Get your head off of the ground. Sing a song with a new sound.
Turn around, don't move too fast. This melody is sput to last.
Hallelujah. Sing hallelujah. Welcome mile in Someone's loose, take a step
and move those shoots the train roll song from here. I know I didn't
serve. Sing Hollluja. We will say, holleluja. Let the water ahead
your face drip back to a bed of face. Turn around, don't move
too fast. This melody is failed to last. Say hallow Luia. We
will say how Lulia? We will say. We will say how Thelulia?
How Lulia? Ti Luia? Tilulia? We will say, we will say
how Lulia? How Thelulia? We will say, will say Howluia? Howlia?
We will say, we will say how the Lulia? We will say.
We will say. You are listening to do wumin H ninety five point
three. You come here, God, don't get so freely die madself cobbing.
Welcome back, everybody, It's sad time again. Good Saturday morning to
you. It is Matt Connorton Unleashed and we are live from the studios of
w m n H ninety five point three FM in glorious downtown Manchester, New
Hampshire. By the way, there is no video component to the show this
morning. Facebook is being a little bit difficult with us, so this is
audio only. But if you enjoy being in the Facebook chatroom, actually in
the Matt Connorton Unleashed Facebook group, there is an active chatroom, so if
you're one of the cool kids, you can join us in there. But
but we do have a great show for you, and of course I am
not alone. Jenny is here at the newsdesk. Good mornings, Good morning,
good morning. We only have a few more shows in this building.
I know, I was thinking about that on the way in. Yes,
Yes, that is true, that is true. We've got a great show
today. We're going to introduce our first guest in just a moment, and
coming up later, we've got Dark Rain coming in and we've got Eric Piltri's
classic film review and this week the subject is Gladiator. But we're starting off
this morning. Tom Russo is here. Let me get that mic up for
you, sir. Hello, Hello, welcome to the show. Thank you,
really looking forward to hearing you play. By the way, that opening
track saying holle Lujah, which I really love. That's so good. That's
so good. And also too, we have Kate Shimkey from Darling Hill Is
in studio as well. Good morning, y'all. Are family you guess cousins.
Yeah, I watched him play music when I was a kid, so
oh, very cool. Definitely inspired me for sure, watched me. Didn't
didn't grow up, I didn't grow up. Both he got me hooked on
Elvis Presley. Oh okay, how it all started? Oh, very cool
Elvis impression. Oh excellent. Well we might have to we might have to
hear that later. Well, Tom's got his acoustic guitar out and he's gonna
play live for us, and then after that we'll, uh, we'll listen
to another studio track and then we'll we're gonna talk for a bit and uh
but I'm really looking forward to hearing this and Tom, this is the song
you're gonna play. This has not been recorded. This is uh yeah,
this is actually a new song I am writing. Was even adding a few
lyrics this morning. Oh very cool, but yeah, this is this is
a newer one, so just trying to kind of work it out. Wow,
so oh cool. So this is this is like an exclusive, This
is a world premiere this could be making or breaking right here, like I'm
either going to Hollywood or I'm not going very nice And uh, what's it
called? Do you? Or do you have the title for you? That
someone was you? His name of the song that someone was you? Yeah?
All right, very good. Uh yeah, whenever you're ready, go
ahead, ladies and gentlemen. Tom Russo live in studio, brand new song,
Give it a go, all right. I took my chance on luck.
Look took no chance on me. I belonged to where I was.
Something's got a hold on me. I was all over the road. It
took some more harm to see. That's some ham was you. That's so
one listen. I told the world of love and everything it could be,
love up and marked away until the day it was free. Love came back
to show the way. It took some harm to see. That's some moms
you. That's someone who was in the back in the black, in the
dark, five in the light, in the light, in the truth we
return. I took my chance on luck. Luck took no chance on me,
and I belonged to where I was. Something's gotta hold on me.
I was all over the on the road. It took someone to see.
That's someone someone that's someoneng was you that's someone? This mean very nice,
very nice Tom Russo here in studio. That sounds finished to me. I'm
glad. I just threw the bridge and the bridge was awesome. Bridge was
written at about five am this morning, no kidder and practice for the first
time in front of you two or three minutes ago. Oh very cool,
cool, No, I love it. That's that is excellent. Well,
here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna play another studio track from Tom Russo
and then we're gonna come back and talk and get to know him. But
this is called Broke Heart. Check this out and then we'll we'll be right
back. Tom Russo live in studio. This is the end of us.
When did we lose? Are the the trust? This is a new start.
This is my prodcar with all its scars and pain. How much we
both have changed. This is a new start. This is the best part.
I'm walking down the road and a walking down the road. I thought
you spoke the truth, you lie, sweet dit Here I go again,
a new a new lie. This is a new start. This is my
bot part with all its scars and pain. How much we both have changed.
