Tag Archives: original song

“Follow You Home” original song by Jim Fusco from “Those Around Us”

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By Jim Fusco:

A little late with the post this week- I think I just decided that I write much better during the day and not at 2 am.  🙂  I’m still on a “Those Around Us” kick and I’m pretty sure those that have purchased the album are, too!  Remember, the CD version of my latest album is available on my website at http://jimfusco.com/albums/those-around-us.html.  And, it’s also available on iTunes HERE!

Today’s video is an original song that I wrote on piano- I haven’t had a piano-driven song like that since “What About Today?”, as all of the songs on “Halfway There” were piano-based.  I wanted to get back into using the piano again, but only got one song out of it.  It’s a pretty serious song, too.  I had this idea of someone that got in a car crash and lost their memory.  At that point, all of his friends and family would try to make him remember his life.  And, he didn’t remember where he lived, so he had to “follow you home”.  Most of the songs on “Those Around Us”, as I’ve mentioned here on the music blog in the past, don’t deal with actual things or people in my life.  The songs’ subject matter is derived from ideas I’ve had and conversations I’ve had with the people closest to me.  I think somewhere along the line I realized, “Hey, I’ve surrounded myself with good, level-headed people.  There’s not enough to write about!”  So, I took a new direction and thought of some other topics.  Then, I applied my feelings about the matter- almost an exercise in how I would react to a situation.  I like that concept- it makes me think outside the box a little.

I really like the production on the recorded version of “Follow You Home”.  I got to use a great new Native Instruments sampled acoustic piano that I bought, so it sounds really great.  Plus, I didn’t have to mic the real piano we have upstairs- that’s always more trouble than it’s worth.  Also, I got to use the 12-string electric guitar to great effect in this song- I really like the idea of using the 12-string as a sort of second bass line- kind of like a riff that runs through the whole chorus.  The harmonies on the chorus took some time to get right.  On the second time around the chorus, I go to a minor chord (I love that change).  But, it’s such a slight difference in the vocal note- it definitely took a few takes to nail it.

On a personal note, I cannot tell you how happy I am that the Beach Boys are reuniting this year.  This Sunday, they’ll be playing at the Grammy Awards- I can’t wait!  Also, I just bought the tickets to see them live at Mohegan Sun arena.  I know it’ll be a great show and I hope they throw in a few surprises for us hardcore fans.  I’ll definitely be hitting up the merchandise table that night!

I’m always looking for new avenues to distribute my album and for some places to play live.  If any of the loyal readers of my Laptop Sessions music video posts have any suggestions, I’ll be happy to hear them.  I’ll be back with a cover song music video in a couple weeks, so to tide you over until then, order yourself a copy of “Those Around Us”!



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“Don’t Give Up” (Jim Fusco Original Acoustic Rock Song)

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By Jim Fusco:

Welcome everyone to a very special edition of the Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco!  Today, I bring you a brand-new song off of my forthcoming album, “Those Around Us”!  The album was released Friday, January 13th and today’s acoustic music video is your first taste of the album.  The album will be available on CD for purchase on my website at http://jimfusco.com, so make sure to go over and check it out.  As with all of my albums, you can hear the entire disc online for free before you buy!  The album later became available for download on iTunes.

“Those Around Us” is a collection of my latest songs- I’m extremely happy with the way it came out.  I utilized some new instruments and techniques that really took my sound to next level. I even got the album professionally mastered!  So, now when you put the CD into your player, it’ll be the same volume as the rest of the CDs you purchase.  Plus, the sound is crystal clear with plenty of bass.  It’s how I’ve always imagined my albums would sound if I had the technology and means to do it.  Realizing this goal was a big accomplishment for me.

Like I mentioned, I used some new instruments on this album, including a lap steel guitar and a 12-string electric guitar.  With the 12-string, I was able to get the Byrds/Beatles sound I love so much.  It also opened up a new way of playing for me.  The 12-string forces you to play riffs and finger-pick instead of just strumming chords.  To me, this new technique makes each song sound more interesting with a lot more “hooks” that get stuck in your head!   The other big musical addition to the album is the Wurlitzer 200A electric piano (sampled) I integrated into most songs.  This classic sound filled-out my mixes without having to add an extra rhythm guitar.  Again, it makes the songs all sound unique- you don’t hear the same instruments in every single song.  And that’s why I’m so happy with the variety of instruments and techniques I now have at my fingertips.  Of course, my new home studio (completed last February) is the perfect place to craft music.  It’s comfortable and has everything I need…organized just the way I like it!

I’m trying my hardest to make “Those Around Us” my most successful album.  But, that requires the help of my friends, family, and fans online.  I need help getting the word out about the album.  So, please send a link to your friends and share today’s Laptop Sessions acoustic video on Twitter and Facebook.  Speaking of those, did you know you can follow me on Twitter @jimfuscomusic?  You can also like my Facebook page.  I really hope “Those Around Us” will be heard by a ton of people.  That’s one of the reasons why I record my music- to share it with as many people as I can.  But, it’s a tough job for one person (with a full-time job, a house, a wife, etc.) to do.  So, please get in contact with me if you’re willing to help!

“Don’t Give Up”, tonight’s music video, is an original song I wrote a little while back.  It was instantly one of my favorite ones to play and sing.  I feel as if I’ve had this song in me for quite a while now.  But, “Don’t Give Up” has a more mature sound to it, plus it’s sung in a slightly different (more confident) style.  Now that I feel so confident with my instrumentation and vocals, I feel I can expand my songwriting more and take on more challenging subjects and vocal parts.  You know, I never thought much about people who sing with “soul”, but honestly, that takes a lot of guts.  It’s so much more comfortable to sing songs in your normal range.  On songs like “Don’t Give Up”, I had to sing with a lot of passion to get my message across.  I hope it worked!

