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Ben Mitchell has been an active independent musician since age 13
when he started what would later become the trading label Underground in
1997. Initially a means through which he would put out his own demo tapes,
by the end of 1998 it had grown into a vast community of 'bootleggers', in
a time before file sharing and illegal downloads made such a concept moot.
By 1999 Underground had become a firm part of the Cheltenham Treatment,
one the last gasps of old-school trading. This group also featured
collaborators such as Josie Warren (founding member of Mitchell's 'jazz'
band Heartcore), Alison Eire and John Harris. After self-producing seven
demo CDs, in 2000 Ben Mitchell joined MP3.com, then a little-known means
through which underground artists could get promoted for free. He put out
five solo albums through MP3.com - 'Nothing To Grin About' (July 2000);
'The Hot Beef Injection' (November 2000); 'Easier To Swallow' (March
2001); 'The Adventures Of Johnny Star' (December 2001); and 'Somebody Stop
Me' (December 2002) as well as two now unavailable compilations - 'Lonely
Singles' (March 2002) and 'The Dregs' (June 2002). From 2002 onward
Mitchell also worked with Jo Warren, Lizzie Silcock and Chris Richardson
on Heartcore's 'Romantichasm' trilogy and continues to use the ensemble as
an outlet for his avant-garde side. By 2003 the Treatment had
disbanded and MP3.com had become an overwhelmed service, so it was
reincarnated as TruSonic (the MP3.com that exists today is an entirely
different entity). At this point Ben elected to start up PhatBoy Media,
with products distributed through Cafepress, and has since reissued his
previous demos and albums to make his back catalogue available to fans
again. In September 2003 he released his first album with the new moniker
Struwwelpeter, acknowledging the large number of online, unsigned, musical
Ben Mitchells out there. 'You're All So Precious' - featuring guest
performers Alison Eire, John Harris and Pete Philips - was PhatBoy's first
official release and to all concerned was a huge success. In July 2004 a
collection of tracks from Ben Mitchell's MP3.com years was put out as 'Fat
Man Walking: The Best Of Ben Mitchell', before the second Struwwelpeter LP
'Rapeseed' was released in November. A collection of highlights from Heartcore's 'Romantichasm' trilogy was released in December 2005 entitled 'Sifting Through', and in March 2006 the third Struwwelpeter album 'Agnosticaust' was released boasting fourteen guest performers. The latter is, to date, the highest
selling record of Ben's musical 'career' to date.
Ben Mitchell also maintains his own personal website 'Ben Mitchell
Online' alongside this one, as well as work on all his album artwork and
his comic strip 'Mitchells In England' which began when he was
eleven.
BEN MITCHELL TIMELINE
August 1997:
Started Underground Records with his first demo tape 'Rent The
Woman' under the name 'Image'
November 1997:
Released second Image demo tape 'Roped' (collaboration with
high-school friend Ben Forty)
March 1998:
Third
demo tape (final as Image) 'Born' released
June 1998:
Work
done for unfinished demo titled 'Gastropod'. Unreleased
November 1998:
First
demo tape released as Ben Mitchell - 'Fetish'. Widely distributed with the
aid of future collaborator John Harris
March 1999:
Work
done for unfinished demo tape 'The World According To J. Rockard'.
Unreleased
July 1999:
Fifth
demo released - 'Town Of Treetops' - first to be originally released on
CD
August 1999:
Prior
demos 'Rent The Woman', 'Roped', 'Born' and 'Fetish' reissued on CD as Ben
Mitchell demos
October 1999:
Underground becomes part of the Cheltenham Treatment. Anthology of
cover songs from prior demos briefly released ('Covers
1')
December 1999:
Sixth
demo released - 'Big Fat Bastard'
February 2000:
'Big
Fat Bastard' reissued with extra tracks and the subheading 'Toby Shipway
Appreciation Version' (Shipway was one of the '...Bastard'
collaborators)
March 2000:
Mitchell produces (but does not appear on) skit CD 'Larry: Big
Doggie Style' featuring Chris Richardson, Nick Smart and Si Adams. Seventh
and final demo 'Bloody Troubles' released
April 2000:
First
MP3.com single 'Gib: You Clang & You Ming' released. A novelty track
with an ensemble cast of guest vocalists, this becomes the second highest
ranking single of all those subsequently released
May 2000:
Two
anthologies released through Underground - 'Covers 2' and 'Evolution' - to
promote the forthcoming MP3.com album 'Nothing To Grin
About'
June 2000:
School production of 'Under Milk Wood' released featuring Ben
Mitchell playing numerous parts. Last ever Underground CD
released
July 2000:
'Nothing To Grin About' released. Singles 'Going Nowhere' and
'Messiah To Go' reach top ten MP3.com chart positions
September 2000:
'Muse' - first single for album 'The Hot Beef Injection' released -
reaches top ten
October 2000:
Second 'Hot Beef...' single 'Take You Away' released. Reaches
number one and becomes the highest ranking single of Ben Mitchell's
MP3.com releases
November 2000:
'The
Hot Beef Injection' released - reaches top ten
January 2001:
'Escher' - first single for album 'Easier To Swallow' released -
hits number two for one day
March 2001:
Third
MP3.com album 'Easier To Swallow' released. Scrapes in to the top
twenty
April 2001:
Of
subsequent 'Easier To Swallow' singles, only 'Bow To Convention' enters
the top ten, peaking at number ten
September 2001:
First
single for 'The Adventures Of Johnny Star' released, titled 'When In
Rome'. Number five for a week
November 2001:
Two
more singles 'Culture' and 'Sobriety' reach the top ten
December 2001:
Fourth MP3.com album 'The Adventures Of Johnny Star' released. The
only MP3.com-era album to reach number one. Final single 'Files From The
Print Side' reaches top twenty. 'Covers 3', a collection of covers
recorded during the 'Easier To Swallow' sessions, is independently
released
March 2002:
Compilation of MP3.com-era singles 'Lonely Singles' released.
