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Kevin Edward Mitchell (born 1 October 1977), also known by the
stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
of Bob Evans, is an Australian singer-songwriter; Mitchell uses the name for his primary solo project. He is also the founding lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Jebediah Jebediah are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. They were formed by Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Kevin Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Vanessa Thornton on bass guita ...
, which was formed in 1994 and features his older brother Brett Mitchell, who joined on drums before the group's first performance. Jebediah released five studio albums between 1997 and 2011, the first three of which entered the top ten on the
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. Mitchell commenced performing as a
folk pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...
artist under the name "Bob Evans" in 1999 to showcase "quieter" songs that were influenced by music that was different from the primary sound of Jebediah, and he deliberately chose a stage name that would distinguish him from his band. His most successful solo album ''
Suburban Songbook ''Suburban Songbook'' is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Kevin Mitchell, under the pseudonym Bob Evans, vocalist and guitarist for Perth band Jebediah. It was produced by Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Yo La Tengo, Sheryl Crow ...
'', which was released on 10 June 2006, peaked at No. 15, and his next two solo albums '' Goodnight, Bull Creek!'' (3 April 2009) and ''
Familiar Stranger A familiar stranger is a stranger who is nonetheless recognized by another from regularly sharing a common physical space such as a street or bus stop, but with whom one does not interact. First identified by Stanley Milgram in the 1972 paper ''T ...
'' (15 March 2013) reached the top 40. As of December 2016, Mitchell has released five Bob Evans studio albums, and he launched the ''Good Evans, It's A Bobcast!'' podcast in May 2016.


Biography


Early life

Mitchell was born on 1 October 1977. From the age of five to 18 years, he grew up in the outer
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
suburb of Bull Creek. His older brother, Brett, is a musician who played in various Perth-based groups, and both of his parents migrated from
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Mitchell's third studio album, ''Goodnight, Bull Creek!'' (3 April 2009) references his hometown, and Mitchell provided the following description at the time: "It's a very ordinary, plain little suburb with a primary school and a shopping centre and a BMX track." Mitchell attended Bull Creek Primary School, where he played
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
, and he also attended dance classes during his early adolescence. It was while he was engaged in theatre classes at
Leeming Senior High School Leeming Senior High School is a public co-educational high day school, located in the City of Melville on Aulberry Parade in the suburb of Leeming, Western Australia. History The school was established in 1985 and caters for students from Yea ...
that he met Jebediah's lead guitarist Chris Daymond. Following Mitchell's successful completion of the Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE), he commenced an undergraduate degree at a Western Australian university. After the first year he decided to forgo his course, and as a member of Jebediah, he signed a record deal in 1996. In May 2009, Mitchell revealed that he experienced depression for a brief period at the age of 16 years. The condition then reappeared in 2007, and he explained:
I was feeling down with myself. The only time I had ever suffered depression was as a teenager when I was at school and here I was, 31 years old, and the last thing I ever thought was that those feelings would come back. I was confused and angry about it, thinking, "This is ridiculous, I'm an adult for Christ's sake", admonishing myself.
The experience eventually inspired the track "Pasha Bulker" on ''Goodnight Bull Creek''. In a series of three blog posts for ''TheMusic.com.au'' website, published in March 2013, Mitchell revealed that he had been "a 17 year-old university drop out that was still living with his parents rent free whilst discovering the joys of smoking bucket bongs", and described his "working class, English immigrant parents."


Jebediah formation and early years

In late-1994, Mitchell formed Jebediah with three school mates: Daymond on lead guitar, Almin Fulurija on drums, and Vanessa Thornton on bass guitar. Thornton had played lead guitar in her previous band Hybrid, but switched to bass guitar. Fulurija was soon replaced on drums by Brett before they played their first gig in May 1995 at Leeming Senior High School. Initially, the group performed
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s by
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
,
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
,
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
and
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
. As Jebediah's popularity grew they competed in the Australian National Campus Band Competition and, in October, they won the national final in
Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a city in northeastern New South Wales, Australia and the main population centre in the City of Lismore Local government in Australia, local government area; it is also a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State. It ...
. This success led to an opening slot on the 1996 Summersault music festival, which was run by the promoter,
Steve Pavlovic Stephen Pavlovic (born 1966) is an Australian music entrepreneur. Pavlovic began promoting music tours, events and concerts in 1990. Since then he has toured influential artist including Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Beck, Foo Fighters, ...
. Jebediah performed at the
Fremantle Oval Fremantle Oval, also known by naming rights sponsorship as Fremantle Community Bank Oval, is a stadium in the centre of Fremantle, Western Australia, located on Parry Street. It currently has a capacity of 17,500 with terracing and a members ...
on 7 January alongside the
Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
,
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
and
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
. In the setlist they appeared between
The Amps The Amps were an American alternative rock band formed by Kim Deal in 1995, while her band the Breeders went on hiatus. The group consisted of Deal, on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Luis Lerma on bass; Nate Farley on lead guitar; and Jim Macphe ...
and Pavement: Mitchell told Adam Connors of ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' that " 've got an excellent position, I don't know how the hell we got it. I don't know what it's going to be like, I just don't know." He felt that " mping up and down to Jebediah is the easiest thing ... Anyone can do it and you don't have to be a great dancer. That is how to deal with our music." Jebediah signed with Murmur Records (a subsidiary label of
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
) in April 1996, "on the strength of their live shows alone. There were no demo recordings." The group won their first WAMi award in May that year for Best Stage Presence. In August they issued their first release, a five-track extended play, ''
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
'', which peaked at No. 61 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. Mitchell and his three band mates co-wrote their original material, with Mitchell supplying most of the lyrics. The band's first single, "
Jerks of Attention "Jerks of Attention" is a song by Australian alternative rock band, Jebediah, recorded in August 1996, in Melbourne at the Birdland Studio, and produced by Lindsay Gravina and Mikey Alonso. "Jerks of Attention" was released on 8 December 1996 as ...
", appeared in December, which earned a WAMi award, in mid-1997, for Most Popular Song and the group won the Most Popular Band category. Performances at
Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New Sou ...
and the
Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
, in addition to support shows for
Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...
, Everclear, The Presidents of the United States of America,
Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
and
You Am I You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...
, further raised the band's profile. On 8 September 1997 the band released their first studio album, ''
Slightly Odway ''Slightly Odway'' is the debut studio album by Australian alternative rock band Jebediah. It was recorded between March and May 1997 at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, with Neill King producing. ''Slightly Odway'' was released on 8 September 19 ...
'', which peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and remained in the top 50 for 54 weeks. ''Slightly Odway'' was certified double platinum in 1998 by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA). During tours, in 1998, Mitchell "first started playing solo shows", according to Thornton. Jebediah's follow-up album, ''
Of Someday Shambles ''Of Someday Shambles'' is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Jebediah. It was recorded between April and June 1999 and was produced by Mark Trombino. It was released on 3 October 1999 by record label Murmur. It peaked ...
'', was recorded in 1999 and its first single "
Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
" peaked at No. 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart, while the album reached No. 2. ''Of Someday Shambles'' eventually earned a platinum certification from ARIA. Jebediah then released the single, " Fall Down" in October 2001, ahead of their self-titled album, which appeared on 3 March 2002. "Fall Down" peaked at No. 24, while the album reached No. 8. Their fourth album, '' Braxton Hicks'', followed on 12 July 2004 using the band's own label,
Redline Records Redline Records was an independent record label based in Perth, Australia. Started in the year 2000 as a joint project between the band, Jebediah, and its management company, Naked Ape Management, the label predominantly released recordings of Au ...
, which ceased operations in 2011. Following ''Braxton Hicks'', Jebediah embarked on a six-year hiatus, providing Mitchell with time to focus on his solo work. They resumed the band for the release of their fifth studio album, '' Kosciuszko'', on 15 April 2011.


