Feature Photo: Isaiah Mitchell photo by Ken Buglione.
Though Isaiah Mitchell has been on the scene for years with Earthless, proving his status as an absolutely ripping guitarist, it wasn’t until he secured the gig with The Black Crowes in 2019 that he was put on the proverbial map.
That gig, which led to tours all over the map and to one EP titled 1972, ended in 2022, when Mitchell was faced with the choice of backburnering Earthless to stay with the Crowes. Instead, Mitchell followed his heart, stuck with Earthless, and has no regrets.
“We were able to make Earthless work a little bit while I was in the Crowes,” Mitchell tells ClassicRockHistory.com. “It just meant that I was on tour non-stop, jumping from one tour to the next. But ultimately, I couldn’t do both, so I had to decide to stop playing with the Crowes.”
As for what it was like being in a band with Chris and Rich Robinson, who have run off many guitarists over the years, Mitchell shrugs, telling ClassicRockHistory.com, “I had an easy time working with them. Nothing bad to say, really. Just play the song how you know it needs to be played and show up. Be ready to play. That’s all there was to it.”
Mitchell and his bandmates in Earthless are working on new music. Beyond that, there will be more gigs, solo music, and a whole lot of good-natured chill. “I think the world needs to use its heart way more than it uses its mind,” Mitchell says of the core beliefs that drive him.
Adding, “I firmly believe that every single person is equal to everyone else and that no one is more important than someone else in the grand scheme of things.”
What are your earliest memories of music in your life?
My dad’s a bassist, and he has had band practice in our garage ever since I was born. He has two ‘70s Fender Jazz Basses, and those large headstocks with that era’s logo style made a huge impact on me when I was a kid.
I still feel the same way when I see a guitar or bass from that era. My dad and mom always had music going on in the house and always had people over partying, so just that laid back, good vibes musical world was introduced to me very young, and I loved it.
What drew you to the guitar?
Why I chose guitar over any other instrument, I’m not totally sure, but I think probably because it stood out in front in the mix, and the sound of a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar solo or Eddie Van Halen solo coming through the speakers sounded so wild and intense, it was impossible for it not to be drawn in and get hooked.
How did the scene you grew up in impact your outlook on life and as a musician?
The scene growing up in San Diego was incredible. There were so many great local bands, house parties, and shows happening at pool halls and pizza restaurants. It was great to be a teenager and see so many great bands at these places. The Che Cafe was one of the most important places and still is for kids under 21 to see great bands.
Seeing all this music happening showed me that what I wanted to do could be done, and all I had to do was form a band and get going. Play at your school, go to the pizza place that you see bands play, and say, “Hey, I’ve got a band I wanna play,” and you just do it, and it happens, and it grows.
It showed me that anything can happen if you just do it. I think that’s a very valuable lesson for a wide-eyed kid wanting to play music.
What led you to pursue a life in music, and what challenges did you face?
I’ve always loved playing music for myself and playing live. My first gig was at a lunch break concert in ninth grade. I fell in love with live music and being in a band right there and then. As I grew older, I was fortunate to meet people in bands who needed a guitarist or bassist for a tour, and I filled those shoes for them.
I had a blast being on the road and loving that life. The main challenges are staying healthy and not falling into the traps of partying too much, which I managed to fall deep into. And the difficulties of being far from home for long periods of time, with family back home. Early on, I didn’t make a lot of money, and I wasn’t expecting to, but the older you get, you have to think about money a bit more.
How did Earthless form?
I worked at a guitar store called Moonlight Music in Encinitas, California, and that’s where I met my Earthless bandmates Mike and Mario. I worked with a guy named Scott Bartolini, who was the guitarist in some very influential bands in San Diego called Heroin and Clikatat Ikatowi.
Mario played with him in Clikatat, so Mario would come to the shop often to hang out. Mike was friends with Scott, so he came to hang out as well. I was a dorky 16-year-old with braces and was pretty shy, so I didn’t interact too much. Just listened to them talk. They knew I played guitar, though.
