mister fusty

Lo-fi pop music for the few…and stuff

Posts Tagged mister fusty

An Update (of sorts)

Jun 9

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty News | No Comments

I’ve realised that I have not posted anything on the site for a while so here I am.

Hello. How are you doing?

I don’t have anything really profound to say (if ever) but I will give you a quick update on what his happening in Fusty World. I won’t mention too many details yet but I am in negotiations with a rather nice label in the US, who happen to like the album I recently completed, “Over the Rocky Mountains“. If the deal is done (I’m not demanding much – just a few jars of Smucker’s Goober peanut butter and a case of Brooklyn Lager) then all will be revealed in due course and I shall hopefully have more details, release dates etc. Until then I bid you farewell and leave you with this nice picture of a Grizzly Bear.  Go Bears!

Grr..
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Completion!

Apr 17

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty News | No Comments

boffins

Just a quick note to say that the new Mister Fusty album, “Over the Rocky Mountains”  is complete. A team of recording boffins in a secret cave somewhere in North America are poring over the tracks, trying to make them sound at least half-decent for mass consumption. Stand by for more information as it comes…

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The Making Album Number Three Blog – Part 354

Mar 4

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty News | 2 Comments

tree

This is the last of the “Making Album Number Three” blogs. I’ve bored you enough with my tedious accounts of fumbling my way through making an album!
So I shall keep it brief.
If you want a percentage I would say I’m about 75-80% done. I have 8 tracks pretty much finished. I need to come up with vocals to 2 or 3 more then there’s the tricky task of mastering to complete.

Mastering is a fine art, which I have yet to ‘master’ (pardon the pun). Some people spend weeks over it but I am far too lazy. There are a couple of plug-ins though, like Izotope’s Ozone and TRacks that makes things easier, especially for baffoons like me. If only I was friends with Bob Ludwig ….

There’s a new song on the Myspace page called, “Make a Stand“, which will be on the album. This song has been a bit problematic, it’s had several rewrites and re-recordings of the chorus and various other bits of fiddling about (that’s a technical term BTW). Finally I’ve found a version I like. I think. It’s Fusty’s “Eco Warrior” song  and I hope you like it.

I’ve also decided on a title for the album, which is, “Over the Rocky Mountains“. Watch this space for more news on when it’ll appear – wide eyed and blinking into the world.

Thanks for reading.

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The Making Album Number 3 Blog: Part Six

Jan 27

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty Audio Posts, Mister Fusty News | 1 Comment

picture-046

It was my birthday recently (hooray) and I turned 37 (oh…). You can see in this picture I’m wearing a rather nifty t-shirt bought for me by my wife, it’s not that clear in the pic but it says “I Need To Score” and features pics of several movie soundtrack heroes of mine, like Morricone, Barry, Mancini, Williams etc. A perfect gift for music nerds like me! I also got a microphone stand, so this is manna from heaven for idiots like me who try and record vocals holding their mic and the pop screen at the same time.

So I thought I’d have a go at recording stuff with the new gear. I basically finished the backing track on my birthday and did the vocals the day after. That’s fast even by my standards! It was one of those moments where everything falls into place and it just works. A series of happy accidents and inspiration has made  (hopefully) a great song. This is a rare moment of self belief, folks. Maybe I’ve turned over a new leaf .

It started from a guitar doodle, recorded for the first time using a mic (and the new mic stand of course) instead of directly plugging it into the computer. I think it sounds better this way so I shall be recording acoustic guitar like this more often in the future.

The song is called Thirty Seven for obvious reasons. The lyrics are the usual made up on the spur of the moment bollocks. I’m so pleased with it I just have to share it with you, listen below.

[audio:37.mp3|titles=Thirty Seven|artists=Mister Fusty]

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The Making Album Number 3 Blog: Part Five

Jan 20

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2001-co-rockies2

So it’s 2009, wow, doesn’t time fly? I daren’t think how long I’ve been messing around with songs for this third album.

Mind you I only record a bit at a time, sometimes there’s weeks where nothing happens – laziness, business with other things or mental block takes over. If you added together the total time I’ve been working on it I guess it could be a couple of weeks, which is not long really, it just seems like it’s been a long time!

Where are we at this stage, January 2009? At the start of the year I had a very productive afternoon and created a song in almost it’s entirety, bar a verse melody/lyrics.  It has quite a radically different sound then some of my previous stuff. I wanted to do a song with a bit of ‘ooomph’ and distorted electric guitar. This is the closest you’ll get to Fusty rockin’ out. I’ve now more or less finished the track called, “Rockies” and I’m very pleased with it. I may even make it the album opener as think it would be a good track for the starting gun. I was going to post it here but that would spoil the surprise…all will be revealed (eventually).

I’m currently working on a track that involves a slow bossa-nova beat, a synthy moog bass, and a spooky sounding organ. God knows how this one is going to turn out…

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Twittering on

Jan 9

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty News | No Comments

song-thrush

Happy New Year! ( Better late than never I suppose.)

I now have a Twitter page, so you can keep to date with all my doings: – when I pick my nose, what I’m drinking at that particular moment, what I’ve decided to have for lunch, my stupid thoughts etc.