2003–2009: Bob Evans' Suburban trilogy

Since 1999 Mitchell performs and releases his solo work under the pseudonym of Bob Evans. He created the name to play low-profile solo shows in Perth, which was chosen "because it was written on a T-shirt I was wearing". Mitchell elaborated, in 2013, "It was just a way to be incognito, to separate myself from Jebediah. I had to create this kind of pseudonym so I could do things without people really knowing about it and having expectations about it." As Bob Evans, he concludes written communication with the sign offs: "XXXBOBXXX" or "XXXbobXXX", akin to
SMS language Short Message Service (SMS) language, textism, or textese is the abbreviated language and slang commonly used in the late 1990s and early 2000s with mobile phone text messaging, and occasionally through Internet-based communication such as ema ...
. Bob Evan's debut album, '' Suburban Kid'', was released on 8 September 2003 by Redline Records, Evans co-produced it with Simon Struthers.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Jason Ankeny compared the album to his material with Jebediah: it showed a "more intimate, roots-flavored dimension of his songwriting." It was described in a Yourgigs' review as "an album of youthful introspection, love and loss." The album was later acquired by
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
following Mitchell's transfer to that music company. Mitchell recorded ''Suburban Kid'' at a home studio owned by Struthers, who was the bass guitarist for Perth band, Adam Said Galore. The song, "The Hermit", was co-written by Mitchell with another Perth musician, Luke Steele (of
The Sleepy Jackson The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist ...
and later a member of
Empire of the Sun ''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology '' ...
), while Steele's sister,
Katy Steele Katy Elizabeth Steele (born 9 September 1983) is an Australian singer, guitarist and songwriter of the four-piece rock band, Little Birdy. Biography Steele was born Kate Elizabeth Steele and has a fraternal twin brother, Jake. She and her broth ...
(of
Little Birdy Little Birdy were an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue. They gaine ...
) contributed backing vocals. Mitchell revealed in August 2014, as part of Double J's ''Artist in Residence'' series, that
The Streets The Streets are an English music project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner. The project has released six studio albums: ''Original Pirate Material'' (2002), ''A Grand Don't Come for Free'' (2004), ''The Hardest Way to M ...
' album, ''
A Grand Don't Come for Free ''A Grand Don't Come for Free'' is the second studio album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the music project the Streets. It was released on 17 May 2004 and is listed in the book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. ...
'' (May 2004), was a major influence on his subsequent lyrical work for both Jebediah and as Bob Evans. He felt that it was "one of the smartest albums ever made." Mitchell described The Streets' lyricist, Mike Skinner's work as "folk poetry". The second Bob Evans studio album, ''
Suburban Songbook ''Suburban Songbook'' is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Kevin Mitchell, under the pseudonym Bob Evans, vocalist and guitarist for Perth band Jebediah. It was produced by Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Yo La Tengo, Sheryl Crow ...
'', was released on 10 June 2006. Mitchell sent the demo version to record producers he was interested in and was surprised by a quick response from an American, Brad Jones (
Josh Rouse Josh Rouse (born March 9, 1972) is an American folk/roots pop singer-songwriter. Originally from Nebraska, Rouse began his recording career in Nashville in 1998 and later relocated to Spain. In 2014, Rouse won a Spanish Goya Film Award in the c ...
,
Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...
,
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
): "Normally when you send a demo to a producer overseas you are lucky to even hear back. Within a month of him hearing the demos I was on a plane to
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
to begin recording. The whole process seemed blessed." Jones embraced Mitchell’s vision and suggested a more refined, listener-friendly approach. ''Suburban Songbook'' debuted at No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Charts. Its lead single, " Don't You Think It's Time?" (May 2006), was accompanied by a
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
in which a mural is painted of Mitchell and his then-girlfriend (later his wife). The single was followed by an EP, '' Nowhere Without You'' (September 2006). At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2006 The 20th annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Presenters on the night includ ...
Mitchell won his first ARIA Award: for Best Adult Contemporary Album for ''Suburban Songbook''; he was also nominated for Best Male Artist. In 2010 Mitchell recalled: "Everything off ''Suburban Songbook'' is very special to me because it documents a watershed moment in my life, both personally and professionally, that will never happen again." For his third Bob Evans album, '' Goodnight, Bull Creek!'', Mitchell recorded in Nashville again, with Jones as producer. He hired singer-songwriter, Melissa Mathers, as a backing vocalist. According to Mitchell, the album is the final instalment in his suburban musical trilogy: "The title is referring to me saying farewells, as I said with the last record that I would only do one more suburban record as part of the trilogy. Ironically, this record isn't very suburban at all though; not nearly as much as the last one. But it is the end of the chapter." ''Goodnight, Bull Creek!'' was released on 3 April 2009 and debuted at No. 22. Natalie Salvo of ''TheDwarf.com.au'' website felt it was " a pretty patchy effort that at its worst gets dangerously close to Ben Lee’s excruciating blend of twee pop ... I have issues with the fact that I've heard the bulk of the music in some way or shape before because many of the guitar flourishes seem to be borrowed from a batch of fifties/sixties easy-listening nostalgia classics." At the
ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music The music of Australia has ...
that year it was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album and he was nominated for Best Male Artist.


