Mitch Gettman

Mitch Gettman now has his first full-length album We Are the Mad Ones out in every way imaginable. The 18-year-old songwriter celebrated the CD release of his album Friday, Dec. 16 at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Gettman led his band through a polished, sophisticated romp through Gettman's songs. The set was brisk and direct, with Gettman's voice and guitar on display. Gettman has already learned to play to the strengths of his abilities. There's no overreaching attempts at flashiness, just a young songwriter quickly learning how to hone his craft. - The Reader - Omaha, NE

Mitch Gettman planted the seeds for his musical life in Omaha, while in front of a video camera, strumming renditions of songs he liked.

Those YouTube videos of a teenaged Gettman playing Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith covers more than four years ago have quickly spilled over into original songs, Omaha-are club gigs and his first full-length album, We Are The Mad Ones.

"I started posting YouTube videos long before I started writing my own stuff," he says.

His first YouTube profile was mostly grunge-era covers, including several Nirvana songs.

Gettman says he got his first guitar when he was about 10, but he didn't really start playing it until he was 12 years old. At first, he started by playing lots of U2 songs, which he bought tabulature books and instructional DVDs of to help guide his playing.

Gettman says he was writing his own stuff in eighth grade, while in a grunge-minded band with some kids his age.

It was also around that time that Gettman discovered Jeff Buckley and became captivated by the now-deceased 90s singer-songwriter's work.

That led to Gettman's musical taste changing, so he made a new profile under his own name.

Those first videos under his second profile represent a sampling of Gettman's strongest early influences, covering Radiohead's "Paranoid Android", as well as songs by Buckley and Elliott Smith.

Many of those early videos are still accumulating plays, he says. The covers brought viewers in to hear his singing and guitar-playing. As the number of YouTuber users subscribed to updates on Gettman's profile grew, Gettman delved deeper. Posts of songs like Big Star's "Thirteen" eventually emboldened Gettman to post a few original songs.

Gettman says he knew then that he wanted to get serious about making his own music.

"I don't want to play in a cover band or be a cover artist," he says. "I want to play my own music."

Gettman says even though he has certain favorite musicians, he doesn't really think about their sound or influence when he's writing his own songs.

Still he admits that some artists probably have put a big imprint on him and that it comes out in how he plays music. Gettman says he strives to make music that feels like his own.

That something of Gettman's own took form last summer, as the band worked with A.J. Mogis at ARC Studios in Omaha. Gettman was joined by bassist Andrew Malashock and drummer Adam Gerber during those sessions. Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastered mastered the disc.

Two songs, "Where Are You Now" and "Drowning In My Sleep", were re-recorded from Gettman's only other release, the 2010 EP Worn. The first versions of those songs were recorded by Grasshopper Takeover singer Curtis Grubb at Grubb's home studio.

When Gettman entered the studio with Mogis, he had a precise roadmap for what he wanted to get done. Gettman says he even had a tracklisting picked out for when the album was finished.

"I had a very specific idea going into studio as far as what I wanted it to be like," he says.

Gettman says he really wanted the disc to flow well and he thinks he accomplished that on the disc. He says he wanted it to be dynamic, but still maintain a constant, steady feel throughout.

"It's a good documentation of what I'm doing," Gettman says.

Despite the planning, Gettman says he doesn't feel like he's mastered any part of music making. He says he's happy with the album as a good start to a music career.

The album is already available for download via iTunes and Gettman's web site.

Since the sessions for the new album, Gettman has picked up a new drummer, J.B. Ferguson, and a second guitarist, Adam Stoltenburg.

Gettman started playing gigs around Omaha has a freshman in high school, but he says things didn't really start to pick up until his sophomore year.

A spot on a Gorilla Productions Battle of the Bands got Gettman noticed at the Waiting Room. A few months later he was invited to open for Ian Moore.

When Gettman was only about 15, he went to Omaha's Rainbow Studios to record some of his original songs with Jeremy Garrett.

When Gettman told Garrett that he was looking for a backing band to play the songs with him, Garrett helped steer Gettman toward Malashock.

Gettman gained a big assist from Malashock, who had logged plenty of band experience before joining Gettman's band. Whether it was structuring practice sessions or lining up gigs, Malashock helped Gettman figure out how to make the band thing work.

"I've learned a lot from just playing with these older musicians," Gettman says.

Gettman first gained local notice on account of his age, starting out playing club gigs before he could even drive. His parents were supportive from his very first solo gigs.

Gettman says his father Steve even took him to shows prior to Gettman getting a driver's license. The parents never denied a booking because it was a school night or because it was at a bar.

"It just all kind of ended up working out," Gettman says."As it happened, they just let it happen."

Gettman says part of his young age did work in his advantage in getting attention, but it can also work against him in a "he's good for his age" sort of way. Gettman says now it's not even necessary, because by the start of 2012, he will have graduated a semester early from Westside High School.

Now he wants people to see him play because they want to hear the music, not because he's some youth sensation.

"I recently turned 18, so now they can't call me a kid."

