Mouse and the Traps

Mouse and the Traps is the name of a relatively prolific garage rock band from Tyler, Texas that released numerous singles (and reportedly one LP) between 1965 and 1969. The leader of the band, nicknamed "Mouse", has vocal stylings that are highly similar to the nasal voice of Bob Dylan; his real name is Ronnie Weiss. Their music was assembled by two European record labels on retrospective albums that were released in 1982 (on Eva Records) and 1997 (on Ace Records/Big Beat Records), the latter being a more comprehensive collection with 7 previously unreleased songs that is still in print. Their recordings are also widely available on numerous compilation albums of garage rock music. Interestingly, two of their best known songs – "A Public Execution" and a cover of "Psychotic Reaction" – are not actually credited to this band but, respectively, to simply Mouse and Positively 13 O'Clock instead. Their tangled history also includes one single that was released anonymously under the name Chris St. John. (The band is, however, unrelated to another 1960's garage rock band, Mouse and the Boys of Jacksonville, Florida). Mouse and the Traps hold the distinction of being the only band to be represented (albeit somewhat anonymously) on both of the early compilation albums of mid-1960's garage rock and psychedelic rock, the original Nuggets and Pebbles LP's.