Joe answers questions on Reddit.
ITSABARE
Wow! This is so cool that you're on here! Finally you can know what all of our "um...hi...wow this is so cool..." reactions at meet and greets would have translated to in a non-starstruck setting :D I realize that my enthusiasm will probably lead to some rambling so I bolded the questions to provide TL;DR.
It seems like there's always a shroud over what actually happens in recording studios in terms of the creative process (for all bands). I knew that Pete would do lyrics and Patrick would do the basic tune and those roles are easy to identify...but I never really got to appreciate the fact that you and Andy really carry the overall sound of FOB until I heard The Damned Things. Now of course these are two very different bands but...when I heard TDT I was like this is a lot more hardcore and definitely not like FOB at all but I can definitely hear Joe and Andy in the core. But I digress. My question is: how do you guys typically collaborate on a song? Do Pete/Pat bring in a demo with the skeleton of the song most of the time or will you occasionally pitch in on lyrics and vocal tune? Once the outline of a song has been made do you guys have jamming sessions together so you can figure out what riffs/solos sound the best? Or does each person individually take time to write their own parts to add to the skeleton/outline before coming together again? I know you can't definitively answer what exactly you do each time as making music just doesn't work by a set process but...can you give us a tiny peek behind the curtain? :)
Second question is simple: how do you decide the arrangement of tracks for each album? I might be overanalyzing but I feel like the opening track for each album is like..."this is who we are as a band right now, this is what we've experienced, this is what the album will sound like". Then as the record goes on there's connecting themes and sounds so that there's a consistent flow underlying each album. I might be speculating too much but I feel as though arranging songs to flow together is like fitting a puzzle together. What is your experience with that like?
Bonus question: have you, or anyone else in the band, ever considered scoring movies?
joetrohman
Thanks for making this actually easy to respond to. Let's begin:
1) FOB used to be a hard band for me to write in. I would write the occasional song with Patrick (Pros and Cons & Atavan Halen). But normally Patrick and Pete would get so ahead of themselves, and excited about completing songs, they'd leave little room for Andy and I. Hence the small amount of writing contributions on our older stuff. I mostly just wrote guitar parts into the songs for that timeframe.
I suppose it was a reason I needed time away to do other bands/projects. I write a stupid amount of songs, and I had to get it all out. So I got a lot of it out, and it helped me to reassert myself in FOB.
Coming back into it, we restructured how we write. I wrote a good amount of music on SRR with Patrick, at least half the record. Andy doesn't tend to want to write, not that he can't. He's a talented guy. It's just not a major moving factor for him. However, he sings a lot of backgrounds on this record, which is different than usual.
As it stands now, Patrick and I write things on our own (musically) and trade them back and forth, sometimes adding to or completing each others thoughts. Sometimes Pete and I will have an musical idea and I'll send it to him, and he'll send it to Patrick. Same happens, and has always happened, with him and Patrick. Now I just get added into that process. Lyrics are a Pete thing that get handled by Patrick.
I work with lyrics in my other bands to varying degrees. But this one (FOB) is more delicate and specific, and I respect that. I'm more of a music guy anyway. That's where I make the most sense in this band when we write.
2) I don't think you're overanalyzing it. The first song on a band's/artist's record should state a purpose. We usually do that. It tends to be fairly easy to arrange the track listing. And then a song or two usually ends up being the stickler that gets moved around until we all feel settled.
It's nice to come in with a bang, keep that energy going and then try to give the listener space and breaks throughout. The energy has to ebb and flow in different ways. If it's going to be at level 10 to start, then perhaps it moves down to 5, then up to 7, then down to 2 etc.
Hopefully that makes sense.
Bonus) I've dabbled a little. I'm sure some of us are interested. I am for sure. It's been on my mind.
Le_Ron_Paul
Are you guys actually going to be doing a music video for every song on the album?
Edit: Also, any chance of you re-recording older demos? "Lake Effect Kid" (PLEASE)? "Austin, We Have a Problem" or "Hand of God"? Or maybe even "My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon"?
joetrohman
Yes, we are planning to do every song as a narrative. Very excited to do this. So far, so good.
No, those demos are very old. Lyrically I can't say what will get repurposed from older demos. Musically, we have crossed that bridge, and it would be disrespectful to our legacy, and to our fans, to try to recreate that aspect of our music again.
It's always best to let an artist progress. The moment they try to recapture what they were 10-20 years prior, it ends up being this sad, pandering thing that leaves everyone disappointed.
