There are three very key things to know about the story of this album.

First, it was written and recorded entirely during March of 2022 as an entry for International Concept Album Month (InCoAlMo — incoalmo.com ), an annual creative challenge for artists in music, spoken word, and recorded media.

Second, this album is — by request of sorts — entirely comprised of songs inspired by the work of Rush, the legendary Canadian progressive-rock power trio.

Finally, as it was nearing completion, this record’s production suffered a dark turn that delayed its realization by nearly two years. ... but that ultimately resulted in a much better recording than i could’ve imagined possible.

For those interested in the details of this musical tale, read on.

The full story here begins back in 2009, when an unexpected relocation ended my long semi-professional musical career. Without my artistic community, i struggled for years, trying to find a way to rekindle the joy of making music. I needed something that would motivate me to create, and free me from worrying about the “quality” of my final product. So, in 2016, i launched the InCoAlMo challenge: to create a full-length concept album in only 31 days. ... and every March, my fellow participants and i take on this insane quest, with a wide variety of interesting, amazing, and uniquely rewarding results.

Then, in late 2021, a dear friend, brilliant musician, and fellow InCoAlMo artist, Jeff Elbel, ran a crowdfunding campaign for a vinyl pressing of his album, “The Threefinger Opera” (ping.bandcamp.com/album/the-threefinger-opera). To support Jeff, i created a piggyback campaign, offering supporters the chance to vote on the concept for my 2022 InCoAlMo album. I solicited all of them, as well as Jeff, for ideas.

We ended up with 8 candidate concepts and 22 votes cast, and one of Jeff’s nominees won the election. Coming from a fellow Rush fan and engineer with an eye for detail, Jeff’s brilliant and inspiring concept read as follows:

"10 songs each somehow based upon, related to, influenced by, explaining, or spinning off from a character found in (artwork or lyrics from) one Rush album. The list of albums must include Rush, 2112, Moving Pictures, and Clockwork Angels."

With this awesome challenge issued, i eagerly dove in. By late March, most of the album was written and partially recorded. ... but just as i entered the final stretch, life was derailed by the sudden death of a dear friend. By the time i recovered, there was no way to properly finish the album on time. In the final days of March, i finished tracking the 9 songs already underway, and then completed writing and recording the last song. Mixing and mastering, however, would have to wait.

In the year that followed, i realized that i was very happy with the songs on the album, but struggled to find time to work on it. I eventually decided that getting it professionally mixed would not only help me get it finished, but also elevate it well above what i could render with my limited time, ability, and gear. I was very grateful to engage the talent of Matt McCabe at Finley Sound, who painstakingly wrangled my massive audio files, diligently worked through mixes, and ultimately mastered a record that far surpassed my original expectations.

As always, the InCoAlMo challenge pushed me to write a record of which i’m very proud artistically, despite the performance and recording limitations of an improvised workspace, bare-bones gear, competing priorities, and nigh-unto-impossible 31-day deadline. Thankfully, Matt’s skillful studio work brought this album together wonderfully, giving my supporters and friends (and maybe some fellow Rush fans out there) something that really can make them smile in the end. ;)


NOTE: Each track on this album takes its primary inspiration from one unique Rush album (except for one track, which draws from two albums); some are obvious, some more subtle. I encourage Rush fans to enjoy figuring out which primary album(s) inspired each song. In addition, hidden among the eight tracks with lyrics, there are deliberate references to 4 Rush songs from secondary albums. (There are also references to 1 North song, 1 of my previous InCoAlMo records, and 1 work by a former band of Jeff Elbel. ... for those hardcore fans of our work.) Which ones can you discover? I’d love to hear from everyone with your guesses!


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 of International Concept Album Month, check out incoalmo.com .