2009–2012: Basement Birds and ''Kosciuzko''

During 2008 Bob Evans' backing band included
Steve Parkin Stephen John Parkin (born 7 November 1965) is an English former professional footballer and manager, who is assistant manager at Wrexham. He played for Mansfield Town, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion and has been manager of Barnsley, Mansf ...
as a guitarist and backing vocalist (ex-Vinyl, Autopilot, solo). By mid-2009 the pair were writing songs together and were corresponding with
Kavyen Temperley Satyam Kavyen "Kav" Temperley (born Finlay Beaton; 3 July 1978) is the lead singer, songwriter, bassist and occasional keyboard player of the Australian band Eskimo Joe. Biography Early life and education Temperley was born in Mosman Park, We ...
(of
Eskimo Joe Eskimo Joe are an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in 1997 by Stuart MacLeod, on lead guitar, Joel Quartermain, on drums and guitar, and Kavyen Temperley, on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia, Austral ...
) and solo singer-songwriter,
Josh Pyke Joshua Jon Pyke (born 18 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, producer, musician and children's book author. Biography Josh Pyke is a prolific songwriter, with a successful and critically acclaimed career both domestically and ove ...
. All four wanted to form a side project, Basement Birds, to showcase new material. Their debut single, "Waiting for You", was released in April 2010: it is co-written by Mitchell, Parkin, Pyke and Temperley. The group's self-titled album appeared in July, which peaked at No. 12. Basement Birds supported the album with a national tour, which was followed by members returning to their main projects, they performed a number of "final shows" including a gig in Perth on 7 April 2011. ''Perth Now''s Jay Hanna caught that show, where they played "country tinged acoustic pop without pomp and fanfare, but with plenty of humour and heart." Mitchell reflected on the side project's disbandment "we keep saying this is the last gig then we do another one. It just seems fitting to do the last one in Perth given we are mainly a Perth band. I guess to be perfectly honest with you there is every possibility that if a gig too good to refuse came up again this year there is every chance that we would get the band back together. But there are no plans to." Mitchell had resumed working with Jebediah in 2010 to record their fifth studio album, '' Kosciuzko'' (April 2011), and the corresponding tour dates. Mitchell recounted in 2013 about putting his Bob Evans persona aside:
I needed a break, I felt like I'd reached the end of the road a bit, with what I was doing with Bob. I felt like I'd gone as far as I could or wanted to go with that style of music that I was making… it had been pretty much a ten-year, three-album road that I'd walked down, I definitely felt like I needed a break so that I could refresh and do something new.
Mitchell performed at the
Pyramid Rock Festival The Pyramid Rock Festival was an Australian New Year's Eve camp-out rock music festival at Ventnor on Phillip Island. The original festival in 2004 was organised by local resident, Angus Cameron, and his two cousins. History Beginning as a sing ...
over the 2010–11 new year holiday season both as a member of Basement Birds and of Jebediah. Jebediah toured domestically during 2011, including further festival appearances at
Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near B ...
and the Coaster Festival, and a tour with
Violent Soho Violent Soho were an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in 2004 in the Brisbane suburb of Mansfield, Queensland originally under the name of "showroom". For the majority of the band's existence, the line-up was composed of Luke Bo ...
. During that year, Mitchell was asked to list his favourite 10 songs of the year: he included "Bronte" by
Gotye Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known by his stage name Gotye ( ), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognat ...
, "Perfection" by Adalita, "Broken Songs" by Jim Ward and "Design Desire" by
Abbe May Abbe Joanna May (born 19 July 1983) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and human rights campaigner. From 2002 she pursued her music career in Perth-based groups, The Fuzz, Abbe May and the Rockin' Pneumonia, and The Devil & Abbe May. I ...
in his selection. Jebediah played fewer live shows in 2012 than in the previous year, but included an appearance at the inaugural Breath of Life festival in
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
and a hometown show with Eskimo Joe at the Perth Concert Hall. Mitchell participated in a series of mid-2012 events that were organised by
3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Institut ...
, a community radio station based in Melbourne. The series, "The Story So Far … ", featured musicians including Mitchell and Tim Rogers (You Am I), who relayed personal experiences from their music careers. Mitchell performed acoustic versions of "Don't You Think It's Time" and "Someone So Much". In a review of the event Natalie Salvo, an online journalist, wrote:
Mitchell proved to be a great interviewee. He was open, candid and animated. Showing he’s a real romantic at heart, he offered tender responses (like wishing he’d had the opportunity to have a beer with his late father) plus light and funny anecdotes too. The latter included talk about learning jazz ballet as a child (complete with an impromptu demonstration) and meeting Lily Allen at the Sydney Big Day Out.


2012–2013: ''Familiar Stranger''

