The Holy Trinity: Tom Lehrer, Ray Stevens, and Allan Sherman. And Al Yankovic is their prophet. Or a really talented disciple.
I've been listening to all kinds of music, and laughing at all kinds of things, since I was small. Rock music, folk music, country, bluegrass, show tunes, marches, even Spike Jones (surely a genre unto himself). There's a soundtrack in my head going 99 44/100ths percent of my waking hours, and I make internal smart-aleck remarks to it, "MST 3000" style.
The internal smart-aleck remarks that come out rhymed and with a tune attached are what I perform as my songs.
Sounds Like
With the fervor of a Thomas a Kempis, I aspire to sound like the Holy Trinity mentioned above. Sometimes, I may sound like Leo Kottke's description of his own voice: "like geese farts on a muggy day." Usually I fall between the two.
John Mitchell wrote his first song at the age of nine. He considers, though, that his songwriting hobby actually began in 1972, when he was 16. This was a year before he learned how to play any instrument. John started finding chords on the guitar in the fall of 1973, and is expected to advance to "intermediate" status any day now.
It has been said that, to be a good songwriter, one must first write 250 bad songs. John had accomplished that task by the mid-1980s. During that period, he took time out to complete high school and college, begin and end a career in radio journalism, teach English for a year abroad, and go through law school. He demonstrated a normally latent sadism by inflicting these early songs on family, friends, and occasional audiences from Virginia to Japan.
In college, John fell in love with the parody. (It proved to be his only love affair until 1982.) He scribbled down and cranked out many take-offs, knock-offs and rip-offs of well-known music from "Sergeant Pepper" to "Bohemian Rhapsody." Although these efforts have vanished in the mists of antiquity (John calls them "parodies lost"), John has contributed to parodical musical revues mounted by various law schools and the Dallas Bar Association and, once back in Kansas City, was a member of the CrossCurrents Chorus for Social Justice.
John took some time off from performing -- a dozen years, more or less. He returned to the stage in 1996, in a band that became Clan WhiteThorn. John also discovered Songwriters Circle at that time, and -- once he determined that the Circle has no proficiency requirements -- became a regular attendee and Song Circle performer. He has since performed in Songwriters Circle features and solo performances, won awards in the Kansas City Songwriters Showcases of the late 1990s, and has had, as of 2007, eleven songs selected in 12 years for the New Songs Showcase of the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. John has also played Stage 5 at that festival several times.
John is planning soon to work on more CDs, such as pagan-themed songs and fresh recordings of his Winfield showcased songs, and to improve his guitar playing, which currently compares unfavorably to that of Forrest Whitlow with a migraine headache after a week of sleep deprivation.
A partial list of John’s performing venues includes: Westport Coffeehouse; Liberty Songwriters Group; Main Street Coffeehouse in Independence MO; Spring on the Square in Liberty; Toto’s World Famous Coffees; The Power Plant Brewery and Restaurant in Parkville MO; Borders Book Shop; Unity Church of Independence; All Souls Coffeehouse; The Planet Café; Muddy’s Coffeehouse; Webstir’s Coffeehouse; Mildred’s Coffeehouse; River Rock Coffee Company; Blayney's Irish Tavern; Bar Natasha; Watkins Mill State Park in Kearney, MO; and Edgar’s Place in Park Forest, IL. Some of these venues no longer exist, but John’s performance is not what closed them. Honest.
john, it was wonderful to see and hear you this evening. i didn't know how much i missed you until i heard your Armageddon song....really, good to see you and hope to see you again soon. rkj
Good news! More acoustic music upstairs at Blayney's -- every other Wednesday night from 7-9 pm! POUNCE Marketing will organize the line-up and handle the promotion, and we're hoping for a great turn-out.
Our first gig will be Wednesday, October 29. Jim Abel will headline, joined by Duane Woner and Larry Garrett to start.
On Wednesday, November 12 Rick Malsick will headline (shhh, don’t tell anyone… it’s his birthday!), and Elaine McMilian and Jim Herrmann will open.
Let me know if you'd like to play, and come out to join us for a drink – alcoholic or otherwise – and some great music.
I’ve posted a new song on myspace about the ongoing antics of our KC mayor. It’s called Funk’s Way Redux and you can also catch it on the Star’s Prime Buzz site. Check it out!
The popular Folk on the Patio series continues at SPIN! this Monday night, August 25 with singer/songwriter Laura Lisbeth performing at the Overland Park restaurant from 6-8 p.m.
Music will continue at the Lee’s Summit restaurant with talented finger-style guitarist Rick Malsick playing from 6-8 p.m.
And… SPIN is starting music at the Olathe restaurant this week! Jim Abel will be playing his unique brand of folk and alternative music from 6-8 p.m. on the patio. Come out for a great pizza, a cool drink, and some terrific music!
