Cerebral Revolver
1993
Lover
1994
The Dead Air Sound System
1995
by request
Mousetrap was formed in May 1988 in Omaha, Nebraska by Guitarist Patrick
Buchanan, Bassist Craig Crawford and Drummer Scott Miller. All three
were graduates of Ralston High school in southwest Omaha. Mousetrap’s
early work from 1988 to 1989 was somewhat jazzy and poppy, but was not
very mature. The band recorded some material from this period but almost
no copies survive. In 1989, Mousetrap disbanded to pursue other
projects. In late 1990, Mousetrap reformed following an impromptu
performance at the Antiquarium record store. With the help of record
store owner David Sink, Mousetrap released their first single, Superkool
B/W Fubar, and their second, Wired/ Train on Dave’s One Hour Records
label. The later single led to a deal with Grass Records under the Dutch
East India imprint. The later version of the band had a much more
aggressive sound, reinforced by Buchanan’s wall of guitar sound, his
brutal lyrics and Crawford and Miller’s driving rhythm. In 1993
Mousetrap released their first full length album, Cerebral Revolver, and
in 1994 their second, Lover. The band toured extensively behind both
albums, and was noted for their intense live show. Drummer Scott Miller
left the band after their 1994 summer tour. Duncan Black replaced Scott
and appeared ..trap’s last album for Grass, 1995’s The Dead Air Sound
System. In 1995, the band decided to relocate to Chicago, IL, this time
with drummer Michael Hogan. Mousetrap recorded an unreleased
(officially) EP, and continued to tour until disbanding in mid 1998.
Live Review: Mousetrap Reunion – Dec. 24, 2009
"Finally, Mousetrap.
Last night's set at The Waiting Room might be the most cohesive set
that they've ever played. Certainly it was their longest. What's the old
saying -- you always sound best at the CD release shows, the farewell
show and the reunion show.
For me, the most amazing part: Some of their music is nearly 20
years old but it's as good, or better than, what we're getting now from
bands out there that are just getting started. It held up well. And at
times during the set, it was like hearing some of those songs again for
the first time.
There was always something subversive or obscene about Mousetrap.
They were indeed an underground band in their short-lived heyday. You
needed to know someone who knew them to know them, or you had to shop at
The Antiquarium. You weren't going to find them on your own, that's for
sure. And once you did find them, it was going to take awhile to figure
out what they were about.
A band could be subversive back then; it could be "underground."
That's simply not possible anymore, especially if you're any good. And
Mousetrap was good. Dave Sink knew it, Grass Records knew it, John Peel
knew it, a lot of kids that would become central to the Omaha music
scene and Saddle Creek Records knew it. In the end, it didn't matter.
Their music was too "out there," too abrasive, too disturbing for a
larger audience to appreciate.
Time has blunted the illicit nature of Mousetrap. In an era where
nothing is shocking, their music also no longer has the ability to
shock. And that changes everything. Instead of disturbing, Mousetrap's
music merely sounds like loud, fast, hard, distorted, and perfectly
stylized post-punk, which I've always thought they were trying to be
anyway. They just wanted to be a rock band, and now they are. What was
once unrecognizable is now pop. Which is an overblown way of saying
their music may be more relevant now than it ever was back in the '90s.
Especially considering the lack of good, heavy music these days.
The setting couldn't be more perfect. The Wagon Blasters --
ex-Frontier Trust, another band from the era -- opened. They were
followed by Beep Beep, a band clearly influenced by Mousetrap. And then
another band who -- along with Frontier Trust -- often shared the bill
with Mousetrap in the '90s: the reunited Mercy Rule, bigger and badder
than ever. I caught the full Mercy Rule set and it was as if they never
stopped playing all those years ago. They rolled out a couple new songs,
one of which is probably harder and faster than anything they've ever
done before (and which I can't wait to hear recorded).
It all led up to Mousetrap. Yeah, Buchanan and Crawford looked older
than the last time they took the stage together, but no worse for wear
(see live photo). In fact, Buchanan looked the part of the rock star --
Big City Hair, as one guy put it. He had the look and the style. But
most of all, still he had the chops -- his voice, his guitar, sounded
pristine. And then there was Crawford's amazing bass playing -- an
aerobic workout -- and his voice also never sounded better. Time has
been kind to these guys. New drummer Mike Mazzola did what he needed to
do to hold it all together.
Together, the band sounded more rock than punk, or at least more
rock than I remembered them sounding. The highlights were my favorites
from the past -- "Superkool," "Mariko," "I Know Where You Live,"
"Wired." There were a couple missing from the bunch, chief among them
"Have Fun in Hell" and the El Fino Imperials classic "Step Off." But
hey, you can't have everything.
The set list from last night (via the set list found on stage):
Signal To Noise
Mariko
Flamer
Ribbed
I Know Where You Live
The Coathanger Kid
People Who Disappear
Wired
Sweet Dreams Baby
Superkool
(Encore)
The Last Dance
Give it
The only thing that sounded different other than the drums was the
way the band seemed to stretch out the endings of a couple songs -- to
their betterment. Overall, Mousetrap sounded, well, groovier, less
static, certainly less angry. Looking at them smiling on stage, it's
hard to remember Buchanan's terse, pained scowl and volcanic spitting
from the old days. They were having a good time. I think they may have
been surprised by the size of the crowd, commenting that it was the
biggest show they every played. It wouldn't have been a Mousetrap show
without some sort of technical difficulty -- a broken string, a blown
amp. So in keeping with their history, Crawford's bass cut out at the
end of "Superkool." He fiddled with plugs and switches and finally got
it going again before the song ended. Perfection.
So what next? I asked both Crawford and Buchanan after the show, and
neither could say. Crawford said they've talked about working together
on another project. After all, they only live about five hours away from
each other. Whatever happens, Craig said he plans on continuing
playing. It would be a shame if he didn't. Buchanan always kept playing
after Mousetrap ended and I have no doubt that he'll continue to do so
with our without Crawford, but wouldn't it be cool if they kept it
together? I'd love it if a label like Team Love would either reissue a
Mousetrap album or create a "best of" collection that pulls together
songs from the various singles and albums. And then the band hooked up
with one of Omaha's bigger players for a three-week tour. And then, who
knows. Wishful thinking on my part, but I guess it's the right time of
year for that sort of thing."
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