This is a new start. This is the best part. I'm walking
down the road lawn, walking down the road, and then up from the
ashes comes and winning and all the chances, and you can't find me there,
And it's our sand down gravel. It's nothing I can handle. And
I'll reach beyond my yesterday I released me out my guest today m this is
the end of you, coming of us. Twere when did we move somewhere
of the trust? This is the end of where we did? We new
that way? Just this sis start. I like that a lot. That
track is called Broke Heart. And that is Tom Russo, who is here
with us live in studio here on this Saturday morning on Matt Connorton Unleashed.
We of course are live from the studios of w m n H ninety five
point three FM. Jenny is here of course at the news desk, and
we have Tom Russo as well as Kate Shimkey from Darling Hill, who was
on with us. When were you on time? It all runs together for
me. It was a few months ago, right right before Halloween, right
before Halloween. Okay, right before Halloween, gotcha? Gotcha? Yeah?
And then so as we mentioned earlier. So the two of you are cousins,
and if you have you made music together? Do you appear on on
each other's projects at all? Or I don't think we've made music together.
Now I've booked him at my house. Remember I have like a backyard where
I book music. Yeah, so I've had him play at my house.
We've we've we've split gigs before, I think at Marco's and air. But
we've never worked creatively together. But I would like to. We fight a
lot. We just oh yeah, so drama. No, No, I
mean maybe that's a conversation we should have on the ride home. That's right.
Oh, they we'll write the song on the ride home as well.
Or you can have it here. It'd be good radio. If you have
any questions, uh for Tom or feedback or anything, or for Kate or
anything at all. The studio line is opened six O three two five O
six oh seven six O three two five O six o seven. There is
also a chat room open. Did you do that Jenny and the Matt Connorton
unleashed? Uh? After show group? No, an invisible little elf did
it? Oh my goodness? Well, thank goodness for the invisible elf we
do have if you're one of the cool kids. That way, if you're
one of the cool kids and you're in the chat room, there is a
chat room that is in the Matt Connorton Unleashed after Show group, and we
do see some people in there we'll say hello to. So, even though
we don't have a Facebook live feed today because Facebook is being glitchy, as
Facebook will be occasionally, I do want you to know that Melanie believes that
you need to feed a small child to your beard so it will be more
bearded. Oh okay, I guess I get that. Yeah, so what
you're saying is you want a better beard. She is a thing for this
bearding thing, well, and a new one for me. Her first question
was does he have a beard? It's a I do the same thing.
I keep my I keep mind trim. I don't know how people allow them
to grow out and deal with all the itching, and so I keep mind
like this, Yeah, yeah, oil it? Yeah, who wants to
do that now? I don't want to oil a beer. That's the most
oddest thing I've ever heard somebody request in my life. She wants him to
eat a small child. Yes, is it like a sacrifice to the beard
gods. That's a connection there. We'll have to ask you she does have
like a ten foot skeleton in our front yard on a regular basis, Yes,
like she's all in when Oh yeah, a little you. We have
a viewers listeners, Hi, we came in this morning to a piece of
mail and it is a Christmas card with a Christmas skeleton. Yes, thank
you, thank you Melanie and Jason, Yes sent us this card. And
it was not just a Matt and I. It's also to every DJ Reckless
and Mike Pelopeda and Tom Patrello and Steve Light, to Tony Petrello, sorry,
Eric Pilcher, Dan Ralet, Steve Lights. Knees. Oh interesting,
he gets two, so it sounds like knees are separate from his name.
So it sounds like that card based on that is for this show and for
retro Spectrum Radio. I believe so. Yes, because Paul Krmier is on
there. There's somebody named Jenny Coffee coffee co o f e e unlike the
drink, and there's probably a they probably sent a separate card for the morning
show. Yeah, but yes, show gets their own card and we're all
doing really Yeah, I assume that's that's that's what they did on the stamps.
That's what they did last year. Kidding, No, I know,
I love getting a Christmas card from them. Uh, Philip Garrikos, is
that Felipe from a glitter tooth? Philipe? It's Philip, But I do
like Filipe Felipe. Yes, he just messaged and said, listen live on
the old school car radio. Absolutely loving it. Guys, say hi to
Kate and Tom for me, nothing but love and Jen, he added,
very nice, very nice. And in the chat room, let's see,
Miriam is in the Facebook live chat, says Bummer about the Facebook live stuff.
Well, that's all right, that is a radio show after all.
Let's see. We also have our friend Eric Pilcher is in the chat room.
In the third hour. We're gonna save it for the third hour.
Today we're gonna have Eric Pilcher's classic film review and this week the subject is
Gladiator. One benefit to this chat thing instead of the online visual is that
you can share stuff with one another. Jason shared, Jay fed forgive me
shared a very interesting picture of his beard. Yes, his eyes are bulging
just about out of his head. Maybe he just came out of that ice
bucket like Steve Buscemi eyes they're not quite crossed. Yeah, she's got Steve.
