The Space Mice

Aurora, IL USA

February 21, 2004

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The improvisational ensemble The Space Mice began as the collision of two completely different ideas:

 Rob "Producer of Mice" Veith's little brother used to draw cartoons of an anthropomorphic cat in a silver jumpsuit with a laser pistol which he called "Space Cat." Rob, as a child, began to draw a complimentary character, a Space Mouse. By junior high, this space mouse had been renamed Zace and a number of companions had been added to his crew. By high school, an in-depth backstory had been created that The Space Mice were test-tube grown creatures designed to be the ultimate weapons in the galaxy. But they weren't into it, so they escaped the lab and formed a punk rock band. The concept was kind of A-team in space with anthropomorphic rodents and punk rock. But drawing music is really tough, so the project got shelved for 20 years. 

 In college, Rob became heavily involved in a wide variety of music. He began to mix genres and create new things. One experiment involved mixing jazz and electronic music. This doesn't sound all that innovative now, but in the late 80's, it managed to alienate both his jazz friends and his pop friends. As with The Space Mice, the idea wound up on the back burner. 

 Rob has continued to record and perform with a variety of ensembles (his acoustic rock duo Misses and Mystery can be found at soundclick.com/missesandmystery). In the nineties, he discovered that, not only had a merger of jazz and electronica become an acceptable style, but it was one of the more popular downloads on MP3.com. He dug out some of his old compositions and, initially in a cynical move towards more airplay, but later out of a love for this type of music, arranged dozens of new songs. A band was recruited, some friends, some merely code, to bring the songs to disc. The band was named after and given the backstory of the comic book, with the idea that now the original Space Mice had grown up and their sound had changed. 


Since 2001, The Space Mice have independently released 11 full-length albums (and one compilation/sampler). With SoundClick's new store program, these albums are available for the first time in one place. Space Mice music provides the ideal soundtrack for hip businesses, such as coffee houses; it is also recommended by top researchers for improving memory and mental clarity for studying students. 

 The Mices debut revealed them as thoroughly modern jazz players with deep roots. Cheese Jazz filtered blues, funk, new age, and even disco grooves through the quintets sound. Each song was named after a different type of cheese.  In some ways, picking up where Cheese Jazz left off, this seven song set dipped deep into jazz territory, paying homage to the great improvisers of the sixtiesSun Ra, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and otherswith songs named after famous palindromes. Picking up the implied direction of Cheese Jazz and winding up in an entirely different place than Cimé Caps, the Mice interpreted vintage electronicahouse, disco, dub, and technothrough their signature quintet sound for a high-energy set.  Taking House Mice one step further, this 2003 set of five extended ambient pieces that recall the best of Kraftwork, DJ Spooky, and Brian Eno, while being uniquely Space Mice. The ambient textures allow extended improvisational sections using a variety of electronic instruments.  In some ways their most groundbreaking work, while in others their most traditional, the 2003 release of For Lovers saw the group limiting themselves to the 32-bar chorus and acoustic live ensemble format of traditional jazz for a rich, mellow sound.   A sampler CD containing songs from the previous Space Mice releases at a bargain price.   Subtitled "odds and ends by The Space Mice," The Best Laid Plans includes a few new songs and a few songs composed for the other albums which, for one reason or another, didn't make it to the final release. "Aha!" and "Ha" were composed for Cimé Caps, but were removed to keep the album a CD length. "The Best Laid Plans" was considered too "rocking" for Jambient.    This 2007 Mice album is inspired by soundtrack music and features the usual mix of electronica and jazz which is unique to the Space Mice sound.   A collection of songs composed over the last two years, featuring homages to some of the Space Mice's favorite performers.    2009-10 were stressful years. The Mice composed this suite of nine sparse, relaxing compositions to help them sleep and have pleasant dreams.

Your musical influences

The Mice like all kinds of experimental music. They consider Sun Ra and The Electric Mayhem kindred spirits and also site Brian Eno, DJ Spooky, and Kenny G as big influences.

What equipment do you use?

Custom built (rodent-sized) Ibanez MIDI guitar, breath controler, a bunch of old synths (a Kawai, a Korg, and two Rolands), some drum machines, Logic, Band In A Box, Reason

#jazz #free #fusion #acid #electricMayhem

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