Fast-forward to when I’m 21, and Mike and Mario have formed a band called Lions of Judah. I decided to move to San Francisco, and around Christmas, I came back to Encinitas to be with my family for the holidays. Mike asked if I wanted to jam with him and Mario while I was in town.
I said, “Of course,” and we jammed for two days, having an amazing time. Something was definitely there when we played together. I went back to San Francisco after the holiday, and Mario asked if I wanted to come and play a show at the Casbah a few months later.
I, of course, did. We played, and it was a cool first gig. I didn’t think we’d do it again, but Mario and I had a great time and said we got to do it again. And after a few shows in San Diego, I decided to move back to Encinitas and give the energy to make Earthless alive. We’ve been going ever since
What can you tell us about the recording of Earthless’s early records, which have become cult favorites?
Recording those early albums was a very casual, relaxed situation. The first record we recorded was at a printing press, where our friend Matt Anderson worked. He also ran the San Diego Record Label gravity records. He had a real-to-reel tape machine and set it up in one corner of the room, and we just brought our amps in there and drums and just banged it out.
Not a lot of isolation, but that record sounded great, and it ultimately captures us in our live element in a very pure way. Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky was recorded with Tim Green in San Francisco at his Louder Studios. The basement of his house turned out to be a kick ass recording Studio. Tim is one of my favorite people in the world, as well as one of my favorite musical minds and engineers.
Both of those records were made really quickly and were very focused and light at the same time. And. Tim is one of my favorite people in the world, as well as one of my favorite musical minds and engineers. Both of those records were made really quickly, and we’re very focused and light at the same time.
And the second album was particularly exciting to make because it was made in San Francisco, and at that age, for me, making a record in a different city, somewhat far away, was very romantic and gave me a sense of achievement.
What led you to pause Earthless to join The Black Crowes, a very different gig, but one you fit into well?
I got asked to join the Crowes, and it was a situation that I did not want to turn down. I would’ve always regretted it if I said, “No.” So for me, it was purely an opportunity to do something on a grander scale and to play with a band that I looked up to when I was learning how to play the guitar. Marc Ford was an inspiration as a 13-year-old kid, and he still is.
Why do you think Chris and Rich Robinson liked you as a player?
I was friends with Chris long before the Crowes reunited. I guess they like the way I played enough to have me in the band. I feel like I had a good sense of where to honor the song and play the parts, and to know where I can be myself and not play everything note for note. My style fits the blues rock genre, as I grew up listening to all of their influences as well.
What led to the end of your time with The Crowes and eventually reboot Earthless?
Earthless stayed semi-active while I was with the Crowes, but I just couldn’t do both—one was gonna suffer. It was too hard to make them both work—too much stress —so I decided to leave.
What’s the latest with Earthless, and what can you say about the creativity it offers you?
We’re working on new music right now, which feels really good, and it’s reminding me of our free or younger selves and the music that we played when we first started. The fun thing with Earthless is I’m the melodic instrument, and I have a lot of room to fill, and that’s a pretty blank canvas to work with.
For me, it is a beautiful gift to have. This next record will be using different instruments a little bit more, which is very refreshing and exciting, so Earthless lends me the opportunity to really do whatever it is I want as long as it works.
What’s something about you as a person and musician that you’d like fans to understand?
I love surfing. I’ve been very into recording and performing more electronic and ambient-style music; I barely ever listen to heavier music. I have adopted a plant-based lifestyle, I do lots of yoga, I love my wife and my cats, and I love meditation.
What are your biggest regrets?
My biggest regret is that I wasted a lot of time being blacked-out and incredibly drunk, and that I let partying get in the way of creating and being there for people that needed me.
What are you proudest of?
I’m proud of many things, and some of them are getting sober, living the life I wanted to live, meeting my wife, Marta, getting back into surfing, and following my passion and desire to create new art using whatever tools I want instead of staying on guitar.
What’s next for you?
What’s next that I’m aware of right now is more touring and more new music with Earthless. And then, more new music of my own creation with musicians that I love that’s just me solo. So, keep your eyes out and your ears open!
Check out these Earthless releases
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An Interview With Isaiah Mitchell Of Earthless & formerly Of The Black Crowes article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2026
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