Arto Monaco

Do any of you know who Arto Monaco is? Neither did I until recently. And I have the band "Monsterbuck" to thank for introducing me to an individual who enjoyed making children happy with theme parks he created for them.

He passed away a few years ago but is known for making a theme park known as the "Land Of Make Believe" that is nestled away in Upper Jay, New York. The theme park is still there but has long since been closed down because of massive flooding in the area it was built.

Take some time to visit some of the links I've found in relation to him. It's pretty interesting what he did in his lifetime.

The Arto Monaco Historical Society

A magazine article about Arto Monaco

The reason I bring up Arto Monaco is because I'm a fan of the band Monsterbuck. Monsterbuck calls Upper Jay, New York their home. So I'm sure they're pretty familiar with Arto Monaco because I bet he is a local legend around the area.

Monsterbuck also finally released their debut CD "Land Of Makebelievers" and they were nice enough to send me a copy. I received it yesterday when I got home from work and have listened to it about 20 times since pulling it from my mailbox.

Arto Monaco and his vision are an inspiration to the band for their debut release, it would seem. As a matter a fact, the last track on the "Land Of Makebelievers" is entitled "Arto Monaco". And it's one of my favorite songs on this debut release.

A total of 11 tracks can be enjoyed on this release from Monsterbuck. Outside of "Arto Monaco", I've also love "Shine", "Like It Did Before", "I See You Tonight" and "Felicity".

Monsterbuck is comprised of three guys by the names of Chris Kowanko, Byron Renderer and his brother, Scott Renderer. I became aware of this band because of Chris Kowanko.

A few years ago, I tracked down Chris because I wanted him to know how much I enjoyed his debut solo release from 1992 simply entitled "Kowanko".

I got that CD from a radio station I worked for here in Salt Lake that had been sent the disc as a promotional copy. My program director gave it to me along with some other discs of music that didn't fit our format.

I loved the Kowanko CD. I thought it was fresh and different. Chris has an interesting sound that is unlike most artists. Plus he is a great songwriter and I could always relate to a lot of what he was conveying musically.

Years and years passed until one day (February 16th, 2004 to be exact), I found Chris via the internet. I told him I was a fan of his debut CD and told him a bit about myself. I still have the original email in my Yahoo mailbox.

He responded with an email back thanking me for my letter and support. He also offered to send me his second solo release called "Spell" for free. I never took him up on that.

A couple of years later, I came across that email and sent him another letter to see what he had been up to. That's when he told me of his new band, Monsterbuck. I also made sure to tell him I bought his second solo album "Spell", on iTunes. I even wrote a review on the release.

We've since sent a few emails back and forth. We've become cyber buddies. He sent me a copy of the Monsterbuck E.P. a few months back and now I have a copy of this fantastic debut release.

The debut was actually sent to me by Byron Renderer. Byron has sent me a couple of kind emails in relation to my blogs here on MySpace. I'm flattered. It's nice to have such talented individuals compliment you on your own talent.

When I opened the envelope the CD was in, I noticed a small, orange Post-It stuck to the CD cover that said: "Good luck with your interesting life's saga -B".

That made me laugh out loud. Or, in Internetish, LOL.

I'm happy for these guys and this great piece of musical work they've put out. I'm glad they've finally got it available for purchase so that others, LIKE YOU READING THIS (HINT HINT), will enjoy some great music.

Please stop on by their MySpace page and check out the 411 on the band. Purchase their CD and some merchandise. Tell 'em Mike The Janitor Jordan sent you!

No, I don't get a percentage. However, I like playing pseudo West Coast Distribution Agent for them. Call me a groupie, call me a stalker, call me whatever... just buy their CD! And a couple for friends and family since Christmas is just around the corner!

You may find out more about Monsterbuck and purchase their debut CD release "Land Of Makebelievers" at Monsterbuck on MySpace or on their website at the Official Monsterbuck website

To learn more about lead singer Chris Kowanko and his two solo releases (which are fantastic as well), check out iTunes by doing a search under his name or visit The Chris Kowanko official website

-Mike The Janitor
©2007
Millenoma Publishing