Mitch Gettman with The Big Deep and Snake Island! play Friday, Dec. 16th at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7 at the door and include a copy of Gettman's new CD. For more information, visit theslowdown.com. - The Reader - Omaha, NE

Normally, I post Ingrained videos — the live, sometimes a little grainy, venue-shot videos that attempt to capture bands in their element — but this time I'm excited to share a new music video I finished for Omaha alt-rocker Mitch Gettman. So where did this guy come from — the place where all proper phenom's now get their start. At 15, Gettman started posting videos on his youtube account of acoustic versions of some of his influences like Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and U2. With view counts in the hundreds of thousands, he found an audience online. His reception helped to form a band here in town and he has been playing his own songs for almost two years.

From the acoustic songs I had heard online, I was blown away by the mature and rocking sound of his new album, We Are the Mad Ones. Musing Jack Kerouac, Gettman has written a solid album of mad bittersweet characters yearning after love, life and happiness.

The concept for this video focused on what one does when errant love runs off. The fireworks became a centerpiece image, exploring wonder and danger, energy and contemplation. Take a moment and let the sweet release of this video set in while fireworks make your heart grow fonder. - HearNebraska.org

It's time to name the best in Omaha music. At least, that's the intention of the Omaha Entertainment And Arts Awards.

On Saturday, the nominations were released. And, after some voting, the winners will be picked in February.

While I think this is one of the better nomination lists I've ever seen from the OEA Awards, it's still flawed.

Why is "best adult" combined with "alternative" and "songwriter? And why is there a category that just says "indie?" Those bands would fit under rock, alternative and singer/songwriter. Why is "funk" paired with "prog" and "experimental?" And who are the Minnahoonies and why are they voted one of the best rock bands? I've never heard of them. (Upon further research, they're from Shenandoah, which should also disqualify them.)

Most pressing of all, why are Bright Eyes and Tim Kasher even in this fight? Yes, they are two of the biggest names in Omaha music, but they're not in the same league as these other guys (nor are Emphatic, which released a major-label album).

Putting those guys in the same category as Matt Cox Band and Galvanized Tron is like nominating the Yankees and the Omaha Stormchasers for "best baseball team." They're not on the same level. I think I know who's going to win.

Also, when Bright Eyes wins best artist, will Conor Oberst finally show up to pick it up his award?

Of course, it comes from the process by which nominees are picked. Nominations are submitted by the public. Then "the academy" votes on the nominees to choose the winners.

(Note: I'm supposedly an academy member, but I've never voted. I've also never received a ballot to vote, so that explains that. Hopefully, this year I'll be able to participate.)

Still, the nominees are mostly right. There's a lot of good music on that list. And it's a great starting point for someone not familiar with the scene to maybe familiarize themselves.

Anyway, the 2012 awards show will go down on Feb. 12 at Harrah's sometime in February. The awards are moving back to Omaha (they've been in CB in recent years), but the venue hasn't yet been decided.

You probably want to see the nominees. Check them out after the jump.



Best Rock
• Rock Paper Dynamite
• Voodoo Method
• Vago
• Mitch Gettman
• Kris Lager Band
• Minnahoonies

Best Adult/Alternative…Songwriter
• Tara Vaughan
• Mitch Gettman
• Manny Coon
• All Young Girls Are Machine Guns
• South Of Lincoln
• Eli Mardock - Rock Candy

Mitch Gettman has been impressing audiences on Omaha stages as both a solo artist and with his band that also bears his name for the past few years. After putting out an EP, Mitch decided to go into the much lauded ARC studios to record his debut full length with the idea of touring and getting his music out beyond Omaha in 2012. That album, “We are the Mad Ones,” is available now for streaming and download at mitchgettman.bandcamp.com. A physical release will show up on Dec. 16 when Mitch celebrates with a party at the Slowdown where he will be taking the big stage that night.
Mitch has been finding himself open for many national bands the past couple of years, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2009 Omaha Entertainment & Arts Awards and most importantly has seen interest grow in his actual music and not just the fact that he is a teenager playing music of the quality that he does. His style is seemingly influenced partially by classic rock and grunge rock of the early ‘90s and also the soaring works of artists like Jeff Buckley, the Smiths, and Elliot Smith. On the album “We are the Mad Ones” Gettman puts an emphasis on his own sound and directions of where he wants to go with the music. I met up with Gettman at Crane Coffee to talk about the new album, recording at ARC, and what the future has in store for him. Mitch Gettman will be playing a free show this Sunday at Q Consumables in Little Italy at 7:30 p.m.

Shout! – Why did you decide to use ARC Studios?
Mitch Gettman – I just heard about it and some of the bands that recorded there. It seems like one of the big studios in Omaha, and after specifically hearing the It’s True record that was recorded there. We wanted the album to sound as good as we can make it. I was under the impression that we would be able to get the product that we wanted there and we did.

Shout! – What is the songwriting timeline between the EP and this album?
Mitch – A few of these songs were written and put on the EP, so it started spring of 2010 to a little over a year. A few of the songs were written right before the sessions.

