If you have heard any of the progressive rock albums released in the last 25 years, chances are there are several of them that were engineered or mixed by Rich Mouser. He has several hundred credits to his name including Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, Neal Morse Band, District 97, Magic Pie, Flying Colors, Tears for Fears, Pattern Seeking Animals, Liquid Tension Experiment, Moon Safari, and Lobate Scarp. His latest mixes include “No Hill for a Climber” for Neal Morse & The Resonance and Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ “Impostor!”.

Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles wildfires decimated Rich’s Mouse House Studio. Not only was it his studio but, with his wife Bouchra, they remodeled it over the last couple years to make it their home, as well. Fortunately, the couple was able to evacuate themselves in time, but most of their belongings, including a vast collection of vintage musical equipment (some aged over 60 years) and containing the studio’s centerpiece of a rare 56-input Calrec UA8000 mixing console, were taken in the Eaton fire, located in Altadena, California.

Ask anyone who has recorded there and they will tell you it was a magical place. 

Rich’s daughter Nicole has started a GoFundMe page to help him with the costs of replacing some of his instruments and supplement the cost of the sound equipment that was destroyed. She said this in a recent post on Facebook:

“To say we are broken by this loss would be an understatement; It’s honestly surreal. Losing a home is devastating, so losing your life’s work as well is insurmountable… Dad has a wonderful fascination with music that has consumed him since he was 15 years old, and it’s with that dedication he created The Mouse House Studios. Over the decades he has channeled his passion for making music towards helping, and collaborating with musicians to achieve their artistic vision. The heart that was in this place was palpable; so many talented people stepped-foot through the doors; so much creativity…This place was not just for making music, but a place for friends and family. Birthdays, graduation celebrations, family get to together’s and holiday’s. I can not stress enough how much hard work was put into this place; year by year, the house and studio blossomed – it’s honestly hard to grasp it’s gone…The outpouring of love that has reached my dad is overwhelming. It’s amazing how you can go through tragedy, and still experience the beauty of life at the same time; the beauty of love and friendship. If you are in the position to do so, please donate what you can. Every bit helps. If you can’t, at your convenience please share this fundraiser around.”

The Prog community has already showed so much support with Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy ,among some of Prog’s biggest names, taking time to help get the word out.

My personal connection with Rich started when I was looking for someone to mix Lobate Scarp’s debut album in 2012. Being a huge fan of Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic, I was well acquainted with his phenomenal mixes. In a million years did I never thought he’d agree to work on “Time and Space”, (I was a nobody and a recent transplant to California) but we met, hit it off, and he loved the project.  Since then, I must have spent over 3000 hours at The Mouse House, much of it creating our most recent album, “You Have It All”, which Rich co-produced, mixed, mastered, and played several additional instruments.  The finished album became my proudest accomplishment, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Rich. We spoke the same musical language. Rich and his wonderful wife Bouchra always welcomed me and my musical cohorts with open arms and open hearts and many times Bouchra would welcome us with delicious omelettes when we arrived for morning sessions.   We were getting ready to go back into the studio to record our next album there, but obviously that will have to be postponed because not only is the studio gone, I can’t picture working on this with anyone but Rich. Hopefully, with help from the Prog community, Rich and Bouchra can build another studio/ home, and we can all start making music again soon.

Thanks to the generosity of Prog fans and musicians all over the world, Nicole’s Gofundme is more than halfway to its $75K goal. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-dad-rebuild-his-musical-legacy

Rich, in good spirits, posted last week before heading to the UK for MorseFest: “Thank you all for the tremendous support and love through these uncertain times. It’s like Big Hugs from all over the world!!” https://www.facebook.com/rich.mouser/videos/1795775040827089/?ref=embed_video

So many amazing memories were made at The Mouse House and while we are grateful that Rich and Bouchra and their families are safe, we are looking forward to making even more in the Mouse House 2.0.