Mighty Joe is a veteran of the Chicago music scene, and 'balance' is his 7th full-length indy release. A full-time performer, Joe averages roughly 200-250 gigs per year, both as a solo artist & with his backing band. This collection of 15 tunes (& 1 intro) is broken up into 3 separate parts: Part 1 was produced by Tom Hepburn on a portable system that seemed to work nicely in Joe's living room. Acoustic & folky in feel, violins & stand up bass accent a few of the songs. The lyrics are reasonably light & often sarcastic/humorous in nature. One of the highlights is the opening track called 'Sleep Alone'. It's accompanying video was directed by C.Mordecai & can be seen on YouTube. Part 2 was produced by engineering whizkid Aaron Samuels & recorded at Doco Studios in Romeoville, IL. The instruments & subject matter are much heavier here. This group of songs is totally electric & rocks. Some highlights include Joe's version of the Beatles 'Dear Prudence' & a hard-edged love song called 'No End' for which another video was made (also directed by C.Mordecai) that can be seen on YouTube as well. Part 3 returns to the acoustic feel & is somewhat less-produced. Engineered by Hook at C4 Studios in Wayne, IL, this group of songs features 'The Great Unknown' (the title track to an indy film), a cover of Tom Waits unreleased 'Late Night Evening Prostitute', & a gospel-flavored song called 'You Belong Right Here' which Joe was commissioned to write for the high school he graduated from. With so much variety in instrumentation & subject matter, it is no secret why this album is called 'balance'. For information on previous releases or current performance dates, please visit www.MightyJoeMusic.com.