Mice Take The Elevator

Mice Take The Elevator this week are re-releasing a country style album - 19th January 2012

This is not because they plan to go country style (although lots of Rock and R&B music shares the same roots as country music) but because lots of friends of the band have enquired about an album Max and Lyndon made in 1998 named “CLOSE TO THE WIND”.  This was intended to be “new country” or “alternative country” and contains lots of excellent songs from the duo and some beautiful guitar playing and singing by the guys. So the album will appear on this website very shortly with the intention of illustrating the wide scope of these artistes and giving people an opportunity to enjoy the songs once more.

Thank You MARK URSELLI - 19th January 2012

Mice Take The Elevator were recently generously offered assistance with their recordings by three times Grammy Winner, New York based MARK URSELLI. Mark replied to Max online after Max had approached him to comment upon the bands recording skills. Mark kindly offered to produce the band next tracks if they could get to New York and afford the famous East Side Studios where he works. Sadly the band could not afford this but were incredibly pleased that Mark appeared to think them worthy of his time.
“We felt  a real boost to our confidence that someone like Mark, who has produced so many famous artists, such as Sting, Mick Hucknall, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, should think us worthy of his time” says Max ; “Whenever we have the dosh we plan to go back to him and say okay Sir, lets rock together”.

Mark and Max have a slightly usual link, they are both of Swiss parentage. Mark Urselli was born in Switzerland ; Max’s grandfather was Swiss from Berne and Max’ss father had to chang his surname from Gutersohn to Wilson during the 1939-45 War because he was in the British Army fighting the Nazi’s.

Ali Joins Up - 19th January 2012

18 year old Ali Strong from Belmont , Hereford has joined Mice Take The Elevator as their new drummer. Ali is expected to work with the band upon their next album, now being written and recorded in their studios near Ross-on-Wye, until next September when he hopes to gain a place at a Birmingham University to read Music.

Ali`s reaction to the veteran bluesy rockers seems to be positive. He say he likes the music and Max Wilson`s composing and is impressed by Lyndon Robbin`s playing skills. Which he should be! Lyndon is a fantastic player as listeners on this website and purchasers of the bands mp3 tracks already know!

Max and Lyndon are pleased with Ali. “We`ve had some good drummers through here. But I think Ali is going to be the best yet” says Lyndon.

Our pictures show Ali, he`s the hansome one, working with Lyndon on a new song named “Lovin` Every Time”.

DAD ROCK! - 13th October 2011

Lyndon and Max are mystified why people might call them exponents of  “Dad Rock”. Max says “Yeah, our music is made to-day. But it does harken back to the sixties and seventies because that is the sort of Rock and R&B we have always liked. It had big tunes and the back beats were fantastic.

Lyndon and Max are Dad’s though, with three boys and a girl between them and Lyndon is a Grandad with two grandchildren.

Max and Lyndon are sad at the death of Jerry Lieber - 3rd September 2011

Jerry Lieber, one half of Lieber and Stoller, the amazing 1950`s and 1960`s hit song writing team, died at the end of August this year.
Very few folk, even millenium teens have not heard their songs on TV nd Radio. Elvis Presleys early hit “Hound Dog” was written by them and lots of R&B hits such as “Poison Ivy” , “Kansas City”, “Love Potion No 9″.

Max says he’d recommend anyone who loves this music to go out and buy a greatest hits album by THE COASTERS, because Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller wrote all their wonderful records, “Searchin”, Yaketty Yak”, “Charlie Brown”, “Little Egypt” etc etc and they could enjoy some of the best work of this famous team plus the wonderful Coasters group. Try HMV records .

Lyndon says ” I often see in Max’s own songwriting influences by composers like Jerry Lieber. It`s natural when you grew up with their work all around you”

Everton Fans - 4th August 2011

MAX WILSON, and the designer of this website, CHRIS LAING, are lifetime Everton fans. They are getting ready with hope in their hearts for the start of the season next week.

Max recalls how it happened for him-

“First my Uncle had John Moores, a director of the club years ago, as his main client, and once took me and my father to Goodison  Park, where we sat in a big posh box. Then when I was 17, my best friends mum, Mrs Wharton in Lower Bebington, used to be visited by Dixie Dean , by then retired . They were doing charity work together for the Catholic church. I think it was something to do with fund raising for an Orphanage. I has several awe struck chats with Dixie , who I remember as a kind and friendly
man. He was very proud to have been with Everton. So, in those circumstances, how could one avoid becoming a Blue? ”

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester Nomination - 1st August 2011

Last year MICE TAKE THE ELEVATOR were nominated by BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester as follows:

Glastonbury Nominations:

Dr Mojito — Dementist
Mice Take The Elevator — Typhoon
Ellie Lonsdale — Breaking

TYPHOON was the opening track on the bands first album and may be heard on  GOTTA START SOMEWHERE here on this website.

The band hope to play at the next GLASTONBURY in their own right and have sent their two albums to the organisers with a request to be given a spot.

The songwriters MUSE - 24th June 2011

On the wall of the “live room” in their little recording studio near Ross-on-Wye are pictures of the famous glamour model
VIVIEN NEVES. All the guys love her pictures. Max, who met her several times in the early 1970`s, and who was very sad like lots of others when she died of MS in 2002, has written many of his songs to her pictures. “She’s my muse” he claims. “She was a gorgeous, friendly, bubbly, kind person ; everyones dream girl friend” he says .”  She liked rock music and was friends with lots of musicians
including Gary Newman” . Viv was in fact the girlfriend and later, wife, of photographer JOHN KELLY, who was best mates with Dick Edwards, a good friend of Max and his wife Lizzie, in the early 1970,s” . The band think so highly of VIV that they have sought
permission from THE SUN to use photos of VIV in a future music video. THE SUN has generously agreed.

PHOTOS by John Kelly. Copyright The Sun Newspaper. Reproduced by kind permission.

NICOLE POWERS - 5th May 2011

It seems the band may be gaining friends in high places!

NICOLE POWERS, a British entertainer who lives in L.A, California digs the band and has insisted upon having MTTE as friends on MySpace. Sadly some people just do this just to spread their own name, bu tas Nicole is a good looking girl, the boys are prepared to give her the old benefit of the doubt!

Lydon Sings - 1st May 2011

60 year old Lyndon Robbins takes vocal lead on the new Mice TTE song “Don’t Go Talking To Strangers” which may now be heard on the fifth floor, where the 2011 album is collecting before release.

The song is written by Max Wilson as usual and is a storming Latin number with wonderful guitar work from Lyndon and Max.

The song will be débuted excursively on Radio Sunshine, Midlands, shortly