Those demos are floating around. If you have them, enjoy them. That's their end form for the most part.
ctelecaster
Can you possibly see about getting us the Lake Effect Kid demo without Clinton Sparks yelling and inserting airplane noises all over it? I love that song so much.
joetrohman
Glad you like it. It's a cool song.
Can't do much on that end without the stems of the mix. And it's not really a priority at the moment. Maybe one day.
CleanSock
Hey Joe! I've gotten an answer from Patrick and Andy, so I will ask you. If you were a ghost, who would you watch take a shower?
joetrohman
That seems like a waste of ghost abilities. It's all about scaring people, possessing things, evil stuff. Horny actions are for earth dwellers (which was the original name for Earth Girls Are Easy).
tezcaption
Maybe not the place to ask, but probably the only place you'll answer me. What about With Knives? ):
joetrohman
It's always in the mix. Pretty busy with FOB as of now, but I'll get my buns around to it again.
tezcaption
Yeah, don't give up on that thing. Really like the feel of the songs and it seemed like it would only get better.
joetrohman
Much appreciated
jerryperch1
Really dug The Pheonix, man. It got be pumped for the album... but I am starting to get a bit worried. Is the album gonna have any rock and roll on it? I'm just looking for some real guitar riffs... or some real drum fills...
joetrohman
First off, thank you. Stoked you're stoked. I'm very happy with the record.
There are definitely guitars and drums in that song. It's slathered all over it. I'm surprised when people say this, it's as if they're not listening for it. Or maybe they're listening for something very specific. I don't know. It's all there, in spades.
If rock music is a specific one thing, then you're missing the point. Rock music was a bastard child of the blues and jazz. It has always been about mixing ideas, cultures, pushing boundaries and thinking completely outside of the box.
It doesn't mean rock can't/shouldn't sound exactly like Cream, the Beatles, the Stooges, Metallica or whomever is usually classified in a rock standard rock pantheon. But if that's all that gets made in the "rock" spectrum from here on out, then you might as well say goodbye to rock as a real force.
Truth be told, a lot of bands that imitate that are being very safe. Rock should be about progression.
Tony Visconti (producer behind many classic rock artist such as Bowie, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, Iggy Pop and many more) recently said this in a NY Times article:
"Rock n roll is like dixieland jazz now. Its an old art form. For years, hip hop was the new rock n roll. Even that's getting a little conservative. Once people get rich doing what they do, they get conservative. You might have this spirit in you from when you were a kid, but's it's not the angst and anger that got you there."
jerryperch
Solid, man. I hope my question didn't sound snarky as I didn't mean it to. I guess the specific thing I'm looking for is for you guys to show off some chops... which is really more than a personal preference than a definition of rock and roll... so I guess I worded my question poorly. I definitely prefer your idea of rock and roll--pushing the boundaries of music and all. All the same, I think The Phoenix is pushing the boundaries in most all the right ways, and I can't wait to hear the rest of 'em!
joetrohman
i do too:) glad the vibe invokes those feelings in you! that's the whole point, isn't it?
i think we did a great mix of live playing, samples, programming...the whole gamut. there's a taste of analog feel mixed with digital. digital isn't bad. it's a great tool if you know how to use it. and analog doesn't = amazing. there's good and bad on both sides of the spectrum.
it's just harder to make records to tape these days, and that's just not really the kind of band we are. i do bands like that. less people seem to care about whether i make a record to tape, whether it's all live, what kind of instruments are on there etc.
i think what seems to matter, in the big picture, is if it's good. bottom line. does the music grab you, does it matter to you, does it push boundaries and does it have real angst/emotion behind it? does it mean anything at all?
i agree that the roots are there. or really, the feel is there. and comparing old to new is useless really. it's what keeps people looking back, rather than forward.
great to hear your perspective. i like it.
Frozon
Why did your parents name you joe?
joetrohman
I was named after my father's Uncle. He died in WW2.
peezy8i8
Hi Joe! The music you made with The Damned Things and the music your making with FOB are on opposite ends of the spectrum almost. Do you feel like your missing that metal type feel now that your back making music with Fall Out Boy? Same for Andy, the drums are so different between the two bands. Do you guys prefer one to the other?
joetrohman
I get ultimate satisfaction out of creating almost any kind of music. Having a preference for one over the other would have made me a very one dimensional artist. I strive to be open to anything musically, as I love so many different bands/artists.
I think there are things that connect both of these bands musically, it may just not be lying on the surface.
Regardless, I should be so lucky to have the opportunity to have multiple outlets to make different types of noise. And to have people even care is humbling in it's own right.
