Click here to download the segment.
SUNBURY – If you’re a lover of live music, The Hotel Edison on Wednesday nights is the place for you. Every Wednesday night, musicians from all over the region are invited to the “Music Mash up” hosted by Steve Mitchell.
Local musician, Steve Mitchell, is a Grammy award winning percussionist who has had major success in the music industry, and is trying to give back to a community that he sees has a wealth of talent and diversity. He says “I know there are a lot of musicians in Sunbury. I lived here for a year, about 20 years ago, and there were so many good musicians, and I know they are still here.”
Mitchell has been running the “Music Mash-Up” for 5 years at The Bull Run in Lewisburg. He says he prefers to do this “music mash-up” because “the purpose of a mash-up as opposed to an open mic is we are trying to bring musicians together from different genres.”
He says the reason he moved it to Sunbury is because “Sunbury is a town of diversity, and that’s one of the reasons that I’m not happy with Lewisburg. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just that unless you try to break down the barriers, and are aware of the barriers, you can’t break them down until you know they’re there. I am so happy with the diversity of players that have been coming to the mash-up.”
Steve Mitchell, who has been a studio musician for 30 years, and won a Grammy in 1976 for his work, has produced a wide range of music in his career. With his work ranging from 25 years of Charlie Brown TV specials, to work with Joe Strummer of the Clash, it’s safe to say Mitchell has a lot he could teach young musicians, “The whole thing is that today’s musicians are wandering around looking for leadership. They’re looking for some way to have a life, and support a family, and make enough money to have kids and send them to college. It’s not an easy time for an artist, of any kind in America.”
Mitchell says he wants to help this generation of musicians and that’s part of the mash up, “It is to raise all the boats in the harbor. I feel like more and more musicians are saying ‘this is impossible.’ I think that it’s a hard time for musicians, and I’d like to do anything I can to bring them together as a community; as a group so that they can figure out what to do with their art.”
Steve Mitchell hosts the “Music Mash-up” every Wednesday night beginning at 6pm at The Hotel Edison in downtown Sunbury. (Christopher Elio)
