Episode 9: Mitch Beer
I've met a ton of musicians in my time. And a lot of them are very good. Musical talent and virtuosity is not as uncommon as people seem to think. The trick to being a cut above that is to be both really freakin' good and really freakin' original. I know fewer of those kinds of guys, but the ones I do know, I always remember. MItch Beer is one of those guys.
Mitch and I have been musical acquaintances for several years. What exactly is a musical acquaintance, you ask? A musical acquaintance is a guy in a band that you've played with a few times, shared a backstage and green room with, and are definitely on a first name basis with. A musical acquaintance is not a close friend, because you know almost nothing about each other other than what they play, how good they are, and whether or not their a dick or not. Bu they are a friend, and when you run into each other out in the "real world", you high-five, talk really animatedly about each others projects, and promise to see each other again real soon. The person who you're with when you run into a musical acquaintance says "Wow. You guys must be super tight. How long have you been friends?" And the answer is quite often that you're not even quite sure what their last name is, but you know exactly where they'll be next Friday.
It was outstanding to sit down and talk to Mitch because now I know things about him. I don't mean that in a blackmailing way (although it's not completely off the table, Mitch), but in a way that actually puts some history and context to a guy who I've known casually as a stellar musician and a positive human being. Not to give anything away, but the next few guests on the show all fall into that category. They're all guys who I've known about town for a long time, and am only recently getting to know as people, and not simply as musicians.
We all want to be seen by others as something a bit larger than life, or at least something a bit larger than ourselves. But we also want to be seen for exactly who and what we are. We want the myth but also the intimact, and therein lies yet another contradiction in the pile of contradictions that make up people. I've known Mitch as something a bit bigger than himself, and now it's nice to know him at exactly the level he should be known: as a person with person-feelings and person-fears and person-things to deal with. And I hope you're glad to know him that way, too. He's got a great story, and I'm glad he got to share it.
Things are changing for the better 'round these parts. I'm partnering up with Steve Harner at Bridgeset Sound (Episode 2) to kick this podcast empire up a notch. We'll be collaborating on another podcast that will be part live music performance/part interview show. Look forward to that, I'll keep you posted once we've got release dates and all. He's also going to redo the website and get the program in front of a lrger audience, so look forward to that, too. It'll still be the same show it's always been, but with a growing community of more listeners. We've been chatting about it for a while now, and I'm glad it's finally coming together. Steve's an awesome dude who does awesome things and now I get to do awesome things with him. Everybody wins.
Catch you all in a couple of weeks. Be well, be healthy and do awesome things with awesome people every time you get the chance.
DD