Erik Mitchell

"One of Philadelphia's most talented upcoming singer-songwriters, Erik Mitchell has storytelling abilities beyond his years. With an extensive knowledge of folk music and ballads, Mitchell has himself become a bard of sorts, spinning 4 minute tales of love, loss, and everything in between. Complemented by catchy acoustic guitar melodies, his stories radiate color and vibrance. His first official album, All These Words, was released in the fall of 2005, and he is currently in the studio working on a second." - Helen Leicht, DJ, 88.5 WXPN

"One of Philadelphia's most talented upcoming singer-songwriters, Erik Mitchell has storytelling abilities beyond his years. With an extensive knowledge of folk music and ballads, Mitchell has himself become a bard of sorts, spinning 4 minute tales of love, loss, and everything in between. Complemented by catchy acoustic guitar melodies, his stories radiate color and vibrance. His first official album, All These Words, was released in the fall of 2005, and he is currently in the studio working on a second." - Helen Leicht, DJ, 88.5 WXPN

"Erik Mitchell is an original mix of witty, insightful lyrics combined with fresh acoustic licks that will steal your attention. Definitely an artist to watch, this CD will surely become one of your top favorites. A highly recommended listen."
- Glenn Barrett, Grammy Award-Winning producer and president, MorningStar Studios

"Erik Mitchell is an original mix of witty, insightful lyrics combined with fresh acoustic licks that will steal your attention. Definitely an artist to watch, this CD will surely become one of your top favorites. A highly recommended listen."
- Glenn Barrett, Grammy Award-Winning producer and president, MorningStar Studios

For emerging singer-songwriter Erik Mitchell, carrying it on means writing thoughtful songs that allow the lyrics to shine.

Erik Mitchell is fascinated by stories. The ones people tell.

And the ones in his head — spun from moments of observation, his own personal reflections and an active imagination, the kind that can transform a Romanian folk tale into song and create characters that resonate with such poignancy, they seem drawn from real life.

It’s no wonder then that the 29-year-old troubadour has fashioned himself as the thinker’s songwriter.
"There’s nothing worse than the ambiguous love song," says Mitchell. "With all those clichés — sometimes you don’t know what they’re even talking about. It makes me ill."

And so on his debut disc, "All These Words," the singer-songwriter creates what he likens to a series of mini-movies, songs with vivid, poetic detail, earnest emotion and an occasional dry sense of humor that invite the listener to inhabit the space with him.

On "Earlene," he plaintively paints the lonely life of a trucker, yearning only to return home to his beloved with every mile that takes him away from her. "The House of Osiris" — Osiris in Egyptian mythology being the "god of the dead" — offers a glimpse of Hell through the eyes of a bartender employed at the "party all night in the underworld." And "Man of the Sea" tells of a seafarer’s stoic acceptance of his fate as his boat is caught in a storm.

"For some people, it’s easier to write about themselves," says Mitchell, who lives in Philadelphia. "This is more fun for me. It’s like, 'How can I develop the most concise, image-filled story in three minutes?' That’s always been a challenge, and it’s the thinking aspect — the challenge of creating emotion around the character — that I’m drawn to."

Even when he spins more traditional songwriting fare, wrestling with topics such as love and loss, he writes from an unlikely perspective, using a mix of self-deprecation and wisdom to express contentment in a relationship in "Easy To Love You," and calling on a motley crew that includes the FBI, London’s Metropolitan Police and the cast of "Clue" to help him get back his heart in "She Stole My Love."

It’s clever writing backed by melodic guitar work and steeped in a rootsy Americana feel melded with more contemporary influences — a blend that Mitchell dubs modern folk.

"I don’t know if I can be a songwriter and not be influenced by the big giants, and by that I mean guys like Bob Dylan and the (Grateful) Dead," he says. "But then there’s Al Stewart, who had some cheesy hits in the ’70s, but was more of a historical folk writer, who wrote a lot about World War II.

"And then you have guys like Tom Waits, who can just punch you in the stomach with a simple emotion. And then you have quirky guys like Randy Newman and David Byrne of Talking Heads — and some of my lyrics can be pretty quirky — who would just make you laugh or put a smile on your face."

Mitchell also brings an intellectual bent to his music, having taken a course in Anglo-American folk songs in college, where he spent hours researching early British, Appalachian and Western ballads.

"In my head, folk songs were Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan," he says. "But then I traced the history of folk songs from the 1600s to modern day, songs like 'Jack A Roe,' which originated in England and then the folkies took it and went one way with it and the Dead latched onto it and it became a part of their show. … It was the first time I learned about the history of folk music and to hear some of those songs still being played today — there’s a nostalgic element to it, and I think a bit of me’s wanting to carry on that tradition."

Mitchell, who performs Friday at Double Shots Café, a new, all-ages live music venue in Philadelphia, laughs when he recalls how far he’s come from the teenager whose musical interests tended toward rap artists such as NWA, Public Enemy and LL Cool J. He was 14, growing up in Wilmington, Del., when his father had enough.