Yeah, he likes to get into a bucket of ice water every day,
and yeah, he does this for fun. He'll go out there with
a hammer and break the ice up and jumps in it. And then Melanie
takes pictures of him and sounds them to us, and he always invites us,
but we say, nay, Yeah, wouldn't good decision. Wouldn't be
for me, wouldn't be for me. No, I don't even think I
would put a toe in now these uh studio tracks, Tom, where where
are these recorded? Uh? They sound great? These are mostly well actually
all New Hampshire. Clark Creative in Amherst, he's done a couple of them
also Boathouse Productions. He's in Brookline, right, Pete Pelloquin Okay, that's
glitter yep. Okay, I was gonna say that's a familiar name. Yeah,
so a lot of a lot of these may have started at my house,
in my own little small studio, and then I'd bring the tracks over
kind of continue on from there. Yeah. But yeah, Brokekart, I
think you played that singing Hallelujah. Those were both Clark creative Ya, but
I try to change it up a little bit too, to just see what
sound I'm getting, and because you definitely get different sounds based on where you
go or different inspiration. Yeah. Absolutely. How many studio tracks have you
recorded? How much? How much do you have? It's tough to say
because I have a lot with either other bands or other I had a solo
release I think in two thousand and eight. They're not all on there,
but you can find them on Spotify and yeah, over the years, it's
it's tough to really say. Like now, recently, in the last year,
I've released I think three four. Okay, you've been playing your whole
life. Yeah, I've been playing my whole life and recording my whole life.
It's just it's probably got a lot. Yeah, they're not all up,
you know. We're we're now actually getting a lot of the old stuff
from old bands I've been in and yeah, we're taking that and kind of
fixing it a little bit, making it sound a little cleaner, louder.
So we will be releasing that. I had an old band called on for
Oh, and I feel like I remember on for do you I think so
we were around here for quite a while. Okay, yeah, I was
gonna say the name's familiar. That was the young band. Yeah yeah,
but yeah, for the most part, I just now have been trying to
record as much as I can now continually. Do you play with any bands
now or do you strictly do solo? Mostly just solo? Yeah, solo
unless I had opportunity where somebody needed a you know, a band or a
duo. Right, But it's you know, it's nice playing with by myself.
It's just I can't blame any of the mistakes in anything else, right,
But it's easier in terms of scheduling and decision for people trying to come
up with a schedule, right, right, Exactly how long has it been
since the last time you played in a band? Have you been a solo
artist for a long time? I think last time I was actually playing in
the band was pretty steady in two thousand, okay, two thousand to two
thousand and five ish, I think, And then before that it was mostly
all bands. Like I didn't really start solo until moving back from Atlanta.
Oh, okay, that was like ninety I'm getting my years on it.
Somehow, somehow the story makes sense. But once I started doing solo,
I just built up the confidence to do it a little more. H In
the beginning, I may have had to repeat songs. Maybe I didn't,
but maybe I did. Yeah. So yeah, I would just go out
and try to pick up as many kind of little small venues here and there.
But are you from here originally? Yeah? Yes, Temple, ne
Hampshire now, but I was New Hampshire. Yeah, Temple, Greenville,
Mason, New Hampshire. Okay. And then you live but you lived in
Atlanta for Atlanta. Moved there in right about the time of the Olympics,
okay, moved down there with a band, oh before before the Olympics,
and we played for a couple years in Atlanta. Okay. Interesting, So
so the whole band moved together from from here to there, from here to
there? Was that on for or was that some else that was on for?
Okay? Wow? And that we started as four people in the band,
then it became three people. It was a three three member band when
we moved to Atlanta. But we're all still really good friends. Yeah.
Now that's interesting because you don't hear you don't hear stories like that much where
a band decides to all move together. Yeah, we actually moved with We
didn't really even know where we're gonna live. Wow, not really a lot
of money, just kind of stayed with somebody for a couple of weeks type
thing. And then yeah, so you were you really believed in what you
were doing obviously, yeah. Yeah. And why Atlanta? Actually a lot
of it was the Olympics, you know, at the Olympics coming in and
the excitement at the Olympics just and things were happening there, a lot of
a lot of music we could We were getting sick of playing in the winter,
yeah, like, and then we suddenly were able to play during the
day. You know. It wasn't screwing up our schedule at all. Interesting,
and we traveled a lot of college college type gigs. Yeah, yeah,
no doubt. How long were you there in Atlanta? I think it
was right about two years, two and a half, Okay, And then
did you all move back? What happened then? No, Like a few
stayed there and we're you know, if you stayed there, I came here.
Kay. One of the members, Sean went out to Colorado. I
think John stayed and he was in Florida and North Carolina and so Atlanta broke
up the band ultimately, right, we did have a great time. We
had gone there with you know, really being into the band R. E.
