Turning the spotlight on musicians making a...

Turning the spotlight on musicians making a commercial breakthrough. -- CASEY DOLAN

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“Santi”

The Academy Is...

Atlantic

Artist info: The Academy Is ... started out as just another suburban Chicago pop rock band with emo trappings but has gloriously evolved into an exploratory rock ensemble of some depth. Defying all odds, the group has released a second album that has defied the sophomore slump jinx and lifted the group out of Vans Warped Tour mold. “We’ve Got a Big Mess on Our Hands,” the infectious first single, carries a sing-along chorus that’s easy to imagine being chanted in stadiums and with enough spiky guitar textures to challenge any in the current Brit-pop scene. Influences from glam rock to spaghetti westerns are subtly referenced.

Back story: Vocalist William Beckett and guitarist Mike Carden formed the band in 2002 in Hoffman Estates, outside of Chicago. They recorded an EP and came to the attention of Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, who facilitated a deal with his label, Fueled by Ramen. The Academy’s debut album, “Almost Here,” was released in 2005. Near-constant touring with Fall Out Boy and others followed the album’s release, and a spot on the Vans Warped Tour in 2006 further broadened the group’s fan base. In the current lineup, the one featured on “Santi,” Beckett and Carden are joined by guitarist Michael Guy Chislett, bassist Adam Siska and drummer Andy Mrotek. The album was recorded last fall in L.A., with Butch Walker producing. The Academy Is ... demonstrated solid first-week sales of 33,000 copies, enough for a debut inside the national Top 40 at No. 35.

Influences: The Clash, Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie

Trivia: Siska got the album’s title tattooed on his backside in the fourth episode of the group’s webcast, TAI TV.