Grab your air guitar, because Mike Shouse (Ft. Tony MacAlpine) just dropped a closing track that’ll make you want to drive your car off a cliff—in the best damn way possible. “Upon Looking Back” is the final cut on Shouse’s 2025 instrumental progressive rock album Jaded, released September 5th on Deko Entertainment. And holy hell, this thing is a victory lap with six strings on fire.
First, the man behind the fretboard. Mike Shouse—born September 27th, 1970 in Jackson, KY—is no bedroom noodler. He moved to LA in ’92, hit the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, and spent years writing lessons for chopsfromhell.com and guitar9.com. His last release? Alone on the Sun back in June 2010. That’s fifteen years of silence. But he’s back. And he brought friends. Serious friends.
We’re talking Tony MacAlpine on this very track. That’s a legend, folks. And the whole Jaded album features guest solos from Michael Angelo Batio and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal too. Filling out the band? On drums, Charlie Zeleny (Drumageddon, Jordan Rudess, Terry Bozzio). On bass, James Amelio Pulli (Metal Hall of Fame bassist for Impellitteri). Mixed and mastered by Nashville legend Billy Decker. That’s a murderer’s row of talent.
So what does “Upon Looking Back” sound like? It’s a high-energy conclusion with an “open-road feeling“ that brings a positive end to the musical journey. This is instrumental rock that merges flash and melody—think Joe Satriani but with a modern kick in the teeth. The production is polished but keeps that 90s alt-rock/instrumental rock vibe alive.
This track is the closer. The last ride. The moment you roll down the windows and feel the wind. Mike Shouse and Tony MacAlpine didn’t only come back. They came back swinging. Play “Upon Looking Back” and let those solos burn your house down.