M. And Georgia, so we were we were kind of intrigued by
that. Yeah, yeah, excellent. What was the was the music scene
like really different there just in terms of it was just there were just a
lot more places to play, yeah, like uh, you know you could
you didn't have to like rely on two places in a local area. Sure,
sure, And it was just more exciting, you know, and it
was people seem to be a little bit more willing to have music all the
time. Interesting, the schedule was a little different. A lot of those
gigs would start at ten at night. Oh really yeah, wud be ten
to two two am? Okay, So we life changed a little bit with
the schedule. But yeah, yeah, we enjoyed it. Yeah, yeah
cool. And then so was it weird coming back here because it's it's so
and it sounds like it's really different there in some ways. Yeah, it
was. It was weird coming back where the excitement wasn't the same, you
know, like we were excited to be back, but we didn't have.
I was excited to be back, but yeah, didn't have the momentum.
And then when we would come up to visit, same the same deal.
We'd feel, what's there, what's there to do up here? Right?
But we we just spent so much time playing music together and practicing that we
really didn't always care as much where we were. Yeah, but yeah,
definitely two different places. We were probably excited to just get out of that
cold and stop hitting the frost. Heaves. Yeah, yeah, No,
it sounds like it was a good experience. Does does any of the material
that you did and on forward is that? Do you still do that today
as a solo artist or not? Not really. I may have done like
one of the songs recently or on a different album, but not really.
I mean once in a while I'll go back and listen to some of those
or Yeah, the guy that was in the band with me, Sean,
we're kind of in talks right now and might even be a new song coming
that we're you know, so we're excited about that. Maybe he's listening right
now and shaking his head. No, I believe that's what's going to happen.
I think most of us have moved on with a lot of the older
songs, and you know, they're all there and we're excited about those still,
but we it would be nice to to do something new, you know,
especially to see what we might come up with now versus because we felt
we were pretty great back then. Well then you yeah, years years later
you listen and you you're like, well, that that guitar was out of
tune. I wasn't singing right, you know, but it just shows you
you can always keep getting better. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. I've
seen some people get worse, so that's that is possible. Also, do
you miss being in a band or yeah, yeah I missed. I just
missed the playing off of each other in terms of where the music is going.
Yeah, I do. But it has to be always the right band.
I've always been lucky enough to always be in the right band. Like
every band I've ever been in has worked for me, you know, so
it's never been like wow, this is like it's only taken me somewhere else
in terms of music. So yeah, okay, I think we should play
another studio track, but I'll let you pick. I think we have a
couple that we haven't played yet. Let's see, why don't you hu?
Should I be Afraid? It's a little unique. Should I be Afraid?
I wrote that song the day of the studio time was booked. I actually
started the night before and finished it on my lunch break, and then I
ended up at Boardhouse Productions that night tracked it with Pete. And that's how
this that's how the story is. Is there a story behind the song itself
or man? Probably not really, Okay. I have a good friend on
it rapping, doing a rap. He goes under the name bug Out.
His name is Brian Ladd. Sorry if i've Oh, yes, I know
who that is. You know Brian? I think I do. I think
I've met him, at least I don't know him in the Granite State.
I'm sure i've met him. Kind of a hip hop type guy. Yeah.
Brett Wilson of Roots of Creation's playing guitar on this one. Oh cool,
excellent, Rick Cars on drums doing some different you know, just had
him kind of come in. But yeah, nothing too special. It's a
pretty straightforward song. All right, Well, let's let's give this a listen.
So, uh, this is Should I Be Afraid? Tom Russo is
with us in studio. We'll play this and then we'll come back and talk
some more. Tell you all of mysel I'm not a perfect mind. I'm
hard to understand these DearS. It's taking most of me. What's left,
it's hard to see to do. Now it's time to sink your sir.
I'm not afraid to start act so saying I'm wasting time. But it's only
mind here what you are making up your mind? I decide it to know.
Should I be afraid see pray what I do not know? I lift
the sun shine? Is I lift and sween my soul? Shout? I
see, oh said, see the reverence thing, got hold reverence thing?
I lift the sp shin in my memo, sht is win Rick now the
realest spirits. We all have a difference. I'm not a perfect matter.
Just be the best I can say. Is taking most of me, what's
left. It's hard to see today. Should I be afraid that I be
afraid what I do not know? Let me a sum shine in let dancing
my soul? Yeah, I see verything I know gets weirdass. You're a
hard times with yours before the John Riser can't hand for ever put it feel
like it's hard to find trying to keep focus to seem opus of being ocaus
in getting up in the house and my hopes are trashed old, this moment
is gone going the before the storm is a raman when they came no longer
promised in man Sarch the predominance and we mean it in the silence home.
Well, that is very cool. That is Tom Russo and Tom who remind
us, who's that at the end? That is bug out? Bug out?