Wow! This is so cool that you're on here! Finally you can know what all of our "um...hi...wow this is so cool..." reactions at meet and greets would have translated to in a non-starstruck setting :D I realize that my enthusiasm will probably lead to some rambling so I bolded the questions to provide TL;DR.
It seems like there's always a shroud over what actually happens in recording studios in terms of the creative process (for all bands). I knew that Pete would do lyrics and Patrick would do the basic tune and those roles are easy to identify...but I never really got to appreciate the fact that you and Andy really carry the overall sound of FOB until I heard The Damned Things. Now of course these are two very different bands but...when I heard TDT I was like this is a lot more hardcore and definitely not like FOB at all but I can definitely hear Joe and Andy in the core. But I digress. My question is: how do you guys typically collaborate on a song? Do Pete/Pat bring in a demo with the skeleton of the song most of the time or will you occasionally pitch in on lyrics and vocal tune? Once the outline of a song has been made do you guys have jamming sessions together so you can figure out what riffs/solos sound the best? Or does each person individually take time to write their own parts to add to the skeleton/outline before coming together again? I know you can't definitively answer what exactly you do each time as making music just doesn't work by a set process but...can you give us a tiny peek behind the curtain? :)
Second question is simple: how do you decide the arrangement of tracks for each album? I might be overanalyzing but I feel like the opening track for each album is like..."this is who we are as a band right now, this is what we've experienced, this is what the album will sound like". Then as the record goes on there's connecting themes and sounds so that there's a consistent flow underlying each album. I might be speculating too much but I feel as though arranging songs to flow together is like fitting a puzzle together. What is your experience with that like?
Bonus question: have you, or anyone else in the band, ever considered scoring movies?
joetrohman
Thanks for making this actually easy to respond to. Let's begin:
1) FOB used to be a hard band for me to write in. I would write the occasional song with Patrick (Pros and Cons & Atavan Halen). But normally Patrick and Pete would get so ahead of themselves, and excited about completing songs, they'd leave little room for Andy and I. Hence the small amount of writing contributions on our older stuff. I mostly just wrote guitar parts into the songs for that timeframe.
I suppose it was a reason I needed time away to do other bands/projects. I write a stupid amount of songs, and I had to get it all out. So I got a lot of it out, and it helped me to reassert myself in FOB.
Coming back into it, we restructured how we write. I wrote a good amount of music on SRR with Patrick, at least half the record. Andy doesn't tend to want to write, not that he can't. He's a talented guy. It's just not a major moving factor for him. However, he sings a lot of backgrounds on this record, which is different than usual.
As it stands now, Patrick and I write things on our own (musically) and trade them back and forth, sometimes adding to or completing each others thoughts. Sometimes Pete and I will have an musical idea and I'll send it to him, and he'll send it to Patrick. Same happens, and has always happened, with him and Patrick. Now I just get added into that process. Lyrics are a Pete thing that get handled by Patrick.
I work with lyrics in my other bands to varying degrees. But this one (FOB) is more delicate and specific, and I respect that. I'm more of a music guy anyway. That's where I make the most sense in this band when we write.
2) I don't think you're overanalyzing it. The first song on a band's/artist's record should state a purpose. We usually do that. It tends to be fairly easy to arrange the track listing. And then a song or two usually ends up being the stickler that gets moved around until we all feel settled.
It's nice to come in with a bang, keep that energy going and then try to give the listener space and breaks throughout. The energy has to ebb and flow in different ways. If it's going to be at level 10 to start, then perhaps it moves down to 5, then up to 7, then down to 2 etc.
Hopefully that makes sense.
Bonus) I've dabbled a little. I'm sure some of us are interested. I am for sure. It's been on my mind.
Le_Ron_Paul
Are you guys actually going to be doing a music video for every song on the album?
Edit: Also, any chance of you re-recording older demos? "Lake Effect Kid" (PLEASE)? "Austin, We Have a Problem" or "Hand of God"? Or maybe even "My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon"?
joetrohman
Yes, we are planning to do every song as a narrative. Very excited to do this. So far, so good.
No, those demos are very old. Lyrically I can't say what will get repurposed from older demos. Musically, we have crossed that bridge, and it would be disrespectful to our legacy, and to our fans, to try to recreate that aspect of our music again.
It's always best to let an artist progress. The moment they try to recapture what they were 10-20 years prior, it ends up being this sad, pandering thing that leaves everyone disappointed.
