**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 9
Written Tuesday 15th February 2022
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I decided it was time I wrote a song that wasn't so hard to sing and play!
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**Once Again - A A J Russe**
Every day
You keep asking…
oh yeah!!! Great song and loving that chord progression. Beautiful with all the changes ...loving it. How did you do all this in such a short time period? Wow, wow, wow.
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 8
Written Monday 14th February 2022
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It's not entirely true. But it's CLOSE ENOUGH!
It was actually the 16th of February.
But we were corresponding by email on the 14th.
Then we…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 6
Written Friday 11th February 2022
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I was meant to be resting and chilling.
In fact, I was resting and chilling.
But then I got a message from Lala saying she was listening to the…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 5
Written Thursday 10th February 2022
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What can I say? Mrs R likes it.
I knew she would.
Scheduling-wise, songs per day, I've now caught up with having missed the first 5 days of…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 3
Written Tuesday 8th February 2022
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So, here's today's little ditty.
(I don't know whether folks outside the UK would know what a Chelsea Bun is. I love them, they are extremely yum…
Great story line - has a true troubadour feel about it! Love it - kind of dark.
I have had the pleasure of a Chelsea bun here in Canada - yup, extremely yummy.
Very creative song. I'm listening to a great concert of all your songs ...loving it.
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 2
Written Monday 7th February 2022
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I wrote this one a couple of hours ago.
I set up for recording, and busted a string on the Martin... GAH!!!
I tried a big ole dreadnought thing…
holy cow......I hadn't heard this one before! Gorgeous!!! That Fender did it's job well. Absolutely love this. I think this one is perfect as an acoustic version.
As If It Really Matters - A A J Russe
Written 16th January 1999
Recorded 12th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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Crumbs, even this is 23 years old!
We used it as a set-opener in the last band I was in.
I've been trying to make…
Wow!!! This song did not age ....it is gorgeous. Truly beautiful and I love the complexity of the melody and how it moves about. I imagined hearing it live at a concert (I'd be in the front row!).
No-one To Blame - A A J Russe
Written 1st January 1988
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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Nearly forgot to post this one! (it's been a busy week at work)
I was 24 when I wrote it. What more can I say…
The Feast - A A J Russe
Written 26th September 1985
Recorded 3rd March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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This one's been sticking out of the shoebox for a long long while. It always shows up in a list of maybes. And it did this time…
Just To Make It What You Want - A A J Russe
Written 1st October 2016
Recorded 4th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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I was going to choose a more uptempo one next, then this one jumped out of the shoebox at us, shouting "me me ME…
Gates Of Heaven - A A J Russe
Written 15th January 1988
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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This is about as naked as I can get.
This is how I wrote it. It's never had any accompaniment.
I was a bit young to sing…
Isn't This Fun - A A J Russe
Written 1980 (Completed 16th June 1991)
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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I wrote most of this in my first year at university.
But the Shoebox says I completed it 16/06/1991 - and the…
I Want You To Know - A A J Russe
Written 21st June 1987
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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This was to the same lady who inspired Foolishness. There's a couple of others from the same period, related to her, that will…
I Want You To Know - A A J Russe
Written 21st June 1987
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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This was to the same lady who inspired Foolishness. There's a couple of others from the same period, related to her, that will…
Gates Of Heaven - A A J Russe
Written 15th January 1988
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
This is about as naked as I can get.
This is how I wrote it. It's never had any accompaniment.
I was a bit young to sing…
I Hope I Love Them - A A J Russe
Written sometime in 1989
Recorded 2nd March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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This one has tugged at me for many many years.
I absolutely adored it from the moment I wrote it in 1989... But I thought…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 1
Written Sunday 6th February 2022
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OK, this is a bit of a departure for me - posting songwriting demos.
This is a one mic recording made this morning in the living room, touch of reverbs…
First time hearing your stuff. After the first song, I love your writing. I'll be listening through what you have posted for the rest of the day!
Completely agree with RPM. I do enjoy it, however this year, my focus was more on songwriting and having fun. Production took a back seat.
I Want You To Know - A A J Russe
Written 21st June 1987
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
This was to the same lady who inspired Foolishness. There's a couple of others from the same period, related to her, that will…
I Hope I Love Them - A A J Russe
Written sometime in 1989
Recorded 2nd March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
This one has tugged at me for many many years.
I absolutely adored it from the moment I wrote it in 1989... But I thought…
The Feast - A A J Russe
Written 26th September 1985
Recorded 3rd March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
This one's been sticking out of the shoebox for a long long while. It always shows up in a list of maybes. And it did this time…
Instead of chlorine dioxide treatment try sanding you tongue with full grit sand paper.
"Fight Club" effect.
Wanted to keep this as dirty as possible.
Keep safe from the 2nd wave.
I'm liking the kinda sparse but cluttered vibe I'm getting from this. Yep, dirty, that describes it well. And that ominous but bouncy synth motif... Yeah, nice one.