Yeah, that is very cool. That's you know, and it's it's
it's cool too how it's it's just at the end, and so you have
no idea that it's coming, but it sounds so natural it pertly. I'm
glad you said that because when I when I had the idea to put it
there, and he's he is a hip hop guy, if you know,
Brian from Granite State. Yeah, he's like, oh, nobody's ever really
done that in the term you know, it's not like I'm really planning it
that way. But I liked it in the in that fact that it it
didn't start at the beginning of the song where you had any idea it was
going to come in at all, right, right, yeah, because usually
when you do hear anything even close to that, it's usually in the beginning,
and I'm sorry, not in the beginning in the middle, you know,
like where you might expecting a guitar solo, you might you'll hear a
verse of of rapping. But to put it at the very end, I'm
trying to think of I can't think off the top of my head of another
example of somebody doing that, although I feel like I feel it has I'm
sure it's definitely been done, but it's uh. But but it's cool,
it's it's kind of it's it's surprising, but it's almost subtle at the same
time because it just fits its so perfectly well. The actually the thing I
was really happy about. If you listen to the lyrics and he wrote he
came up with those lyrics. I basically told him this is what this is,
what the song is. Just I want you to do your thing.
Yeah, but his lyrics are meaningful too, like he those they fit the
song. Yeah, And that's his style, that's that's where he is,
that's why he does it, and he's he's a natural it doing it.
So Yeah, I thought it was like I've never had a rap on a
song, and even earlier, Concetta was the one singing with me on sing
Hallelujah, And she was somebody from the studio where I had gone to and
recommended her, and she sang the national anthem at Red Sox Yankees game.
Just oh really recently she's worked with a lot of big people. She just
came in and sang that and that that's what that song needed. So same
deal with this song is it's it felt cool to put it there. I'm
sure some people might not like it, or maybe a true hip hop person
would be like, you know, because they don't they're not listening to the
other stuff. Sure, but I think it fits. Yeah, yeah,
absolutely absolutely. If you're just joining us, we have Tom Russo here alive
in studio with us. Kate from Darling Hill is here too, and if
you have any questions or anything at all, the studio line is open six
O three two five six seven six O three two five oh six seven.
Facebook has given us a hard time, so we don't have our usual Facebook
feed, but there is a chat room open in the after show group.
Jay Fed in the chat room said I dig that song, Yes, yes,
thank you absolutely now are you Are you in the process of are you
recording an album or are you doing any or what's your trajectory there? I
guess I have taken a different approach this time, where it seems like I'm
doing it as singles. Yeah, And then the way I look at it
is, then if I had ten different singles versus an album, gives me
ten different opportunities to be in front of somebody. Yeah, you know,
I think the idea eventually would be to have enough songs that an album would
be made, you know, or maybe then kind of redone and the best
of twenty different songs and maybe it would be one album. But yeah,
I guess it's tough to say, because if they're done and recorded, I
want to keep going right right. Yeah. We live in a time where,
you know, you have so many different options as far as how you
release things and whether you want to put out a single or an album or
a repy or a lot of guests we've had on the show recently too,
they talk about, you know, just releasing singles and then once all the
singles are out that they want for that album, you know, then releasing
an album of those singles, which is interesting because it's, you know,
an obvious inversion of how it was when we were growing up, where you
know, a single would come out a little bit before an album, and
then the album would come out, and then any more singles would come out
after the album was out. But now it's like you can do anything you
want to with the Internet. Well, the Beatles did it all that way
if you think about it. They had different arrangements, collections of songs,
and different US versions of versus other versions, and they just keep making different
albums. Yeah, yeah, which people like that though, right. Absolutely,
are the Beatles a big influence on you? I hear some of that,
Yeah, definitely. The Beatles have always been probably really one of my
you know, the influences I've had have been the Beatles, Elvis, Yeah,
in the beginning, that's who they were, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison,
Everly Brothers, but yeah, that would crowded, how squeeze. Those
are bands I've really been into, and I've been into a lot of singer
songwriters like Sean Mullins, Chris Christopherson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Tom
Petty is actually a huge influence on I just like the style of writing.
Yeah, So Tom Petty is somebody that can encourage me that I can just
write a song the way it should be written, which is just write it
as simple as it can be, right right? What is there a process
in terms of do lyrics come new first or do you think of a melody
first? Or does it change? It seems to change now, it's probably
worth a few words. Something will just start, could be a phrase,
could be four words that I just it's the words that make me think of
the melody, and then it kind of takes off from there and then I
either know like it's worth going or it's you know, I either have to
convince if it's good. I have to convince myself it's good. If it's
if it's not a walk away from it, you know, or a little
confusing. But it comes in so many different ways. It could be you
could say something to me that I had never known about, and maybe that
could inspire me to to write something. Yeah. Does anything you write ever
wind up sounding really different when you record it than what you had envisioned?
