(The View From Here)
I suppose if there was a successor to the legendary Michael Hedges, the mantle would most likely have passed on to another Michael; Michael Mucklow. His stylings embody the same ethereal feel, to his playing that many of us found so engaging in Hedges. Hedges in his earliest days blew the roof off that silly "New Age" concept. Mucklow does much the same in his alternate tunings and beautiful arrangements. I can't begin to speak to the technical side of his playing. But as a friend once said to me "Good is where you find it." and I found it here. So sit back, find yourself a nice place you wish to visit and let Michael take you there on a lovely musical journey that sounds every bit as rewarding as the turns that another Michael gave us years ago.

(The View From Here)
Call me a mindless brute, but Im always a bit unsure when I hear people describing music as relaxing or soothing. Yes, a lot of great music does indeed have those qualities, but when those are the main ideas that you can throw around about a song, then usually the words boring or hippie (in a bad, whale-sounds album kinda way) come trailing right behind. Fortunately, in the case of Michael Mucklow, a guitarist from Yucca Valley, California, that association couldnt be further from the truth. Michael has a background in hard rock and punk bands, where he has perfected his guitar playing, making him a very versatile performer, and the way his solo acoustic songs flow, you can tell that this is a man whose guitar already functions as an extension of himself. Since he has started to write and record on his own, he has already released two records Clearly and The View From Here, and on these releases its clear how heartfelt these songs really are.

Each of the songs works as a sort of individual little world, slowly but surely developing and very evocative. More than peaceful, Michaels songs are inspiring, as its easy to close your eyes and imagine the picture that his strings are painting through sound. Its interesting to note that although Michael does possess a strong religious faith, this notion is not overbearing, and nor does it take place above the music, in his songwriting, which is a very worthy approach. Not only these peaks and valleys of acoustic guitar sound are peaceful, but the feeling that you get when you listen to them is that they are written and played by someone who is very peaceful himself.

Peaceful, yes, delicate, surely, but at the same time not always goody-goody the world is not just light, and the darkness creeps in sometimes, as does the sadness and every other feeling that is worthy of being represented like this. Take a song like Tears Of The Wind, in which Michaels dabblings in more aggressive music have left him an accurate ear to represent the shadier side of his heart, its a brooding song that could well serve as an interlude on a metal band album, for example.

Sit back, relax, and take a look (and a listen) at The View From Here. Youll like it, youll see.

The View from Here, Michael Mucklow's latest CD, is an instrumental travel guide through [the] Yucca Valley of California. Mucklow states in his biography that one of his influences was Acoustic Alchemy, and after hearing his wonderful guitar picking style, I can see the correlation.

Mucklow tries to paint pictures in the listener's mind with his guitar as his brush and the CD as his canvas. He gives a little "behind the songs" information for each song, which I didn't look at until after I had heard the entire CD for the first time. Then, I had to agree with almost every "behind the songs" scene that was painted in my mind.

Mucklow states that the word "phosphor" means "to bring light", and his song "Phosphor" does just that -— allow the listener to visualize a happy, bright time. "Mysterium" speaks that life is a mystery, and the picking style is one that is dark and ominous. "Released" was written after the passing of a friend of Mucklow's. This song brought out both feelings of sadness and joy -— sadness that the friend was gone, but joy that the friend was in a better place (which reflects Mucklow's faith in Christ). "Balm" is a representation of this faith; it gives the listener different textures of picking to represent the different faces of Christ. Mucklow says that "Waterflow" "sounded like water in a stream," and I can’t deny that I thought of water when I heard the song.

This CD is a lovely guitar instrumental, and I highly recommend it if you are fans of great acoustic guitar.

