Our mama taught us if we don’t have anything nice to say, we should just listen to the original artist’s recording instead.

[Via PopCrush]

During our exclusive sit-down with the velvet-voiced soul punker, Stump discussed what it’s like playing with a whole new group of guys, what Fall Out Boy might sound like when the boys get back together (he says he’ll be “surprised if we never did another record”) and why he finally caved in to tweeting. Video interview after the jump!

Stump, who sang, played guitar, piano and a teeny-tiny trumpet during his back-to-back Hotel Cafe gigs, also sat down with our friends at Buzznet and revealed the tricks he picked up while filming his “Spotlight” video and the differences between his EP Truant Wave and his forthcoming full-length album Soul Punk (which may get a late July release). Check out that interview here, then watch our own Q&A below:

Patrick mentions that he’s a big fan of Pete Wentz’s new pop outfit Black Cards, and Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley’s new metal act The Damned Things. He also assures us that there’s no bad blood between bandmates. “Bands aren’t monogamous relationships,” he says. “I didn’t marry Fall Out Boy. And by doing other things, I’m not cheating on them.”

As for being totally against Twitter at first and then changing his tune, he explains, “It becomes more of an action than an inaction to not be on Twitter. It’s almost like not having a phone at this point. Someone explained to me, it’s almost like you not going out and shaking hands [after a show]. It kind of came off as arrogant.” The real bonus of Twitter? “Food trucks.” (We could not agree more.)

So what does the producer/musician/singer/songwriter want to try and do next? “I want to try theater and proper acting,” he tells us, mentioning that he’s also writing a few scripts. “I take art seriously. I don’t want to just fuck with it and be an idiot. I don’t want the vanity project.”

As for his solo material, this isn’t a one-off thing. Says Stump: “I intend to do this hopefully forever.” We certainly hope so, too.

Check out Patrick’s official site, read his Nervous Breakdance Tumblr and follow him on Twitter, now that he’s using it and all. And head by iTunes to download Truant Wave if you haven’t already.

We know that these are acoustic versions of fully studio-produced tunes, but we’re totally digging listening to just Patrick and his guitar, particularly on “Love Selfish Love”.

In his interview, Patrick discusses wanting to emulate the ornate, fast-paced syncopation of Timbaland’s beats, but it’s impossible to play, since they’re computerized – so he did his best by playing all the complicated rhythms himself with instruments, one at a time. Problem solved!

As far as touching on his time in Fall Out Boy, Patrick says:

“When I look at Joe [Trohman]’s band, The Damned Things or whatever, he would play me those songs as a demo for Fall Out Boy, and I’d be like, ‘It’s awesome, but it’s hard rock.’ There were songs I’d write and the way the band worked, my lyrics weren’t really … it just didn’t fit.”

“As far as the comparative visibility of my solo act versus the band, it’s kind of a shame the two have to ever be related… I don’t know that I was ever so comfortable with the way it was, with that level of attention. Particially because you get this feeling, you don’t want to dumb what you do down… but you don’t want to disappoint anybody, and they have these expectations. Hopefully going out as myself gives me freedom.”

As much as we enjoyed FOB, we’re excited for Stump to finally be the main dude in the spotlight.

What do you think of Stump’s solo material so far?

[Rolling Stone]

’60s: “Xmas Twist” – The Twistin’ Kings

’70s: “X-Ray Eyes” – KISS

’80s: “Xanadu” – Olivia Newton John & ELO

’90s: “X Files Theme” (techno) – Robert Miles

’00s: “XO” – Fall Out Boy

Wentz and producer Sam Hollander, whose worked with Katy Perry and Gym Class Heroes, met in New York when Wentz was living there while his wife Ashlee was performing in Chicago. Wentz recalls that he was really into reggae, and Hollander was into Lily Allen-type female Brit-pop, and they wanted to combine those two sounds.

When the two got inside the studio to cut the tracks, they still had no singer to bring it all together. Luckily, fate brought them Bebe Rexha, who was auditioning for a different project next door.

“I just heard this voice blasting and I said, ‘Why are we so focused on finding a quirky, British girl?’” Wentz tells Rolling Stone. “There’s somebody in the next room who has these awesome melodies and can really sing and isn’t jaded.”

Rexha, who hit the musical jackpot of working with a high profile musician with an already existing fan base, has virtually no experience in the music industry, although she does still maintain an active (although sparse) MySpace Music page. From what we’ve heard so far, we’re digging her voice, and it sounds like Wentz is being musically inspired by having a female singer.

“Fall Out Boy lyrics were vastly depressing, misogynistic kinds of stuff,” says Wentz. (He’s not kidding—here’s a sample line from a FOB tune “Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner” about a female lover: “So wear me like a locket around your throat / I’ll weigh you down, I’ll watch you choke / You look so good in blue.”) “That really doesn’t work in a band with a female singer… I’m more musically free in this project than I ever was in Fall Out Boy. Patrick [Stump] was the composer in Fall Out Boy, and this is my chance to do something completely different.”

And as far as the status of Fall Out Boy is concerned, it remains unchanged, although Wentz still claims it’s a break, not a break-up. Says Pete:

“I have no idea how long the break will be. Before American Idiot, people had kind of written off Green Day and around Rattle and Hum people had written off U2. At some points lots of bands go through this odd growth where they don’t know which direction to go in and they feel burned out. Rather than break up, it was better for everybody to get their own outlet. The world needed a break from Fall Out Boy as much as Fall Out Boy needed a break from Fall Out Boy.”

The Black Cards are putting the finishing touches on their debut album, and will plan a tour once it’s completed. Which do you think will be released first – Patrick Stump’s solo LP, or The Black Cards’ debut? Maybe Wentz and Stump can plan a co-headlining tour together just to appease their old fans?