Yeah? Yeah. The reason I ask is it sounds like because it sounds
like you're very open to you know, like having bug out on that ving.
I forget the name of the singer on Oh Conchetta, Conchetta. It
sounds like you're very open in that sense in terms of having, you know,
having things kind of take a left turn for you know, from what
you may have originally envisioned. I think it's easier now at my age because
I can keep working for the song. When I was younger, you'd be
four guys in a band and everybody has their part, and everybody has their
opinion, which is fine, but sometimes it just it it holds things up.
It can take longer in this sense where you're still building songs, but
you are taking the time to like you're getting smart enough to know if something
doesn't fit, like you're taking it out. Like So there are tracks that
I paid studio musicians to come in on some of these songs that were great
parts. It's just that didn't work for the song. I had a violin
on a song coming up called Greet the Sun and the violin's beautiful and I've
played that version of people who like it, but it just didn't work.
Yeah, that would have been harder to do in the band if you played
the violin and said, hey, you know, really the part that we
all really liked last week. We don't like it anymore. Right, we
have a call. I think somebody has a question for you. Hi,
Welcome to Matt Connorton Unleashed. Who's this man? It's Mike Doyle. Hey,
Mike, how you doing. Good morning to you, Good morning to
you. Guess hey, I just turned you on. I thought maybe,
I said, no, he's playing music. Maybe maybe he's not on today
or something. And I ended up listening to the song and I got to
tell you that song was was fantastic. It was who doesn't that fit that?
The words I'm not a perfect man? You know right right? It's
it's that's making it's that's making you reflect on yourself and friends and you know,
the whole world. Man, with all the stuff going on these days,
I mean, who's a perfect man? You know? There's probably only
one that we all know. But it was a great song, great lyrics,
great great great music, great vocals. And I'm not a rap guy
at all, but that that ending, you know, catch you. I'm
thinking here, it's going to be a soft landing for the ending, and
all of a sudden, the rap it's it, it's it. It wasn't
overbearing, It wasn't It was just enough. So I just wanted to say
great song all the way around. Well, thank you very much. That
that Actually, that's really cool to hear, uh, because I don't know
who you are, and it's neat to hear coming from a sixty five year
that's coming from a sixty five year old man. Man, he's living in
Manchester all his life and he's definitely not a perfect man. I'm glad you
picked up the phone. Yeah, thank you very much. Appreciate your music.
I'm going to look deeper into what else you do. Thank you.
I'll keep singing them for you. Excellent, all right, man, Thanks
all right, Mike, thank you for the call. Appreciate it. All
right, We'll see you right by. Bye. Yeah, it's interesting what
Mike was saying. That's exactly what we were talking about. That the part
at the end with bug Out, it just you know, it's a surprise,
but and yet it just fits so seamlessly into the song. Well,
and what's cool here is I I might think that somebody just hears the song
and they go about whatever they're doing, but he actually heard my lyrics and
just he recited back what he just heard, and he had meaning in what
he heard, and that's to me, that's probably one of the coolest things
I've ever really experienced to have somebody just call right and it's not my uncle
that called in, right, of course, it could be thanks uncle,
Mike. Right. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, that's got to give
you chills. Right when when somebody really when they give you more than just
oh I like that song, when they actually get something from the lyrics,
you know, that's awesome. Well, and even you bringing up the rap,
so you're you brought up something to me that was already a discussion between
myself and Brian that did the rap, Like, well, it's you know,
but I didn't come in here and ask you, hey, what do
you think about that? Yeah, like you brought that up on your own,
and he just called in in the same way he was surprised to hear
that. So I guess that's that was effective in how it's supposed to be
in there. So yeah, yeah, yeah, well done, well done,
thank you. That is that is awesome. So yeah, so kind
of circling back though to what we were talking about, so are you before
about the singles? So is is your Are you just kind of doing singles
for now and then kind of see where it leads, or yeah, I
mean I think I would like it to lead somewhere where I just keep making
better songs, right, and then I make it to the point where you
just can't deny it anymore. Like you know, I'll just keep throwing good
songs at people, and then I'm gonna just end up where that's going to
take me, which could then mean playing more music, you know, full
time original music, or selling music, or just getting it everywhere. So
I think the intention would be to just keep going in the direction that I
don't. I don't want to do it. I'm not. I've never done
it just as a hobby. Yeah, you know, I've always in the
background of anything I've been doing plugging away. Do you play out a lot?
