We were lucky to catch up with Mitch Segura recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mitch, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

A big risk I took was starting Experimental Brunch with Sam Gucwa. Back in July, Sam played the saxophone for a gig I was headlining at Dazzle. We were chatting at the bar before the show and had the idea to turn our music into a full project. There was only one problem: she lives in Michigan while I live 1,300 miles away in Colorado. Despite the distance, our combined efforts are stronger than ever. We write, produce, and even record together from afar. Sometimes, for bigger gigs, we fly out to each other and perform with local talent. Last August, I finally got to visit East Lansing for the first time and played with some amazing musicians at Michigan State. Even though we’re just starting out, I’m super excited about the future of this project. I never would’ve had this experience if it weren’t for that casual conversation at the bar.

Mitch, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a devout musician and artist at heart. I compose, arrange, and perform a myriad of music in all sorts of styles and genres and learned how to play 8 instruments. I’m working on multiple ongoing projects, such as beats with a childhood friend and a Jazz organ trio, but the one I’m most proud of is Experimental Brunch. My goal with this group is to explore connections between genres and modernize the Jazz idiom. I’m a massive fan of Indie music like Mac DeMarco, Clairo, and Vacations, but I also have a Bachelor’s in Jazz Studies and know the ins and outs of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and George Benson. While Indie artists have borrowed from Jazz, especially Clairo’s new album, I like to explore the combination of arrangement styles and orchestration while keeping the feel and production of indie.

My love of music started before I could even form memories. According to my mom, the only way to make me stop crying as a baby was to throw on KUVO, the local Jazz radio. Growing up, I loved hearing music and feeling how colorful it was to me, which I later learned was synesthesia. I started playing the guitar at just 8 years old after receiving a small acoustic as a Christmas gift. In middle school, I was fortunate enough to go to a school that offered a Music Technology class where I learned not only how to write and produce music digitally, but I also learned about music theory and playing as a group for the first time. Going into High School, I auditioned for Jazz Band and made top spot 3 years in a row. I had so much fun playing with that ensemble, I taught myself the saxophone just to join the Marching Band.

When I started looking at colleges, I actually was applying to be a Computer Science major. When applying to CU Boulder, I decided to audition for their Jazz program as well since I had worked with some of the faculty before. When the acceptance letters started rolling in, I had been accepted into the College of Music, but not Engineering. Determined, I committed to CU and attempted to fight my way into a double major. While I never did make it into the Engineering school, I still came across many opportunities that better suited my interests, working for CU’s IT and Cybersecurity teams and being 1 of 3 people in my graduating class to receive a certification in Music Technology.

While I’ve loved music my whole life, the start of my career really began my junior year of college. I received a call from one of my buddies asking if I was available to play a gig with his indie rock outfit. I remained an integral member of the band for nearly three years, helping write and produce many of the songs we released, opened for some favorite artists of mine, played some neat venues, and even toured all the way to Hollywood Boulevard. Playing with this band is what introduced me to Sam Gucwa and led me to where I am today.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Pay us at least a smidgen more, please?

Also stigmatize streaming, both artists and the streaming platforms are hemorrhaging money while the labels run home with the bag.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitch.segura/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitch.segura.12/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchell-segura-b0544a19b/
• Other: Experimental Brunch
  https://linktr.ee/experimentalbrunch

Image Credits

Sam Gucwa
Charlotte Best
Eddie Toro
Skye Bonial
Lexi Ellis
Izzy Benneyworth