After a quick email exchange with West Herr Riviera Theatre Executive Director David Fillenwarth, he helped me set up an interview with Canadian legend Kim Mitchell ahead of Mitchell’s two-night stand at The Riv on June 1 and June 2.
The challenge with interviewing an artist like Mitchell is finding something that hasn’t already been asked, so we began talking about his last album, “The Big Fantasize,” which came out late in 2020, specifically the song “Montgomery,” and the Americana/country influence of that song and others in his catalog.
“You are the first person to bring that up, and thank you for mentioning that song,” Mitchell said. “Before I was in a rock band, and I was around 18 years old, I was in a country band called Dick Dickson and the Stone Mountain Band. I remember the bass player was a police officer during the day and a musician at night.”
Other songs such as “Patio Lanterns,” “Easy to Tame,” and a 2014 remake of his song “Alana Loves Me” are steeped in country and Americana.
“’Easy to Tame’ is straight country, ‘Montgomery’ is more atmospheric, and I believe it is the first time I performed an acoustic solo on record,” Mitchell said. “I love the song and the imagery. It’s actually about Montgomery, Alabama, and a girl named Montgomery; the theme is intertwined. Whenever I have an acoustic guitar nearby I pick it up and play that one.”
Sure enough, Mitchell grabbed an acoustic and played the intro and first verse. That was a first for me.
Then the topic shifted to performing live, and Mitchell began to reflect on his career.
“You know, the, the couple hours on stage and everything, is still so much fun, and I just can’t believe I got to do this for a living and for as long as I have. It’s really amazing to stand on a stage and transmit this musical energy that makes a room feel good,” he said.
“We need that as human beings. I need it. You know, it gets us out of our heads and out of our looking, looking down at our smart devices. And I just think sporting events, live music events, things where we get out and are among each other … .”
The Dave Constantino Band is opening both shows at The Riv, and Mitchell mentioned that was his choice. Dave is a former member of the legendary Buffalo band Talas.
“I am a huge Talas fan, and that goes back to the time we shared a bill at the same club in Canada, and those guys just blew me away,” Mitchell said. “The last time we played the Riviera, Dave and I were able to chat, and he said he would like to open up if we came up, and of course, I said yes. It will be great to see him again.”
We wrapped up by discussing Mitchell’s popularity in Western New York and how the Canadian Content laws, which required Canadian radio stations to play music from Canadian artists, helped his career.
“I know many radio stations hated it; they thought they wouldn’t be able to compete, but I benefited from it, and many other artists were able to carve out a living, so I am grateful for the regulation,” he said. “We didn’t all end up as popular as Rush or Bryan Adams, but we could do what we love, buy houses, and carve out a living.”
“In the end, you have to enjoy it. I tell young kids, you don’t have to be in the NHL to enjoy playing hockey. You can enjoy playing drums, keyboards, or even singing without getting rich.”
That is unsurprising, especially from the guy who sang “Rock N’ Roll Duty.”