Album Notes

Elvis Has Left the Building was born at the Backstage Bar in Pocatello, Idaho on Wednesday, March 6, 1996. Despite their 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 Bill Chalmers and, whenever he can arrange to be in the same time zone, Richard Inouye.

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

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 and was exported to Texas and Utah for several years before wising up and returning to Idaho for good. Chalmers was born in Canada and, after living in England and Mexico, moved to Idaho in 2005. He currently works at Idaho State University while pursuing a PhD in English Literature. Inouye, raised near Philadelphia, 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’ 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.