By mid-2012, following touring in support of Jebediah's ''Kosciuzko'', Mitchell had commenced work for his fourth Bob Evans album, ''
Familiar Stranger A familiar stranger is a stranger who is nonetheless recognized by another from regularly sharing a common physical space such as a street or bus stop, but with whom one does not interact. First identified by Stanley Milgram in the 1972 paper ''T ...
'' (15 March 2013). Mitchell wrote about 40 tracks to select from for the album, he told Kathy McCabe of the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
'' newspaper: "This time, for the first time, I put the songs in order before we started recording and kept that order in mind because I wanted to make a soundtrack to the movie in my brain." In August 2012 Mitchell entered the recording studio for that album. On 15 October 2012, Mitchell appeared on national radio station,
Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
, on ''Breakfast with Tom and Alex'', to showcase "Don't Wanna Grow Up Anymore". He revealed that
Joey Waronker Jon Joseph Waronker (born May 20, 1969) is an American drummer and music producer. He is best known as a regular drummer of both Beck and R.E.M., and as member of the experimental rock bands Atoms for Peace and Ultraísta. Background Waronker w ...
(of
Atoms for Peace "Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the UN General Assembly in New York City on December 8, 1953. The United States then launched an "Atoms for Peace" program that supplied equipment ...
,
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
's backing band) had played drums on the album. Evans' website announced a national tour and the release date of a four-track EP, ''The Double Life'' (9 November 2012). Dean Reid (
Marina and the Diamonds Marina Lambrini Diamandis (; el, Μαρίνα-Λαμπρινή Διαμάντη; born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina (often stylised in all caps), and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer and ...
,
Mystery Jets Mystery Jets are an English indie rock band, formerly based on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, London. The band consists of Blaine Harrison (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Jack Flanagan (bass and vocals), Kapil Trivedi (drums) and Henry Harriso ...
) produced both the EP and the album (which was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
, where Jebediah had made their first two albums), Reid also contributed guitar, keyboards and programming. Mitchell explained during an "Unplugged and Wired" performance for
Google+ Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
on 28 November that ''The Double Life'' title applied to his concurrent work with Jebediah, as well as his role as father and husband; which was later confirmed in the interview with McCabe. A music video for "Don't Wanna Grow Up Anymore", the album's lead single, was released on 26 October and premiered on the Channel V programme ''WTF''. It was directed by Darcy Prendergast for his Melbourne-based company, Oh Yeah Wow. Mitchell explained that the video was inspired by one made for the Smashing Pumpkins song "
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
". For Mitchell, ''Familiar Stranger'' is a progression beyond what can be heard in his previous work: "I don't sit and listen to alt-country and folk music all day anymore… if I had made another record with the same sort of musical pallet as the last two I would have been forcing it." Mitchell further explained that
Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
,
Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...
,
Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
and
Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...
were some of his musical interests during the creation of the fourth album. Triple J announcer,
Richard Kingsmill Richard Kingsmill (born 29 January 1954) is an Australian radio announcer, music journalist and currently Group Music Director of triple j, triple j Unearthed, Double J and ABC Local Radio. Career His career at triple j started in 1988 as a p ...
, previewed ''Familiar Stranger'' on 3 February 2013. "Go" was the second single and features backing vocals from
Scarlett Stevens Scarlett Stevens is an Australian singer/drummer from the indie band San Cisco, The Flairz and grunge band Ghetto Crystals. She has performed on recordings by Bob Evans (musician), Bob Evans and Illy (rapper), Illy. She is the daughter of Phil St ...
of the Perth indie band,
San Cisco San Cisco is an Australian indie pop band that formed in 2009 under the original name of King George, in Fremantle, Western Australia. The band are a Trio (music), three-piece, and currently consists of Jordi Davieson (guitar, lead vocals), Jo ...
. The music video for "Go" was published on the BobEvansMusic
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel on 7 February 2013. The "Go" music video contains a
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
by Tim Rogers, who portrays the "
cool Cool commonly refers to: * Cool, a moderately low temperature * Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style Cool or COOL may also refer to: Economics * Country of origin labelling * mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enforc ...
" nemesis of Mitchell's
goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...
and unlucky character. Following the "Go" music video, Mitchell released a video parody, entitled "Bob Evans' Big Pre-album interview", to promote ''Familiar Stranger''. He explained in a radio interview on 18 February 2013 that, while the previous two albums are "Nashville-sounding", for ''Familiar Stranger'' he sought to "make a record that sounded like an awesome version of my garage." Mitchell also announced the participation of guest singer Dune (pseudonym for
Jade McRae Jade Aurora Moana MacRae (born 4 June 1979) is an Australian soul singer and the daughter of professional musicians Joy Yates and Dave MacRae. MacRae is best known for her top 40 singles MacRae " So Hot Right Now" and "Superstar", both released ...
), In terms of inspiration, Mitchell cryptically stated that the album was about his "recent run ins with the universe, taking away and giving back." In March 2013, Mitchell stated, during an ABC Radio National interview, that his fellow Jebediah members "kind of put up with him ob Evans they tolerate him. Ahh ... You know, I think they understand why he's around, and why he needs to do what he does ... but sometimes i think they look at him with a sort of sense of bemusement." In relation to their extraneous musical activities, Mitchell explained that "they '
moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...
' in other local Perth outfits." As Bob Evans, he participated in the
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
and Adelaide heats of the
Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...
Road to Discovery competition which encouraged "unsigned musical talent" from within Australia to enter. Mitchell played on 8 August and 17 August 2013 at
Adelaide University The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
and the Townsville Cultural Festival, respectively.


2014–present: Jebediah shows and ''Car Boot Sale''

Jebediah played a Western Australian new year's show at the Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough, at the completion of 2013. Then they completed an Australian regional tour starting in Victoria and New South Wales in January 2014, which culminated in a large winery show in Albany, where they played alongside You Am I and the
Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, ha ...
. They then supported the Hoodoo Gurus again at the band's November 2014 reunion show, "Be My Guru," in Perth, alongside
Ratcat Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from bo ...
and British India. Mitchell confirmed through social media on 29 October 2014 that he is writing material for his fifth solo album. Mitchell's list of favourite albums of 2014 included those by
Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left ...
, Spoon,
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
and Tweedy. Bob Evans was one of the performers at
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
's Festival of Sails in January 2015. Jebediah were announced in early February 2015 as one of the band's on the bill of Australia's Big Pineapple Music Festival, alongside Violent Soho and
Thundamentals Thundamentals are an Australian hip hop group originating from the Blue Mountains region bordering the metropolitan area of Sydney. The members are currently Tuka, Jeswon, and Morgs. They have released five studio albums. History Band origi ...
, which was held on 30 May 2015 on the Sunshine Coast. The sixth Bob Evans studio album ''Car Boot Sale'' was released through the EMI label on 17 June 2016. Mitchell released the two-part music video "Matterfact/Happy Tears" on YouTube on 24 May 2016 as an introduction to the album.


