Alternative Press – October 2011

Here’s an old picture of Panic! At The Disco receiving their Platinum Album awards for A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out on August 30, 2006 — the album was officially certified Platinum (1 million copies sold) on July 10, 2006. The picture was published on AP’s feature on Fueled By Ramen’s 15th Anniversary.

During your split from Panic you stayed very quiet. Is there anything that you would love the fans to know that you never got the chance to say?

I didn’t really understand everything that was going on while it was going on.The band was experiencing creative and personal differences even before I joined which made for a complicated working relationship. It was extremely hard for me to walk away from not only my good friends but the passion and hard work I put into the project.

You began The Young Veins, released a record, and then decided that it wasn’t working. What was the reason behind that?

Ryan and I already had quite a few songs in the works intended for consideration on the next Panic album.  Our collaboration was evolving which was especially motivating during and after the split.  I really enjoyed the material and was hopeful that our new venture would create a balanced partnership but our differences made that difficult.

I really enjoyed all three Panic records, for different reasons, but many fans have expressed that they really miss you being in the band. Is there any chance that all four of you will magically end up together again?

For now, I enjoy the freedom of working on my own but making Pretty. Odd. was one of the greatest times of my life. For the most part, we (Rob Mathes included) were on the same page, working together in the studio and having a lot of fun in the process.  None of us will ever be in that place again but hopefully it had enough impact on each of us to consider  working together again if the opportunity presents itself.

What is your favorite memory from the past 5 years?

I’ve had so many great memories but going on safari in South Africa was a highlight. We saw all kinds of animals in their natural habitat and an amazing sunset. We woke up early the next day to catch the big cats before they went to sleep, followed by delicious coffee and muffins at sunrise. The next night was my last show with Panic.

If you want to know more about what Jon’s up to now, read the full interview at Buzznet.com.

Nearly a month after parting ways with Panic! at the Disco “to embark on a musical excursion of their own,” Ryan Ross and Jon Walker have finally decided on a name for that excursion. They’re calling themselves the Young Veins.

Ross e-mailed MTV News late Monday night to make the announcement, which came two weeks to the day after he told us that he and Walker were at a loss for just what to call their new retro-leaning band. (Of course, we tried to help out the best we could.)

“We’re going with the Young Veins,” Ross wrote. “I hope you’ll check us out.” Read the full article »

Jon changed his Twitter username to iamjonwalker. The old name has already been taken over by someone else, that is NOT Jon. Here’s his new profile picture.

Jon’s Twitter 06/04/09

Watch a video of Jon and Eric Ronick recording a cover of Tom Petty’s “Yer So Bad”.

Jon Walker and Eric Ronick recorded two songs and put them on MySpace under the name of Hillside Session. They did what seems to be an original called “I’m Getting Over You” and “Yer So Bad”, a Tom Petty cover. Listen to both songs at myspace.com/hillsidesession.

At Jet (The Mirage) on Saturday: Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, Stephen Cooper and Shaun Phillips of the San Diego Chargers, Panic at the Disco band members, including lead guitarist Ryan Ross, drummer Spencer Smith, and bassist Jon Walker. Rapper Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em gave a special performance of “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” •

From Alex Greenwald’s Twitter 05/05/09: Dude, Jon! What the fuck is that on your face?

Spencer’s Twitter 04/23/09