Fresh off the release of a new EP, Spokane folk staple Matt Mitchell is taking to the Hamilton Studios stage with a full band to show it off.
Consisting of five tracks, “Sounds American to Me” acts as a stark reminder of where folk and Americana found much of its roots. From the instruments, such as the wailing harmonica and subtly powerful mandolin, to the witty and sneering satire of the politically charged lyrics, the project isn’t afraid to speak its mind in ways that many of the country-adjacent genres appear to have long forgotten about.
The project first began to take fruition the day after the 2024 presidential election, when Mitchell and his drummer John Morales processed the results and where they saw the United States heading through lyric and song. The title track was soon born, consisting of wryly facetious descriptors such as, “shelters with padlock doors,” “tap water that catches on fire” and “it’s the biggest Walmart in history.”
“There’s definitely threads of what’s happening in our world,” Mitchell said. “There’s a lot of sardonic humor in there and a lot of commentary on some pretty real shit that I think we’re all going through.”
The initial versions were expanded upon at Johnny Long Station, a North Idaho recording studio perhaps easier described as a log cabin. Overlooking the rolling hills and picturesque scene, Mitchell found himself many miles away from the noise in Spokane in order to capture the essence of places like it.
“I tend to record sort of in cool spots, and this is no exception,” Mitchell said. “I can’t speak enough praise about the studio and the people who run it.”
Mitchell, his band and engineer Justin Landis took the five songs, which were all written in relatively quick succession, and dove into a style evocative of genre-defining troubadours like John Prine, Blaze Foley and Todd Snider.
“I think that consistency comes from, you know, it was all tracked in the same place and with the same methodology,” Mitchell said. “But also, I think there’s the vibe that these songs were all written at the same time, and I was in sort of a similar headspace for all of them. So, it all combines to give it the aesthetic, I’d say.”
Although the project is in line with Mitchell’s broad scope of being a folk and Americana artist, it certainly has its distinct personality traits, such as being more outright “traditional” and certainly more politically charged than previous works. Throughout his career, Mitchell’s sound has had a range of explorations and slight deviations, such as more explicitly indie, rock, psychedelia, contemporary folk, or bluegrass details.
“As I put out music, and I write at a pretty fast clip, I’m sort of channeling my own emotions and what’s going on in my life and the world, so I think each project is a different sort of era and chapter for me personally,” Mitchell said. “I think that translates into giving it a different feel than past projects, and some albums might be more melancholy and others more psychedelic or what have you, but yeah, this one definitely has its own flavor.”
Whether one chooses to listen to the project or hear the songs live at the Hamilton Studio Listening Room on Saturday (with a full five-piece band including many local musicians), Mitchell humbly hopes for two things. One, that the music itself “sounds good.” And second, that the collection simply implores the listener to think outside of their own box and realm of beliefs, no matter who you are.
“I’ve got a song on there called ‘Good God Damn,’ and it hits pretty directly at white Christian nationalism and what’s happening with our government and our country and our culture,” Mitchell said. “I’ve had people come up and say like, ‘hey man, that song was amazing, I really liked it, I don’t agree with your politics at all, but man great job.’ And for me, that’s about the best we can do these days in our political climate … to have them listen to something that says different than the echo chamber they’re in, I think is pretty special. I took that as a pretty big compliment.”
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