For some, the guitar road leads from the solitary to the ensemble. For Michael Mucklow, years of playing, learning, and developing as a musician with other players led him to exploring the instrument on his own terms. With the release of "The View From Here", his second solo project, Mucklow plays songs that require the listener to stop and take in each note, each phrase, each idea. You can tell that these songs come from some place deep within, extending who Mucklow is and presenting it to us as a sort of offering we gladly accept. All of the songs are aided by a generous dose of reverb, which gives Mucklow a richer, fuller sound. The playing is neither flashy nor overdone, but sometimes almost bare in its approach, and for these songs, it works well. There are 11 tracks in all. "Phosphor" builds from a simple fingerpicked melody line to a rhythmic dance accompanied by a percussion track. "Mysterium" is a dark, haunting piece which wafts over the listener, drawing you into its slow movement. The early sky seeps into view on "Color of the Morning". "The View From Here" ends with the happy "Convertible", leaving you with a light, refreshed feeling. Michael Mucklow gives us a warm, solid offering of solo guitar music on this disc, music you can listen to.

MICHAEL MUCKLOW/The View from Here: In which we find Mucklow’s solo debut was no fluke. Starting out under the influence of new age masters, Mucklow refines his approach where the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree but he injects more of his own personality in this new outing. A fingerstyle guitarist that knows how to pay attention to his art and deepen his craft, there hasn’t been a succession and progression like this going on in guitar since the early Leo Kottke records. For delicate instrumental work that has a lot of substance, this is fine work that will blow your guitar loving ears wide open.

On July 21, 2007 while everyone else was eagerly awaiting the release of a certain book, guitar lovers received something special - The View From Here, Michael Mucklow's second instrumental CD.

Mucklow's heavy metal/punk rock past (it WAS the 70's and 80's, after all) belies the beauty found in The View From Here. Eleven instrumental selections, all composed, arranged, and produced by Mucklow, feature acoustic guitar with occasional support from other instruments. The strings are picked with the fingers - like classical guitar but without the airs, creating music that is gentle and soothing, and somehow comfortingly familiar. However, instead of lulling the listener to sleep, the music bids the listener to really listen. More than background music, The View From Here is like an acoustic painting. It is music to contemplate by.

"Tears of the Wind" is almost haunting. "Pipes Canyon Sunset" and "Phosphor" will be favorites too... and don't forget "Convertible," which just might entice a few listeners to take a drive with the top down.

If you plan on a road trip in your convertible to see that sunset, don't forget to pop your copy of The View From Here into the CD player on the way. The view from HERE is beautiful!

Hailing from Yucca Valley, California, USA. Michael Mucklow released his second CD “The View From Here”. His first CD “Clearly” got critical acclaim from the audience and the press. Michael Mucklow got inspired by guitarists like Will Ackerman, Michael Hedges and Acoustic Alchemy among others. The alternate tunings brought him the ability to play all moods and musical diversity he was looking for. The outcome is overwhelming, his new CD “The View From Here” shows us a very creative acoustic guitarist who shows fantastic skills on an acoustic guitar. Mucklow is a creator of atmosphere, with a soothing and relaxing setup which takes one on adventurous journeys of the unconscious mind. He builds noteworthy compositions, full of melodic skills, structure and balance. Beautiful ballads like “Phosphor, “Mysterium”, “Released”, Color of The Morning and “Balm” shows us he is very connected to nature and the universe with great introspection and reflection. Michael Mucklow brings us as well delightful guitar music which at times chills one out.

Michael spent several of his younger years playing in heavy rock and punk bands. It's hard to believe after listening to the music found on his latest release The View From Here.

This release is filled with just over one-hour of guitar instrumental music that is about as far away from rock and punk music as you can get.

The eleven songs found on The View From Here are guitar instrumentals that Michael calls, New Age Fingerstyle. The music brings words like calming, relaxing, and mellow to mind.

The songs are simple, yet not simplistic. Each song paints its own picture through music.

I also liked the CD booklet's short notes that Michael included for each song.

My favorite track is, "Convertible" which also happens to be the most upbeat song found on The View From Here. The song has a real nice flow and guitar work. Michael describes the song as, "driving down a desert road on a wonderful sunny day...in a convertible".

