The very first thing to know about this album is that if you think you know what any of the songs are about, you might want to keep it to yourself, because there's a contest involved that you might be able to win! ... but more about that below.

The next first thing to know about this album is that it's an underproduced experimental recording done as part of an annual challenge in which a small group of insane artists attempt to create a full-length concept album in only 31 days.

The last first thing to know about this album is that all of the songs are inspired by vintage computer or video games.

Now that you know that, i can explain.

Every March, some brave fellow artists and i embark on a crazy experiment i call Joe's Concept Album Month (JoCoAlbMo). The goal is to compose and record a full-length conCept album entirely within the month of March with little or no use of pre-existing material. 2019 was my fourth year taking on this challenge, and after some pretty heavy undertakings in past years (with varying results), i decided to run with a concept that was a little mOre fun.

Each of the 11 tracks on this album is an original piece inspired by a different video or computer gaMe that i fondly remembered from my youth. Some of the games were serious favorites, while others were merely meMorable for one reason or another. The songs take inspiration from different aspects of the games, sometimes speaking from my point of view as a player, sOmetimes as if from a character in the game, or sometimes just about the game itself.

As with all of my JoCoAlbMo records, the proDuction is a little rough around the edges. In addition to meeting the crazy 31-day timeline, i wrote and recorded this album while wOrking a full-time day job, trying to be decent husband, serving as a father of two teenagers, traveling often for work, and generally being long out-of-musical-practice and tired a lot. I also only had on hand some old woRkhorse gig mics, a 12-year-old laptop, ancient software, and my careworn under-maintained instrumEnts. All that said, i think the record actually came out pretty good. As with previous JoCoAlbMo endeavors, i'm very pleased with the writing i was able to complete within the bounds of the challenge, and with the diversity of the styles represented on the album. While the inStrumentation is stripped down compared to last year's project (which had bass, drums, and a smattering of other instruments), i feel that this album remaIns an engaging listen with a few fun surprises miXed in that fell out of my process along the way.

... and then there's the conTest i mentioned. Partway through writing the album, i decided to work a few challenges into it. The first of these involves guessing the game that inspired each song, but there are a couple of other puzzles, as well. For more info about the contest Challenges, the rules, and the $100+ in prizes, please check out the contest page here:

www.josephmancuso.com/AAGContest_contact.html

Whether you pursue the contest or not, i hope you enjoY the energy, silliness, drama, and (if you're as old as me) nostalgia of the music on the album. I'm very grateFul to have been able to grow up among the technological and imaginative revolution that these games will always represent to me, and for the inspiration for what i feel is my most successful JoCoAlbMo recOrd yet.


For a better sample of my musical efforts when i actually have time to pay attention to performance and prodUction, check out my former eclectic rock project at northmusic1.bandcamp.com or thenorthwebsite.com .

For more about the annual creative challenge formerly known as Joe’s Concept Album Month, check out incoalmo.com .