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“Your Life is Now” (John Mellencamp Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time once again to take a trip back to nineties pop radio…

Three days ago, Jim and I brought you the Sugar Ray single “Someday,” which was a favorite of mine back when I used to wake up early before school to listen to the morning show on Kiss 95.7.  Ross, Courtney, and Scott were the three voices I looked forward to hearing every morning — for a couple years, I was even lucky enough to have a bus driver that played that radio station on the way to school — and they were the ones who played the first songs that I really fell in love with.  Over time, some have faded from my memory and some have remained among my favorites when I listen to my iPod.  The song I’m bringing you tonight is one that had actually faded for quite a while.

Up until last weekend when I recorded this music video, it had literally been years since I had listened to John Mellencamp’s “Your Life is Now.”  It is on his 1998 self-titled album (he’s one of the few artists who have been able to release two different self-titled albums; I’m of course referring to the 1979 album when his name was John Cougar…) and although this is not my favorite track on the album, it is the single.  Thus, considering my penchant for deep tracks, I figured I’d stick to a relatively mainstream song for the first John Mellencamp cover on the Laptop Sessions website.  Unlike the aforementioned Sugar Ray tune (which hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100), this song never charted.  However, it did reach #15 on the US Rock Charts, which is probably why I heard it played on the radio so much that year.

And, I have to admit, I had a lot of fun these past couple sessions learning the songs that remind me of years ago, when music was all-new, unknown, and simply exciting for me.  I definitely plan to revisit my pop radio roots for future sessions.  (The Jim Croce single turned out to be “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” — my first Jim Croce cover on this, the best acoustic cover song blog on the Internet!)

Finally, before I go back to reading for school tomorrow — I’m reading a great mystery by Tana French called In the Woods for those of you mystery fans among us — I have to comment on tonight’s episode of TNA Impact!  It was, without a doubt, one of the best episodes probably in months.  It pretty much had everyone and everything you could want in a two-hour wrestling program, with the exception of Christian Cage, one of my all-time favorite wrestlers who was not on tonight’s show.  (As Jim mentioned, though, Samoa Joe wasn’t there, which was a nice trade-off…  Sorry, is that mean?  Well, he’s not the “champ” anymore, so…)  But, seriously, aside from being incredibly disappointed in the way that the Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan ended (I wanted Morgan to win, even though I knew he wasn’t going to!!), it was a great show.

Probably the most shocking segment was when Kevin Nash — after demolishing Consequences Creed, or as Nash referred to him, “Unconscious Creed” — completely amped up his ego, proclaiming himself to be the smartest, largest wrestler and a man that women lust for and that men wish they could be.  He actually mocked the men in the audience who brough wives and girlfriends, warning them that their women were thinking only of what it would be like to spend the night with him.

Now, while I in no way, shape, or form would endorse this kind of pompous behavior and I generally dislike anyone whose personality remotely leans in that direction, I have to share this funny moment I had tonight:

Jim:  Chris, now are you such a big fan of Kevin Nash?

Chris:  Well, to be honest, I sometimes do wish I could be seven feet tall, incredibly muscular, and have the nickname “Big Sexy!”

I realize that this all has little to do with acoustic covers, but I really just had to share…

Thanks for reading, watching, and/or listening — I look forward to possibly seeing you back here in three days for yet another all-new acoustic cover music video and a review of the America concert I’m going to see at the Mohegan Sun on Saturday!

See you next session!

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“That Was The Day” (Jim Fusco Original Acoustic Rock Song)

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As they say- one hand washes the other.  I helped Chris on Monday with his Sugar Ray video and tonight, he helped me with my original song, “That Was the Day”.  It’s truly a shame that it’s been this long here on the Laptop Sessions before we’ve done this original song.  I’d say, as unknown Jim Fusco original songs go, this is my most “famous”, as it’s been a staple in our live act and a fan-favorite for four years now.  Actually, I can’t believe it’s only been four years- hard to imagine a time when this song didn’t exist.

“That Was The Day” is a song written about the day I met my fiancee Becky.  I had a talk with Chris Moore about the “fact” that a perfect girl didn’t exist.  I said to him, “Well, if she does exist, I’m definitely going to take advantage of the situation.”  I’m not saying Becky is perfect- no one is- but, it was only a day or two after that conversation that I met her, and instantly knew she was the one.  It’s been over six years since that day.

This song just poured out of me one day- rarely in songwriting do I get so inspired and just get the whole tune, chorus, and middle sections out so quickly.  I knew that this would be my “single” for my current album of the time, “That’s All…”.  Of course, the song didn’t go anywhere, but whenever we play it live, I notice the heads looking up and noticing the band.  That’s always a good feeling.

In a hilarious note, I couldn’t walk for a full five minutes after this take.  Something about the way I was standing with one leg on a stool made my left hip just give out.  It felt like someone hit me with a crow bar!