If you want a CD that you can put on while you sit in a nice comfy chair and let the stress of the day melt away then The View From Here is just what your looking for.

In this work we find a nice collection of melodic themes dominated by the guitar, flowing through Rock Ballad, Contemporary Instrumental music, Jazz, Folk and soft Pop. In many of the tracks the listener can clearly appreciate the personal style of the artist, well polished after years of exploration, collaborations with other musicians and some influences such as that of, for instance, Acoustic Alchemy. In conclusion, this is a beautiful album, intimist and melodic as well.

It is rare a CD lives up to its name as well as Michael Mucklow's Clearly.

I first listened to it on a quiet weekend afternoon at home and was immediately drawn to the wonderfully clear and resonant notes of the acoustic guitar that poured out. I turned the volume up, which is always a good sign, and hit repeat when the CD had finished, which is an even better one. Whether played quietly or loudly, on good speakers or mediocre ones, these 12 instrumental guitar tracks, united by Mucklow's supple fingerstyle guitar and attention to melody and mood, are easy to like.

Though not without its shortcomings, Clearly is an unpretentious, expressive and audibly joyful listen that may just be the perfect relaxation CD for people who hate relaxation CDs.

A little over half the tracks are played on acoustic guitar, minimally accompanied by light percussion and occasional piano, and it is on these unornamented pieces that Mucklow's command of the guitar really shines. The opening track, "Canyon Serenade," starts simply and doesn't so much build up as go deeper into its own melody to culminate in a surprising ending. "Cloud Shadows" has an easy, laidback sense of movement that fits its title perfectly. "Universe" is almost a lullaby with a tasteful touch of piano, while "Joy" and "Gone for a Walk" are, appropriately enough, more vivacious, slightly folksy pieces that sing of clean country air. A few of them sound rather similar on initial listens, but when they are all so beautifully evocative, it's hard to mind.

The electric guitar pieces tend to be less effective, and especially after the acoustic tracks they seem a bit cluttered and fussy in comparison. "Sunlit Mesas," a piece to saunter off into the sunset with if ever there was one, is the obvious exception. "Moonlight Sands" is pleasant enough in a mild-mannered, jazzy Latin way, but the synthesizer intro to the seven-minute-long "In the Temple" is an unwanted trip back to the 1980s, as is the beat in "Love's Way." Neither is offensive enough to skip, but it is at these points that Clearly inches towards elevator music and kitschiness.

But for all that, the album's virtues are much more memorable than its faults. Clearly is atmospheric enough to serve as soundtrack for quiet times, melodic enough to simply sit back and listen to, and altogether a promising solo guitar debut for Michael Mucklow. Just one question arises: why hasn't Windham Hill signed him up yet?

Michael Mucklow plays guitar, bass and piano. He is joined by Jon Gosen, piano, syth, percussion, and Eric Banas on piano on some of the tracks. The guitar-focused Clearly, is one of those albums that is so good that it almost defies description. I could take the easy way out and say “go to www.michaelmucklow.com, and hear the entire CD by clicking on 'listen'”. But, I must write on. It is Clearly obvious (to me) that the music is soothing, vibrant, musically and spiritually inspiring, brilliant, emotionally rich, healing, and joyful. Hopefully these “words” won't distract you from the here and now. Tune in, you'll know whether it's worth a listen.

The songs don't repeat themselves; the style varies; this makes it easy to listen to the entire album again and again. The clear melodic squeaking sound of the fingers moving on the guitar strings brings you into the room with the artist. You hear elements of jazz, folk, classical, and new age music. The more I listen, the more I like it.

On his web site Michael Mucklow shares his inspiration for each song. About the song “Loves Way”, he says: "There are times when God expresses His love for us in a more gentle way...He is comforting and wooing us. When I began writing the lead melody line for this song it began to feel like I myself was being reminded of how gentle God's love has been toward me. I'm very thankful for those times."

