After parting ways with original drummer, Aaron Escolopio in 2001, the band went on to work with Chris Wilson (2001-2005) before finally landing on their current drummer, Dean Butterworth in 2005.Īfter witnessing the devastating 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001, friends Gerard Way and Matt Pelissier decided they wanted to start a band. The album boasted the singles 'Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous' and 'The Anthem' and debuted at Number 7 on the Billboard 200 and has sold over 4.9 million copies to date. Later than year, Good Charlotte released their self-titled debut-album.It was their second album, 'The Young and the Hopeless', which was released in 2002 that helped the band reach mainstream popularity. After several local radio stations played the band's demo of 'Little Things', the band were signed to Epic Records in 2000. Guitarist Billy Martin joined the band in 1998 after making friends with the Madden brothers. The name for the band came from a children's book called 'Good Charlotte: Girls of the Good Day Orphanage', written by Carol Beach York. The brothers, who hail from Waldorf, Maryland, asked their school friends Paul Thomas and Aaron Escolopio to join them and started playing shows under the name Good Charlotte. Twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden decided to start a band after seeing a Beastie Boys show in 1995. A year after its release, the album was awarded a Gold certification for selling over 100,000 copies. In 2003, Funeral For A Friend released their debut album 'Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation' and saw three of the album's singles reach the UK Top 20, including 'Juneau', 'She Drove Me to Daytime Television' and 'Escape Artists Never Die'. Matt Davies-Kreye became the primary vocalist and the band later recruited bass player, Gareth Ellis-Davies and drummer Ryan Richards. However, just before the EP's release, Andi Morris, Johnny Phillips and Matthew Evans left the band.
After parting ways with Kerry Roberts, the band were joined by guitarist Darran Smith and went on to record their debut EP 'Between Order and Model' in 2002.
Along with Andi Morris and Kerry and Kris Coombs-Roberts, the band renamed themselves to Funeral for a Friend, which is a song by Illinois post-hardcore band Planes Mistaken for Stars. Funeral For A Friend formed in 2001 when January Thirst's Matthew Evans and Johnny Phillips invited Matt Davies-Kreye to join their group after their lead singer quit.