And I hope you’ll check out “Those Around Us”- I’m sure you’ll love the album upon first listen and agree that it’s by far my best effort yet.

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“Tuning In” (Original Song by Jim Fusco)

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By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to another edition of the Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco!  Tonight, I bring you an original song that first appeared on my 2009 album, “Halfway There”.  Let’s get the promo stuff out of the way first: You can buy the album “Halfway There” with 12 original songs on my website at http://jimfusco.com/albums/halfway-there.html.  I play all of the instruments on the album and sing all the vocal parts, though there are a couple of guest appearances throughout.  The album, which you can buy on iTunes as well as on CD, features a beautiful album cover painting from Ben Quesnel.  I made him a website for his original artwork at http://bqartstudio.com.  The album cover ties the whole album together- the feeling of being only “halfway there” in life.

“Tuning In”, tonight’s original song music video, is about two people that are having a tough time finding time for each other.  As we all grow up and start to work for a living (after graduating school, hopefully), we find it hard to fit in all of the things we were accustomed to doing.  I know I found it difficult.  All of a sudden, your days are completely filled.  Plus, when you get home, there are chores to do around the house, plus cleaning, cooking, and the laundry.  No time is left over for anything fun anymore!  My future wife and I were in that situation for a while.  We eventually made everything work, but for a time, we would barely ever see each other.

I can recall the exact moment when I came up with the idea for this song, “Tuning In’.  Every week, we would get together and watch the TV show “Boston Legal”.  But, during this time period, we were both very busy, as I mentioned earlier.  I recall seeing a pattern: the ONLY time we’d see each other was to watch this one-hour long TV show!  Thus the line, “I’m tuning you in an hour a week…”  Of course, looking back on it all, I’m sure I was exaggerating a bit.  But, like I said, it was tough getting used to being so busy all of the time.  We went from spending every waking moment together to only seeing each other when all the chores, homework, and day jobs were done…hardly ever.

I chose to do “Tuning In” tonight for a few reasons:

First, I like the song!  Of course I do- I wrote it, right?  But, this one always gets me because I love the style.  I came up with that interesting strumming pattern (kind of start-stop thing I do with the guitar) and it’s got some cool chords thrown in there.  Plus, I think it’s one of my best choruses up to that point in my musical career.  It’s got a good hook and in the recording, I was able to use a neat vocal effect, too.  I got three vocal background parts and recorded each of them twice.  The result was a nice full effect that I borrowed from Bareknaked Ladies- they used the technique on their “Barenaked Ladies Are Me” album (specifically the song, “Bank Job”).

The second reason I chose “Tuning In” as my original song of the night was because I’m not quite ready to debut a new song from my upcoming album, “Those Around Us”.  Yes, all of the songs are recorded, mixed, and mastered.  But, I’m waiting for the album cover (again painted by Ben Quesnel- and it’s AMAZING) so I can produce the discs.  I’m so excited, but I want to debut Laptop Sessions acoustic music videos of the new songs once I have a release date set for the new album.  I’ll keep you posted- it’s going to be soon!

I hope you enjoy my original song, “Tuning In”, another step forward (in my opinion) as a songwriter and producer.  And I hope you’ll check out the album “Halfway There”, as well- it would mean the world to me if you listened (and bought, of course) the album.  Let me know what you think of “Tuning In” in the comments section!

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“Socrates’ Gulps” (Chris Moore original)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to the third installment of the 2010 Project preview series.  If you’ve been around the blog recently, you’ve seen the unveiling of both the opener “No Lights, No Sound” and the second track “I Would Prefer Not To.”

Now, on to track three…

“Socrates’ Gulps” is a fairly recent song, one that knocked the older “No More” down to the fourth slot.  It features one of my more ambitious vocals in the chorus, which guaranteed its place in the third slot.  I won’t say much about it, other than to note that it is the song I plan on recording tomorrow and/or Saturday.  For once, I’ll have the song speak for itself.

Outside of tonight’s video, I’d like to emphasize that I haven’t forgotten about the Weekend Review.  In fact, I have the next six reviews lined up and ready to be written.  Finding time is the issue.  I did finish my class, which has freed up a lot of time, but I have been spending a lot of time hanging out with friends, reading books that I want to finish before the summer is out, and kicking off recording sessions for my first album in four years, The 2010 Project.

In other words, I’ve been enjoying the latter half of my summer break!

But stay tuned here, as I’ve pledged to post 52 of my 2010 music reviews here at the Laptop Sessions, and I am confident that I will be able to do so.  (As for my Bob Dylan review-writing goal, I’ve shifted that to included his sixties releases only…)

As a final note, be sure to glance behind me in the video tonight and check out the Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin lithograph that has covered up my previous Dead Weather Sea of Cowards poster.  I mention this, first, to give Wilson’s new album a shout-out (it just may end up being the seventh review on my list), and second, to re-iterate how much I love Newbury Comics, whose coupon brought the album price down to a reasonable $9.99 and included the poster for free.

At that, I’ll leave you to this Original Wednesday video and turn my attention back to the increasingly depressing Mets game, currently in the bottom of the twelfth inning.  With any “luck,” Ollie Perez is getting warmed up.  I mean, his role is as the twelfth inning specialist, isn’t it?

See you next session!

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