Touring

During 2007, as Bob Evans, Mitchell supported Evermore on the band's Welcome to the Real Life Tour of Australia and New Zealand. He followed with festival performances: the 2007
Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
tour,
Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New Sou ...
, the
West Coast Blues & Roots Festival The West Coast Blues 'n' Roots Festival is an annual music festival held in Fremantle, Western Australia. It features many blues and roots performers, both international and local. History The festival was founded by Sunset Events and began ...
and The Great Escape festival. Mitchell also played showcases in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, before undertaking an Australian tour with
Machine Translations Machine Translations is the performing name of Greg James Walker (born 1967), an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist; who is also a producer as J Walker. Walker started out recording all instruments himself in a home studio a ...
and South African solo artist, Farryl Purkiss. In April 2009 Mitchell commenced a national tour to promote the release of ''Goodnight, Bull Creek!'' and was joined by Malcolm Clark (Sleepy Jackson), Hugh Jennings (
End of Fashion End of Fashion are an Australian pop rock band from Perth, Western Australia. The group gained mainstream attention with its 2005 single, " O Yeah", that was voted into eighth position of the "Hottest 100" poll, compiled by Australian youth rad ...
), Ben Witt ( The Chemist) and Louis Macklin (
67 Special 67 Special are an Australian rock band based in Melbourne, Australia. The band was formed in 2001, and went on to release two full-length albums. History In 1994, Ash Santilla and Gavin Campbell met at high school in their hometown of Benalla ...
), while America's
Steve Poltz Steve Poltz (born February 19, 1960) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is a founding member of the indie-rock band The Rugburns and collaborated on several songs with singer Jewel, including the 1996 single " You Were ...
(
The Rugburns ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
) was the support act. Mitchell also returned to Europe and played shows in London, UK and Sweden, with the latter show in support of Melbourne, Australia band
Architecture in Helsinki Architecture in Helsinki were an Australian indie pop band which consisted of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland. The band released five studio albums before going on hiatus: ''Fingers Crossed'' (2003), ...
. In July 2009, Mitchell played the
Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near B ...
festival in
Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
and, together with his backing band from 2009, he was then the support act for Eskimo Joe on the ''
Inshalla ''In sha'Allah'' (; ar, إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ, ʾIn shāʾ Allāh ), also spelled In shaa Allah, InshAllah, Insya Allah and İnşAllah is an Arabic language expression meaning "if god wills" or "god willing". It was mentioned i ...
'' national tour. During December 2011, prior to Christmas, Mitchell embarked on a tour of the east coast of Australia with fellow Australian musician, Adalita Srsen. The pair had previously toured together as members of their respective bands, Jebediah and
Magic Dirt Magic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner (musician), Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially for ...
. The Good Evans it's Xmas Tour had the pair performing a rendition of " Must Be Santa", which had also been covered by
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
in 2009. In October 2012, following the release of "Don't Wanna Grow Up Anymore" from ''Familiar Stranger'', a national tour was announced. The main support act was
Thelma Plum Thelma Amelina Plumbe (born 21 December 1994), known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. Her father is renowned lore-man Paul Winanga-li Gii Spear ...
, a folk musician from Queensland (Plum was a participant in the 'Unearthed' project that is organised by
Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
). On 14 December 2012, Mitchell announced that he would be performing at the 2013
Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
– that appearance was his third consecutive one at the festival as Bob Evans. He proclaimed "I fricken love going to Tamworth and urge anyone within road trip distance to come along for the weekend." In previous years Mitchell played with a backing band which included
Ashley Naylor Ashley John Naylor (born 1970) is an Australian musician, best known for his guitar and vocals in Melbourne-based band Even.Spencer et al, (2007Naylor, Ashleyentry. Retrieved 4 February 2010. In 1987 at the age of 17, Naylor played guitar in ...
(
Even Even may refer to: General * Even (given name), a Norwegian male personal name * Even (surname) * Even (people), an ethnic group from Siberia and Russian Far East ** Even language, a language spoken by the Evens * Odd and Even, a solitaire game w ...
) and Roderick "Wally Meanie" Kempton (
The Meanies The Meanies are an Australian punk rock band formed in 1988 by D.D. Meanie (a.k.a. Dennis DePianto) on lead guitar, Link Meanie (a.k.a. Lindsay McLennan) on vocals and guitar, Ringo Meanie (a.k.a. Mark Hobbs) on drums, and VB Meanie (a.k.a. Da ...
). At the 2011 festival, Mitchell performed a duet with Australian
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
artist
Kirsty Lee Akers Kirsty Lee Akers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. Career Akers performed in public for the first time at the age of three years and recorded her first EP in 2006, at the age of 16. She funded that recording with the money she made bu ...
who had discovered Mitchell during his supporting tour with Australian country music artist
Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
– Akers explained on stage that, prior to the Urban tour, she had often heard a Bob Evans song at a shopping centre without knowing the name of the artist. The pair performed a rendition of
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
's song, "In Spite of Ourselves". The first national Familiar Stranger Tour commenced on the Sunshine Coast on 11 April 2013 and finished in rural
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
on 18 May in Meeniyan. Mitchell was supported by a band, Tigertown, which were winners of an ''Unearthed'' competition; and by Davey Lane, from You Am I. A second, more extensive national tour, started in April 2013, following the release of the album. Mitchell's backing band comprised Malcolm Clarke, Davey Lane, James Fleming and Tony Buchen (Buchen also assisted with the album's mixing and is a friend of Waronker); Tigertown returned as a supporting band for this tour. As part of an interview on Radio National, Mitchell explained:
I still love touring ... I've been doing it constantly for over 15 years now, so it's become one of those things that's familiar to me now, for better or for worse, it's what's normal ... So I do still enjoy it ouringand I miss it when I'm not doing it.
In mid-July 2013 Mitchell revealed plans for a 16-date capital city tour: "I will literally be getting in the car and driving from town to town on my lonesome in good old fashion road trip style which is something I've never really done before, (I pretty much just want to be
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
in ''
Crazy Heart ''Crazy Heart'' is a 2009 American drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper, in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb, the film centers on a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter ( ...
'' for a few weeks)." Mitchell donated A$214.75 to the
Australian Red Cross The Australian Red Cross, formally the Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1923 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, the Australian Red Cros ...
following the tour, using donations that he collected at the merchandise desk throughout the tour.


