James Paul Mitchell has quite the resume. 10 years ago, James hopped off a tour van in Denver with nothing but a guitar, an amp, and a suitcase. It was here that he would gain expansive and diverse musical experience, eventually leading to his raw, atmospheric artist project. Carrying on the Grateful Dead legacy he jam-banded around with supergroup Imagine featuring Ray White (who played & sang with Frank Zappa) and Melvin Seals (organist in the Jerry Garcia Band), studied North Indian classical music, he produced a record for indie folk band King Cardinal who he continues to work with today, and for the first time, began dipping his toe into his own artistry. 

He released his first project Love Songs of the Profane in 2013 creating woodsy, haunting harmonies reminiscent of The Head and The Heart, and implementing his skills as a multi-instrumentalist with his trio. James eventually made Nashville his homebase and upped his tour game even further, playing guitar and pedal steel for the dynamic Americana/pop duo The Saint Johns, country-rooted Americana artist Kristina Murray and Braison Cyrus, the youngest of the Cyrus musical dynasty. 

During this time of collaboration and exploration, he recorded and released Was Sad Before it Was Cool in August 2019. Riddled with dark humor and blunt musings on mental and emotional health, the EP is a stripped-down ambience of raw vocals and warm nylon strings. His next record, showcasing a more personal, more surrendered facet of his artistry, will simply be titled Breakup Record. Varied and vulnerable, these songs showcase James’ emotional specificity and descriptive storytelling that pulls the listener into their focal heartbeat. Against the backdrop of complementary, moody guitars, James pulls you into these places, circumstances and stories. Each song will have a different producer at the helm, an experiential navigation of James’ writing and a personal exercise of seeing one’s work through various lenses. Breakup Record will be parceled out in singles, with release dates soon to be announced.