Music - June 2009
Cole Mitchell & The Curs,
Nobody's Blues
Play "Do You Know What It's Like" from
Nobody's Blues:
Genre: Americana, Alt. Country
Story by Emily Drabanski
Cole Mitchell says that the title of Nobody’s Blues is synonymous with “no-man’s land”—our state’s deserts and badlands. “For although many have never visited the desert or the badlands of New Mexico, we all from time to time have this feeling of desolation or desperation,” he explains.
While Mitchell’s lyrics often express such sentiments, you won’t find any blues standards here. His original songs lean toward honky-tonk melodies with some rock riffs stirred into the mix. If you appreciate Lucinda Williams, you might like this, too.
Mitchell, who was born in Silver City, says his work was influenced by the music he heard while hanging around his grandmother’s downstate honky-tonk. In the late 1980s and ’90s the singer-guitarist fronted The Saddlesores, a popular Albuquerque “cowpunk” band. He became blind in 1992, and calls that challenge a “blessing” that has led to more songwriting.
“I’m not much of fiction writer,” Mitchell says. “I draw on personal experiences.” That includes the lyrics of the haunting “Amarillo Butcher House Blues.” Other tunes tap into his days of working on ranches and oil rigs. A standout here is Mitchell’s song about the draw of the open road, “Do You Know What It’s Like,” and he and his band, the Curs, rock out on the hard-driving “Wild.” Mitchell’s growling vocals are gritty and gutsy, and his bandmates are strong: Jay Forsythe plays lap-steel guitar, Antonia Montoya plucks the standup bass, and Chris Martin drives the beat on drums.
For info:www.colemitchellmusic.com