Reaches top twenty
June 2002:
Compilation of demo tracks and rarities released titled 'The
Dregs'. Not a big seller (top fifty for a brief time). First Heartcore CD
'Romantichasm Volume 1: Carnal Glutton' released
September 2002:
Ben
Mitchell moves to Southampton; John Harris and Alison Eire move to Sydney
and the Cheltenham Treatment officially disbands
December 2002:
Final
MP3.com album released - 'Somebody Stop Me'. Top ten, though no singles
were released separately
March 2003:
Ben Mitchell performs three
shows in clubs around Bristol for a live CD to be released in October.
Tracks from the original demos 'Rent The Woman' and 'Roped' are reissued
through PhatBoy as 'Demos 1997'
April 2003:
Tracks from the original demos
'Born' and 'Fetish' are reissued through PhatBoy as 'Demos
1998'
July 2003:
Ben
Mitchell begins work on the '2003 Sextet', a collection of 6 comps that
feature previously unreleased material, beginning with '2003 Sextet 1:
2003 Demo CD'.
August 2003:
Samplers are put out for Struwwelpeter's 'You're All So Precious',
Ben Mitchell's first PhatBoy release (and first album as Struwwelpeter).
Acoustic EP '2003 Sextet 2: Pinball' released
September 2003:
'You're All So Precious' and '2003 Sextet 3: Selloutta Here'
released
October 2003:
Ben
Mitchell's first live CD 'Hi There, Kids! Ben Mitchell Live In Bristol
2003', a collection of tracks from the Bristol shows recorded in March
released, along with '2003 Sextet 4: Covers IV'
November 2003:
An
extended edition of 'Hi There, Kids' is released as part five of the '2003
Sextet'. Heartcore's second album 'Romantichasm Volume 2: Post Coitus' is
released
December 2003:
'2003
Sextet 6: Stocking Filler', an EP of Xmas songs, is
released
January 2004:
'The Hot Beef Injection' is
reissued through PhatBoy
February 2004:
'Easier To Swallow' is
reissued through PhatBoy
March 2004:
'The Adventures Of Johnny Star'
is reissued through PhatBoy
April 2004:
'Somebody Stop Me' is reissued
through PhatBoy
May 2004:
Tracks from the original demos
'Town Of Treetops' and 'Big Fat Bastard' are reissued through PhatBoy as
'Demos 1999'
June 2004:
Tracks from the original demos
'Big Fat Bastard (Toby Shipway Appreciation Version' and 'Bloody Troubles'
are reissued through PhatBoy as 'Demos 2000'
July 2004:
'Fat Man Walking: The Best Of Ben
Mitchell', a collection of Ben Mitchell's favourite MP3.com-era tracks, is
released
August 2004:
Heartcore's third CD
'Romantichasm Volume 3: Sunrise Regrets' is released
November 2004:
Ben Mitchell's second album
as Struwwelpeter - 'Rapeseed' - is released
March 2005:
Ben Mitchell directs and
produces the first Struwwelpeter music video 'On A Limb' as part of his
university final major project
April 2005:
Ben Mitchell directs and
produces two more Struwwelpeter music videos - 'Cashback' and 'Let
Slip'
May 2005:
Ben Mitchell directs and produces
a fourth Struwwelpeter music videos - 'Facial Mel'. Begins performing live
around Southampton with laptop jockey Rob Creighton
June 2005:
The Struwwelpeter music videos
are successfully showcased as part of Ben Mitchell's university degree
show
July 2005:
Ben Mitchell graduates with First Class Honours, largely down to the reception of the Struwwelpeter music videos
October 2005:
Ben Mitchell performs a series of new live shows with Jim Ford to promote 'Agnosticaust', the third Struwwelpeter LP
November 2005:
An early test pressing of 'Agnosticaust' is released to various parties, due to numerous delays regarding the album's production
December 2005:
Heartcore releases 'Sifting Through', a collection of highlights from the 'Romantichasm' trilogy
February 2006:
Ben Mitchell directs and produces three more Struwwelpeter music videos - 'FCT' and 'Hand Over Fist' compiled from existing footage, and 'Laughing At A Wall', the first single from 'Agnosticaust'
March 2006:
The final version of 'Agnosticaust' is commercially released, boasting a grand total of fourteen guest musicians in all. The first 100 pressings of the album are issued with a bonus DVD featuring music videos for 'Let Slip', 'Laughing At A Wall' and a half-hour documentary on the making of album titled 'Countdown To The Agnosticaust', directed by Ben Mitchell August 2006:
'Agnosticaust' becomes the first album by Ben Mitchell to sell over 1000 copies (a victory in indie terms) through word-of-mouth alone
December 2006:
Ben Mitchell releases the 'PhatBoy Media Cheap'n'Nasty, Holly'n'Jolly Seasonal Sampler' as a free online promotional release featuring sample tracks from various indie bands
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