Rising Stars: Meet Brett Mitchell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Mitchell.

Hi Brett, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I remember walking into a store, 11 or maybe 12 years old, to purchase a cassette tape of Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was so afraid to go to the counter because it was marked with a parental advisory sticker, and I was sure they wouldn’t let me buy it. But they did. I had loved the music my parents listened to, songs by Elvis and Sam Cook, and I recall vividly the music my 3 older siblings would play, including Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna. I had a friend who had a drumset in his basement and was very generous, not only to let me beat it up but to give me instruction, as well, as he had taken lessons. I begged my parents for a drumset, and my mother rented one, which I completely trashed that summer, but that’s where it all began. I always knew that would be my life. In 7th grade, I met two guys that loved music like I did, and we formed a band. A few extra players came and went, but we still perform together to this day, though one lives in New York and the other in Grand Rapids. That band evolved through ridiculous names like Disposable Trashcan and Everslacking, eventually becoming the power trio called Gutbucket. I left school in my junior year because I landed my first pro gig as a drummer in a different blues band with much older musicians. That was a huge deal for me because that’s pretty much where I learned the ropes of being a professional musician. I was 17 years old and playing professionally in bars, and then ended up having to complete high school later and enroll in college. Still, with that band and also Gutbucket’s success, I always wanted to write songs of my very own. I was given a cheap acoustic guitar and taught myself how to play it just for that purpose. It wasn’t until I got into my early 20s, when I started writing songs, and I met my manager, Jan Hecht (I call the Janager) that my career started taking off. She heard a few of my originals and bought me a gift certificate to record in a studio that led to my first album. Before and after my first album came out in 2005, I had been playing my originals in some solo shows, and area musicians, one by one, began approaching me to support my music. Eventually, the band Brett Mitchell & the giant GHOST was born. I sang lead from my acoustic guitar with 3 other stellar musicians on electric guitar, bass, and drums. With a few lineup changes over the years and a name change to Brett Mitchell & the Mitchfits, I mostly sing lead from the drums now and have played all over the Midwest, including some pretty cool places like The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ, The Ark in Ann Arbor, The National Underground in NYC and The Bluebird Café in Nashville. I really love Northern Michigan, having moved here about 9 years ago, and so nowadays, most of my entertaining is in my home state. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh gosh, how long do you have? There have been many struggles, not just financial ones but mental and emotional ones, too. I’d say early on the struggle was just trying to book enough gigs to make a living at it. But as time went on, shows increased, and my popularity and name grew bigger. I mean, I still run into struggles; I think for me the biggest struggle is knowing that there is so much talent out there that it’s hard to find your place in it all. That, sometimes, in order to make your voice heard, you have to stand out. We are in the era of social media and online presence, which I’ve never been interested in or really that great at keeping on top of, so sometimes I feel like it’s a struggle to compete. I live without a computer or Wi-Fi, and I reluctantly have a phone. I design my own posters on my phone, and I need to stay in communication for booking, but I really enjoy solitude, as well as gardening and hiking. I lived a whole winter with no propane, and my water shut off. At one point, I woke up to snow on my living room carpet, having made its way through the window, and it hadn’t even melted. I was robbed in NYC after a gig and lost my money, clothes, guitar, and drum hardware. I didn’t have renter’s insurance, and I’ve never done a go fund me or any Kickstarter campaigns, so it took me a while to recover from that. And, of course, like everyone else, the pandemic was a total struggle as I lost almost all income since the brunt comes from my live performances and the venues were closed. I did some Facebook Lives, but I missed the contact with an audience, so it was hard to keep at it. I was pretty depressed. During that time, I was trying to complete my 4th album, For the Most Part, and it was also a struggle for a variety of reasons. That album is completely me, just recording on a TASCAM SD card in my basement, trying to keep my sanity. Then I had some help in the final mix from Ryan Younce of Second Circle Productions, and also, it was my first-time pressing vinyl. I am very proud of that work. My girlfriend, Kat Bodie, is an artist and did the cover art for that album. It is completely all hand-cut paper by her and then photographed. It is amazing. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, honestly, I don’t think I am that much different than anyone else. But I would say that I am musically a little bit more pop-rock than most of what I hear and see around. Maybe one of my most unique qualities is that I am also a singing drummer. So, I go back and forth from playing solo acoustic shows with my guitar to playing with my full rock band behind the drums, and I have been known to play my acoustic guitar or my harmonica while I’m drumming. I would say what I’m most proud of is that I have been making a living performing and playing professionally full-time for 18 years. I am also very proud of the four albums I have recorded within that time, {Stereo} 2005, Small House 2007, Falling Apart at the Seams 2011, and For the Most Part 2022. 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
I don’t know if I am anybody that should be giving advice, but I just think that it’s important to put in the work. A lot of musicians I see just want to get to a certain level without putting in the years and experience. But for me, I feel like that’s what makes a great musician – experience, not necessarily raw talent. I guess my advice is to just keep on pushing through and never let a bad show or a bad critique waver your direction. Stay true to what/who you are, and avoid giving in to trends. 

Pricing:

• CDs available at shows for $10
• Vinyl available at shows for $30

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brettmitchellmusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/BrettMitchellMusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrettMitchellMusic www.facebook.com/BrettMitchellBand
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/4BrettMitchell

Image Credits
Roy Kranz
Tom Cox