Are you doing a lot of shows? I'm playing fewer now. I
mean, there was a point where I used to play, you know,
fifteen eighteen times a month and work a full time job. I'd say,
Now it's and once I get going again, it's probably on average, maybe
more like five to eight times a month. More than that. How many
you know, did you say a month? How many times would you say,
oh before yeah, fifteen, twenty seventeen, you know, but that's
crazy to me. But that would be because I was saying yes to every
gig I got, right, Yeah, like a lot they would call and
you were working. Yeah, but I'd be playing a Monday night, Tuesday
night, a Wednesday, a Sunday event. Actually I decided, actually that's
when I decided to start getting back into focusing on recording my music. I
was like, I'm not gonna record my music and play all these gigs.
So yeah, but I but I'm just more selective now, you know.
I have some coming up. I'm playing in peter Boron Hampshire at a nice
little family diner Christmas Eve called Pipa and Lulu's. And I went to school
with both of the people that own the place, and they just I was
in there recently and they asked me, and yeah, I'll come in and
do that. So I've let a lot of things happen. You know,
I don't really search for it as much anymore. I do have a booking
agent once in a while get some calls, but yeah, I just kind
of go where I think I should be go where the road takes you.
Yeah, yeah, no, that makes that makes sense. Now do you
have Do you have anything coming up that you want to mention? Any shows
in the area that I wish I wrote them down or you can tell us
where to find that. And I don't think I have. I think I
have one coming up it's like January thirteenth, but that's in Hillsbrow. That's
a place called Main Street Grill. I have a show coming up over at
Hampshire Hills, a couple of those what is that called the Hills, The
Hills, the Hills. But I will start like I've just this time of
year, I was like December and you know, it's a little slow,
and then yeah, it will get warmer and then I'll be playing like you
know, maybe some sea coast things and some places around here. But really
now I'm just trying to really refine my sound, get better with my equipment,
you know, learn my equipment a little bit more in terms of sound,
because I just I'm not I just put stuff on the floor and I
don't I don't turn too many knots. What I'm saying we should tell people
too, So what's what's the best way for people to find you? Online
who want to follow you, follow your music, and and and part of
why I think it's especially important to make that clear with our listeners is because,
uh not everyone's going to know how to spell your last name. That's
true. Yeah, we should correct that. So it is Russo r O
U S S E a U. That's how you. I'm sure all you
had a pen when I just said that. Guys in the chat room,
I've dropped Tom Russo Music's book link. Oh yeah, there for you.
I would you know, and I would say. Now, what I try
to do now, and I've been encouraged to do this more, is just
get people to stream it. Stream more like go on Spotify, listen to
whatever you want, go on iTunes music, go on Amazon Music, Apple
Music. So it's it's all out there. Yeah, so it's it's it's
all there for people to get it free. I think now the idea is
just really getting people to share it. Like like I didn't really get that
until a couple of years ago. I have my friend Lewis Gendron there that
wrote Broke Heart with me. He actually started that song. He was more
of the main writer than I came in. He's he's been the one plugging
for me to do that. He's like, you got to get people to
stream it, because if I had a stack right now of three hundred CDs
and I even told you it was two dollars for the CD, you might
not buy it, right, you know. It's people don't care about that
anymore, so some people do it. It's it's interesting how I would want
a CD. Yeah, I mean physical media has really kind of hung on.
But you know, some people, like if they're really into an artist,
you know, they want the art and the liner notes and everything,
you know. And we had like like we we've had actually like Byron G
and Cody Pope when they were on a couple of you know, pretty young
hip hop guys, and they're like, oh yeah, we still put out
CDs because you know, some some people still want physical media. But but
it's it's certainly has changed a lot. I think I think it was in
twenty twenty two, I think, I hope I have this right, was
the first year that Vinyl actually outsold CDs. You're right about that, Yeah,
yeah, I think you're right about I'm missing albums. Yeah, I
missed, you know, having those big sheets and liner notes and stuff.
But I'll tell you you're definitely on my playlist, which is why I don't
know a lot of current day songs. You were at before the show,
you had asked me about a current day song. My playlist is pretty much
all independent artists, but I really don't hear a lot of modern now.
But you had only just heard it recently, right, I wasn't on your
playlist, right right? No, No, you're going on my play good
you are going. You are coming onto my independent playlist. That'd be bad
if I've had to give my playlist for years you've just met No, No,
I'm not that quick. Yeah, it turns out. It turns out
it's a different time, Russo. This is Tom Russo are USSL was approved
and I did not even pay. I would say funny. Even for music.
I'll be out more and more, uh, playing again live, so
somebody usually can kind of go search. I'll always post my gigs on Facebook.
I do have the musician page and my private page. But over the
years nobody half of them come in on my private my personal page, and
I still accept them because it's just like, well that's what they find.
So I think there's Tom Russo music and Tom Russo. But I'd say share,
share that music as much as you can for sure. I don't know,
do you have time to play that one last song or oh yeah,
that's that's how I want to Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely, that's how
I want to end. I don't want to wear out my welcome here.
