ANNOUNCING THE NEW ALBUM
By MICHAEL McCLURE
"The Complete Wrx of the Shlarb Trilogy" is an album of 10 melodically-minded, guitar-forward rock instrumentals drawn from guitarist Michael McClure’s trio of EPs, the Shlarb Trilogy. Michael’s hectic but slyly wry compositions speak to fast cars, sleek bikes, supersonic jets, zooming rocket ships, and bad motor scooters. These 10 energetic musical adventures hark back to the Zeppelin sound of the ‘70s, when drums were big, but guitars were bigger. The production here is all modern 21st-century: best played LOUD.
Throughout 2022 and 2023, a serious amount of work by Michael and a small cohort of contributors from around the globe skillfully forged his unique musical sketches into this collection of intense instrumental tracks. But this stuff is not as serious as all that effort might imply. Titles like Your Very Own Wax Hand, Hey, look over here! I’m naked! and I Value Your Onion speak to Michael’s Zappa-esque approach to creating his meticulous compositions. In the end, these tracks surprise and excite from start to finish: from the clobbering Bonham-tinged drums that set in motion the opening hard rocker, Shlarb the Dode, to the last ringing ping of triangle heard on the mesmerizing closer, In Better Times, you will hear badass guitar-led compositions issuing forth from your speakers. Turn it up!
Michael McClure started playing guitar in 1973, when he was 14 years old. That officially makes him a member of Fender’s 1 in 100 Club; of every 100 people who pick up guitar, just 1 is still playing 50 years later. From the beginning of his nearly lifelong affair with (lefty!) guitars, Michael’s musical interests have centered on prog, fusion, and rock, and he admires so many players in those genres. Those virtuosos have always repeated this simple mantra to him: “Don’t be like us! Be your own player!” That revelation took hold early on and helped Michael craft his own unique voice, as you will hear from any needle drop on The Complete Wrx of the Shlarb Trilogy.
But musical influences do run deep. You certainly hear Page, Beck, Trower, Montrose, and other classic rockers in Michael’s playing, but also lines reminiscent of the Four Steves of Prog (and Rock!): Howe, Hackett, Wilson, and Vai. There’s also a few dextrous Satch-styled runs, skillful snippets of timeless Wishbone Ash or Allman Brothers harmonies, and unusual melodies, riffs, and motifs that could have been tracked by more esoteric players like Terje Rypdal, Robert Fripp, Vini Reilly, or Mark Speer—all fantastic musicians that helped Michael find his own style.
HEAR MICHAEL’S WRX
“The Complete Wrx of the Shlarb Trilogy,” available on…
…And Other Releases
Michael has released several albums available, including the slack-key-influenced surf film Liquid Thunder Soundtrack accompanied by the incomparable slide guitar virtuoso Greg Leisz; two keyboard-centric ambient albums (guitars play a heavy part in them, of course), 13 Moons (PART 1) and 13 Moons (PART 2); and an 8-song album of prog rock, chill, and ambient tracks, Twist of 8.
MICHAEL’S LINKS
Michael’s Bio Link tree: michaelmcclure.bio.link
Photo credit: Andy Greenwell
Photo credit: Chris Scarlett