Album Notes

For a recent review of this CD, click the following link http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A312063


Elvis Has Left The Building was born at the Backstage Bar in Pocatello, Idaho, Wednesday, March 6, 1996. Despite initial (and lingering) reservations regarding each other’s various character flaws, the music works well enough that Angier Wills and Greg Mladenka remain with ELB today. They are joined by Richard Inouye, whenever he can arrange to be in the same time zone as an ELB show, and Bill Chalmers.

ELB’s music consists of original songs written by Wills and Mladenka, who both play guitar and mandolin. Chalmers plays slide guitar and contributes original songs often stolen fairly and squarely from books he has written. Bass guitar responsibilities are shared among them. Inouye has been adding cello to the mix for the last several years.

The band’s members choose to pursue music on their own terms, and all hold full time jobs. Wills is a plastic surgeon from Atlanta by way of Nashville. Mladenka is a water quality scientist who grew up in Pocatello, was exported to Texas and later Utah for several years before wising up and returning to Idaho for good. Chalmers was born in Canada and, having lived in England and Mexico for a time, moved to Idaho in 2005. He currently works at Idaho State University while pursuing a PhD in English Literature. Inouye, raised near Philadelphia, PA, is Professor of Ecology at Idaho State University, and currently serves as a Program Officer for the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA. They are all avid ‘outdoor people’ and passionate about appreciating and preserving our natural resources. Having members from different walks of life gives a well-rounded perspective to the group that is reflected in their musical styles and songwriting.

An Elvis Has Left The Building show is a distinct musical performance, connecting with a wide variety of audiences. ELB’s music is insightful, acoustic, and difficult to classify. Too powerful and rhythmic to be classified as folk, ELB’s music finds a place in the Acoustic Americana genre somewhere between bluegrass and rock and roll.