Back-up Vocal~ Beloveds, we stand at the site of two monumental moments in one. First, we have a brand new Mannyacs© story starting right here. We chronicle the creation of the second DBS 3© record. Most seasoned bands will agree that the second album often carries a unique amount of weight all its own. The point has been driven home by a simple philosophy: one has their whole life to write their first album, but substantially less time to write their second. Alas, that edict has been shared by so many musicians in so many interviews I have read and watched, that I can’t pin down the original source to credit. Yet, big name music icons across Country, Metal, Alternative and Pop genuinely live and die by that very creed. Second, couple that knowledge with the two words that I have to imagine any major record label executive despises and dreads hearing most : “Concept Album”. Unless your band is Pink Floyd, Dream Theater or Yes, the crucial nature of the second release left to the artistic mayhem of a Concept Album feels like a true disaster waiting to happen. I suspect that’s exactly why Manny wants to make one. Manny is always happiest hang gliding right into the eye of a hurricane…and if he started it with his own previous adventures (he did), so much the better. Bo released a bafflingly successful solo record with his band full of ducks. His own writing and bass performance were stunning enough to garner dazzling critical praise from the Moldova music press. Even better, his creation bubbled over with pioneering contributions from his feathered, beaked bassoon player (remember him?). Leaving Manny with only one direction for the DBS 3© sophomore outing: go EVEN MORE PROG than the debut! I’m still unclear as to the actual genre of music Bo and his Pago Pago Privateers© committed to tape. But, it clearly sparked the fiery spirit of competitive and creative ambition in the Manifold family bloodline. 

The album name has been kicking around in my head for some time now. That was really all I had as this new story took root. So, it made sense that Manny would explore a vast array of arenas to inspire the tale he strives to tell in song. Anything and everything could provide a potential direction, even just a crumb of a notion. For example, I paid a recent visit to my own Google Analytics page to review Hit numbers for Mannyacs©. I check it from time to time, just to see where I’m getting readers. I scrolled over the wrong link by mistake and stumbled across the “Bounce Rates” option. I liked the term, so I deployed it here. I remember back in the very early 1990’s, my friend Charles showed me a BBC TV program on the phenomenon of crop circles. It was completely new to me at the time. Charles is British, which automatically makes him cool and he is one of the smartest people I know. So, if he likes crop circles, then I do, too. This Comic was finally a chance to include them in the Mannyacs realm and give him a Shout-Out at the same time. I have no idea how NBA legend Meadowlark Lemon and “Fame” cast members wind up in a heated Telemundo celebrity panel discussion on the topic. But, Manny and I seem to frequent extraordinarily disparate outlets to stay informed.  Given how Manny’s mind naturally deconstructed and reformulated his compound’s old property map as a story template, I can only speculate that he may look to surpass the visions of a certain Roger Dean for the album cover art. There is NO CHANCE on God’s green earth our boy cooks up an image to compare with the first 3 Asia album covers. But, Lord help us, he WILL try.