"He needed some melody," recalls Mitchell. "So one day, he says, 'Look, get in the car.' He drives me to the mall and buys me a Jimi Hendrix tape and pops it in on the way home. I still have an affinity for Public Enemy, but I learned a newfound respect for musicians."

As a kid, Mitchell was always involved in music, whether it was singing in the school choir or in church or performing in musical theater. But when he went to Gettysburg College, despite initial thoughts of majoring in acting, he went the more practical route and got a degree in psychology. And though he started a Grateful Dead cover band with a friend, having received a guitar from his parents at age 20, a work-study job serving as a youth education coordinator setting up tutoring and mentoring programs for kids left an indelible impression on him.

He had begun to write his own songs, looking to evolve beyond a cover band, but after graduation, we - Naila Francis, The Intelligencer

For emerging singer-songwriter Erik Mitchell, carrying it on means writing thoughtful songs that allow the lyrics to shine.

Erik Mitchell is fascinated by stories. The ones people tell.

And the ones in his head — spun from moments of observation, his own personal reflections and an active imagination, the kind that can transform a Romanian folk tale into song and create characters that resonate with such poignancy, they seem drawn from real life.

It’s no wonder then that the 29-year-old troubadour has fashioned himself as the thinker’s songwriter.
"There’s nothing worse than the ambiguous love song," says Mitchell. "With all those clichés — sometimes you don’t know what they’re even talking about. It makes me ill."

And so on his debut disc, "All These Words," the singer-songwriter creates what he likens to a series of mini-movies, songs with vivid, poetic detail, earnest emotion and an occasional dry sense of humor that invite the listener to inhabit the space with him.

On "Earlene," he plaintively paints the lonely life of a trucker, yearning only to return home to his beloved with every mile that takes him away from her. "The House of Osiris" — Osiris in Egyptian mythology being the "god of the dead" — offers a glimpse of Hell through the eyes of a bartender employed at the "party all night in the underworld." And "Man of the Sea" tells of a seafarer’s stoic acceptance of his fate as his boat is caught in a storm.

"For some people, it’s easier to write about themselves," says Mitchell, who lives in Philadelphia. "This is more fun for me. It’s like, 'How can I develop the most concise, image-filled story in three minutes?' That’s always been a challenge, and it’s the thinking aspect — the challenge of creating emotion around the character — that I’m drawn to."

Even when he spins more traditional songwriting fare, wrestling with topics such as love and loss, he writes from an unlikely perspective, using a mix of self-deprecation and wisdom to express contentment in a relationship in "Easy To Love You," and calling on a motley crew that includes the FBI, London’s Metropolitan Police and the cast of "Clue" to help him get back his heart in "She Stole My Love."

It’s clever writing backed by melodic guitar work and steeped in a rootsy Americana feel melded with more contemporary influences — a blend that Mitchell dubs modern folk.

"I don’t know if I can be a songwriter and not be influenced by the big giants, and by that I mean guys like Bob Dylan and the (Grateful) Dead," he says. "But then there’s Al Stewart, who had some cheesy hits in the ’70s, but was more of a historical folk writer, who wrote a lot about World War II.

"And then you have guys like Tom Waits, who can just punch you in the stomach with a simple emotion. And then you have quirky guys like Randy Newman and David Byrne of Talking Heads — and some of my lyrics can be pretty quirky — who would just make you laugh or put a smile on your face."

Mitchell also brings an intellectual bent to his music, having taken a course in Anglo-American folk songs in college, where he spent hours researching early British, Appalachian and Western ballads.

"In my head, folk songs were Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan," he says. "But then I traced the history of folk songs from the 1600s to modern day, songs like 'Jack A Roe,' which originated in England and then the folkies took it and went one way with it and the Dead latched onto it and it became a part of their show. … It was the first time I learned about the history of folk music and to hear some of those songs still being played today — there’s a nostalgic element to it, and I think a bit of me’s wanting to carry on that tradition."

Mitchell, who performs Friday at Double Shots Café, a new, all-ages live music venue in Philadelphia, laughs when he recalls how far he’s come from the teenager whose musical interests tended toward rap artists such as NWA, Public Enemy and LL Cool J. He was 14, growing up in Wilmington, Del., when his father had enough.

"He needed some melody," recalls Mitchell. "So one day, he says, 'Look, get in the car.' He drives me to the mall and buys me a Jimi Hendrix tape and pops it in on the way home. I still have an affinity for Public Enemy, but I learned a newfound respect for musicians."

As a kid, Mitchell was always involved in music, whether it was singing in the school choir or in church or performing in musical theater. But when he went to Gettysburg College, despite initial thoughts of majoring in acting, he went the more practical route and got a degree in psychology. And though he started a Grateful Dead cover band with a friend, having received a guitar from his parents at age 20, a work-study job serving as a youth education coordinator setting up tutoring and mentoring programs for kids left an indelible impression on him.

He had begun to write his own songs, looking to evolve beyond a cover band, but after graduation, we - Naila Francis, The Intelligencer