Glendale, AZ, San Diego, CA, Henderson, NV. If you reside in or around any of these area, you may want to check your local Verizon store for more details. Otherwise, check out this link to the Verizon web site at the bottom of this page for a bit more information.

The festivities start at 1:30PM at each location, though it’s suggested you get there early if you intend to line up for an autograph. The performances will be held outside the retail stores so fans shouldn’t have a hard to time getting to see the show.

With many venues sold out already for The Young Wild Things, this is a wonderful chance for fans who couldn’t get tickets to get to see them still. What a nice gesture for the boys to volunteer their time to sign autographs and get personal with close fans while also performing for those who took the time to show and perhaps didn’t want to wait in line for an autograph. And the best part is: It’s all free!

Check out the Verizon web site for more information.

Back in March I had the opportunity to interview Travis for a magazine and web site I write for in Toronto called Chart. I was extremely excited to be given the opportunity to talk to Travis, even if it was just over the phone, or a “phoner”, as we journalist-types call it.
I was excited to talk to him not only because I had been a fan of GCH for a while but also because this was around the time I was looking to expand my journalism experience and interviewing a semi-famous group like GCH was a great experience. Needless to say, Travis was an incredibly nice, laid-back chap. He put up with my half-assed questions and shoddy attempt at being a legitimate journalist and we joked around about Canadian girls. I asked him if “New Fried Request” was about a Canadian girl he met, which he admitted was indeed. Afterward the interview had wrapped up we chatted for a bit longer and he was actually kind enough to tell me it was a “great interview”. He then asked if I would be attending their upcoming show in my hometown of Toronto. I told him the concert had been sold out for weeks and couldn’t get any tickets. He then offered to jot my name down and put me on the guest list. I was skeptical if he would actually remember to do so, but when I went to the venue the night of the concert I found out he actually did and I got to see an awesome show.
Interviewing him was an awesome experience as we talked about his group’s rise in popularity, girls, and what their live performance consists of. Check out the feature I wrote here.

As the boys continue to gain attention from contemporary forms of media, a recent interview with Travis has just been posted at Allhiphop.com first thing this morning. It’s a nice, long and pretty interesting one as Travis discusses the awkwardness of being somewhat of a poster-boy for the band, denies dating Kelly Osbourne and reveals GCH have been working on upcoming material with hit songwriter and R&B singer Ne-Yo. Check it out here.

Fans who attend a Young Wild Things show in their city will be given the chance to meet the fat blue guy Jerry from the cover of Gym Class’ As Cruel As School Children album. Yes, the real Jerry will actually be in attendance for fans to meet and greet at every show after a high demand from fans who want to take pictures with him, or whatever tickles their fancies.

It’s been reported that the nerdy, yet loveable fat kid has been hanging around the GCH merch tables after every Gym Class Heroes, before Fall Out Boy take the stage. Just don’t rush him all at once ‘cuz it’s hard for him to get back up after he falls down, and whatever you do, try not to mention his weight - he’s a little sensitive about that.

According to recent reports and some choppy Youtube footage, Jerry has also been spotted onstage at a recent concert with Travis and his good friend, rapper Tyga, as the two performed together in early October. According to those in attendance, Jerry was invited onstage by Travis and Tyga to show his dance skills to the audience and perform the Soulja Boy along with the two MC’s. Jerry apparently has the moves down pat, as recent video indeed shows Jerry performing what looks to be the Soulja Boy with Trav n’ Tyga. The video is a bit rocky, but Jerry is a lucrative fellow and only makes appearances during very special occasions. Check out the footage and enjoy a little performance by Tyga and Trav.

A recent interview with Matt McGinley has been posted at Pipe Dream, the web site for the campus paper at Binghampton University in New York state. The interview was conducted after Gym Class Heroes played a sold-out show at the university during their college tour earlier this fall, before heading out on the current Young Wild Things tour. The interview, posted on October 12, is a pretty funny one from Matt. He talks about how Travis gave him all his tattoos and that he doesn’t even know what a lot of them mean.

A bunch of Travis’ artwork has been made available to view recently in Chicago at the Clandestine Industries Landmark Store. Clandestine was started by Fall Out Boy vocalist/bassist Pete Wentz as a clothing company featuring his own artwork and T-shirt designs. He recently opened the store in Chicago to sell his clothing as well as other memorabilia including the pieces by Travis, which are on display there and also available to purchase. We’re not exactly sure which pieces are available, but some of Travis’ other pieces can be purchased on Ebay here, which you can view online. The artwork is somewhat abstract, perfectly characterizing Travis’ unique and creative personality and start at a few hundred bucks each.

If you live in the Chicago area or are ever in town visiting, check out the Clandestine Landmark Store at 952 W. Newport, Chicago, IL 60657.



The boys kicked off on a tour starting last week in what they’re calling The Young Wild Things tour, headlined by Fall Out Boy along with the Plain White Tee’s and Cute Is What We Aim For. With still a bunch of upcoming shows, venues in Lowell, MA, Bridgeport, CT, Fairfax, VA, and Las Vegas have been sold out for weeks. Those who pre-ordered tickets were able to get a limited ticket/T-shirt bundle by texting their city’s code to a special number found on the Fall Out Boy web site. I guess that’s what you get for thinking ahead.

Here are the upcoming tour dates for The Young Wild Things:

Nov. 2 Orange Beach, AL @ The Amphitheatre at the Wharf
Nov. 3 Atlanta, GA @ Gwinnett Arena
Nov. 4 Greenville, SC @ Little John Arena
Nov. 6 Nashville, TN @ Municiple
Nov. 7 Roanoke, VA @ Roanoke Civic Center
Nov. 9 Lowell, MA @ Tsongas Arena (Sold Out)
Nov. 10 Bridgeport, CT @ Harbor Yard Arena (Sold Out)
Nov. 11 Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center (Sold Out)
Nov. 13 Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Spectrum
Nov. 14 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Nov. 16 Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place
Nov. 17 London, ON @ John LaBatt Center
Nov. 18 Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross
Nov. 20 Detroit, MI @ Place of Auburn
Nov. 21 Cedar Rapids, IA @ US Cellular Center
Nov. 23 Denver, CO @ MagnusEvents Center
Nov. 24 Albuquerque, NM @ Santa Star Arena
Nov. 25 Phoenix, AZ @ Jobing Arena
Nov. 27 Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arena
Nov. 29 San Jose, CA @ Events Center SJSU
Nov. 30 Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
Dec. 1 San Diego, CA @ San Diego Sports Arena
Dec. 2 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint (Sold Out)