Shout! – Are there any songs that stand out to you or are inspired by something in particular on ‘We are the Mad Ones”?
Mitch – The songs are all inspired by something. I have hard time writing about something I am not interested in. I wouldn’t say there is any song in particular where this song means more than the other. They all mean something to me. From first glance a lot of people might think the songs are love songs and I can see where they are coming from. The thing about songs that I love is that they have a lot of emotion so I try to put that into the songs.

Shout! – So these are not love songs or songs about love?
Mitch – It can start as a love song and end up being something completely different. Just because you wrote it one way doesn’t mean that you can’t interpret it a different way. There are songs that mean something completely different from when I wrote it. I don’t want to say I have been writing songs forever, I have only been writing for about three years, but in that short amount of time I know this.

Shout! – How was recording at ARC? Any crazy stories from the studio?
Mitch – There are not too many crazy stories. It was really short-it took us a week to record it-it was work but it was fun work. After the drums were recorded then me and AJ spent the time doing the vocals and overdubs. It was fun and we did 12 hours days, but you were never really exhausted.

Shout! – Did you feel like you had more opportunities in a studio that size?
Mitch – I was definitely thrilled with the opportunities of what we could do in the studio, just the instruments there give you so many options. I was excited to do the overdubs with piano. The first time I went there I thought ‘wow this is a real studio’ and I was grateful to be able to record there.

Shout! – How was working with AJ Mogis?
Mitch – AJ did a great job. Almost from the beginning we saw eye to eye on the whole project. We would just sit around and exchange ideas and we would be like what’s next? It wasn’t like we were shooting down any of each other’s ideas-we were very much on the same page.

Shout! – What would you like to do with this album?
Mitch – I would like to use this record as an excuse if you will to step up. I don’t want to just sit around-I want people to hear it. I am not super concerned with people liking it I just want them to hear it. I want to hear what people think of the music. We are going to do a tour in the spring of next year. We have the “Stay With Me” video that we are using to try to get people to gravitate towards the record. I want the record to be able to get our name out there.

Shout! – You did the video with Ingrained right? Did you approach them or did they approach you?
Mitch – Justin (Kadlec whom has been booking and managing Mitch) approached them. We just met with Andrew (Roger) and it was another quick and smooth project.

Shout! – What is the premise of the video?
Mitch – The album is called “We are the Mad Onees” which is a reference to a line from “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac where it talks about how the only ones for him are the mad ones. There was this part where he talks about exploding roman candles so we created this fireworks theme to go along with the album title. We did this shoot out in the Elkhorn area on the beach with a bunch of fireworks and then we did a live show at a warehouse downtown.

Shout! – With the album in the can, are you finding a whole new batch of songs coming to fruition, or are you just focused on promoting this album?
Mitch – Kind of both, I like to write as much as possible. You can’t write all the time, sometimes you can’t write anything. I have been trying to find new songs; I have a lot of ideas-and a lot of almost complete songs.

Shout! – Did you do anything on this album that you didn’t plan on doing before you went into the studio?
Mitch – We did a lot fun extra things, but we didn’t do anything too crazy. I guess that will come with time, when bands get older they try crazier things. I played instruments that I usually wouldn’t play. I did piano overdubs, and I wouldn’t want to play piano out on stage, but if I can focus on it I can learn it. I did some hand drums and congas and bongos on the first track “Stay with Me” and you could probably tell if you are a hand drum expert. On the track “Affection Pt. 1” we ended up adding an almost a jazzy feeling up front we used a cabasa and sandpaper, and a shaker. It was just kind of something that we came up with in the studio. We didn’t burn the tapes or anything or record bathwater running.

Shout! – Are you finding that people are not as focused on your age and more focused on the music these days?
Mitch – I think that is better for sure. I try not to communicate to people as if I am young. I know that if I do that they might not take me seriously. I try not to bug people, but I want to always navigate people to my music. I have pitched to all of my teachers over the years, and a lot of them are my biggest supporters, especially the English teachers. If that is how someone thinks, that it is how they think. I don’t want them to be ‘oh check this kid out he is 17 years old.’ I want people to just listen to the music. That is why it is great to get feedback from someone you don’t know. I don’t want people to even know about my age. Just listen to it and consider it music and give it a shot. - Shout Weekly

"High schooler getting buzz for putting out records, performing around town and doing it as well as his older counterparts? Hmm. Sounds unbelievable. Oh wait. Didn’t that Conor Oberst fella do the same thing years ago? Well, now local singer-songwriter Mitch Gettman is starting down a similar path. But will he help propel a local label to national notoriety? We shall see."
- Omaha World Herald - Kevin Coffey

FRIDAY16

April 16
Mitch Gettman EP Release
w/ Little Black Stereo
and Jes Winter Band
Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St.
9 p.m., $7, onepercentproductions.com

Mitch Gettman’s name has been coming up a lot lately. Whether it be a local promoter blown away by Gettman’s unique sound and style, or some random bar-goer who enjoyed one of Gettman’s recent performances, people are talking. Gettman, along with bandmates Andrew Malashock and Adam Gerber, is set to tap in to the momentum by releasing Worn, his latest EP. Friends Little Black Stereo and the Jes Winter Band will offer support for what is sure to be a memorable night of local music.
— Jesse D. Stanek
- The Reader, April, 2010