Cover versions

Mitchell has recorded numerous cover versions, both in his work with Jebediah and as Bob Evans. Jebediah recorded a version of
Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...
's "When the Generals Talk" (October 1984) for the tribute album, '' The Power & The Passion'' (2001); a rendition of
Something For Kate Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums. They were joined in 1998 by Stephanie Ashworth on bass guitar and backing vocals. The grou ...
's "Clint", for the ''
Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, seal hunting, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the t ...
'' EP (June 1998) (Something For Kate also recorded a cover version of "Harpoon" for that EP); a version of
Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...
' "I Ran", also for the ''Harpoon'' EP; and a rendition of "Pace It", a song by Magic Dirt appears on '' Gleesides and Sparities'', a compilation album (October 2003). On 2 December 2006, as a follow-up to his ''Suburban Songbook'' album, Mitchell released a five-track EP of cover versions, ''Stolen Songbook'', that solely featured the work of fellow Perth artists, which was only available in a digital download format. Mitchell recorded renditions of Little Birdy's "Beautiful to Me",
The Triffids The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and pop band, formed in Perth in Western Australia in May 1978 with David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo"The Triff ...
' "
Wide Open Road "Wide Open Road" is a single released in 1986 by Australian rock band The Triffids from their album ''Born Sandy Devotional''. It was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies (band), Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters) and written by David McComb o ...
", The Sleepy Jackson's "Come to This", Eskimo Joe's "Liar" and
Red Jezebel Red Jezebel is a four-piece indie rock, indie rock (music), rock band from Perth, Western Australia. History 1997-2002: Early EPs The band competed in the Western Australia final of the National Campus Band Comp, Australian National Campus Band ...
's "See Through Dress". The cover image with the download was a photo of Mitchell, similar to ones used in its accompanying booklet. Writing for the ''FasterLouder'' website, Lilbirdy stated that the EP's results are "by and large pleasing" and it "is a superb retrospective of West Australian music". In June 2007 a Go-Betweens tribute album, ''Write Your Adventures Down'', featured a Bob Evans rendition of "
Streets of Your Town "Streets Of Your Town" is a song by Australian indie group The Go-Betweens that was released as the lead single from their 1988 album ''16 Lovers Lane''. Featuring polished production, a prominent backing vocal by Amanda Brown and a guitar solo b ...
" (July 1998) Mitchell subsequently performed the song as part of a tribute concert which was recorded by the TV department of Triple J. He performed at a Bob Dylan tribute concert in 2012, where he co-performed " Tambourine Man" and "
If Not for You "If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his October 1970 album ''New Morning''. It was also issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is a love song to Dylan's first wife, Sara Dylan. He ...
", At a Paul Kelly tribute event, in November 2009, he delivered solo versions of "
From St Kilda to Kings Cross "From St Kilda to Kings Cross" is a song performed and written by Australian musician Paul Kelly. The title refers to inner city suburbs St Kilda in Melbourne and Kings Cross in Sydney. It was released in April 1985 as the only single from K ...
" and "Love Never Runs on Time". The event was recorded for '' Before Too Long: Triple J's Tribute to Paul Kelly'' (February 2010) in both CD and DVD formats. Under the Bob Evans moniker, Mitchell has performed for Triple J segment "Like a Version" on several occasions: his Little Birdy cover, from the ''Stolen Songbook'' EP, was one of the contributions;
Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings publi ...
's "Not Fair" was performed in 2011 (the rendition was also performed in subsequent live shows); and, on 1 March 2013, for the 'O Week' event run by Australia's universities, Mitchell played a cover version of Santigold's "Disparate Youth". During Bob Evans tours, Mitchell has performed renditions of the
Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...
and
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
song "
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. The uplifting lyrics describe somebody who overcomes his troubles and worries by realizing that "it w ...
", He has also attached excerpts from
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
's song "
Tears in Heaven "Tears in Heaven" is a song by English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Eric Clapton and Will Jennings, written about the death of Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor. It appeared on the 1991 ''Rush'' film soundtrack. In January 1992, Clapton ...
" and
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
's "Dock of the Bay" onto the end of his own songs. Mitchell performed a live version of The Beatles song, " Two of Us", with Josh Pyke during a tour, and paid another tribute to The Beatles with a live rendition of "Taxman" at the Splendour in the Grass festival in 2009. In solo mode, Mitchell has also performed numerous cover versions as a part of his appearances on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) programme, '' RocKwiz'' — the performances feature the support of the show's
house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...
. In 2011 a video was published at YouTube which featured Mitchell and Katy Steele's duet of The Louvin Brothers' "You're Learning".


Collaborations

For his debut Bob Evans record, Mitchell co-wrote "The Hermit" with Luke Steele, while Steele's sister Katy Steele performed backing vocals on the song "Ode to My Car". In 2008 Mitchell performed with Simon Day, formerly of the Australian band
Ratcat Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from bo ...
, at the Oxford Art Factory venue in Sydney, Australia and later revealed in an interview that the first recording that he ever purchased was Ratcat's ''Tingles'' EP. Mitchell was one of the "Friends" who appeared on an edition of Triple J's "Live at the Wireless" segment, in which You Am I collaborated with other artists including Adalita,
Tex Perkins Gregory Stephen Perkins (born 28 December 1964), better known by his stage name Tex Perkins, is an Australian singer-songwriter who fronted the Australian rock band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James B ...
and
Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning received ...
— Mitchell provided vocals on the songs, "Berlin Chair" and "If We Can't Get It Together". Mitchell worked with Melissa Mathers on ''Suburban Songbook'' — Mathers performed backing vocals on the songs, "Hand Me Downs" and "Wintersong". Mitchell was asked by Australian country musician
Kirsty Lee Akers Kirsty Lee Akers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. Career Akers performed in public for the first time at the age of three years and recorded her first EP in 2006, at the age of 16. She funded that recording with the money she made bu ...
to perform a duet of the John Prine song, "In Spite of Ourselves", at the 2010 Tamworth Country Music Festival, and a music video was provided.


Bob Dylan tribute

Alongside fellow Australian musicians Temperley, Pyke,
Holly Throsby Holly Sarah Throsby (born 28 December 1978) is an Australian musician and novelist. As a solo artist Throsby has issued six albums. She was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Female Artist in 2006 for '' Under the Town''; and in the same cate ...
and Patience Hodgson, Mitchell performed a series of tribute shows in commemoration of Bob Dylan's 50th anniversary as a songwriter. The "one-off" group performed shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and at the Splendour in the Grass festival.


