Emerging from darkness

The songwriter and guitarist has been performing for more than three decades. His blend of blues and country has garnered him a worldwide fanbase.

While he’s on stage, Mitchell says he feels alive. But these days, he’s missing it.

“I’m feeling the itch to get back out on stage,” he said during an interview from his Northeast Heights home. “But first, I have to get better and make sure that my body can take it.”

The 54-year-old now walks a little slower, a result of heart surgery last year.

Getting around his home, he often finds himself counting steps and pushing out his arms to feel his surroundings.

At first glance, one wouldn’t know that Mitchell is blind – and he wouldn’t tell you, either.

“Not having vision is only a part of who I am,” he explains. “Yes, I move slower. But when I lost my sight, I made the decision to move forward with my life and not take anything for granted. It was a tough decision because all I wanted to do is curl up and do nothing. But I couldn’t. I had a family and needed to move on.”

Mitchell lost his vision in 1992, a result of diabetes. Yet, that’s the tip of the iceberg of his health issues.

In August 2011, Mitchell had a heart attack and later had surgery to fix some arteries. It took him nearly six months to recover, which kept him away from music and the stage.

Now that he looks back on it, he says there were warning signs.

“I was playing at the State Fair in 2010 and I was gasping for air,” he says. “At that show I knew something was wrong, though I didn’t have the heart attack until almost a year later.”

As he began to play music again earlier this year and get back into the swing of things, he developed carpel tunnel syndrome in both of his wrists.

	Online To learn more about Cole Mitchell or hear his music, visit www.colemitchellmusic.com

“It does hurt to play because I can’t grip the guitar neck correctly,” he says. “But I’m going to have surgery on them and heal on up. By then I should be good as new.”

Mitchell’s surgery was a success and he says he has more movement but is working with a physical therapist in gaining strength back.

Moving forward

Bill Arnovich, Mitchell’s publicist, says he took the job with Mitchell because of his inspirational story.

“Cole is one of those people who just amazes you every time you speak with him,” he said. “He’s been through so much in his life and yet he smiles the entire time. He is the definition of perseverance and it’s an honor to work with somebody who has a lot to say.”

Cole Mitchell performs with his band in 2010.

Mitchell plans on finishing up his new record, “Souvenirs… Mere Trinkets from a So-Called Life,” and set his sights on touring. His last full tour was in 2008.

“It’s been way to long for me to be out of commission,” he quips. “But through everything, I’ve still got to smile because I have a pretty fabulous life.”

Mitchell lives with his wife Laurie, who is a nurse. The couple have been together for 17 years and met through mutual friends.

“She’s been a strong point in my life,” he says. “She’s helped me when things got rough and I can’t thank her enough for that.”

While Mitchell has been resting, he’s used his down time to write a novel. About 100 pages into the book, Mitchell says it’s a story of growing up on the ranch. He plans on pairing the novel with some music he wrote with a friend, which is more of a hard-edge rock and roll.

“Once I came out of the fog of the heart surgery, I started writing the novel,” he said. “I will make a recording to go with it and it’s a story of things loosely based on what I’ve seen. It’s about growing up on a farm and then deciding to move to Albuquerque and start a rock and roll band and the chaos that kind of ensues.”

While Mitchell hasn’t been making much money from touring, he’s been busy marketing his songs to TV, film and gaming. Many of his songs were used in the film “First Snow” and were often featured on the NBC show “Friday Night Lights” during its multiyear run.

“Being able to branch out to these avenues has helped me out a lot,” he said. “Just because I’ve been unable to tour doesn’t mean that I stop writing music. This gives me a way to keep my name out there and succeed.”

Humble beginnings

Cole Mitchell’s catahoula leopard “G” keeps the musician company during the day. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal)

Mitchell was born in Silver City and moved to Alabama when he was five. At 16, he hitchhiked his way back to New Mexico and lived with his grandmother in Silver City.

“When I was traveling, I did all those on-the-road type of things,” he laughed. “I’ve lived a pretty colorful life and I have a lot to write about. There are a lot of stories that I haven’t told. I consider myself a storyteller who can show people a side of life they haven’t seen or possibly don’t want to see. They are all takes from the fringe of blue-collar Americana.”

While back in New Mexico, Cole was working long hours on oil rigs. He bought a ranch, and before long was trading horses and running cattle. But his restlessness again took hold of him, and the next thing he knew he was skinning carcasses in a slaughterhouse in a town he didn’t know. Through his 40 days and nights in the wilderness, Cole’s constant companion was his guitar and music.

He eventually made his way north to Albuquerque, where he soon came to the music establishment’s attention as frontman for Saddlesores. The Saddlesores went on to become a somewhat legendary roadhouse band specializing in a free-wheeling mix of country/western and rock and roll with a punk edge. Cole fronted Saddlesores for about 15 years, stirring up powerhouse performances and writing and singing raucous, memorable songs.

“This was a great time in my life,” he said. “But then I lost my vision and I left the band. Since then, I’ve been a solo artist. I know that I can always rely on my guitar to always be there to comfort me and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.”