And Mucklow's thoughts about track six, “Cloud Shadows”: "Clouds are very distinct entities in the desert because of the clear blue sky. When they are moving slowly and gently above the earth their shadows are cast upon the ground, hills and mountains. It can be mezmerizing to watch those shadows slowly make their way along."

Playing while doing yoga, meditative movement, massage, eating breakfast, or talking with friends, may inspire you to cast your shadows gently upon the earth.

Ever had one of those Francis of Assisi moments, when you see a sunrise and your heart goes into your throat and you weep because no other expression can capture your emotions? Perhaps it is the touch of your lover’s hand, or that one special glance that makes you melt. Or maybe it is during those quiet interludes sitting before a fireplace contemplating the vastness of the universe and your infinitesimal place in it that enlightenment takes place. Those are the themes fingerstyle guitarist Michael Mucklow explores in his soothing yet exhilarating instrumental release, Clearly.

“Canyon Serenade,” the project’s opener is a gentle exultation of the glories of nature. There are snatches of melodies in harken back to an old Christmas carol, and the spirit of the song seems to encourage heaven and nature to ‘sing!’ “Joy” is a subtle celebration of that misunderstood state of being that is often attributed as an emotion of sublime happiness. In Mucklow’s world, “Joy” appears to be more about graceful acceptance and contentment mixed with expectation.

“Love’s Way” is flecked with a bosa nova sway; seductive yet demure. “(It Feels) Timeless” builds on the recurrent theme of celebrating our place in the universe first posited in “Uni-Verse,” and the seven and a half minute electrified epic, “In The Temple,” frees Mucklow to ponder the nature of the human and the divine.

Michael Mucklow’s niche lies somewhere between the Canadian folk sensibilities of Steve Bell, the classical leaning of Christopher Parkening and Muriel Anderson, and the exquisite, populist fingerstyle of Larry Belknap. Clearly is subtle, emotionally rich, textured yet unobtrusive. This is a project that warrants repeated listens.

I was thinking about buying a little grey plastic tub containing about 24 of those vitamin B12, vitamin C amalgamations that promise a kinda upwards health thing with the added benefit of 'calming' additives... none of which have ever seen the light of day as far as regulation or quality control is concerned... for all I know I could be swallowing powdered lawn grass at $10 a pop!!! Now... whatever the short or long term effects of these things is marketed to be, I can tell you that you can chuck the entire tub (and any others like it that you may own) in the bin and get a far more beneficial spirit, heart, and soul enriching experience by simply listening to any one (or more) of Michael Mucklow's compositions!

I have, at hand, Michael's most recent recording 'Clearly' and I can tell you that this monumental mood enhancing collage of audio magnificence is one of the best things ever to grace the R Cat CD drawer and the air molecules that float directly in front of these speakers!

The album opens with the delicate and inescapably brilliant Canyon Serenade - our introduction to Michael's world complete with beautifully played solo acoustic work accompanied in just the right places by piano and tabla styled percussion. There isn't anything remotely un-engaging in this piece and the magic is evident in the fact that you just cannot pull your attention away for too long without feeling like you've committed an act of betrayal on your senses!

Joy follows Canyon Serenade and continues to inspire hitherto measures of awe and atmosphere... the kind you'd love to have permanently surrounding anyone who dares pass through your door with the slightest hint of negativity about them. This piece would surely confine that mindset in a heartbeat! It's such a bright, summery, melodic piece with just about every note carefully caressed for the right amount of time and with the right amount of co-ordination that some of the greatest guitar players often take with a pinch of salt. I don't think that happens here... I think Michael knows he's adequately blessed!

