Chad Mitchell, Musician

Upon walking into the “Blue Room” which is where 39 year old Chad Mitchell does all of his music writing, you will see many different years of memories plastered all over the walls. He has many posters from the concerts he has put on over the years, pictures of his time in Hollywood, California, and Nashville Tennessee where he once chased his dream of becoming a famous musician. There are also pictures of all of his influences in guitar, and a flyer from his most memorable moment as a musician, being nominated for Nashville Music Awards best unsigned artist. After all the years of following his dream, he has landed back into the home at which he was raised in, only now he has a family of his own. The “Blue Room” became the room designated for all of his music making because this is the room that he grew up in as he was making his way through high school. Looking around on the walls in this room you can learn a lot about the life that Chad Mitchell has led and his pursuit to become the best musician he can be.

“My number one goal in life is to not care too much about money, and music is the only universal language known to man, so to better myself through that. And to die being the best musician I can be.” Through the opening statement in the interview with Chad Mitchell you can feel the passion that he has for music. He says music has changed his life in many different ways. When asked how it has influenced his life, he responds, “It’s taught me how to unite with people, because you have to do that in music. You got a drummer, you got some horns, you got a keyboard, you got other guitar players, singers and if you don’t all unite then the overall song is going to be crap. It has made me non judgmental because somebody else will be like, “What the guy with only four teeth?” And I would say, “He’s the best violin player you have ever heard in your life.” And I pursue those people because it’s an audio thing, not a visual thing. And it’s also not a monetary thing, it’s a feeling. And you never know what’s inside of somebody until you give them the time of day and ask questions. So music has done that for me”

What initially inspired you to do music?
I think my first inspiration of music is when I was like four years old. The first two songs I even have a memory of, period, are Maybe I’m Amazed, by Paul McCartney and Telephone Line, by Electric Light Orchestra and they way they made me feel was my first inspiration. I never did anything with it though until maybe twelve or fourteen years old when I got my first instrument which happened to be a guitar, and I’m still playing that thing today and I’m 39. It has defiantly made me not care about money; because you’re not gonna have any. It doesn’t pay, but it’s never been about that for me.

Why do you do music? What is your motivation and why have you been chasing the dream for twenty five years?
It makes me feel this feeling that is not of this Earth. It’s some kind of universal feeling and it’s the closest thing to God I have ever felt. And I think that even somebody in, let’s say like, Israel, or it doesn’t matter, even Guam or the Dominican Republic, whatever their thing is that gives them that feeling, it’s all the same. I just get mine from guitar. But it’s all the same feeling and you don’t really know what to call it, we all have different names for it but, it’s all the same. Nobody here knows what it is or where it comes from and its gotta be something from outside of this Earth. Otherwise we would be able to sum it up, and science could name it and it would become a fact. There are just so many things that are inside of music that have to come together the right way. And it can give anybody in the world the same feeling that is probably of a godly origin and it really is a universal thing. Music.

So would you consider yourself a dreamer?
Definitely, and to the point where you want to shut it off sometimes but it won’t. But I think we need more of that right now, the people I run into around here don’t have the balls to go after the dreams or to dream something up, and to act, execute, and then fail. And I have always done that and I have failed many different times but I may only have a couple of regrets in my life, that’s it. I don’t have many.

What part of your life are you most proud of?
I would have to say the part that’s a product of my mother. Just that warm wholesome inner peace that I have, I don’t know whether I was born with it or it came from her raising, and also that I am successful right now. Other people would probably tell you differently but it doesn’t matter to me. I have succeeded and I will continue to succeed at what I love.

A lot of people have a vision of the “American Dream”, what is that vision for you?
The Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments. My belief is that its automatic peace if you do that. But doing it is the hard part; I mean it’s probably the hardest thing in life. But if you die trying and you get it about 80% of the time you’re doing it, it’s just peace. There’s no chaos in you and it’s a smooth ride man, it’s pretty neat it’s a good feeling.

Going back to life before when you were searching for what the “American Dream” was for you, what is the most valuable lesson that you have learned and carried with you through life?
I would have to say finding God, whatever that is to me, finding that. When I found that I think I was ten years old and looking back I think I found faith at the same time. And no matter what happens, I always know it’s going to be okay.

Because God has everything in your life laid out already?
I can’t explain it, it’s just when I found that it’s just the feeling that comes over you and I guess you could call it being saved? I just know everything is going to be okay even if my arm got chopped off tomorrow. It’s just this feeling and if you give it the time of day and if you believe that you are saved and you will always be taken care of, then you can get through anything that you couldn’t get through on your own because you do have help. You just can’t see it or put a finger on it but its there. That’s the best way I can explain it and I think that I was ten years old when that hit me and it has always been here and I will die with it. And I don’t even call it religion. I don’t like religion anymore. Maybe I used to when I was ten I don’t remember but religion has divided us. You run into it all the time when somebody says, “Oh really what are you?” and it’s like you have to have some label on you to tell people and say, “Oh well I’m a Pentecostal, or whatever label you give yourself.” Well I’m nothing, I’m just some kid that was ten years old and found it and don’t even know how and for some reason was able to keep it. So whatever that is it’s been the biggest thing in my whole life.


What has been the slogan that you live by?
I would have to say a bumper sticker that I saw awhile ago. The sticker read, “United we stand, and divided we fall” and that applies to everything in life. You see it all the time in religion and politics. We need no labels. But whoever came up with that bumper sticker, its real simple, but I believe in that. And we are falling and I don’t know that we will all ever be united again. Maybe it’s never supposed to happen and I’m starting to believe that everything that happens, even all the bad and the negative you see on the news, is supposed to happen and we can’t do anything about it. So everybody probably needs to realize that your running out of time so what are you going to do? Are you going to continue to treat people like shit and judge them on their clothes, teeth, hair and their shoes and sum them up as a person and encapsulate them in that? Or are you going to talk to that person and even not be scared to be face to face with that person and figure out who they really are. We are all brothers and sisters and we are all a family as a human race. So love everybody. They will piss you off and you will hate them and you will judge them, but if you love them like a brother or a sister then it will cancel all of that other bullshit out. Overall it’s just a dream of harmony.