Check Out Mitchell Manburg’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitchell Manburg.

Mitchell, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, I was born on a Monday at 9:42 a.m…. (I’m kidding, I’m kidding—I’ll spare you every detail.) Today I make a full-time living through music, with the freedom to dedicate myself to my own creative projects. Getting here has taken some combination of talent, discipline, ambition, rebellion, discomfort, gratitude, perseverance, risk, luck, patience, faith, and a whole lot of support. I picked up my mom’s guitar when I was seven and started lessons, but I didn’t connect with my first teacher and quit. At nine, I tried again with a new teacher who taught me Green Day and Blink-182, and this time I caught the bug. When he gave me a copy of Led Zeppelin IV, there was no turning back. I had a difficult upbringing and playing guitar in my bedroom became a safe space—a way to practice, write songs, and make sense of things. In college I started performing more at open mics, parties, and in ensembles, and after graduating I returned to Oakland and started my first band. Singing, writing lyrics, performing, and actually running a band pushed me far outside my comfort zone, but I learned by doing. Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to pursue music seriously, I needed to develop my musicianship and learn the business. So at 23 I took my savings, took out a loan, and moved to Los Angeles to study guitar performance at Musicians Institute.

My time in LA was exciting but unpredictable. I ultimately had to leave music school unexpectedly early when I was hit with an unforeseen expense and could no longer afford tuition. But instead of going home, I kept moving forward. I joined a new band, ran concerts at a record shop, where I wrote and recorded music after hours, studied songwriting and The Songwriting School of LA, and hustled several day jobs before eventually teaching guitar professionally. Over time, several parts of my life came to natural endings seemingly all at once. And after a difficult period that coincided with the pandemic, I returned to the Bay Area to be closer to my friends and family. Since then, I’ve made some of my proudest work yet of as a solo artist (and now film composer), while becoming more dedicated to teaching music. I play in a Halloween surf band purely for the fun of it, which is not the band like the previous band experiences I’ve had. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what I want to be able to do artistically, but I’m keenly aware of the work that it’s taken me to get to this point and am incredibly grateful to be where I am. At my core, I’m still that kid sitting in his bedroom just playing his guitar.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I touched on some of my struggles in my last long winded answer about my story – a troubled youth, ego, money, mental health, risky decision making. But I will share one of my favorite quotes comes that from Kenny Werner’s “Effortless Mastery”. Since reading this passage years ago I have found that many of my hardships are just particulars of these five more umbrella categories. Recognizing my struggles as fear based has certainly helped to work through them.

Werner writes of “five fears that Buddhists speak of that block our liberations: fear of loss of life; fear of loss of livelihood; fear of loss of reputation; and fear of [performing], which has two parts: fear of being thought a fool and fear of actually being a fool.” Then he says, “Let’s add fear of ghosts. I would take that to mean the implant of fear by authority no longer present in our lives, but the echo of whose voice remains to control us (teachers, parents, and so forth). Or it could literally be ghosts; the legacy of music left by the great masters. So many musicians are filled with too much awe for that legacy and never feel worthy of ‘adding’ to it.”

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think what separates me from other musicians most is that my background isn’t in music, but in the humanities. I once had a student, Grace, who said listening my music was like going to a modern art museum. I know that meant she found it boring as it paled in energy compared to the Korean metal she was into, but I took it as a huge compliment! As a guitar player there is nothing I can play that someone else can’t (and probably better). What sets me apart though is that I think more in terms of other arts. For example, is there a way that I can embody Monet’s impressionist strokes and color palette sonically? His “Water Lillies” are fully immersive and uninterrupted by any particular subject. How can I think spatially when designing a soundscape? Or perhaps cooking. Am I preparing an experimental gourmet delicacy or a satisfying greasy spoon dish? If I’m making a blues-rock track, for example, I might think of it as steak and potatoes with simple meaty riffs tastefully seasoned with overdrive and slapback delay. As I read and watch movies I will pay attention to the story structures and motifs. How can I use those to inform a cohesive 45 minute setlist or album?

What I am most proud of though is that I am able to fully express myself in my music. This is not unique and I hope this is the case for every artist (and person). I carry a lot of baggage that I can’t talk about in my day-to-day life. Yet if I try to suppress it it will eat my alive from within. In my songs I am able to say all the things that I can’t otherwise. Nobody can silence what I have to say and it is the most liberating feeling I’ve ever experienced. When people hear my music they’re most drawn in by my ear candy guitar playing. But what I get the most comments on are actually my lyrics.

What’s next?
You’re hearing it hear first but I’m currently working on my first full-length LP. Don’t hold me to this but I’m hoping to release on vinyl next year (ah!).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://MitchellManburgMusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellmanburg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2932338453669886
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mitchellmanburg8869
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mitchell-manburg-music-oakland?osq=mitchell+manburg
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pqmBNhRQQcd8iFssuHkLI?si=Y-B6J_BzSSCbh1beQKxT8w

Image Credits
Alice Shelley, Alexandra Clayton, Maddy Ford, Virginia Cortland, Ginger Fierstein