Episode 057: Meet Mitch King- Singer-Songwriter, Traveler, and Surfer

The Oceanriders Podcast

If you love multi-genre music, surfing, and travel, you'll love Mitch King. Mitch goes back to his memories as a young boy going on road trips with his family with music playing in the background. Little did he know that this was the window of his future. He loved music but never saw himself walking down that road until he saw Australian singer Kim Churchill perform. With his passion awakened and his dreams starting to take shape, he started his first steps towards his goal. At 15, he started busking on the weekends and set on his path to writing and playing songs. Today, he's living life doing what he loves because at the end of the day, only the things that matter, matter when you're on your deathbed.

This week, Mitch walks us into the life of a musician. Mitch relates how taking little steps towards your goal eventually lead you to where you want to be in life. If you see yourself walking the path of a musician, listen to Mitch’s advice on getting into creative mode, writing lyrics, adding a variety of musical instruments into your mix, and playing as a one-man-band. He also talks about how surfing can be a nice break and therapy after a busy schedule, energy-filled concert, or just dealing with the stresses of life. And for the highlights, Mitch shares with us his philosophy in life, that can resonate with everyone trying to figure out how to best live the only life we are given. Not everyone dares to paddle out and ride a wave because of whatever reasons. But those who do, know that joy comes from facing the very thing that many people fear. If you live life the way you surf waves, you’ll be in a much better place.

Highlights:

• 00:55 When We Didn’t Know About COVID-19
• 04:00 A Surfer Born from the Inland
• 10:56 Life Goal: Sustainable & Comfortable Life
• 19:07 What Not to do When You're in Creation Mode
• 22:10 If You Want to be a Musician…
• 26:26 Enhance Your Music with Musical Instruments
• 32:33 It's All About Surfing the Waves
• 41:27 2 Ears

Hi Oceanriders! I hope you're well. This episode today is a conversation with Mitch King. The story behind this episode goes back to when COVID-19 wasn't a thing, and when we could all travel safely and freely. And we even used to be able to make plans. Rewind 11 months back, and I was having the best surf trip ever in Byron Bay. One of the things I love most about Australia is there's definitely a culture for music. And in particular, in Byron Bay. This magical place seems to attract the musicians I absolutely love. For those who've never been there, every evening, you get spoiled with the most amazing live concerts speckled in on the streets. On one evening, we got attracted to inexplicable energy on-site. Mitch King was playing in his one-man-band stuff, and he had managed to attract such a dense crowd that people were pouring off the pavement onto the street. Mitch was performing his debut hit Coming Back, and the audience was on fire.

"We sometimes take life seriously. And in the end, you realize, you don't need to stress about every sort of thing. Live a life that's relaxed and happy. That's a cool way of looking at what matters when you come to the end of life." -Mitch King

From that moment on, I just did my research and found out that Mitch was a surfer too. So I made a commitment to invite him to the podcast. Fast-forward a few months, and I was talking to his manager and exchanging questions and calendars. And it's taken over nine months for this conversation to happen. So I'm very humbled that Mitch considered coming on the podcast, especially when you hear about his story and track record. So today's conversation was held on either side of the planet- me in my office here in France, and Mitch in his van in Broken Head, just outside Byron Bay. This conversation is about being a musician, chipping away,y, and doing what you love. And I'm sure that like me, you'll love Mitchell's philosophy and the person he is.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Take care, have fun, and enjoy the waves.

Ciao,

Imi

Connect with Mitch:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

Quotes:

• 04:08 "Surfing gives a sense of freedom. It's a place to unwind and let off a bit of steam." -Mitch King
• 13:47 "If it's a good thing that happens, cool. And if nothing happens, cool." -Mitch King
• 18:17 "Recording is like a trust relationship;: you need to feel really comfortable with the producer." -Mitch King
• 20:12 "When you're in the creation mode, don't take things too seriously." -Mitch King
• 22:17 "The trickiest thing is the lyrics. When you want to have that passion to finish the song, it genuinely is sort of based on you caring about the subject of the song. So if you're passionate about what you're singing about, then you finish it more quickly." -Mitch King
• 23:24 "If you want to be a musician who can keep writing, train yourself to be a writer where you don't have to worry about the old stuff.” -Mitch King
• 33:28 "We sometimes take life seriously. And in the end, you realize, you don't need to stress about every sort of thing. Live a life that's relaxed and happy. That's a cool way of looking at what matters when you come to the end of life." -Mitch King

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