Basement Birds

Following his commitments for ''Goodnight Bull Creek'', Mitchell embarked on a recording and touring project with the Basement Birds—a side project with Temperley, Pyke and Steve Parkin. The four musicians recorded and released a self-funded album and completed a national tour in support of the album. The process that was undertaken by the group of friends was unique for the Australian music industry, as explained on the Australian independent music website ''Soulshine'': "In an Australian first, their music will be unveiled in four 3 track bundles fortnightly on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
from late June 2010. As well as this, there will be acoustic versions of each track released every alternate fortnight and exclusive content available for fans via the new website ...". The album features the backing vocals of Julia Stone, from
Angus & Julia Stone Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian folk and indie pop group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''A Book Like This'' (2007), '' Down the Way'' (2010), '' Angus ...
, on a song, "Bus Stop", which was written by Pyke and Mitchell.


Internet-based collaborations

Mitchell performed Bob Evans songs for a MySpace event that was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2008; Mitchell was joined on stage by drummer Clarke. Following his signing with booking agent, Select Music, Mitchell also signed with Internet music venture
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
in mid-2012. As part of his collaboration with Spotify, he posted articles, including 'The Music I Love', on the company's website and Spotify were one of the sponsors on the 'Double Life' tour. On 29 November 2012, Mitchell performed for a Google+ event, "Hangout on Air". Following his performance, Mitchell answered live questions from people who had logged into their Google accounts to view the event; the event was also uploaded to YouTube, thereby allowing access to people who were unable to view the performance live. Mitchell's song, "Don't You Think It's Time", from the ''Suburban Songbook'' album, was selected for a new
Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...
initiative in June 2014 that was primarily conducted on the Internet. The collaboration was a competition in which Australian musicians, who were not signed to a music company at the time of submission, were invited to submit their version of the song to see if the composition can reach the "number one" position on the Australian singles chart; hence, the title "2nd Chance Song". EMI, the music company that Mitchell remains signed with, was responsible for recording and distributing the winning entry. Four other Australian artists — Sheppard,
Megan Washington Megan Alexanda Washington (born 7 January 1986) is an Australian musician and songwriter who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released three ...
, Luke and Katy Steele, and
Illy Illycaffè S.p.A. (branded and stylised as illy) is an Italian coffee company specializing in espresso, headquartered in Trieste. Illy markets its coffee globally in silver and red pressurized, oxygen-free cans; operates a network of cafes on s ...
— recorded versions of the song for the competition, which can all be seen on YouTube. When the song was originally released, it reached the 22nd position on the Australian singles chart and was responsible for launching Mitchell's solo career.


Media appearances

Mitchell has appeared on the Australian television programs '' The Glasshouse'', ''
The Merrick & Rosso Show ''The Merrick & Rosso Show'' is an Australian comedy television series which aired on The Comedy Channel, with its first broadcast on 2 October 2008. It was hosted by Tim Ross and Merrick Watts, who were better known as comedy duo Merrick and Ros ...
'', '' Spicks and Specks'' and '' RocKwiz''. Mitchell has also undertaken live performances on ''RockWiz'' and a solo performance of "Hand Me Downs" appears in an episode that was published onto YouTube in March 2011. In March 2010, Mitchell was a guest presenter on triple j as a substitute for ''Morning Show''s host
Zan Rowe Susanna "Zan" Rowe is an Australian radio and television presenter. she works for ABC digital radio station Double J. Early life Rowe grew up in Melbourne. She attended university at RMIT University, majoring in radio and cinema. Career ...
, who was attending the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference. Mitchell was selected as a musician-presenter for triple j's Dig Music initiative, launched in late 2013 — his first broadcast was aired on 5 November 2013 and included his top five live music experiences. Mitchell wrote a three-part series of articles for ''TheMusic.com.au'' website in March 2013 as "The Life & Times of Bob Evans". They are whimsical reflections by Mitchell, who shares insights into life from the perspective of a musician. Also that month Mitchell appeared, with a backing band, to perform the Bob Evans song, "Go", on TV programme, ''Weekend Sunrise'', on the Seven Network. Alongside Srsen, Mitchell was selected by Australia's Double J radio station for the August 2014 "Artist in Residence" role. Mitchell and Srsen presented two Sunday episodes individually throughout August, and then co-presented the final episode, "Unforgettable Opening Lines", on 31 August. The "Artist in Residence" episodes aired on Sundays and Mitchell's individual episodes are titled "Love & Lust" and "The End".


National Office for Live Music

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
, Australian Prime Minister, announce in early July 2013 the formation of the National Office for Live Music on the day after attending a fund raiser for the SLAM (Save Live Australia's Music) campaign. Rudd explained that "ambassadors" would represent live music in their respective states, with Mitchell appointed as the Victorian representative. Mitchell stated, as part of the announcement: "When I first started playing music with Jebediah in Perth in 1995 we never talked about making records, we just dreamed of playing gigs at all our favourite venues that we'd gone to see our favourite bands play in before us." Mitchell further explained the initiative in an October 2013 radio interview, in which he stated that his duties in the role will be "pretty basic":
It will do a number of things, but one of the things it will do is help small venues with all these ridiculous laws and things that they've been struggling with for years, and why so many venues have been closing down ... This just kind of pulls everything into focus, I think—it will tackle things nationally and, I think, will protect the arts and live performance community in Australia


Artistry


Songwriting

In an interview with the ''AU review'' website, published on 7 March 2013, Mitchell provided insight into his songwriting:
It’s important to not underestimate your listeners, the worst thing a band or musician can do is to think that their audience is less capable off themselves, because than you always write to the lowest common denominator and that is how you write shit music. But if you consider your audience to be highly intelligent, and highly capable of taking to musical journeys, than you’re always trying to write something above yourself and reach further. I think that’s really important. Expect the unexpected.
In terms of the recording process, Mitchell said in March 2013: "The recording side of things, I've grown to love. When I first started making records, I ... had no idea what I was doing, basically, and it's something that I've had to learn ... I think I'm only just starting to get good at it, after, you know, many, many attempts."