The address is below so if you are on Twitter ‘follow me’. I could do with a few ‘followers’, mmm…I feel like a little known religious deity saying that.

https://twitter.com/Mister_Fusty

What else it happening? I’m still plodding on with making a new album. You can keep up to date with it’s riveting progress here, or you can click on “Making Album Number 3 Blog” over on the right and you can see all the posts so far.

I’ve been thinking of what to actually do with this third album, when I finally finish it (hopefully this year!), but I’ll wait to see if it’s any good first though. If it passes muster I might see if some nice lovely small label wants to distribute it (fat chance) or I may just give it away free. Who knows? It’s a way off yet (only 3 or 4 songs finished so far)

Have a fun and prosperous 2009 everyone.

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Merry Christmas From Mister Fusty!

Dec 20

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty Audio Posts | 2 Comments

snowflake

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. As a christmas gift from Fusty Towers HQ here’s a brand new track specially made for the season, totally free to download. It’s called, “Falling Snow” and it’s a twinkly instrumental.

Listen below or download here

[audio:fallingsnow.mp3|titles=Falling Snow|artists=Mister Fusty]

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The Making the Album Number 3 Blog: Part Four

Dec 17

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty Audio Posts, Mister Fusty News, Ramblings | 3 Comments

Remember that track I told you about in the last part? “Make a Stand”? I tried to record a brand new chorus and changed the instrumentation around but I’m still not happy with it. So I think the chorus needs another go, but I’m going to leave it for a bit. Sometimes it’s best to put something aside and come back to it later with fresher (cloth) ears.

Last night. A revelation!

I have a song, the backing is done – it was the one I mentioned before with the four layers of guitars on (are you keeping up?) and I have some lyrics. I even have worked out the tune. I had a go at a lead vocal and it went ok but was missing something.

Here comes the revelation. I got my lovely wife involved!

I asked her opinion because I was having trouble working out a harmony. She listened and had an idea, “You need some ba-ba-bas”.

Of course I do.

“Do you want to have a go?, ” I told her. To my surprise she stepped forth in front of the mic. The reason I was surprised is that I’ve been cajoling her for a while to have a go at some backing vocals for me, she’s convinced she can’t sing – but I will have none of it. If I can yell at a mic and claim that it is singing then I’m sure she can.

She did. The ba-ba-bas were added and it sounds pretty good. The resulting track is called “Wake me up when the future’s rosy” and you can listen below. It’s only a rough mix but it gives you an idea.

[audio:rosy.mp3|titles=Wake Me Up When The Future's Rosy|artists=Mister Fusty]

I think, though,  she may end up regretting it as immediately afterwards I started playing her all my other unfinished songs, “What do you think of this?…what about that one?” etc…

It does highlight one of the problems of being a one-man band. Sometimes it’s very useful to have another opinion other than your own.

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The Making Album Number 3 Blog: Part Three

Dec 1

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty News, Ramblings | No Comments

I have learnt an important lesson today. I really must play the guitar more often for two reasons.

1) So when I play for the first time in ages my fingers don’t really hurt.

2) So when I record myself I don’t sound really bad due to my lack of abilities as a guitar player.

After a few weeks of non-existent Fusty recording activity I have actually got down to business and started recording again. I had a chord sequence idea and wanted to have a track based around layers of guitar, I think I had Wilco in mind. (Not that it’ll end up sounding anything like Wilco, probably)

So I recorded 2 electric guitar tracks and 2 acoustic stacked on top of each other. The acoustic I have has a high action, so it’s akin to wrestling with overhead electric cable wire, playing barre chords is hard work and painful! But this method works and the guitars sound fuller than I had previously managed before.

Anyway,  I’ve been lazy and I have weak hands, this much we have learned…a corner needs to be turned. This week I’m going to get back on track and crank up Monkseaton Studios and see what happens.

I have a song provisionally titled, “Make a Stand“. I pretty much finished the backing track to it a while ago and I recorded a vocal. I’m still not happy with it though. I’ve decided that I hate the chorus, so I have abandoned both lyrics and melody and I have something new. It just needs to be recorded, and while I’m at it, I might as well re-record the verses, because I think I can do them better (think positive, come on Rob you can do it!). It’s Mister Fusty’s attempt at an eco warrior anthem….kinda. Actually, it’s the usual made-up-on-the-spur-of-the-moment Fusty lyric, a bit cheesy perhaps but here it is…

You can’t stop, shouting out
Don’t drop, have no doubt
It won’t, go away
make a stand, make it today

(chorus)
You got to tear it all down
before you start again
Don’t stare at the sun
until you’ve drowned in the rain
your facebook group won’t change a thing
Stand up tall at the town hall.

Ice caps, they will go
they’ll make, a reality show
About folk, that live in boats
the poor sink, opportunity floats

The business man, his only concern
is his pocket, the rest can burn
They want, to swim in oil
Put the planet in the oven
cover it in foil

If the results are good I’ll post it in this blog! Wish me luck…
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Fusty Fitness

Nov 7

Posted by misterfusty in Mister Fusty News | No Comments

No, I’ve not started jogging at 4am, I’m still an unhealthy so and so. However I have seen ‘fit’ to collaborate with the marvellous Expo 08 on a track called the Fitness Suite. To hear the fruits of our labours go to the Expo 08 myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/expo08 and have a listen. It will be on their forthcoming album

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