[Rolling Stone]

A snippet was posted over at the Bl4ck C4rds official site. We gave it a listen, and the catchy upbeat tune, led by an unknown (as of yet) female singer, has 1940s-retro influences and sounds straight out of a rock circus. It’s a bit hard to make out the lyrics to the verses, so we’re not sure if the tune includes Wentz’ patented puns and wordplay. It also almost sounds as though Pete, who is also a DJ, traded up his bass guitar for his turntables.

The unnamed bouncey tune is both similar to much of Fall Out Boy’s music on Folie A Deux (particularly “20 Dollar Nose Bleed”) and nothing like anything we’ve ever heard from Wentz before. It’s certainly a step up from he and Mark Hoppus’ unexciting collaboration “In Transit” from the Almost Alice soundtrack. We’re truly excited to see the rest of what Wentz has in store, and to find out who else is in this band.

“Next week things will appear on this site in a very controlled distribution,” Pete wrote on his blog about his new tracks. “If you enjoy it, keep coming back. If its not for you than we understand.”

What do you think of this poppy dance track? Are you excited to hear more, or just want the old FOB back?

Stump played a short set list of covers and new material from his forthcoming solo album while opening for Hole at the Dirty Dog Bar in Austin, Texas. Did he pull it off alone, or does the man forever belong in a band? Watch videos from Stump’s show after the jump.

Patrick Stump – “Love Selfish Love”

It’s hard to fairly judge Stump’s new tunes by watching the un-great quality of a YouTubed live performance, but we can definitely hear some potential in there: as expected, there’s a bit of funk, some blues and catchy hooks abound. The songs are nowhere near as loud and raucous as most Fall Out Boy tracks, but diehard FOB fans shouldn’t be too disappointed with Stump’s solo material—even alone on stage, Patrick’s still got swagger, and some of his lyrics (ie. “I’m not brokenhearted, I’m just kind of pissed off”) are reminiscent of Take This To Your Grave-era Wentz bon mots.

But let’s hear from someone who was squeezed up in that tiny dive bar experiencing it live. From MTV:

Stump’s big “one-man band” concept (just him, two guitars, a keyboard and organ, a drum kit, and some samplers) stumbled out of the gate, as opener “As Long As I Know I’m Getting Paid” was marred by sound problems and a general lack of rehearsal time, but things got progressively better from there. A pair of new songs (one a slinky electronic track featuring him keening “I’ve got nothing to confess,” the other a shuffling, funky number with looped drums, handclaps and scratchy guitars) got the night headed in the right direction, and Stump knew it too, loosening up and cracking a smile.

Here’s another original piece with Patrick rocking out on his Stump-o-matic:

The biggest change between this gig and what we’ve seen of Patrick before was the fact that he participated in the most stage banter we’ve heard the dude speak ever. He appeared totally at ease talking to the crowd (even if he felt extremely nervous on the inside, we couldn’t tell). We have to wonder why he remained silent for so much of his tenure with FOB, letting Pete take over talking during live shows. (Speaking of Pete, he wasn’t there, but calmed gossip mongers from thinking he skipped his bandmate’s show for bitter reasons by blogging about his whereabouts.)

There’s still no details on when Stump’s solo album will be released—in fact, probably none of his tracks have even been played inside a studio. “I feel a little bit like a Charlie Kaufman script,” said Patrick to the crowd. “I’m karaokeing songs that haven’t been recorded yet. Now I fee like Zach Galifianakis because I’m talking over piano.” It may be awhile before we can expect a full LP, but at least we can revel in these promising SXSW videos til then.

Patrick Stump – “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” by Bobby Womack

Patrick tells Spin that he’s been waiting to record a solo album for half his life, but being in one of the biggest bands on the planet kind of got in his way:

“I was going to record a solo album when I was 15 on a four-track. I started working on it, but then Fall Out Boy happened. The band was awesome and took me in a totally different direction. I don’t regret it at all, but the band delayed the record I had been planning. Ultimately, I feel like I’ve been working on the same solo record for the past 10 years.”

Patrick, a huge Prince fan all his life, admits that “Funk is my default setting” and that his album will have some swagger to it, although he “had to exercise some restraint… a good writer knows when to scratch his favorite paragraph. My favorite paragraph is always the funky one.” Will his followers be caught off guard by the new tunes coming out of their favorite Fall Out Boy singer’s mouth? Not necessarily:

“I used to think that. But I’ve grown to understand that the good side-effect of all of the information that’s swirling around these days is that everyone’s open to new things. Back in the 1980s “Walk This Way” was a crazy idea—unheard of. Now crossing into another genre is requisite for pop. Snoop Dogg has a country record, you know? I’m surprised at how nonchalantly people accept stuff like that.”

But the fact that the audience is likely to welcome a certain amount of stylistic change doesn’t mean Stump is ready to start sharing more of his private thoughts with fans. It looks like any tweeting Stump does will be saved for promotional purposes instead of personal revelations or John Mayer-style non-sequiturs. His song ”Love Selfish Love,” as well as his whole album, reflects his revulsion at our TMI-heavy celebrity culture:

“It’s sad that people really go out of their way to tell everyone everything about themselves. Our country has verbal diarrhea…. there’s no mystery, no surprise… It would be nice to go on a first date with somebody and not be able to know everything about them from their MySpace or Facebook profile. There’s no first impressions anymore. You go to a job interview and they’ll probably Google you. It’s a shame — people should play it a little closer to the chest as far as what information they release to the world. If I’m angry about something I’m not going to take to my Twitter.”

Wentz should probably heed that advice, no? Head on over to Spin for the full interview.