m o u s e t r a p r e p l i c a is the solo project of composer/performer Ryan McRobb, who performs on guitar, laptop, synth guitar, electonics and mandolin. The performances take the format of a solo concert, using the conservatory trained McRobb's unique usage of the electric guitar, which through electronics manages to encompass the richness, power and vitality of an orchestra.

Ryan draws inspiration from artists such as Arvo Part, Ligeti, Sigur Ros, Merzbow, Frank Zappa, Boards of Canada, The Necks, Bill Frisell, Colleen, John Zorn, traditional Japanese music to name but a few.

mousetrapreplica performances lead the audience through a maze of entranced joy, stark beauty, brutal barrages, quirky humour, dark subtlety, exquisite ambience; a journey which everybody leaves feeling that little bit better.

Ryan McRobb Bio:
I'm gonna write this in first person from now on. I picked up Dad's ever present Fender acoustic when I was 11, and haven't really put it down since. I played guitar and mandolin in various rock, folk, Irish and experimental bands in Bendigo, before being accepted into the Jazz/Popular course at Monash University in 2001, giving me the long awaited reason to get out of that redneck country town.

During my time at Monash I studied under Stephen Magnusson and James Wilson, who encouraged me to develop my experimental tendencies. I played in various jazz big bands and small ensembles, performing at venues such as Bennetts Lane, Dizzy's(R.I.P.) and Manchester Lane to name a few. Through the tutelage of James Wilson, I have embarked on what is looking like a life long obsession of the music and life of Frank Zappa, with 36 albums owned, and 7 biographies and studies of the man plus numerous personal transcriptions of his works. Expect a Zappa tribute project in the not too distant future......

mousetrapreplica is my main project, and I have just completed a tour as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, playing 10 shows at various venues around Adelaide, from loud smoky pubs to concert halls. I also performed with Tomas Fitzgerald Band and Cue Therapy F on the tour; so I ended up playing 3 sets a night on this tour.

My other current projects include funk/punk/strange/fun band Cheese Excursion, and I often play along side opera/folk singer Oliver Mann, picking on a mandolin.

In the recent past, I performed and recorded with experimental outfit 'of, or pertaining to...' who released the awesome accompanying CD to Justin Ashworths 'fleeting poetry' poetry book, as well as appearing on the electundra 2005 DVD/CD with the visual artist Nella Combe, and played at whatever venue which would have us over our 18 months of existence(Evelyn, Cape Live, Babel, Gertrudes, Good Morning Captain(R.I.P.), Kent St, Bar Open, PBS live to Air, ummmm, and other places that I forget). Checkout our music on Justin's Myspace.
My performance and recording credits also include opera/folk singer Oliver Mann, Ryan McRobb Trio, Egan Sisters band, Karen Heaths 'Maze Project'(on guitar and fishing rod), Bossa/Jazz/classical/flamenco guitar duo 'Vivencias Imaginadas,' and various funk and jazz outfits around Melbourne, as well as composing and recording music for various computer games, musical theatre and short films.

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