And I'm very curious about that bike. And if anybody laughs at you when
you ride that bike, there's a bike in the well. It looks like
a lot kind of a scooter. It's a bike scooter. I was going
to say a lot of that, like is somebody somebody won that at the
Miracle on Elm Street, which is an awesome fundraise that's done here every year
and all the money and toys and things that are raised day right here in
Manchester and go to Manchester kids. So that was part of a raffle prize.
It was probably called the Miracle on M Street when they saw it actually
rolling is look at it. It's only got two wheels, so nobody can.
I would have to get on it and I'd be like, I do
not know what to do things like that. I value not breaking any more
bones. I think it looks really cool, though it does look cool.
It does. Before we get to that track, we do have somebody on
the line. Somebody might have a question for you. Hi, welcome to
Matt Connorton unleashed. Who is this? It's Chiff. How are you guys
good? Oh? Is this Jeff Pegari? Hey man, I'm a question
for you. So you guys haven't youtib to say, because me and Isaac
are wondering, how is Jenny doing? How are you guys doing? Oh?
We're good, Yeah, we're not. There is no video component of
today's show, unfortunately, because some some sort of a Facebook issue. I
don't think it's internal here at the station. I think Facebook is being Facebook
and is being very glitchy. So okay, no, I was just I
was just wounding by the way, by the way, by the way,
by way. Are you get to me next week? Yes? Absolutely?
Okay, okay, am I content am I and my contin am my contin
my cost. We'll go next week? Is that next week? Figure and
Jenny especial announcement especial and next week? Nice? All right, well we
look forward to that. Mu. Okay to me, how do I,
me and Isaac listen to you guys? Why now? Because how do we
listen to you guys Facebook, Go to w m n H radio dot org
and click listen live. Okay, and I will be yes was how does
okay? W n a H Radio. Okay, excuse me, I must
yes, okay, Well, excuse me. I don't know what time the
announcement gonna be, but it's gonna be. It's gonna be. It's gonna
be a holiday announcement from miss Steve. Excuse me, excuse me, from
mister Steve. How is mister Steve doing? By the way, I really
missed mister Steve a lot. Mister Steve. You mean DJ Steve? Yes?
Yes, Oh he's on retro Friday nights. Yes, eight pm,
am me. Maybe I would actually call him find in the second time.
There you work? Well, well, that that would be wonderful. We
look forward to that absolutely. All right, Jock, have a good guys,
all right, thank you YouTube, bye bye? All right. Jeff
Pigari from Greensboro, North Carolina. Uh, chiming in, very nice,
very nice. So we will Yeah, So we're gonna end the hour with
this, uh, this song, I greet this song? What should we
know about this? Tom before we play? Just actually to me kind of
started a lot of this off in me recording again. Actually, I wrote
the song a piano, which isn't really what I would do. So I
played piano on the song. A friend of mine's playing with me as well.
But it just seemed really easy to write because I wasn't playing a guitar,
so I really didn't know what I was doing, so I didn't know
what I couldn't do right. It was more just playing it and it sounded
right. But yeah, I don't know. It seems to this this seems
to be a song that will always be an end of the album song.
It just it feels that way to me. It's kind of slow, but
it has a certain melody feel that that I wanted to get through, and
I think it happened. Yeah. Well but pretty simple, you know,
pretty simple overall, perfect way to and the segment then excellent, Tom Russo,
thank you so much. This has been wonderful. Well, thank you
very much for having me absolutely absolutely and my cousin Kate O. Yeah,
Kate from Darling Hill, go back and check that out. If you missed
that interview. That was really good. That was a few months ago,
right before right before Halloween. You said, right, yeah, and I
just want to thank you guys for showcasing local artists like you do. Happy
to do. It's really fun to sit back and watch you interview them and
ask them all the questions like you seem to get to the heart of the
creation process, which I really, I really think it's cool to hear and
share with people. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. Nice style,
right, and I love that. And I appreciate that your camera was
broken today. Well I'm sorry. You're you are on cable. You're on
Comcast channel six right now. I'm out here. Yeah, you're not entirely
on camera. All right, all right, we uh so we're gonna play
We're gonna play this, and then we're going to u in the second hour,
we have Dark Rain in studio with us. They they traveled here from
Maine, so really looking forward to that. But uh let's give this a
listen. This is greet the Sun, Tom Russo, Tom, Thanks again,
thank you. I don't see anything in front of me. I see,
well, want to sing, I hear what I hear. Don't hold
on, I'm still singing, singing more song, dream, say more dream
till I come back. And it's nothing that I have it. I've been
haunted by the same old dream comes to take my hand. Days night,
I pray the Lord he has my life. I'm still going down the same
old road, telling stories I've already took, and I'm waiting here for me
to come back for m hmm. I'll be me someone you can see,
still dreaming every dream. Till it come by, Come till it come by,
Come till it come by, Come till it come by, Come till
it come back. Tillo come back back, Tillo come back. M hmm.