Robin Mitchell's FEATHERWEIGHT SOUL
Robin Mitchell; man-about-town, loving husband, musical explorer, enigma.
Foreword: I met Robin in his usual haunt, a haunted coffee shop in the epicentre of Bristol that’s so underground that it’s physically under the ground.
Sat by himself cross-legged almost to the point of discomfort, his presence immediately evoked a sense of disdained nonchalance. I greeted him wholeheartedly like an old friend whose Candy Crush invites I've started to resent. He smiles as he places his Macchiato down with irresponsible force. The impact of which - on the utilitarian steel work surface - sending a drop of Colombia's second most aromatic export shooting upwards and coming to a rest upon the brow of the very man I was here to converse with.
I ordered a coffee. "I order you to get in my mouth!" I bellow. The coffee doesn't move. Despite its rainforest alliance certification it lacked the capacity of thought and more evidently the ability to translate commands into physical movements. The Barista took my order, although perhaps lacking some of the same qualities himself. Robin asked me if I was going to narrate the whole interview out loud for the other patrons. I said, “no Robin, this isn’t even real life”.
Editor's note: This interview was conducted entirely via email as below.
Dan: This summer you’re going to be releasing a hit single every month for 6 months, starting in May. What’s the inspiration behind your bold strategy? Is it because people love things in 6’s? i.e bottles of beer, cricket shots, nations etc?
Robin: 6 is also the number of the beast, so it's a sort of homage to the prince of darkness. Also, as you've pointed out, the best things in life come in series, and I find it's a great way of pitching something to an audience, as well as forcing me to keep on being creative.
Dan: Your ‘Featherweight Soul Summer of Fun’; what does that actually entail? It sounds great, but I just want to gauge an appropriate level of footwear beforehand. ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and all that.
Robin: Well, obviously it entails having a lot of fun. As well as Hit Singles galore, there will be special themed events (gigs). The first one is a beach party at Roll For The Soul (which is not a beach - but there will be ice creams, windbreakers, volleyball). I would recommend flip-flops or some light canvas shoes.
Dan: What’s going to be the inspiration for each song? Because ‘lampooning’ is as good a subject as any. The market is already saturated with love songs, but you don’t hear many songs about lampooning and I think that’s a travesty - and more importantly a huge gap in the market. Will you be addressing this?
Robin: I'll be covering a vast diversity of topics in my songs, such driving to the beach, breaking into heaven, and, yup, love. I'm still writing the last couple of hits, and I solemly swear that I, Robin James Mitchell, will endeavour to reference lampooning.
Dan: Are you performing the hit songs live across the summer / at the end of the process?
Robin:The songs will be played by me and my band at the 'forementioned themed gigs at Roll For The Soul (14th May), Grain Barge (10th June) and Crofter's Rights (21st July). I'm also hitting some festivals such as harbourside and hopefully Dot To Dot. I'll also do a few pop-up gigs with my boombox, going into local patissieries and delicatessens and busting some jams.
Dan: If you could liken your sound to a pasta based dish, what would that be and why?
Robin: I don't know what the sauce would be, but definitely a triple cheese topping and all the different pasta shapes. 'Cheesy mix'. Cheese is smooth, bold, and timeless. Cheese is the essence of everything I do.
Dan: If you could liken this 6 song process to a season of the premier league and the plight of a team, which season would that be? Blackburn in 95? The 03/04 Invincibles?
Robin: The mighty Spurs under Redknapp 2011-12. Bale and Modric. Breaking the top 4. Never gonna be top of the charts but for the believers, there's a lot to love.
The first single will be available Monday 2nd May from iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud
featherweightsoul.co.uk
