A bunch of kids who play instruments get together to form a band, play some covers, get found by the mainstream industry and then break into the big time. It's formulaic, yes, but it's a formula for success that most certainly worked for Panic! at the Disco. From a pair of childhood friends to one of the most well-known names on the pop rock scene, it's the kind of story that movie producers would kill for.

Panic! at the Disco: Play, Don't Panic

"We're not afraid to write about love or being happy."

A bunch of kids who play instruments get together to form a band, play some covers, get found by the mainstream industry and then break into the big time. It's formulaic, yes, but it's a formula for success that most certainly worked for Panic! at the Disco. From a pair of childhood friends to one of the most well-known names on the pop rock scene, it's the kind of story that movie producers would kill for.

Panic! at the Disco Starts Playing

Las Vegas, Nevada was the birthplace of the band, as it was where childhood friends Spencer Smith and Ryan Ross lived and studied. With Ross on guitar and Smith on drums they formed Pet Salamander, a Blink 182 cover-playing duo, when they were 13. Brent Wilson and Trevor Howell were later recruited to the band for bass and second guitar respectively, and the band was renamed The Summer League.

Howell didn't stay for long, and the band felt that it had to look for someone to replace him. Brendon Urie was originally under consideration to just take over Howell's guitar position. When the remaining band members heard him perform, however, they voted to make him the vocalist as well, replacing Ryan Ross on the microphone.

The band's new name came later, just before they got in touch with Pete Wentz, bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy. After sending him links to some of their songs on the web, they got a visit from Wentz himself. Upon watching them practice, Wentz asked the band to sign to his Decaydance label, the same one that currently hosts Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes.

Panic! at the Disco: On Fire

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, the band's debut album, was released in September 2005, which helped bolster their existing fans on PureVolume and MySpace. At first, however, the album didn't stir much of interest, as the band was still new to the mainstream scene.

Consistently keeping their place on the PureVolume and MySpace charts, however, had the desired effect. In January 2006, the band premiered its music video for I Write Sins Not Tragedies on MTV's Total Request Live. It went on to enter the TRL charts at #10, and win the MTV Video Music Awards' Video of the Year plum for 2006. The single, released April 2006, made it to the top 10 of the American charts.

Despite their successes with their new album and tour engagements, all was not well with the band. In May 2006, an announcement was made on the Panic! at the Disco website about the departure of bassist Brent Wilson. Wilson, meanwhile, claimed that he did not willingly quit the band, and that he was terminated due to financial reasons. In August of that year, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out earned its platinum certification from the RIAA.

Panic! at the Disco: Making It Pretty

Early 2007 saw updates from the band saying that they were working on material for a new album. Another announcement came a few months later, saying that they had scrapped everything and were to start from scratch. On their decision to start over, Ross says that the new songs have a more positive outlook and sounded less like a film score.

Pretty. Odd. was released March the following year. The album debuted at #2 on both sides of the Atlantic, and at #1 in Australia. August that year saw the band go on tour through several cities all around the world before returning home in December to release ...Live in Chicago, a DVD recording of a live performance from the Honda Civic Tour.

In July 2009, Ross and Jon Walker gave notice that they were leaving the band due to "creative differences". This resulted in changes in their upcoming album Electric-Heavy Dreams, as Ross had to be replaced by The Cab's Ian Crawford and Walker by The Brobecks' Dallon Weekes. The new album is slated for release in 2010, while the single New Perspective has been released as part of the2009 film Jennifer's Body soundtrack.

Did You Know That...

• ...the 'Panic' in Panic! at the Disco came from Panic, from the 2004 album Hold On by indie rock band Name Taken.

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