News
*4/4/23 Another report: both songs mentioned in the post below have been accepted to a number of listener playlists. Let's see how it goes/grows!
*3/27/23 We're in the midst of pitching “Give the Hurricanes a Number” to Spotify playlists and hoping to get some streams and some followers. I just want to report in that one such playlist, “Backroads Americana” curated by Sugarlodge Records, added the song. If you're a Spotify-er, give it a click, and if you like what they're serving, give them a follow, too. Meanwhile, “Quilt” is about to get pitched again, so I hope there will be some news soon. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1XSpVhfpGCiI1bqczmBr2i?mibextid=Zxz2cZ
*3/15/23 Take me to church! The chruch of Electric Wiblurland! I got to spend a few hours today working with Will Russel at his beautiful studio outside Ithaca, NY. We worked on two songs, cleaning up some muddy spots and balancing the drums. More to do for sure, but, as always, I learned much from the experience of working with Will. Onward!
*3/1/23 Yesterday was the one year anniversary of The Mechanism's release. I started a haphazard and only semi-informed attempt at promoting one of the songs on Spotify back in late January—I am not a natural at such things and had been dreading it. Very little seemed to come of the effort, and I came away full of self-doubt, so I threw myself back into making music. Today I looked back at February’s figures for the first time. (I can’t say the numbers are all legitimate; there is at least one huge anomaly to my eyes.) But holy shit—even if this 90% overstated, holy shit.
I absolutely don’t mean for this to make anyone feel crummy about their work. And as for me, I’m not looking for fame. I wish for the songs to find their audience and to move them in some positive way, especially for people who don’t already know me. Today, I hold out a handful of hope that this could one day, in the margins of lives, actually happen. May it be so for all my friends strumming and painting and scribbling. Keep the faith. Make the stuff. It’s why we’re here.
*11/30/22 Well my friends, it has been a time. Covid knocked me down for a while, and it has really knocked my voice and heart for a loop. Playing out will have to wait a little while longer. I am working almost daily on the latter and nightly on trying to regain what I can and learning to use the new voice left from the ash of fever and fatigue.
So the time goes toward new songs and arranging instruments for those that have already been composed. Something always to be made. Off we go. Stay well.
See you soon
*7/2/22 It's been an interesting time. Two songs have received airplay over the last months. Both "Quilt" and "Retablo: The Cornhusk Girl" got some spin time, and I am both grateful and a little surprised, especially at the second. "Quilt," well, that comes right out of the bluegrass genre, so people know what to do with it. Maybe "Cornhusk" gets some love because it too is recognizable as an Americana tune, and it's probably the least complex of the collection. I'm glad those two came to me the way they did, but I'm aware of a certain pressure to conform, to aim songs toward one construction or another so they'll sit comfortably in their box. I tend to ask the song, the words, the melody what they want to be, whether they want to shift or blend genres.. The work may not be as easy to place because of that, but I hope it can be heard as true.
*3/22/22 Monster thanks to 88.9 fm, KRFC, out in Colorado, and DJ Wrangler Jim for kicking off his Sunday show with “Quilt,” a bluegrassy tune from my EP, The Mechanism. I am beside myself with joy and a little choked up over the airing of a song with so much memory behind it. If you’d like to hear it as it was “on the air,” here’s a link to their archives. Click on "Wrangler Jim's Sunday Best" on Sunday. The song is but a short scroll from the top. I highly recommend KRFC as a station as well as their standalone app. Exceptional access to an exceptionally community-oriented station.
*2/28 The EP is live! Download it, Stream it, or Buy it in CD format.
- Pay what you like. Free is fine. And if you bought early versions of some of these songs, Don't Pay Again, my friend. Your early money made this EP possible. I owe you.
- Deep breath. Okay world: Six songs and a smidge of spoken word. Here goes.
* 2/11 The first track of the forthcoming EP has been released as a single—mostly for technical reasons, so it was not promoted. But it’s out there. Hopefully there will be a simple Lyric Video soon, too. And the EP is on its way!
* 2/9 Sooo close. So many little things to keep track of and to tie up. Lots of screw-ups. Sooo many screw-ups. But we are almost there. The first single, "Give the Hurricanes a Number," will be up and out soon, with the EP following not long after that.
* 12/7/21 Checking another box! In anticipation of The Mechanism being released, and out of a necessity I only somewhat understand, I've officially started my own music publishing company. Bid with me a rousing, capitalist welcome to
Famous Last Words And . . . Music
(Okay, the ellipses aren't in the official name because how confusing would that be in the world o' business, right? But the wordplay still works some.)
* The Mechanism, the upcoming EP, is out for mastering. Meanwhile, there's lots of non-musical stuff to do to get a release going--registration with various rights organizations, copyrights, and a publishing company to set up. Artist pages on various streaming sites and putting final touches on the album art are also in the works.
* On 3/6/19, I will be performing a half hour set of original music for Songwriters' Night at Sacred Root Kava Lounge, 103 S. Geneva St., in Ithaca, NY. The show goes from 8-11pm. Come on up! Or down! Or over! If you come early, we can get some Thai food for dinner. Click here for Facebook Event page.
* I've been thinking about those moments from last year that gave me inspiration to continue, and I keep coming back to the Volo gig and to the superb audience. As a farewell to 2019, I've posted "If the Garden Only Knew," the final song of that night. Click here or on Watch above to give it a viewing.
* "They Took Only the Coins" is out now as an informal release to friends and fans. It's a semi-autobiographical, studio-made song that incorporates a live performance and a generous, participatory audience (Thank you for singing!). UPDATE: This song is now available as part of the new EP, The Mechanism. Stream or Buy or nab the whole shebang!.
* Video of the opening song for a show at Volo in Corning, NY is up and ready. The song, called "Halfheartedly," is still in development, but I thought its message important enough to get some air. Click here, or on For the Eye above, to see and hear it.
* Here's a pair of recently published poems. These are short and have been around for a while. I'm glad they found a home. Click here to read'em.
* The online literary magazine The Museum of Americana has chosen to publish demos of two of my tunes in issue 14, "Sorrow, Like Sparrow" and "Quilt," and you can read and hear them here.
* "The Patient Presents," a poem about the moments before a life turns sharply toward its end, had been published and printed by The Pittsburgh Poetry Review. The issue is archived in electronic format, so if you're willing to scroll to page 53, you can find the poem at this link.
As always, you can contact me at "mitchgomusic at gmail dot com" (which I have to spell out in this silly way so I don't get utterly spammed). And you might try signing for the mailing list to drop me a line that way.