Those demos are floating around. If you have them, enjoy them. That's their end form for the most part.
ctelecaster
Can you possibly see about getting us the Lake Effect Kid demo without Clinton Sparks yelling and inserting airplane noises all over it? I love that song so much.
joetrohman
Glad you like it. It's a cool song.
Can't do much on that end without the stems of the mix. And it's not really a priority at the moment. Maybe one day.
CleanSock
Hey Joe! I've gotten an answer from Patrick and Andy, so I will ask you. If you were a ghost, who would you watch take a shower?
joetrohman
That seems like a waste of ghost abilities. It's all about scaring people, possessing things, evil stuff. Horny actions are for earth dwellers (which was the original name for Earth Girls Are Easy).
tezcaption
Maybe not the place to ask, but probably the only place you'll answer me. What about With Knives? ):
joetrohman
It's always in the mix. Pretty busy with FOB as of now, but I'll get my buns around to it again.
tezcaption
Yeah, don't give up on that thing. Really like the feel of the songs and it seemed like it would only get better.
joetrohman
Much appreciated
jerryperch1
Really dug The Pheonix, man. It got be pumped for the album... but I am starting to get a bit worried. Is the album gonna have any rock and roll on it? I'm just looking for some real guitar riffs... or some real drum fills...
joetrohman
First off, thank you. Stoked you're stoked. I'm very happy with the record.
There are definitely guitars and drums in that song. It's slathered all over it. I'm surprised when people say this, it's as if they're not listening for it. Or maybe they're listening for something very specific. I don't know. It's all there, in spades.
If rock music is a specific one thing, then you're missing the point. Rock music was a bastard child of the blues and jazz. It has always been about mixing ideas, cultures, pushing boundaries and thinking completely outside of the box.
It doesn't mean rock can't/shouldn't sound exactly like Cream, the Beatles, the Stooges, Metallica or whomever is usually classified in a rock standard rock pantheon. But if that's all that gets made in the "rock" spectrum from here on out, then you might as well say goodbye to rock as a real force.
Truth be told, a lot of bands that imitate that are being very safe. Rock should be about progression.
Tony Visconti (producer behind many classic rock artist such as Bowie, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, Iggy Pop and many more) recently said this in a NY Times article:
"Rock n roll is like dixieland jazz now. Its an old art form. For years, hip hop was the new rock n roll. Even that's getting a little conservative. Once people get rich doing what they do, they get conservative. You might have this spirit in you from when you were a kid, but's it's not the angst and anger that got you there."
jerryperch
Solid, man. I hope my question didn't sound snarky as I didn't mean it to. I guess the specific thing I'm looking for is for you guys to show off some chops... which is really more than a personal preference than a definition of rock and roll... so I guess I worded my question poorly. I definitely prefer your idea of rock and roll--pushing the boundaries of music and all. All the same, I think The Phoenix is pushing the boundaries in most all the right ways, and I can't wait to hear the rest of 'em!
joetrohman
i do too:) glad the vibe invokes those feelings in you! that's the whole point, isn't it?
i think we did a great mix of live playing, samples, programming...the whole gamut. there's a taste of analog feel mixed with digital. digital isn't bad. it's a great tool if you know how to use it. and analog doesn't = amazing. there's good and bad on both sides of the spectrum.
it's just harder to make records to tape these days, and that's just not really the kind of band we are. i do bands like that. less people seem to care about whether i make a record to tape, whether it's all live, what kind of instruments are on there etc.
i think what seems to matter, in the big picture, is if it's good. bottom line. does the music grab you, does it matter to you, does it push boundaries and does it have real angst/emotion behind it? does it mean anything at all?
i agree that the roots are there. or really, the feel is there. and comparing old to new is useless really. it's what keeps people looking back, rather than forward.
great to hear your perspective. i like it.
Frozon
Why did your parents name you joe?
joetrohman
I was named after my father's Uncle. He died in WW2.
peezy8i8
Hi Joe! The music you made with The Damned Things and the music your making with FOB are on opposite ends of the spectrum almost. Do you feel like your missing that metal type feel now that your back making music with Fall Out Boy? Same for Andy, the drums are so different between the two bands. Do you guys prefer one to the other?
joetrohman
I get ultimate satisfaction out of creating almost any kind of music. Having a preference for one over the other would have made me a very one dimensional artist. I strive to be open to anything musically, as I love so many different bands/artists.
I think there are things that connect both of these bands musically, it may just not be lying on the surface.
Regardless, I should be so lucky to have the opportunity to have multiple outlets to make different types of noise. And to have people even care is humbling in it's own right.