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”!

By Chris Moore:

It may have only been two days since I posted my last session, but it’s been far too long since I’ve recorded a video for Original Wednesday!

I’m here to break that streak!

This is a song I began writing a long time ago to play with a couple colleagues from work.  I was inspired by my friend Larry’s “My Mistress’ Eyes,” a bluesy take on the Shakespearean sonnet.  My friend Dan had shared an excellent acoustic number of his own, an original called “Wasting Time.”  Thus, I set to work on translating T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” one of my favorite poems, to music.

The result is “Overwhelming Question.”

Of course, in what has become typical fashion for me, I wrote the first two verses, the chorus, and the middle, stopping short of finishing off the song with a third verse.  Then, I left the song stranded until I began playing regularly again.  This weekend, we pulled out all three of these songs and tried to scrape the rust off our performances.  It was a lot of fun, but I was a bit embarrassed that I had never just finished this one off.  So, Sunday morning I finally wrote the verse, effectively completing “Overwhelming Question.”

I clearly remember recording my first demo of this song with the birds chirping behind me for all three minutes of my video.  However, I don’t remember exactly when I wrote it.  I went back and watched the demo, but the date information is missing.

Wow!  I just remembered to check my Word file with the lyrics and chords, and the “Created” date is listed as July 25, 2008.  It’s quickly approaching two years old!  While I’m surprised that it’s that old, the date does make a lot of sense.  The last time I played regularly with these friends was the summer of 2008.

So, with that, I leave you to this week’s Original Wednesday music video.  I hope to post many more this summer as I work on some new music, and perhaps Mike will share some new material as well as he records his first long play album this summer!  (Don’t forget to check out his all new iPhone-ready site at MikeFusco.com.)

See you next session!

By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to another edition of “Original Wednesday” here on the best music video blog of all time: the Laptop Sessions!

After the success of last time’s “Jim Fusco downer song from ‘My Other Half’”, I decided to give you another cut from the same album: “I Need…”.  Actually, in a half-hour span, I wrote these two songs.  It was a difficult time for me- I knew my relationship was ending, but dealt with it by writing two “downer” songs, but with different meanings.  On one hand, I had “I’m Just Waiting” that was about the end coming in the relationship.  The other, this tune: “I Need…”, dealt with the fact that I was going to be without someone again.  That wasn’t something I was too happy about, but new love will always come eventually.  It’s MUCH better than being unhappy in a relationship, I’ll tell you that.

That’s why, over the past few years, I haven’t had much to write about relationship-wise, as I’ve had such a steadily growing relationship.  In fact, the songs on my upcoming album (which I’m mastering tonight) that deal with my relationship are simply about my unhappiness that after all of this time, I’m still forced to be away more often than not.  I’ve waited long enough, I say!

I hope you enjoy tonight’s original Wednesday Laptop Session.  I’d write more, but as a guy, I find that I can’t do two things at once.  I have to go back to mastering my songs now so I can give a copy to a select few to review and tweak.  Until Saturday, enjoy Chris and Jeff’s videos!

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 is being released this 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 will also be available for download on iTunes in the coming weeks- I’ll be sure to post links when the album gets 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.  Check back here on Friday for the announcement of my eighth solo album!