Moonlight Sands meanwhile, takes the stage where the guys from the latino appreciation society normally reside and within a few bars, the entire track takes shape to become an accomplishment strewn in every direction with skill and superb stylistics. A beautifully arranged piece worthy of much praise and appreciation. Michael's managed to put personality between the riffs and chords and a very attractive personality it is! Watch out for the lovely piano and acoustic work that surfaces about mid-way through the track!

Love's Way picks up the tempo with some very clever support from the percussion talents of Jon Gosen. The guitar work is whispered and dreamy in places and the approach works exceptionally well. You get the feeling that Michael's guitar is actually as much an extension of his heart and soul as his body is.. whatever way you look at it... Love's Way is a wonderful piece of jazziness with icing!

Uni•Verse (One Song) is one of the most beautiful instrumentals I have heard in a long time. Very ambient and very effective in it's mood enhancing delivery.. excellent guitar work just grabs you at that point where you would rather not be let go for a very long time. Watch out for the equally remarkable piano arrangement that comes in at around the 2.14 mark... lovely!

Cloud Shadows comes to us provoking just about every bright and sparkling memory we've ever had of comfort, contentment, and pure positive creativity all rolled into one. It's difficult for the average composer to achieve that kind of response but for me as a listener, it wasn't difficult at all! Then, we get to (It Feels) Timeless - what a great title for such a timeless piece of music! Again the guitar and percussion work are synchronous to the nth degree.. a superb arrangement with some very fine engineering at the mixer end of the spectrum!

In The Temple is an absolutely brilliant piece of music with guitar, percussion, piano and synth all working so closely together they might as well have been played by an eight armed super musician! There are little hints of blues, contemporary jazz, and little reminiscences of folk here and there... I'll leave it to you to find them before you get to Healer - a rather sad and slightly introspective tune that provokes reflection at a point where you thought you were all out of reflecting! It's a beautifully crafted piece of work is this and it firmly establishes Michael and co as a very accomplished group of musicians who know a thing or two about how much can push the emotions!

Track ten just happens to be Sunlit Mesas - a lovely example of 'borderless' and innovative fingerpicking that's actually prevalent throughout this CD but even more welcome here. The guitar work is so clear and sensibly recorded that you feel like michael is sitting right next to you. I'd love to know what this guitar is... there's barely a hint of poor lutherianship anywhere to be found. (is that the right word Michael??).

Gone For A Walk is so seamlessly bright and optimistic it's hard to stop yourself hitting the rewind buttons as your disbelief would have you do time and time again. Michael Mucklow has composed another work of beauty that has the same effect on your audio senses that some of the greatest finger-picked guitar tunes ever composed do.. brilliant!

The final track on this wonderful album is the anthemic Vibrant Aire. What a rather magnificently innovative piece of music this is.. meandering guitar riffs and phrases, attention holding percussion and some very fine engineering make this track stand out like a rose among fuchsias... it's a cleverly arranged piece of music that has more depth and colour than your average Renaissance painting! Very nice music boys!

Michael Mucklow's 'Clearly' is a monumental collection of guitar-focused classics that have the power to lift your spirit and your mood while subtly massaging just about every sense of well being you ever thought you possessed! Buy this album if you like clever guitar playing and stunning production all set with a contemporary edge. Bless you Michael for bringing this one into the world!

I had never heard of a genre called New Age Fingerstyle so when Michael Mucklow sent me his music I was instantly interested. I was about 3 songs in when it dawned on me that there were no lyrics to this music, I was busy chilling out with the absolutely breathtaking guitar work. The guitar sang to you like a it had it's own voice, soft at times yet powerful enough to bring out the goose bumps down your spine. This is mood music to the max!

Refreshing and positive with a slight hint of spanish twang, this music kept my interest with 12 wonderful tracks that were diverse from one another. Something about this music kept giving me goose bumps, hard to explain I think it might have been the soft yet powerful way the guitar was worked. The production of this music was very clear and crisp and easy to listen to but you might find yourself being visited by the goose fairy.

I would recommend this music to everyone that wants to take a break and enjoy your life from a different soundtrack.

