In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Patrick Stump (vocalist of Fall Out Boy) and Sean O’Keefe, who produced the debut Fall Out Boy album “Take This To Your Grave” as well as their “Lake Effect Kid” EP.

They have a ton of history together dating back to the early days of the band, but what makes this such a cool and fun conversation is that it’s not just a nostalgia fest. They’re able to compare the past to the present, talk about what they learned along the way, and touch on a few of the things about the old days that they’ve kept alive even as their careers leveled up.

Patrick and Sean dive deep on how it felt to be reunited for “Lake Effect Kid” years later, how they met, how they’ve grown as creators and some fun things that you probably didn’t know about “Take This To Your Grave.”

It’s a rare opportunity to sit down with a band that’s gone from playing to a dozen people at a bowling alley to playing the Super Bowl twice AND a producer who’s worked with them at both points in time, so don’t miss out on this one!

“Basically it was just a huge learning experience for all of us. I know for me it was, that’s for sure. We were really learning how to make a record. We had some resources and a crap ton of energy and determination.” – Sean O’Keefe

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

1:23 – How Patrick and Sean met and started working together

4:33 – What it’s like being a multi-instrumentalist

17:32 – What drummers have improved on over the years, especially when it comes to playing to a click

19:44 – The story of how Sean learned that Patrick was a singer

21:03 – When Patrick worked on the Knockout record and how they were the first band in Patrick and Sean’s friend group to get a record deal

23:38 – How Sean first learned that Patrick was a singer

31:53 – How most people don’t think of vocals as an instrument and Patrick learning more about music theory in recent years

37:38 – Harmonic knowledge and a talent for writing being independent variables

42:07 – What you need to know when working with an orchestra

43:47 – How Patrick convinced people to let him do vocals in the first place

51:38 – What microphones Fall Out Boy could use when recording scratch vocals for Take This To Your Grave and what that recording experience was like

58:43 – How Fall Out Boy proved themselves and recorded the album in different sections

59:54 – How some files from Take This To Your Grave were lost

1:04:09 – Whether or not Sean remixed the songs at the very end

1:08:04 – Patrick running into limitations at the last minute in the studio when he tried to continue to sing for lengthy periods of time

1:12:54 – Improving the most when you’re under pressure and how Patrick doesn’t really do many vocal sessions

1:14:23 – What it was like for Sean and Patrick to reunite on “Lake Effect Kid” and the recording process for the song

1:23:44 – When Fall Out Boy did a record with Babyface and autotune was part of the vocal chain

1:25:57 – The extra instrumentation on “Lake Effect Kid” and Patrick’s experience working on films

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!

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