Local musician C. J. Mitchell’s gay anthem “Permission 2 Love” is making a splash, literally and figuratively, all over Pittsburgh. Mitchell, 26, has been in music all of his life. He played drums when he was five. He was playing the piano by the time he was twelve. He admits, “I learned them all by ear.”
Mitchell, a West Virginia native, moved to Pittsburgh after visiting a friend from high school. He said, “I felt so connected when I got here. I felt like I belonged. I went back to West Virginia, packed up my stuff and moved here.” Life in small town Bluefield, West Virginia wasn’t easy for the young man. He went to a Christian high school, Mercer Christian Academy, where he played on a basketball team and led the choir at his church. Back in West Virginia, he lived his life in the closet.
In Pittsburgh, his life changed radically. He cites two films that changed his life; “Prayers for Bobby,” a story about a woman, Mary Griffin (Sigourney Weaver), who loses her gay son to suicide, and “Milk,” about the first openly gay politician Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) who is murdered along with Mayor Mascone (Victor Garber) in the 70s. These films gave Mitchell the courage write a letter to his parents and come out.
The moment had a profound effect on him. He decided to call his album, “Dear World.” Mitchell said, “The album is a lot like my coming out letter. It contains five songs all dealing with gay politics, gay marriage, gay life.”
Another video, Alan Watts’ YouTube video “If Money Was No Object” gave him a moment of reflection. Mitchell said, “I had to assess what I was doing with my life. I decided I had to do whatever I could to pursue my music career.”
The video instilled him with a “do it yourself” attitude. He started contacting record producers, recording artists, anyone who could help him go after his dream. He was put in touch with Lab Therapy, a multi-media company in the Strip District who aided him in putting together the music video.
The first single, “Permission to Love” is about marriage equality. The song and the video celebrate the May 20 ruling that overturned the ban on gay marriage in Pennsylvania.
For the first time, Mitchell had total control. He said, “I wrote the song. I played all of the instruments. I sang all the songs. The guys from Lab Therapy did the editing and sound mixing.”
The relocated West Virginian is now Pittsburgh proud. Mitchell said, “A lot of good stuff has happened to me here in Pittsburgh. I came out here. I met my boyfriend here.”
He attributes a lot to his boyfriend, Tyson Stutzman. Mitchell said, “I wouldn’t have done all of this without my boyfriend.”
The video for “Permission to Love” is a veritable tour of Pittsburgh LGBT bars with stops at Hot Mass, There, Images, Spin, and Cruze Bar and features a several locals including Brian Graham and Joe King.
The video debuted at Splash during Pittsburgh Pride week. The singer said, “I got lots of awesome compliments afterward.”
Mitchell added, “Pittsburgh is known for its drag [Sharon Needles and Alaska from “Rupaul’s Drag Race”], and they’re great, don’t get me wrong. But there are gay poets here, singer and dancers. I want Pittsburgh to be known for all of that. I want our community to have a chance to shine, and I am working my butt off to make sure that happens!”
Mitchell’s album “Dear World” is slated to drop in late Fall.
