The Academy Is...



The Academy Is... is a band from Chicago under the Decaydance label, owned by Pete Wentz. They were originally called "The Academy" but the Is... was added later in 2004 to avoid legal problems. The band came together in 2003 and went on to release three albums, "Almost Here," "Santi," and "Fast Times at Barrington High." Members included William Beckett (lead vocals), Mike Carden (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Adam T. Siska (bass, backing vocals), Andy 'The Butcher' Mrotek (drums) and Michael Guy Chislett (lead guitar, backing vocals, piano). On May 24th, 2011, an official announcement was made about the departure of band members Andy Mrotek and Michael Chislett. Although the band had made plans for a 4th studio album and an announcement was made by Beckett that they had begun recording, they eventually disbanded. On October 8th, 2011, mere months after they had lost two members, the band announced that they had decided to go their seperate ways.

"I'm not in love This is not your song I'm not gonna waste these words About a girl"
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: "About A Girl"

"Take the pain out of love And then love won't exist"
 * Love Hurts: "Everything We Had"

""Michael, I got your chicken caboodles! I got your chicken caboodles...Michael?" "It's freakin' scooter time!""
 * Freaky Friday Flip: An episode of TAI TV involves Bill and Sisky swapping bodies right before a show. Hilarity Ensues.
 * Mr. Fanservice: William Beckett, so much. Those hipbones. Also The Butcher, who pretty much never wears a shirt.
 * Evil Twin: The video for "We've Got a Big Mess On Our Hands." William's twin runs around causing chaos and even takes his place on stage for a concert. Although in the end, it turns out it was all in William's head.
 * Ho Yay: William Beckett and Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship. They both ship it. Fueled By Ramen ships it. Gabe even wrote his own fanfiction. Enough said.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: The Butcher can be this sometimes...okay, maybe a lot more than sometimes.

""I'm sick and tired of waiting, sick of this fucking apartment!""
 * Album Title Drop: "Almost Here" from the album of the same name.
 * Love Nostalgia Song: "Everything We Had" and "After the Last Midtown Show."
 * Face of the Band: William Beckett.
 * Lost in Translation: One TAI TV episode finds Chislett frusturated because nobody can understand him through his Australian accent. The misinterpretations range from "chicken caboodles" to "William, your hips don't lie!"
 * Those Two Guys: Sisky and The Butcher, somewhat.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: William Beckett, anybody?
 * Real Person Fic: Tons of it, mostly about William and Gabe Saporta.
 * Precision F-Strike: "Black Mamba"


 * Badass Beard: The Butcher is often seen sporting one of these.