A fingerstyle guitarist that isn't afraid to be an adventurer, Mucklow let's his influences lead the way as he shapes and shifts them along the way. With a pair of like minded pals, this introspective, ambient and easy disc is a sonic oasis for those looking for a way to get away from it all. An interesting player with a bright future.

Following years of playing hard rock and heavy metal, guitarist Michael Mucklow returned in 2006 with an album that's relaxing, calming and peaceful... even healing. Mucklow adds, "Those styles really opened me to playing with passion and intensity, and I later learned the same can be applied to all forms of music - even very soothing music." With an affinity for Acoustic Alchemy, William Ackerman, Alex De Grassi, and Michael Hedges, Mucklow follows suit with an album bound to be of interest to fans of those New Age favorites. Also featuring support from Jon Gosen, (piano, synth, percussion) Clearly is ethereal fingerstyle acoustic guitar music at it's finest.

Michael Mucklow is an adventurer. His Music speaks volumes for his daring as he has gone about his quest for the unusual settings for solo finger style guitar. Michael is joined by Jon Gosen (Piano, Synth & percussion) and Eric Banas (Piano).

The music on Clearly springs several surprises, but it also has a state of grace in its calmer moments. The members share ideas, interpoling them and then taking them out into articulately giddy terrain.

The musician’s ideas are constantly fertile. Canyon Serenade has a nice early morning sunrise feel. It would be a great track to encourage you to get out of bed on a cold winters day. The guitar is backed by gentle percussion and sparse piano notes.

Moonlight Sands has a more latin jazz feel in which the percussion works really well. It has a downbeat/sinister verse section. There is a slow catchy piano solo towards the end of the track.

Surprise is another driving force, as the album changes pace and direction. After the gentle (It Feels) Timeless, the atmosphere turns to a churning one on In The Temple. A dark sustained electric blues lick opens the track, backed by a somber sounding piano. The most passionate moment comes when the blue licks loop into the track towards the end.

This is the first time I have heard finger style guitar, and am proud to have reviewed this album. In short, the music is not only well crafted, but crafty and it is all delightful.

Mucklow is an ambient musician whose specialty is guitars. He layers ethereal sonic textures over his meditative guitar picking which is done finger style to give it a more natural and warmth tone. The backdrop is laid to bed with alluring soundscapes that intend to calm and succeed very nicely. In fact you can’t help but be relaxed when listening to “Clearly”. Michael Mucklow is a clever songwriter whose natural instincts breathe through the guitar and into your eardrum.

Michael Mucklow's album is like a gentle breeze in the warm spring, a surprisingly fresh and laid back acoustic guitar album which is unpretentious and relaxing in its optimism. You can't help but feel good after listening to this one. That's not to say that it is overly happy or forced, as it has an honest joy to it (and wouldn't you know that there's actually a song called Joy on it) which meanders throughout each and every track.

The album centers around Mucklow and his guitar, with accompanying piano and percussion tagging along for the ride, providing a nice embellishment for the guitar centerpiece. The simplicity and the positvite attitude make a wonderful combination, and the result is a highly memorable album.

MISH MASH Mandate: Joyful Noise

...and it holds up really well to repeated listening -- I've been listening to it repeatedly while driving for over a week now and it's playing right now as I type this. I haven't tired of hearing it a bit, but rather find myself enjoying it even more with repeated hearings -- it just plain feels good. While this original and interesting music rewards concentrated listening, it's also able to blend easily and unobtrusively into the background.

Nice, rich acoustic tones. Beautiful and uplifting music to have floating around in your house. Good for reading on a sunny Sunday with only your cats for company. Good for baking cinnamon apples to. Top with fresh cream. Has a freshness to it, immaculate, clean production, clearly. Would love to see this artist really streeeeetch. Dig deeper. Ask what if...? Glad to own this, look forward to hearing future projects that break a few rules. Lovely...but, what if????