“Mucklo,” is the lone-wolf project of Michael J. Hall. With influences such as Elliott Smith, Alain Johannes, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Mucklo’s songs span a few genres from Chillwave and Lofi, to Psych Rock and Acoustic gems.
Michael started writing compositions at the age of eleven in his first band, Vertical Circle. In High School, Michael played many punk rock shows as the guitarist and vocalist for a progressive, genre-clashing four piece psych rock band called, Split Lips and Lemons. It was during his time in this band that he began to really experiment with writing and arranging.
After Split Lips and Lemons, Michael started to write more solely. Eventually he set up camp in Lafayette, IN. Michael then began meeting a lot of phenomenal local musicians and commenced to playing bass for both an original blues rock band and a Grateful Dead cover band called, “The Down Low Kickers,” and “The Graciously Departed,” (formally known as Band AndDave) respectively.
“Mucklo,” is the continuance of writings and recordings that Michael has been working on and not working on since 2012. Mucklo’s first release, “Personas,” will be out soon. All of Mucklo’s recordings are written, performed, and recorded by Michael J. Hall.
In this interview, we chat with Mucklo about influences, his new project, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and streams below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Time I think. Specifically, a sort of accumulation of past projects and songs that seem to have steered me in a direction, but it cycles quickly.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I’ve never released my own project, but i can remember being in my first band when I was 13. We had a purevolume and a myspace, but I guess that was the start. It consisted mostly of instrumentals and we were heavily inspired by Rush.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
My playing is influenced a lot by jamming with friends and other musicians. The writing comes from somewhere else. It usually just stems from one line.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Well i had a couple options as far as what I wanted to put out first, but I thought I’d just stick with what was more relevant to me.
What was the last song you listened to?
The Night Watch – King Crimson
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl. Its big, round, and magical.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Bandcamp is kind of interesting. Its easier to hang around on bands page for a while.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
The hardest part for me is making time to sit at the computer and work on social sites. I’m terribly unorganized when it comes to E-mailing and that sort of thing.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
I go out and play acoustic sometimes. I’ve also got some friends backing me up for electric sets as well, but we’re in the middle of writing and properly dialing in on our sound..
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
www.mucklofi.com as well as mucklofi.bandcamp.com
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Yes! Huge shout out to my family, friends, Effective Immediately, and Middle Tennessee. Thanks!
