UTG INTERVIEW: Keith Alan Mitchell Discusses ‘This Clumsy World’

Keith Alan Mitchell just released his debut album on June 20. Entitled This Clumsy World, Mitchell describes the release as primarily “organic, natural acoustic sounds” which is an apt synopsis. It features 12 tracks of classic-style folk and rock with backing instrumentation that adds a fuller wall of sound to Mitchell’s lead.

We recently got the opportunity to speak with Keith about his debut, his experience living in San Francisco, and what plans he has for this project moving forward. You can click through the jump to get all the details from Mitchell himself and also stream his very first full-length effort, This Clumsy World.

I sense a lot of classic rock and country music in your upbringing…maybe a combination of both? CCR maybe? Or am I way off?

First off, thanks so much for the opportunity to talk!

CCR actually recorded a lot of music in the same studio where I recorded this album, so I guess some of that sound is in the walls! I love lots of styles and artists, and classic rock is a huge part of the foundation – the Band, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Zeppelin, Springsteen and on and on. But my upbringing also included folk stuff like Simon and Garfunkel and John Denver. For country, I lean more toward alt-country like Son Volt, Lucinda Williams, Chris Whitley. But I listen to most anything.

What would you say originally piqued your interest in becoming a musician? And when did you first start taking it seriously and really get involved?

Music has always been a part of my life in some way – from being in the church choir when I was little, to my mom trying to get me to practice piano (I didn’t) and playing trumpet in high school marching band. But it wasn’t until college that I got into songwriting and guitar, thanks to a friend who brought a guitar home from school one summer and that was it. I’ve taken more than a couple detours, but I always came back to songwriting. I think making the decision to do this album on my own after being in various bands is in a lot of ways the most serious thing I’ve ever done.

When did you make the move from Ohio to San Francisco? Would you say the change in locale had any specific influence on the way you write or the sound you’ve developed?

It’s been years now since I moved. The Bay Area is definitely home now. I took a 6-week road trip when I moved out here. That quintessential cross-country road experience is something that I’m fascinated by and romanticize, and I try to bring that sense of motion and restlessness and discovery into my music and lyrics. The song “Swaying” owes a lot to that.

I live just a couple hours north of San Francisco myself. It’s one of my absolute favorite places and has some of my favorite venues to attend shows at. What are some of your favorite local places to play?

I love it here and up north of here too – the Russian River area is a frequent getaway for me. I actually stayed in a cabin in Guerneville recently and wrote and recorded a couple new songs. I tend to play smaller places, and we just had my CD release show at the Hotel Utah. I’ve played there quite a few times and it just has a great vibe and such an intimate setting. It’s an institution. There are definitely some great venues – of all sizes, new and old.

And while we’re at it, since I’m familiar with the area, do you have any go-to spots to eat, hang out, or explore around San Francisco?

Where to start? Part of what I love about SF is how enjoyable it is to just walk around – anywhere in the city really. And yeah, there’s so much good food. A new regular in my rotation of cheap eats is Sunrise Café (on Bryant). Best Vietnamese sandwich I’ve ever had. Doc’s Clock in the Mission always satisfies when in need of a good old dive bar. Another institution.

Your press release explains that you typically have at least a cover or two on hand to play live. Which songs have you been playing as of late and do you have any new covers that you expect to be playing in near-future shows?

I just recently worked up one of my all time favorites: Sam Cooke’s “Bring it on Home to Me.” I’m also really enjoying doing – big gear shift here – “These Important Years” from Husker Du – Bob Mould is so inspiring. Chris Whitley’s “Wild Country” is another – I haven’t done that one live yet. I think even after all this time, I’m still so in awe of him and that album in particular. It’s a masterpiece.

So let’s talk about This Clumsy World. First of all, as a huge fan of album art, I wanted to say that I love the album’s cover. You’ve stated that the album is mostly about breaking free and moving on. Is that what the image on the cover is symbolizing? What can you tell us about how it relates to the material on the album, and who is the artist?

Thanks! I’ve gotten a great reaction to the cover. That image is definitely symbolic in terms of themes on the album – breaking free, but also being adrift and even disconnected. That image can be interpreted a number of ways.

The artist is a local artist, Lena Gustafson. Her style just fit perfectly with the tone and mood of the album I think. A little bit antique with that sepia tone, a bit somber, while still being sort of playful.

Musically, how would you explain the sound and tones of the record to a potential listener that hasn’t yet heard your music?

Very organic, natural acoustic sounds. You hear the wood, you hear the strings, you hear the room. We even kept the reverb down pretty far to keep things natural. It’s folk rock with acoustic guitar at the core. A few songs have a full drum kit on them, some are more sparse. So it’s a classic sound, recorded in a classic studio.

And what can you tell me about who you got involved with the instrumentation for This Clumsy World? Are these all local musicians that you already knew?

All the musicians are local – I go way back with a couple of them and some I didn’t know beforehand. They’re all incredibly talented working musicians and did such great and inspiring work. I also did a lot of trial and error on my own at home to try to make decisions about what instruments I wanted on each song.

And how do these songs translate live? Do you perform them in more stripped-down versions or do you have a backing band?

I’m doing solo shows. I love the freedom of it, and like the idea of people getting to hear the songs in two different ways, one on the recording and one live. A good song needs to be able to exist solo anyway.

How did the CD release show go?

It went great! Just a few days ago. So much fun. I got to see some old friends, and made some new ones. There’s just nothing like playing live and feeling that connection. It was a beautiful Friday night in San Francisco.

Do you have any touring plans in the works or just plan to play one-off shows when time allows?

I’m really hoping I can get out on the road later this year, and if not, then definitely in 2015. At the very least, I’ll be doing shows up and down California.

Overall, what do you have planned for the remainder of the year? Any other projects or plans that you can reveal?

I’m hoping to get a video or two together for songs from the album. And I’m always writing – working on new songs and trying to figure out where they’re taking me. This Clumsy World is my debut album, so I’m definitely going to continue getting the word out about it and hopefully getting more and more folks to connect with it. Thanks so much for having me and helping me do that.

Brian Leak
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