Meet Mitzi Cowell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitzi Cowell.

Mitzi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I got where I am today by persistence, and saying “Yes” to opportunities as much as I could until I could afford to say “No” to some. And by the luck of being part of a vibrant and supportive musical and artistic community. I was blessed to have parents who supported and accepted who I was and celebrated my work. My father repeatedly told me that I could do anything I put my mind to – an unusual thing for a man to teach his daughter 50-or-so years ago. My parents also sang with me, for fun, as a family, and I think that is an amazingly valuable practice I wish more parents would do – you don’t have to be musicians!

I started studying guitar at 13 and didn’t start playing out until I was about 19 because I was shy and the bands seemed to be boys’ clubs. When I did start going to blues jams, I found that the blues community in whichever town I was in made a little issue of gender – the real dedicated players cared most about the music itself. I learned that if you care about the music, work to constantly improve, stay in the game, be a respectful team player, and LISTEN, You will always have good people to play with. This seems to work in other parts of life too, eh?

Until 2008 I always had a day job or was in school in addition to playing music. When the economy crashed and my usual work dried up, I was living on couches and I decided I had nothing to lose by concentrating completely on music as my living. The more I relaxed into that decision and trusted it, the more work came my way, though I have to add that almost a lifetime of living in Tucson had given me a great network to keep myself working.

Has it been a smooth road?
Of course it hasn’t been a smooth road. Being a professional musician is a very low-paying and unstable income. I’ve learned to adapt by living within very limited means. But I am a very positive person so I’ve never dwelled too long on the problems. I mostly feel incredibly lucky to do what I do.

I think as woman musician I have missed out on some business opportunities simply because there is an unconscious Boy’s Club, who exchange numbers, go out late for drinks, network, and do that buddy thing, and the guys in that club get called by each other without them even thinking of people outside their circle. Nevertheless, like said before, real players know when someone is a good musician, and IF THEY KNOW YOU’RE AVAILABLE, they’ll eventually call you. So it’s more about keeping your face out there in the community.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a professional musician and do most of the usual things that are necessary to make ends meet in that profession. I play guitar and bass as a session musician – I get called to play for various live performances and recordings, mostly in the blues, R&B, rock and Americana genres but I try to stay flexible and willing to learn new forms.

I also write songs and sing, and perform solo and with my band around Tucson and Southern Arizona. I teach guitar, bass and music theory privately. I have a home studio where I record my own projects and projects for friends and colleagues. I am more and more involved in music production and I take pride in my “big ears”; I guess you could say that my dedication to listening well and making things sound good is one thing that sets me apart.

My steadiest gig is playing bass at the Gaslight Theatre in Tucson, and it’s super fun (as well as hard work.) I’m probably best known as a guitar player on the blues scene, or as a singer-songwriter who picks pretty good. I play a lot of slide guitar so you could say I specialize in that. I’m dedicated to soulful expression.

My proudest moment was after the tragic shootings of January 8, 2011, that wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and took the lives of six Tucsonans. I composed and produced a song called Shine From The Valley about the loving and positive response of the Tucson community to such a horrible event. Film students at the U of A produced a video for the song and it has been used by Ron Barber’s Fund For Civility and seen all over the world. The song is dedicated to communities that have survived mass violence and I’ve performed it many times for groups advocating sane gun policy and supporting victims and their families. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk-hC3mnxmk&list=TLPQMjkwMzIwMjBMuKBX6iMdOA&index=1

I have also recently produced a project called The Sapiens Musical Collaborative, which is a group of local musicians doing songs about brain health, mind, and consciousness as part of the mission of The Center For Neurosciences Foundation. www.EachBrainMatters.org

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Well, I’m in Tucson. Tucson is great for being a musician or artist of any kind if you don’t mind being broke a lot. The community really comes out for music and the arts. The cost of living is relatively low in Tucson (though rents are really going up) so if you have to be poor somewhere, Tucson is one of the best places, as long as you can afford an air conditioner – it’s getting too brutally hot in July and August for swamp coolers any more.

I absolutely recommend Tucson for anyone getting started in music – we have overlapping music scenes and a very tight-knit community of players and very loving fans. The music schools at Pima and the U of A have some great strengths. I’d really like to see improvements at the State level for getting arts funding down to Tucson – all the money seems to stay up in the Phoenix area. Tucson has great spirit but many of our artists are stressed financially, tired, and have a hard time keeping projects going due to burnout. A boost to Tucson’s overall arts scene would stimulate the music scene and foster more creativity, collaboration and willingness to take risks.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mitzicowell.com
• Email: mcowell13@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Personal Photo by Kathleen Dreier. Photos 1 and 3 by Bill Moeller, Photo 2 by Marilyn Stringer

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