Biography
In 2008 Israeli mixing and mastering specialist Udi Koomran urged Swiss multi-instrumentalist Cédric Vuille, whose work blends folk and avant-prog, to catch a Geneva concert by Colorado experimental rock band Thinking Plague so he could encounter the group’s bassist Dave Willey and singer Elaine di Falco. Koomran recognized that Vuille, Willey, and di Falco shared an exploratory outlook and a willingness to embrace any musical idea, yet each maintained a connection with listeners through melodic, rhythmic, and often lighthearted material in their separate endeavors—most notably Vuille with L’Ensemble Rayé and Willey with Hamster Theatre—enriched by occasional darker atmospheres, atonal passages, unexpected sonic touches, and unconventional instruments, all supported by the precise technique required to execute such visions. Koomran offered to assist if the three decided to collaborate. Intrigued, Vuille met Willey and di Falco at the Thinking Plague show, and the transatlantic trio 3 Mice began to form. Once back in Colorado, Willey and di Falco performed as a duo while exchanging audio files with Vuille overseas; together the three assembled a recording that incorporated virtually every instrument within reach, always respecting the established Rayé/Hamster aesthetic—cuatro, guitar, accordion, bass, piano, ukulele, nose flute, surdo, vibraphone, kalimba, zither, theremin, qarkabeb, banjolele, spoons, rhythm box, flute, Jew’s harp, mailing tubes, and a wide array of additional percussion. L’Ensemble Rayé drummer Daniel Spahni and Hamster Theatre percussionist Raoul Rossiter also participated, while Koomran handled mixing and mastering and contributed his own handclaps and shaker parts. The resulting 3 Mice album Send Me a Postcard appeared at the turn of 2012 and, for admirers of the participants, justified the extended wait.
Albums