Distressed... About Kim Mitchell

This week, when I heard news that Kim Mitchell had suffered a heart attack, I momentarily panicked. I asked friends to check online to make sure Kim was okay. Though we'd lost a rock legend in David Bowie earlier this week, I have always felt far more bound to fellow Canadian, rocker Kim Mitchell, and I was genuinely worried. Thankfully, as of today, he is recovering in hospital and will be back home shortly. Whew!

70's Kim Mitchell, before the 

ball caps and patio lanterns

I truly grew up on Kim's music. I first saw him heading up Max Webster when the band played my high school in the late 70's. I was knocked out by their weird, creative, and powerful music. Ever since that Friday night "dance" (we didn't dance), I've been a Max Webster and Kim Mitchell fan. 

After that memorable school concert, I saw Kim again - solo, with his new back-up band, in my hometown of Orillia a couple of times. I caught him again in Brampton, near Toronto, in the mid-80's. Then after I moved to Ottawa, still within the same province, Kim came to visit more than a few times, and I saw him perform at some warm and festive summertime events. Then in the mid-90's, I was fortunate enough to see our favourite Canadian rocker with his re-united Max Webster a couple of times. Man, those guys rocked. Read more here and here. 

And almost all of my 80's and 90's parties featured Kim's music on the stereo. He was like an honorary invitee, who contributed the entertainment, but couldn't make it to the kitchen, where the rest of us were sucking back cold ones, playing cards, and swearing. 

I will admit that I lost touch with Mitchell's music after his '94 album Itch, which I did like a lot, but the snippets of the next album sort of lost me. But I still have a huge soft spot for all the oldies. 

Tonight, after revisiting some Harlequin (the Canadian band that enjoyed some success during the 80's... and also played at my high school somewhere around 1980) on YouTube, I discovered a full Kim Mitchell concert from 2013. It was great to again hear the many hits from Mitchell's glory days. It was even better when he hauled out a few Max classics! Those included High Class In Borrowed Shoes, and just as the show was about to end on a curiously quiet note with Patio Lanterns... the band pulled out the manic guitar solo section of Max\s Beyond The Moon. Wow.

Kim still has faithful bassist and co-vocalist Peter Fredette on board; Pete's been with Mitchell since he first went solo in '82. His expertise onstage is invaluable to the Mitchell experience. The two bandmates work seamlessly together, having developed perfect stage interplay and chemistry - both vocally and instrumentally. 

Keep on rockin', Kim.