Mitch Mead

Sadly, tomorrow night’s show at with .killen and has been cancelled. Hope to catch y’all at the next one.

Ever as always in awe of the incredible . A few typically incredible snaps from last weekend.

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First time on the stage was one for the books. and are killers and it was a thrill to hear everyone’s new songs. Many thanks to for having me, and to , , and for creating a great space for songwriters to talk shop and celebrate this weird craft of ours. If you haven’t seen the show before, get out to a future installment. It’s well worth your time.

NEXT THURSDAY (2/19). Really excited about this one, friends. I love very much but have never gotten to perform there. To get to make my debut on a show I love () with two of my favorite songwriters in town ( and ) is some extra sweet icing on the cake.

Per the requirements of the show, I’ll be writing/performing some new material of my own around a theme. I’ll also be doing some fun/rare covers I’ve never done before. This show is a blast and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Don’t miss it.

Mitch Mead () at the Midwest Mix Tape. The Playground Theater (). Weds, December 3rd, 2025.

Our first show of 2026 is this Weds, Jan 7th and we couldn’t be more excited about a truly killer lineup. Click the Eventbrite link in our bio and reserve your spot today.

I don’t really know what to say about 2025 other than that it was a really terrible year in which a lot of really great and beautiful things also happened.

I got to play a bunch of shows (~27 I think). I got the opportunity to create a monthly show of my own () where I get to host and share the stage with incredible, talented people I admire. I made it to 40 years old in one piece. Best of all, I got to watch my son grow into the smartest, most incredible little human alongside Erynne Baronia, the best partner anyone could hope to have in these best of/worst of times. There are a thousand pictures of a thousand perfect moments from this year that would be great to share here if I could track them all down, but those moments are probably living better lives in my memory anyway. These are a few I could find for algorithm-mo purposes.

A lot of terrible and scary things happened this year too, but I’m not going to list them. The world is a worse and much scarier place than it was 12 months ago. I don’t know what the next 12 months will bring, but I’m grateful to know so many decent people and I plan to keep singing through the dark times as long as I’m able to.

To everyone that gave me a chance to do what I love, that performed on or came out to see my little show, that supported me and my family in any way, thank you for being a part of whatever this thing is. We’re lucky to have you and I hope to see you soon

We’re less than 10 days out from the big one and, if you’re as beaten down by the indestructible sameness of canonical holiday music as I am, your antidote has arrived. “RETURNS & EXCHANGES: Mix Mead Mitch-Tape No. 2” is now streaming on Apple Music, link in bio.

For those new to the party:

If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have plotted my official position on “Holiday Music” somewhere between casual indifference and abject disdain. As such, this playlist started with a simple but daunting challenge: Was it possible to create a mix of holiday music that someone like myself could actually, GENUINELY, enjoy?

The answer, surprisingly, was yes. It turns out, if you dig just a few inches below the surface, there is a deep well of songs that have never been featured in a single Nissan commercial. This is not your “typical” holiday playlist. It doesn’t sound like a Norman Rockwell scene. It sounds like hiding from the rest of the family, smoking ci******es in a cold garage with cousins. It’s fun, pretty, weird, and stupid. Just like the holidays.

I love this playlist and have been fine tuning it for the last few years. It is, perhaps, the finest Mix Mead Mitch-Tape of them all, bigger and better than ever for 2025. WARNING: Enjoy this playlist responsibly. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself unironically excited for the holidays.

To the complete shock of me… it has come to my attention that I have been named an official nominee for “Best Singer-Songwriter” in the Chicago Reader’s “Best of 2025” poll.

Longtime followers of this humble IG page will remember that I campaigned hard for this honor way back in 2022 and was excited to finish second in that year’s poll. However, considering that I have done literally no campaigning of any kind since, this nomination comes as a genuine shock. A million thanks to all responsible for this pleasant surprise, it really does mean a lot that so many people (for some reason) saw fit to enter my name. I don’t know that l deserve it, but I more than appreciate the surprising and very kind endorsement of whatever the hell my small contribution is to this city’s incredible music scene.

I have no expectations of winning and don’t plan to bludgeon loyal fans, friends, and family with requests (past what feels reasonable), but I have added the link to the aforementioned poll in my bio in case anyone feels compelled to cast a vote (for myself or for any of my incredible fellow nominees). It’s beyond cliche, but I mean it sincerely when I say the true honor of this is just to be nominated.

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SATURDAY! This Saturday (12/6), pals Valaska () are hosting a release show for their terrific new record Old Blood down at and I’ll be playing a set on the bill along with Jenny Dee ().

I made my first real studio record with the great Matt Holmes down at The Echo Mill a couple years back, and that room is special. Very excited to get to sing there again. Come be part of what promises to be a real nice affair.