Mike Mitchell Records: “Time Spent in Los Angeles”

What started as a light-hearted challenge between musical artists has become a powerful tribute, one that Mike Mitchell hopes will inspire generosity and support for those impacted by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.

Mitchell grew up in Ontario, Canada, where he listened to his parents' album collection, including the music of Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, and Ian Tyson. The folk-style songwriting and arrangements of the music seeped into his very soul. When he first moved to rural Floyd County, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge area of the United States, he felt like a Bluegrass imposter. But at around thirty years old, he began playing with local bluegrass musicians in Roanoke. When a friend suggested he listen to the 0044 album by J.D. Crowe and The New South, Mike was hooked by the same album that significantly impacted artists like Alison Krauss.

In an article in the March 2022 issue of The Bluegrass Standard, Mitchell explains that he listened to that album and was blown away. “The song ‘Summer Wages’ really spoke to me. Ian Tyson, a Canadian, wrote the song, and my mom listened to Ian Tyson when I was growing up. When I learned that Tony Rice was covering it on the 0044 album, it brought it all together for me. I realized I possessed the authenticity I thought I had been lacking.”

Mitchell took that newfound confidence and ran with it. As a singer/songwriter and fiddler in the contemporary bluegrass style, he has captured audiences and carved out his place in bluegrass. He has released three bluegrass albums, the second of which, Small Town, debuted on Billboard at #2. His Fathers & Sons album enjoyed three #1 hit singles and spent 13 months on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 15 Albums chart.

But his newest single, “Time Spent in Los Angeles,” is a departure for the seasoned artist. The recording is the result of a bet of sorts. Mitchell attended the International Folk Alliance conference in Kansas City in 2018. While there, he befriended brothers Noah and Dan Rauchwerk, a Smothers Brothers-type folk duo that plays under the name Lords of Liechtenstein. “We challenged each other to a cover song duel,” Mitchell recalls.

At the time, Mitchell was crowdfunding for his self-released Small Town album. “They said they’d pay me $100 if I covered that song.” The song was a popular hit for a band called Dawes. “I had never heard the song or the band,” says Mitchell. “But I liked it enough that I had it recorded. I sang and paid friends to do session work and have it professionally mixed and mastered. The song really resonated with me.”

But the song sat on a shelf. “At one point in time, Keith Barnacastle with Turnberry Records talked to me about releasing the song as a single, but Turnberry’s A&R folks said to wait.” The song was forgotten, and life went on for Mitchell until a fateful night when he was watching late-night television. “I was watching Jimmy Kimmel, and Dawes performed the song to raise awareness for an organization called MusiCares.” Mitchell sat up straight and realized the time had come to release his version of the song. “I had the song recorded and mastered, and it was time to put it out to the bluegrass world and beyond,” Mitchell says. As a member of the Appalachian bluegrass community, Mitchell has witnessed firsthand the resilience and generosity that arise in the face of hardship. “Our community has been through a lot this year, and we’ve all been so generous in helping our own. I hope this bluegrass take on a classic folk-rock tune encourages us to extend that same generosity to those who lost everything in the L.A. fires.”

People can spend $1 to download the song to benefit those adversely affected by the fire in Pacific Palisades. “A lot of people in Floyd, Virginia, where I live, were affected by Helene. We lost a lot of hardwoods and pines, but we were able to sell them for firewood and lumber. While I miss our trees, I realized that not everyone was so fortunate.”

The song, released in late March, is almost five minutes long. “We are putting it out to streaming platforms where other styles are played,” Mitchell says. “If you have faith that something is worth your effort, do it. There was a reason I was moved to record this song.”

In the meantime, Mitchell continues to stay busy. He and his family run the Floyd Music School and the Mike Mitchell Band. Mike's next album, Love Songs, Torch and Bluegrass, will be out this summer, and he has a heavy touring schedule to support it!