Millions of years ago... Before the dawn of history... I was a in a school band. I couldn't play an instrument then so I was the vocalist. This tune was one of the band's originals.
Now, bear in mind this was the 'Ay-deees' so it was mullets…
Summery - check, Duran Duran - check, Cow Bell- check, all present and correct :) Cool sounds. I was at university, in a rock/metal band, writing songs with titles like "Daughter Of The Pharoahs" ("You've got the looks of your motherrr... Stained with the blood of your brotherrrr") .... I liked Duran Duran, but the dudes I was with would not be convinced that "catchy" was a good thing... Funnily enough, I found a photo a while back - I was the only one who would have looked out of place in a Duran Duran photoshoot!!
Antoinette plays keys, Anonymous plays drums, Evan is guitar left, Chris is guitar right (sorry I was a jerk and too loud) - This dates from 1977 when I was a classical major and Antoinette a piano major. Even though this improvisation was from…
Antoinette plays keys, Anonymous plays drums, Evan is guitar left, Chris is guitar right (sorry I was a jerk and too loud) - This dates from 1977 when I was a classical major and Antoinette a piano major. Even though this improvisation was from…
I've always imagined you younger than me. But if you were doing this in 77 (I was 14 and in a choir, and writing songs about Garden Gnomes), then obviously not! This is mighty cool stuff for back then... wow
It would be a good track for running, yep. But we (me and Mrs R) wondered if you could shorten it a bit for us, don't think we could run for that long :)
Did the world really need a cheesy, spaghetti western version of this classic Eagles song? I'm not sure. Did I make one anyway? Yes. Yes, I did. By the way the painting is "Villa Diablo" by Downe Burns.
keywords: old clint eastwood movies, the…
My wife went "I like the bird picture" when I was looking at the latest playlists, explaining that if I uploaded all the ones I've got ready then I'd hog the top of the front page so that's why I'm waiting.... I said that picture's Djörk - wow... haven't heard Djörk music for ages... I'm educating her now :) Hope you're ok in these interesting times.
I'm just a guitars and sore fingers kinda guy really... but you synthy-guys are begining to get to me... I'm starting to understand! (My wife's gonna kill you all if I start buying keyboards too!!)
This is, indeed, amazing. This time I'm hearing it on the big stereo in the living room... with the sound turned down on the TV... and there were a lot of images of a young Heinrich Himmler going by... not sure if the two were meant to fit together so well... but they did
And this... I've listened before, favourited, but didn't comment... not sure why I didn't... both listens have grabbed me all the way through to the last note... the strings in the middle are gorgeous...
I wrote this song as a way to process some of the feelings of sadness, dismay, anger, fear and love that were brewing inside my heart this past week. I live in Minneapolis, where the terrible killing of George Floyd occurred, and the subsequent…
You had me with "If I start by making a better me / It will help to make a better we" ... I was listening without reading what it was about. In fact, I didn't make the connection until after I had finished the first listen. But it was "wooooo" ... You've created a song that gets to the heart of a thing without being tied to the thing that made the writer write it... that's magical... I agree with Greg - it's an anthem... wow... many thanks for saying what many of us think, feel, and wanted to say....
I wrote this song as a way to process some of the feelings of sadness, dismay, anger, fear and love that were brewing inside my heart this past week. I live in Minneapolis, where the terrible killing of George Floyd occurred, and the subsequent…
Another silly little tune, this time about the world's favourite stout! (Edit: uploaded a new version. Fixed a few mistakes.)
Lyrics:
When the sun is up high, in a bright blue sky
And you're walking around in Dublin town
You got nothing…
The Guiness drinkers owe it to themselves to listen to this, favourite it, and... have another Guiness. The less enlightened need to start drinking Guiness... but remember, everyone, that "alcohol is not a coping mechanism"... doesn't actually apply to Guiness, obviously (because it counts towards your 5 A Day, same as Red Wine and Potato Chips)
Another silly little tune, this time about the world's favourite stout! (Edit: uploaded a new version. Fixed a few mistakes.)
Lyrics:
When the sun is up high, in a bright blue sky
And you're walking around in Dublin town
You got nothing…
Original song by my friend and music partner Randy Arneson.
Recorded in Garageband using a pickup plus condenser mic on a vintage Gibson 12 string (2 channels of guitar). I have a couple different versions of this one recorded...
So the latest Orchestral piece I have composed was originally started a few months back before the Virus story broke. I had started it simply as a 'dark' piece, but once the Lockdown started it sort of fitted, and I expanded it to try and tell…
Nice one. I'm getting an 1812 overture sort of vibe out of it... especially with the triumphant end that, yeah, hasn't actually happened yet... but who's counting?(!)
Comments on Andrew Russe's stuff
oh yeah!!! Great song and loving that chord progression. Beautiful with all the changes ...loving it. How did you do all this in such a short time period? Wow, wow, wow.
