
I make guitar, slide guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, and mandolin noises! I specialize in indie rock and Americana. In addition to guitars and slide instruments, I love to create loops to bring ambient and soundscape elements into roots based music. Do you want to take your material to a more etherial and esoteric place? I'm your guy!
I'm Nashville based touring/session guitarist, producer, pedal and lap steel guitarist, and general slider of things. Ambient loops to add an extra layer on your track, blues-based slide guitar, a silky pedal steel backing up a singer/songwriter, a San Fransisco vibe, hints of North Indian music, Sonic Youth open-tuned attacks, tinges of African highlife, or David Lindley inspired melodic lap steel lines, you’ll find it here. Focusing on steel, I love bringing it to places it doesn't ordinarily live, and doing that without putting a cowboy hat on the track. This means ambient options and gritty, effects laden tracks. I also love to lay down loops, background pads, and atmospheric textures - with beds of feedback, looping, and tape recorders.
I've been touring and recording for the last decade, playing rock, reggae, jam-band, folk, indie, country, bluegrass, Americana, etc. Since moving to Nashville, I've recorded and toured with indie, country, and Americana bands around the world, playing both guitar and pedal steel. I record from my home studio where I can give you as many options as you need for your track.
Influences = Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, My Bloody Valentine, Washed Out, Ry Cooder, Buck Owens, Sun Kil Moon, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Tony Rice, Bill Frisell, Greg Leisz, Clarence White.
Send me a note through the contact button above.
30 Reviews - 4 Repeat Clients
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I asked James to add electric guitars to an acoustic track with a vintage indie folk vibe (which already had drums and bass) and he added three layers of electric guitars, one solo/lead part and two other backing parts - together they fit and boosted my track. This was a really awesome contribution to the song.
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For my personal taste, and experience as guitarist myself, James Paul Mitchell has the ability to provide in the same artist: unique sound, flexibility to a specific arrangement, well mastered creativity. More over, I found a person able to be part of the music production process, giving useful ideas that do not involve immediately his task. I hope to work again, and again, with him.
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Pleasure working with James..he delivered soulful parts that took the song the another level..highly recommended
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Amazing talented player, great communicator, would work with again!
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Excellent slide playing! Highly recommend James!!
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James did an amazing job, super tasty playing, highly recommended!~
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James is an extremely talented musician! Delivered a beautiful performance and sound on the pedal steel, making sure I got what I was looking for! Super easy to work with. I highly recommend him.
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James is a great musician who gave extra effort on my project and had a very fast turn around. Big thumbs up!
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James has become an essential part of a project I am working on. He created some incredible guitar layers that made me revisit and question my own parts. Working with James was an awesome experience. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
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James is amazing; his pedal steel for our acoustic song with cello was beautiful; he followed instructions perfectly and is very professional; will use again. Highest recommendation. Thanks James, E
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Jamie just has a great musical sense and gives the songs more depth. It also always brings beautiful fitting melodies. Again and again with pleasure. I'm already looking forward to the next time.
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James is a super musical guitarist. He always gets to the point and arranges great parts. It makes him super easy to work with and the sound is great.
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you can't do better than that. I embedded the guitars into my rough mix and it sounds like it could never have been any other way.
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Without words, exact precision landing. No note too much. Everything fits perfectly into the arrangement.
Thanks
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Thank you James, it was so easy to communicate with you. Mega fast and you have a great intuition and of course a wonderful sound.
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I was blown away by James. He gave me exactly what I was looking for with incredibly quick turnaround. I think the best thing is that he gave me takes with lots of musical personality and charisma, within the scope of what I was looking for.
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Working with James once again was fantastic! He provided the perfect steel guitar parts for my songs. The parts themselves were gorgeous and he plays with real feeling. I look forward to working with him again!
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James was amazing! I gave pretty vague direction for what I wanted and he went above and beyond. Super friendly and FAST turnaround. I received a sketch of ideas the evening I reached out to him. Great tone on the recording, plus he gave me extra options, and was very easy to communicate with. I would work with him again in a heartbeat!
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James worked fast and I loved the results. 2nd time working with him, plan on hiring him again.
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James tracked some gorgeous pedal steel parts for my song. They were exactly what I was looking for. I definitely look forward to working with him again. I highly recommend!
Interview with James Paul Mitchell
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: The Strat, Vibrolux, a microphone, an acoustic, and a coffee pot.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: In my experience, time and knowing how to use the gear you have is more important than lusting over that next mic, preamp, or guitar.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: These days, I have been focusing on playing steel with singer-songwriters who are looking for a more ambient or space vibe to their material. However, I feel lucky in that I am able to work with music that's all over the map in terms of genre.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I try to bring a set of fresh ears to any song I work on, in having a wide set of reference points from which to address the material.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I typically begin by picking out which instrument will best fit that song - whether that's steel, guitar, slide, etc. From there, I decide on a basic approach - am I going to provide the contrast in this song, or reinforce what's already there? After a few passes, I try to hone in on counter-melodies, and anything that will add hooks within the project.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I produced a record for Denver based folk band King Cardinal, on which I also played pedal steel. I'm very happy with the way that came out - 5 short and tight folk songs, ending with a final 28 minute drone piece. The contrast we were able to bring out between those two worlds is something I am still proud of to this day.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I record overdubs in my home studio. I have a simple setup - a set of condensers, ribbon, and dynamic mics, a UA Apollo, and 1073 preamp. My philosophy is to focus on musical output instead of gear, for me, knowing how to use the gear you have is far more important than having a fancy setup.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm inspired by musicians who known how to impart their own sonic space on a track, without overpowering the song and the vibe created by the recording itself. Musicians like Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Greg Leisz, and Bill Frisell are huge influences on the way that I approach a song. However, I also love the experience of breaking open a track in new ways - bring open tuned guitars and dissonance to what may previously have been a pedestrian arrangement. I try to think like a producer at all times - what's going to catch the year, and best build up this track to it's full potential.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I typically do remote overdub sessions of guitar and pedal steel from my home studio. My favorite experience is being in the studio with the artist present, but I am also very quick and responsive via phone or email for my remote clients.

I was the guitarist and pedal steel-ist in this production
- Electric GuitarAverage price - $150 per song
- Acoustic GuitarAverage price - $150 per song
- Pedal SteelAverage price - $150 per song
- Bass ElectricAverage price - $150 per song
- DobroAverage price - $150 per song
- Full instrumental productionContact for pricing
- Jackson Browne
- Sonic Youth
- Ry Cooder
- Townsend Sphere microphone
- UA Apollo
- 1963 Fender Vibrolux
- Tyler Amps PT-14
- ZumSteel
- vintage Supro lapsteels
- 1954 D8 Fender Stringmaster
- Stratocaster
- Jazzmaster
- Gibson 335
- and a whole pile of pedals.
1/2 off each additional instrument played on a track!