In a completely unrelated note, Chris and I just got through watching the debate tonight between Obama and McCain.  We don’t get political on this blog (although I would bet good money that Chris, Jeff, and I are all on the same page…along with my family), but the debate tonight proved one thing I’ve been saying for a while.  Whether you’re a supporter of McCain or not, from my point of view, he just reminds me of a father giving you a lecture.  He reminds me of the old VFW guys that used to lecture us “kids” in Boy Scouts back in the day about how we didn’t have respect and how they should be treated better because of their age and their service to this country.  That may be true, but again, no one wants to hear it.  It comes across as crotchety and annoying.  I HATE being lectured to (or preached to, for that matter) and McCain literally makes me say, “Please change the channel” every two minutes.

Always one for consistency, Chris refused each time.  I only remembered at the end of the debate: “Hey, it’s MY television!”

Enjoy tonight’s original song and I hope you’ll come on back for great acoustic rock cover songs from Jeff and Chris over the next two days.  We’re excited to see America at the Wolf’s Den in Mohegan Sun on Saturday, so I have to make sure I post early!  But, I have at least two new bands coming up during my next three videos.  I can’t believe it myself, because it almost seems like there can’t be any more to do!  Which new bands are they?  You’ll just have to wait and see.  Until then…

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“This Wheel’s on Fire” (Bob Dylan/Byrds Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

I’ve been so excited recently to see what new bands Jim is going to introduce to the blog — I mean, you really have no idea from one day to the next which band he’ll tap in to.  At this point, he’s done so many different bands that it would actually be just as much a surprise to see him break out a classic standby, such as the Beach Boys.  And, to prove how excited I am about these new bands…

…I’m going to contribute a Bob Dylan song!

Big surprise, I realize.  (For those of you who don’t watch regularly, I’m a big Dylan fan and have recorded more Dylan covers than any other band!)  But I have my reasons, I promise.  First and foremost, today is the official release date of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Rare and Unreleased: 1989-2006.  I’ve only had time to listen to the first two thirds of the first disc, but already I’m really enjoying it.  I’ve been concentrating so much on the new Ben Folds album, Way to Normal, that I was loath to take it out of my CD player.  But I’ve already fallen in love with Dylan’s work, even after hearing the first four tracks.  The version of “Mississippi,” one of my favorite songs of all time, is entirely different.  Then, the version of “Most of the Time” sounds less like the 1989 track I know and love and more like a track out of 1963; it’s entirely different, and yet in typical Dylan fashion, it’s entirely amazing.  Following an interesting little piano demo of “Dignity,” Dylan’s first take of “Born in Time” is — as the liner notes suggest — really the definitive version.

To be honest, I think the set might be worth the purchase if only for the “Born in Time” take and the new single “Dreamin’ of You,” an unreleased song from the Time Out of Mind sessions.  When I got home from a meeting late tonight, my first inclination was to record a song that was (a) comfortable for me to play, so I could get to bed on time, and (b) a Dylan song.

This fits both criteria!

That’s all for me for now.

See you next session!

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“Not Myself” (John Mayer Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome — one and all — to an all-new acoustic rock cover song music video!  Yes, it’s a mouthful, but it’s the best way to describe this music blog that you’re viewing.  Whether you’re a regular visitor or this is your first time, I hope you’ll see how much work we’ve put into the design, the variety of bands represented, and the quality of content for each post.  We don’t just record a video; instead, we write substantive text posts to give you something interesting (we hope!) to read as you listen to the session of the day.  Whenever possible, we share information about the band or our individual processes for recording the videos — and we hope that you find the reading worthwhile.  We certainly have found these songs worthwhile and devote a lot of time to learning, practicing, recording, and writing about them.

Which brings me to my video for this Saturday session.  Today, I picked John Mayer’s “Not Myself,” a great track from his great album Room For Squares.  Yes, it may be an over-publicized album (having won many awards and much notoriety when it first came out) and it may be better known for such hits as “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” but it is so much more than these aspects would suggest.  I still think this is John Mayer’s best album to date, as it combines great songwriting with great sounds, blending acoustic and electric elements nicely.  Possibly my favorite John Mayer song, “Why Georgia,” is on this album, not to mention another close runner up, “Love Song for No One.”

And I’ll always have an odd memory of this album.  When I first bought it and started listening to it, I was hooked and couldn’t get enough of it.  It gradually became the album that I would listen to in the shower and sing along to, practicing and enjoying singing.  Now, this was before I had a portable set of speakers for my iPod, so I would put the CD in my stereo and blast it loud enough to be heard down the hall, in the bathroom, with the water running for the shower.  (I obviously only did this when no one else was home.)

So, I was thinking about songs that I really would like to learn and record, and “Not Myself” immediately came to mind.  I’ve always liked the structure of the song and the overall mood of the studio recording.  I hope I’ve done it justice and that you’ll enjoy listening to it!

Jim Fusco — the man, the myth, the legend — gave me the best birthday present a man like myself could ever hope for — an all-expenses paid set of recording sessions at Fusco-Moore Studios and his creative input as producer on my new album!  I’m more excited than I can quite explain in words right now to think about what my songs will sound like with his expertise and creative input, especially based on what his new unreleased music sounds like.

See you next session!

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