(Q)Can you introduce yourself and give the readers a brief introduction on how you started your career?
(Answer) Usually I am pretty good at introductions when they are face to face because I love meeting new people…. It feels kind of weird to have to put in print (lol) but I’ll take a shot at it. I’m Chase Mitchell, I just recently turned 17. Music and the business of music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started at about the age of 9. The same guy who discovered New Kids on the Block and New Edition heard me sing at a party when I was young. He got my number from someone who was there and knew me and my family. It’s really kind of funny… he kept calling my house, and my mom thought it was a prank… she actually hung up on him a few times. He eventually got his point out, we met and he gave me my first opportunity in the business.
(Q)What has it been like accomplishing so much at such a young age?
(Answer) Well, I don’t often stop to look at what I’ve accomplished because that would be looking backward. I’m a really hard working kind of guy and my list is long with the things that I want to do in the future. But since you asked the question… I guess it’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of focus. Sometimes it has meant sacrifices, but the ride so far has been well worth any thing I’ve had to do. I get to do things everyday that at one time seemed like only a dream. I don’t get cut any slack though for being young… music is a business and when it comes to the bottom line, I’m expected to measure up to whatever any other adult out there is doing. But I don’t mind… I hope it’s made me a better man in the long run.
(Q)What was it like recording your first CD? Are you happy with the outcome?
(Answer) Man, I love the studio! It’s like the most amazing thing! We spent months writing songs and going over new material that people wanted me to record. I was really happy when two cuts that I wrote with my lead guitarist Nick Culbertson made the album. I don’t like to do songs that are meaningless for me. I have to be able to feel a song and respect it in order to perform it. When I am picking songs to record, I always try to imagine myself performing them. If I can’t feel the songs, then I won’t like singing them live. I’m really happy to say that all of the songs are ones that I believe in. I was really stoked when I got to record a cut written by Keith Urban. I met him at CRS 37 in Nashville, we talked and he is a great guy. He spent a lot of time giving me advice, so when I found out that I could record “Things I Believe” I was blown away! The lyrics of the song really say something. I can honestly say that I am proud of the tracks and that I can see myself singing these songs for a long time. I feel like I’ve found my sound!
(Q)You’re had the opportunity to open for some big names such as Jason Aldean, who has been your favorite to share the stage with?
(Answer) Wow! Picking favorites is never easy… they have all been great in their own way! I got to open for Jason in his hometown of Macon for his homecoming celebration. It was great to see him so humbled even after all of his great successes. He was just having a great time with all his hometown fans and that event was off the chain! Gary Nichols and his band can play for hours and never take a break! One time in Augusta, after we opened for Gary… he was out on stage and he had been there for at least a couple of hours… he motioned to me to come out with him and finish a song. Before long, each one of his players had motioned to my band, and one by one my two guitarists, bass player and drummer had come out on stage and switched places with his players in mid song. Gary handed me his guitar and then he started playing the piano! It was like musical chairs around the stage… it was a blast! The crowd loved it and Gary can play any instrument on stage! I can’t really pick a favorite.
(Q)You’re going to be opening for Rodney Atkins, how excited are you for that opportunity? Will you be doing the tour nationwide or just locally?
(Answer) When that booking offer came in I was so pumped! I couldn’t believe it! My nephew who is two, sings all the words to what he calls the “Daddy song” … all I could think of was taking him with me back stage so that he could sing the Daddy Song with Rodney! Rodney deserves all the spotlight he is getting right now… I read somewhere that he sat on his labels shelf for ten years waiting for his chance to get out and now he has the number one country song in the nation! I love to hear success stories like that! Right now, we are booked for a few dates this summer and fall on the east coast. But with any luck he’ll like the show and book us for more.
(Q)You’re going to be performing at CMA fest in June, is this your first time attending the festival?
(Answer) My band and I actually did the show last year. We were on the family stage. I am so blessed to be able to work with an amazing booking agency out of Nashville… Buddy Lee Attractions. They keep my schedule full and this year I will get to play the Plaza stage in front of the Gaylord! The band and I are looking forward to it! The atmosphere at CMA Fest is so great! Everybody is there for a music party and the town is just overrun with all the artists who’ve come home to play for the fans! It’s a great way to thank everyone who has been so great to support you throughout the year! Getting up close and personal with fans is so important… it’s what fuels the engine for an artist and for me it keeps me focused!
(Q)Something you’d like to accomplish in your career, whether it’s just a year goal or a career goal in general.
(Answer) Gosh! Great questions! I have lots of goals. Do you have any where you have to be anytime soon… the list is long! (lol) Musically I’d love to be able to play guitar like Keith Urban and sing with him someday! If you haven’t seen him live… just go! You’ll see what I mean! On a personal note, I’d like to someday start a mentoring program for youth who are challenged. I’ve never looked at my desire to have a career in music as a “what-if”. Instead I’ve looked at it as “I will”. Even when it’s tough… you’ve got to keep going. If you’re doing what you know you are meant to do, then you never let anyone tell you that you can’t make it! At the end of the day my goal would be that I would always have the wisdom to recognize the open doors and the courage to walk through them. I never want to limit myself!
(Q)Message to your fans
(Answer)Thanks man! Music today demands that you get at the roots of what makes any artist successful and that’s to get in touch with the fans! I feel really blessed that I’m in this industry at this time of unbelievable change and that I can enjoy getting to know my fans through places like myspace and meet and greets! It almost makes me feel bad for people who maybe ran through their entire careers and maybe never got to have this technology at hand. You guys are great! I’ll keep working hard and you’ll keep making it worth it every second! Thanks for all the love!
