Kim Mitchell

Kim perfoming at the 1985 Canadian Juno Awards1985 MTV Video Go for Soda

Add to My Profile | More VideosPlease visit Kims main page at www.myspace.com/officialkimmitchell Singer, songwriter, lyricist, guitarist emeritus, entertainer Kim Mitchell has been called a Canadian rock icon (a title he graciously eschews), but what else do you call someone who has so shaped the face of Canadian music? From the mind & body astral projection of the heady days of Max Webster, to the carved in granite statements on Rockland, to the more personal yet still-rockin’ journey explored on his latest disc Kimosabe, Kim Mitchell has been our tour conductor for trips fantastic, guitar-driven odysseys through life, time and space. His evenings of transcendent party-wonderment (called, colloquially, “concerts”) have touched the lives of several generations of music fans worldwide. Kim’s career path is paved with Gold & Platinum discs, and Juno Awards. He has the respect of peers, fans, and industry types alike. Just what does he consider his greatest achievement? “Shoot, that’s easy,” says Kim, “it’s in the couple of hours we’re onstage, being able to take people to another place, hopefully somewhere different from where their life was a few hours ago through our music. When that happens, I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplish.”Kim Mitchell first appeared on the musical radar as the band leader/front man/writer/guitarist for the groundbreaking Canadian rockers Max Webster. The all-star lineup consisted of Mitchell, keyboard whiz Terry Watkinson, bassists Mike Tilka, and later Dave Myles, and drummer Gary McCracken. They burned their way through five original albums and became legendary for what their arrival at a venue near you would mean for the local punters. The band’s trademark evocative, provocative, and often bizarre lyric imagery was provided by the unseen fifth member of Max, compositional collaborator Pye Dubois. Throughout the late 70’s & early 80’ Max Webster romped their resplendent rock across Europe and North America, changing hearts and warping minds, giving names to those unnamed life conditions, and kicking major of rock & roll party ass with the gleaming Gucci of raw talent. They meted out a lot of mental liberation and ass-shakin’ joy in their day! But by the early 80’s Kim had begun to tire of the chafing task of keeping such a talented group in its stays, and, made the hard decision to go solo.From 1982 to 1986, sporting the image of the leather-jacket & baseball cap clad Rascal Houdi Deluxe; he took his solo act on the road. Whereas Max Webster had played clubs, universities & soft seaters, his new act sold hundreds of thousands of records, taking him to arena rock headlining madness selling out venues at a dizzying pace. In fact, Kim is the only recipient of the Platinum Ticket award, established by Kingswood Music Theatre for his ability to surpass the 100,000 mark in seats sold. King of the Canadian summer party, (ever been to Canada’s Wonderland, Billy?) perennial MuchMusic summer special star, Kim batted singles out of the AM & FM charts such as Patio Lanterns, Go For Soda, All We Are and Rock N Roll Duty. The release of Rockland in 1989 seemed to mark a change in the writing style. The focus became tighter, deeply personal. One track, RocklandWonderland, ostensibly written about the Canada’s Wonderland’s Kingswood Music Theatre, contains the lyric: “And every mind contains another / Earth to earth brother to brother / Listen to the music listen to the voices / Listen to my guitar” Credo or battle cry? You decide.The 90’s saw Kim release a live album (the aptly titled I Am A Wild Party), a greatest hits collection, and in between the touring, record & release three albums of new material, Aural Fixations, Itch and Kimosabe, each chock-full of his trademark guitar, and each more personal than the last. But with the 90’s came record company fiscal restraint, and Kim made the decision to tour more & record less. “At the end of the day, the joy I see in front of me at a live show beats the idea that I’m lining some record bogue’s pockets, and it beats the stress of the studio.”Kim is accompanied & challenged onstage by: rock-solid bass-slinger Peter Fredette and drummer Chris Sutherland. Hearing any of these guys’ studio work is a musical treat, but only Kim is canny enough to get them out of the cage and put them onstage where they’re free to turn audience gray matter into a pan-tonal kaleidoscope, and ultimately, into heat, light and moisture. But don’t worry , it all reassembles at the end of the show of its own accord; just maybe not in the same order. But that’s alright, “because,” says Kim, “that’s what we want to do; take the audience out there with us. Shake up the Lego bricks a little. Make new toys in yer attic.”But enough of the talking! Get out there and do your rock n’ roll duty! There’s a wild party coming to a venue near you!Kim Mitchell Albums & CDs 1984 – Akimbo Alogo (Alert) Platinum 1986 – Shakin' Like A Human Being (Alert/Polygram) Triple Platinum 1989 – Rockland (Alert) Double Platinum 1990 – I Am A Wild Party (Alert) Platinum 1992 – Aural Fixations (Alert) Gold 1994 – Itch (Alert) 1995 – Kim Mitchell Greatest Hits (Alert) Platinum 1999 – Kimosabe (Chinook/Oasis)Max Webster: Albums & CDs 1976 – Max Webster (Anthem Records) Gold 1977 – High Class In Borrowed Shoes (Anthem Records) Gold 1978 – Mutiny Up My Sleeve (Anthem Records) Gold 1979 – A Million Vacations (Anthem Records) Platinum 1979 – Live Magnetic Air (Anthem Records) Gold 1980 – Universal Juveniles (Anthem Records) GoldJuno Awards 1983 – Juno Award For Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year 1987 – Juno Award for Album of the Year – Shakin’ Like A Human Being 1990 – Juno Award For Male Vocalist of the YearManagement: W. Tom Berry/Alert Music Inc Publicity: Jessica Moore Phone: 416 364 4200 Fax: 416 364 8632 Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected]