Falling down in the Rabbit hole is easy and the feeling you get when listening and watching Michael Clark and Into Down perform. With his channeling of Stoner-rock, Surf-rock, Prog-rock, Blues and the Psychedelic 60’s mixed with all his musical and poetic influences you can only imagine the experience that you will take on this journey into the deep trance that is intodown.

“There are times when playing music opens the door to another dimension, to another world. It’s a world of sonic ecstasy. No rules. No judgments. Just existing in the flow of a great, powerful energy. A trance state of sorts. Free. The state I call ‘down’. My goal is to find my way into down and to hold the door open for those who wish to enter.” A perfect description of Clark’s emotional and powerful expression of what he calls music. Music full of mystery.

Watching Clark play you soon realize that he is not playing like any other guitarist or musician. He is playing with an energy that is coming from another place. A state of non-being or a trance state of sorts where you step outside yourself and into another world or dimension. Something that is lost among many artists today. His listeners have said that “the music takes them on a trip, transports them somewhere, sort of opens them up.” Just the impact that his influences have been trying to do for years.

Set lists are thrown out the door when it comes to his shows. It is a very creative and powerful experience. The opening act, if there is one, could be a very strange poet, some sort of electric magician, or maybe a very large puppet explaining philosophy. His performance is usually lit by candles and an alter with a dull red spot shinning on the area where Clark stands. The alter is there to bring energy of truth, organic, realness and earth to the show and to him. There will also be a large screen that some members of the band will actually be animated characters. These characters will sing and talk and even emerge in real form on stage. The show is a psychedelic experience; it’s stepping outside the normal rock show format. The audience can get in on the action as well. With microphones set up around the floor the audience can step up to them and express themselves and contribute to the music. It’s not really a rock show but more like a musical experience with Clark playing what is coming through him as he give control over to something else. He tells a story that has been given to him at the moment. You never know what sound or expression will come out of his guitar, show and music. For one to fully understand who Mike Clark is, as a person, musician, magical man, all they would need to do is put his record on.