Identity

Mitchell has explained his pseudonym: "I think Bob Evans is more me than Kevin Mitchell from Jebediah is! In that way it’s like a reverse alter-ego. It just allows me to push things a bit. Bob’s been enough under the radar to give me, creatively, a lot more freedom than I might otherwise have." When asked later for the meaning of the term "reverse alter-ego", he said: "I've no idea, that's one of those quotes that I've been haunted by." Mitchell's original intention for the Bob Evans persona was to record a trilogy of suburban-themed solo albums and, following the completion of that objective, he admitted that an era of his life had ended:
I'll run Bob into the ground on this record and do as much work as I can, and do as many tours and as many festivals as I can into next year. Then I'm going to give him a break and do another Jebediah record and do some collaborative stuff with other people. Then after doing a few different things, I'll come back and see what I do next. I do like the idea of it just being a three album journey. I don't have any sort of fear of just starting all over again under a different name, or in a different... whatever.


Influences

In a radio interview with Julian Morrow on Australia's
Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...
station, Mitchell revealed his admiration for
Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...
. As the show was broadcast on 8 March 2013,
International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...
, Morrow asked Mitchell about a favoured female musician and Ono was presented as a selection that came to mind at the time of the interview. Mitchell stated that he respected the manner in which Ono has maintained
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
's legacy and referred to her "credibility".


Accolades and awards

''Suburban Songbook'' won the 2006 ARIA Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album and Mitchell/Evans received a nomination for Best Male Artist. The album was also nominated for the 2006
Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was made by Australian Music Pri ...
and the 2006
J Award The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...
. At the 2007 WAMi awards, Mitchell was nominated for two awards—'Most Popular Album' and 'Best Commercial Pop Act'—while participants in the 2007 ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' annual readers poll selected Mitchell as 'Best Male Artist'. "Pasha Bulker", the second song that was released from ''Goodnight Bull Creek'', won in the 'Best Pop/Top 40 Artist' category in the 2007 International Songwriting Award competition (the judging panel consisted of artists such as
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
(
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
),
Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...
(
Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas arou ...
), Robert Smith (
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
) and
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
)—other winners for that year were
The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...
and
Sarah Blasko Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow (born 23 September 1976), known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band, Acqui ...
. Together with Akers, Mitchell won the 'Best Video Clip' award at the 2010 Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards—the video featured puppet representations of the two musicians that were in the style of
The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
. In mid-August 2013, Mitchell was a 'First Longlist' finalist for the 9th Coopers AMP, alongside artists such as
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock music, rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its care ...
and The Drones. The Australian music prize, worth A$30,000, went to
Big Scary Big Scary is an Australian musical duo formed in Melbourne in 2006, by Tom Iansek and Joanna Syme. The pair have released several EPs and five studio albums. Their 2013 album '' Not Art'' was nominated for the Australian Album of the Year at ...
, for their album ''Not Art''. ''Familiar Stranger'' received an ARIA Award nomination in the Best Adult Contemporary category on 15 October 2013.


Personal life

Mitchell's father was diagnosed with
bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
in 1995 and died by February 1998, which was a shorter time frame than what was outlined in the
prognosis Prognosis (Greek: πρόγνωσις "fore-knowing, foreseeing") is a medical term for predicting the likely or expected development of a disease, including whether the signs and symptoms will improve or worsen (and how quickly) or remain stabl ...
. Mitchell and his bandmate brother, Brett, co-wrote the lyrics for Jebediah's single, "
Feet Touch the Ground "Feet Touch the Ground" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Jebediah. It was released on 22 November 1999 as the second single from the band's second studio album, ''Of Someday Shambles'' and peaked at number 73 on the ARIA Singles Cha ...
" (November 1999), which conveys Mitchell's sense of feeling "let down" by the early death of his father. Mitchell married long-term girlfriend, Kristen in November 2006 and in December 2008 they moved from Perth to Melbourne, later living in the western Melbourne suburb of Deer Park. In 2014, Mitchell and his family left Melbourne to relocate to Ocean Grove on the Victorian
Bellarine Peninsula The Bellarine Peninsula (Wathawurrung: ''Balla-wein'' or ''Biteyong'') is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peni ...
. Mitchell explained the coastal relocation on social media in late May 2014: "I've left the Melbourne suburbs and moved to the coast so I can re enact all my favourite scenes from the ABC elevisionshow ''
SeaChange ''SeaChange'' is an Australian television program that ran from 1998 to 2000 on the ABC and in 2019 on the Nine Network. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howard, ...
'' and write an album full of earnest beach funk tunes", a tongue-in-cheek quote that was taken seriously some future interviewers. Mitchell and his wife are the parents of two children, Ella who was born in 2011 and Ivy who was born in 2013. Speaking on his personal life in 2013, prior to the release of ''Familiar Stranger'', Mitchell jokingly revealed that "I have zero social life. I have no hobbies, I have nothing else except making music and being a father". During an appearance on the TV programme, ''The Merrick & Rosso Show'', Mitchell was surprised by the topic of the 'Cosby Dance' due its personal nature. He eventually performed the dance for the audience, but reiterated in a subsequent interview that he could not believe that the topic had moved beyond his inner friendship circle. Following an "Unplugged and Wired" performance for Google+ on 28 November 2012, Mitchell revealed that his ideal dinner guests would be
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
, for laughter;
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, for intellectual discussion; and his wife, so that he could share the moment with a loved one. Mitchell has admitted to cutting his own hair but is unsure why he does this. In a March 2013 radio interview, Mitchell explained that, although his wife joined him during the Bob Evans touring process for a while, his family does not typically accompany him on tours. He expounded: "If I was more popular and I toured with a certain level of comfort, then it might be an option."


Discography

:''All releases are under the pseudonym, Bob Evans, for work with his bands see Jebediah discography and Basement Birds discography.''


Studio albums


Compilation albums


Extended plays


Singles


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Kevin 1977 births Living people Musicians from Perth, Western Australia ARIA Award winners Australian singer-songwriters Australian indie pop musicians Australian indie rock musicians Australian rock guitarists Australian pop singers Australian rock singers Australian people of English descent Rhythm guitarists Acoustic guitarists Harmonica players 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century guitarists 21st-century Australian male singers Basement Birds members Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters