There's a reason why there's a picture of a guitar in flames on the cover of this CD.

Em K, aka Michael Klapholz, plays so fast and hard that it's like his hands are on fire on this 11 track CD of "extreme solo acoustic guitar" work. He's the guitar equivalent of the X Games.

This isn't the kind of record you put on when you want some nice soft acoustic guitar as background music. Klapholz, once lead guitarist for the '70s Marin rock band Chumbi, wants you to sit up and take notice to his distinctive fusion of classical and rock guitar techniques.

You can hear his fingernails and pick tearing at the steel strings of his acoustic guitars on barn burners like Rossini's "The William Tell Overture" and Mozart's "Rondo alla

Turka."

He brings his classical style to rock numbers like Page/Plant's "Going to California" to often stunning effect.

But when he takes on Freddy Mercury's "Bohemian Rhapsody," he's competing with guitarists like Edgar Cruz, which is never a good idea. And I wish he had laid off Mason Williams' 1988 masterpiece "Classical Gas" because no one can touch the all-too-familiar original.

Still, the mastery he displays on the opening "Sunburst" by Andrew York, another showpiece for acoustic guitarists, is captivating. He appropriately tones it down on Barrios' gorgeous "La Catedral." And he more than does justice to Pieza de Fernando Sor's "Opus 35 Estudio," yet another acoustic guitar chestnut.

The most striking

track may be his take no prisoners rendition of Steven Tyler's "Dream On," a piece that lends itself to Klapholz's style and shows real sensitivity and masterful command of dynamics.

By playing with steel strings while other solo acoustic guitarists stick to the traditional soft nylon, Em K sets himself apart. There may be no one else quite like him.

Buy It: "Extreme Solo Acoustic Guitar," Em K, independent, $14.99 www.xtracousticguitar.com

- Paul Liberatore

Tell us about your band! If you're a musician or band from Marin or Sonoma with a recording that readers can buy or download, send your CD and contact information (if you have an upcoming gig, let us know that, too) to Press Play, P.O. Box 6150, Novato 94948-6150.