;For the release of Rory's first full-length record, We're Up to No Good, We're Up to No Good, on Orlando-based One Eleven Records, the band isn't just planning your average "We released a record, let's play it" type of show, guitarist Jordan Shroyer says. He hints that the event may feature ice cream-filled guitars and kids' toys. Rory is even teasing their audience with the possibility of a massive balloon drop. Drummer Joel Setzer adds that the party will be so amazing that it's guaranteed to be "the saddest day on earth," as the world will never see anything this huge and beautiful again.
;;Now that sounds like a release party.
;;Obviously, the boys of Rory enjoy putting on one hell of a spectacle. After all, they believe that part of the fun in performing is making sure the audience is having a good time. Evidently, it works, as Rory's live shows are so ferocious and energetic that the band has garnered quite a following.
;;And that's no small feat for a young group that has gone through as many mutations as this one. At the band's genesis in 1998, Rory wrote angsty emo-punk songs in the vein of Finch. "Then again, we were in ninth grade at the time," Shroyer explains.
;;The boys say they now have a more sophisticated pop-punk sensibility, and, after nearly a decade of evolving their lineup and sound, they say they also have a better handle on their sound and goals. Rory — current lineup: bassist Marc Ispass, singer Jeremy Menard, guitarist Chris Moore, Shroyer and Setzer — is no longer trying to emulate the music they once listened to.
;;"We're not trying to stick with genres anymore," Setzer says. "We're into creating actual pop songs with lots going on."
;;"We got bored with the three-chord songs and wanted to add structure while still being unconventional." Shroyer adds. "The songs are still pretty crazy, though."
;;We're Up to No Good is a testament to that newer sound. It was also a test in patience, says Setzer. The album was slated for release in October 2005, but it kept getting pushed back because of problems with production. The initial plan was to record the album with Blink-182's Mark Hoppus. However, according to Rory, Blink had just dissolved, and Hoppus was no longer able to man the board.
;;On to Plan B: In February 2006, Rory headed out to Los Angeles to record with Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila for a sound that Shroyer describes as "raw and not produced-sounding." While in town, the boys managed to record two songs with Hoppus. The result is a collection of 12 loud, complex pop punk tunes that split the difference between the two production styles. There's even a choir and a jaunty instrumental break or two.
;;As part of the promotion for the record, Rory is creating a video for every song on the record and posting them on absolutepunk.net. The videos don't always have to do with the songs, but Shroyer insists they were fun to create. "One is your typical boy/girl relationship video. Another looks like something out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Another is a comedy, a sort of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" combined with 24."
;;The band is so relieved that We're Up to No Good is finally seeing the light of day, it doesn't even faze them that the songs they're playing onstage are at least two years old. "It's not something we worry about," Shroyer says. "We like the songs, and we love it when all the fans sing the songs back to us, especially the old ones." So much so that Rory's goal for their live experience is to re-create the precise sound and tone of their album. Their live show includes an extra band member to handle additional instrumentation like cello and keyboard.
;;Though happy to play their older material, Rory is nonetheless already preparing for their next album, "which we promise won't take so long to finish," Shroyer promises.
;;"Since we revised the songs and were so hands-on in the production process, we may end up producing the next one ourselves."
;;Bring on the ice cream, boys.
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