Matt Fasullo mixes R&B and blues rock grooves on the nostalgic song “Video99”
What started out as an experimentation with music in his parent’s basement turned into a constant project where he matured his sound for seven years. Matt Fasullo combines the familiar with the new, splicing together the warmth and rawness of folk music with the underbelly of alternative electronica.
His nostalgic song, “Video99,” mixes R&B with blues-y rock grooves. It’s an ode to a video store in Stouffville, Ontario, where he used to rent movies and games because it represents an era that he misses greatly. He remembers walking into that dull beige 90s carpeted store to rent an N64 game to spend a fun weekend with friends.
Listen to “Video99” below and learn more about Matt via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m a songwriter and producer from Toronto! Grew up in a musical household in Stouffville, Ontario with The Beatles and Glenn Campbell playing in the background which had a big impact on my style. I didn’t start singing until about 2014 since I was always extremely shy. I kind of kept it a secret until I just decided on a whim to release my music and got some great reception. I’m very glad I did because this is all I want to do with my life. I try to keep myself interested in my music by constantly evolving the way I create and draw from different inspirations in my life, musically or lyrically. It seems like I tend to write a lot about depression. Kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it? Ha. I just hope someone out there can resonate with what I’m trying to say.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Ahh yes, Video99. On the surface, it’s really about my nostalgia for an old video rental store I used to visit. I remember it like the back of my hand. That being said, it’s a pretty dark song that touches upon some childhood trauma. I won’t get into too much detail. I approached the song wanting to write something with a strong bluesy groove without actually writing a blues song. What resulted was some kind of creepy atmosphere that I really enjoyed. The actual lyrics came about because of the synth bass loop reminding me of old retro videotapes, and it slowly evolved from there.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
A lot of really old music, actually, like Bing Crosby or Patti Page, but It really depends on where my mind is at. A lot of the time I just pull ideas from my favourite artists. Like Phoebe Bridgers would release a song that utilizes a guitar with a rubber bridge, and I really like it, so I’ll create a song with a similar guitar tone. Or Ethan Gruska would use a sample of a fucking Wolf howling, so I’ll go HEY, that’s weird, I want to do something weird too, and proceed to sample a dog barking (no joke). It’s always a very spontaneous process.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I have a show coming up for the NXNE festival here in Toronto on the 14th of June at the Cameron House, Tail of the Junction on the 29th, and at the end of July, I’ll be playing at the Drake Underground as well. I’ll also be announcing everything over my socials relatively soon, so stay tuned!
What’s your goal for 2023?
I’m going to be releasing my first full-length record this year, and I’m beyond excited. I look forward to a single roughly every month for the next few months. I also really want to book more shows. The more, the better. And last but not least, I wrote a song recently that has me sonically inspired. I’m ready to start exploring some new sounds post-release of the upcoming record.