Another beautiful poetic song with such an excellent expressive performance. Love it!
I must take this train after hearing this song! What a great song :)....deserves a second comment.
Absolutely beautiful! Warm and an interesting narrative :). Loving it!
Great story line - has a true troubadour feel about it! Love it - kind of dark. I have had the pleasure of a Chelsea bun here in Canada - yup, extremely yummy. Very creative song. I'm listening to a great concert of all your songs ...loving it.
holy cow......I hadn't heard this one before! Gorgeous!!! That Fender did it's job well. Absolutely love this. I think this one is perfect as an acoustic version.
Wow!!! This song did not age ....it is gorgeous. Truly beautiful and I love the complexity of the melody and how it moves about. I imagined hearing it live at a concert (I'd be in the front row!).
I think I dated this one. I like the guitar lick. The song really moves along well.
I can feel that being a great Rockin' song .....
That's a great song in the making ......
A little bit of magic ...
Very good ..... afraid the 80's are so far away for me ..... old age ;)
Top notch my friend ....
An enjoyable listen, and a little different.
This is beautiful.
Poignant, affecting. Something everyone can relate to. I'm glad you were able to revisit this old song, and I also hope recording it was cathartic.
First time hearing your stuff. After the first song, I love your writing. I'll be listening through what you have posted for the rest of the day! Completely agree with RPM. I do enjoy it, however this year, my focus was more on songwriting and having fun. Production took a back seat.
Funny I don’t get stalker vibes but I can see if one knew the backstory that might be the outcome. Another great piece of writing!!
Sparse and beautiful
This is a good listen.
Comments made by Andrew Russe
Sounds summery to me.... off to find the other one
I'm liking the kinda sparse but cluttered vibe I'm getting from this. Yep, dirty, that describes it well. And that ominous but bouncy synth motif... Yeah, nice one.
Summery - check, Duran Duran - check, Cow Bell- check, all present and correct :) Cool sounds. I was at university, in a rock/metal band, writing songs with titles like "Daughter Of The Pharoahs" ("You've got the looks of your motherrr... Stained with the blood of your brotherrrr") .... I liked Duran Duran, but the dudes I was with would not be convinced that "catchy" was a good thing... Funnily enough, I found a photo a while back - I was the only one who would have looked out of place in a Duran Duran photoshoot!!
I'm about to get called into a zoom meeting for work... I'll be back for the rest after
I've always imagined you younger than me. But if you were doing this in 77 (I was 14 and in a choir, and writing songs about Garden Gnomes), then obviously not! This is mighty cool stuff for back then... wow
Oh yes. I'm liking this big time. A: Sweet song. B: That guitar... whoa... Luther Perkins lives on...
It would be a good track for running, yep. But we (me and Mrs R) wondered if you could shorten it a bit for us, don't think we could run for that long :)
My wife went "I like the bird picture" when I was looking at the latest playlists, explaining that if I uploaded all the ones I've got ready then I'd hog the top of the front page so that's why I'm waiting.... I said that picture's Djörk - wow... haven't heard Djörk music for ages... I'm educating her now :) Hope you're ok in these interesting times.
... oh I'd forgotten the guitars coming in at the 4 minute or so mark! :)
I'm just a guitars and sore fingers kinda guy really... but you synthy-guys are begining to get to me... I'm starting to understand! (My wife's gonna kill you all if I start buying keyboards too!!)
This is, indeed, amazing. This time I'm hearing it on the big stereo in the living room... with the sound turned down on the TV... and there were a lot of images of a young Heinrich Himmler going by... not sure if the two were meant to fit together so well... but they did
And this... I've listened before, favourited, but didn't comment... not sure why I didn't... both listens have grabbed me all the way through to the last note... the strings in the middle are gorgeous...
Wow... just wow... had it on the big stereo... and.... wow
You had me with "If I start by making a better me / It will help to make a better we" ... I was listening without reading what it was about. In fact, I didn't make the connection until after I had finished the first listen. But it was "wooooo" ... You've created a song that gets to the heart of a thing without being tied to the thing that made the writer write it... that's magical... I agree with Greg - it's an anthem... wow... many thanks for saying what many of us think, feel, and wanted to say....
Woah... Superb
The Guiness drinkers owe it to themselves to listen to this, favourite it, and... have another Guiness. The less enlightened need to start drinking Guiness... but remember, everyone, that "alcohol is not a coping mechanism"... doesn't actually apply to Guiness, obviously (because it counts towards your 5 A Day, same as Red Wine and Potato Chips)
Love it!!!
Oh yeah... gorgeous harmonica sounds.
Oh yeah! Like it. Welcome.
Nice one. I'm getting an 1812 overture sort of vibe out of it... especially with the triumphant end that, yeah, hasn't actually happened yet... but who's counting?(!)