California, the mythical Promised Land and music business center? Original music that comes from a place where all it's inhabitants are from somewhere else (essentially) will undoubtedly (idealistically, hopefully) reflect those varied landscapes and sensitivities. But is there a San Francisco "sound", an L.A. "sound"? Well, if they indeed exist, there would be about 10,000 different opinions on what that "sound" might be. But let us not confuse "sound" with "voice". See the difference? A new band hydroplaning on the coat tails of a third generation Goo Goo Dolls puppet clone is a "sound". Being awaken at sunrise to the chant of 20 Chinese monks in a monastery hostel is waking up to a "voice". Mitch Tobias is not a Buddhist monk (in fact he was Bar Mitzvahed) but he grew up listening to "voices" - and is carrying on the tradition.

Growing up on Elton John, The Beatles, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa and (his favorite) Mr. Rogers, Mitch was always impressed by archetypes. When he began writing music at the age of 8, his efforts didn't much resemble the above mentioned artists - rather, a combination of pre-teen fantasies, cliches, and excuses to play his favorite chords. Up until 16, he was infected by KISS, AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen. Everything written in that period will be kept under lock and key indefinitely. (Although he does love a good metal kick in the ass frequently.) How easily we get distracted from our roots and the sources of our primal streams! (Especially in environments that demand less than true, original voices.)

"When I was16 or 17 I picked up Zappa's 'Mothers of Prevention'. This is the album that spawned from the senate committee hearings on the censorship of rock lyrics in which he took actual spoken statements from the hearing and turned them into instruments. (Including Al and Tipper Gore!) Combining them with the music he generated, Frank managed to build this composition that encompassed humor, sophistication, foreign textures and unorthodox arrangements. It's an emotionally charged piece that made the little hairs on my arms rise, made me laugh. . . and cry too."

While Frank might not be palatable for all, Mitch adheres to his philosophy and refusal to adhere to the purity of genres. (Sting seems to share this point of view as well.) Mitch believes that everyone has a voice (whether or not they know it yet). "I can't stand it when someone says, "I'm not a musical person". How are they supposed to know if their parents told them to shut up when they were 6?" He borrows from all over the place - Sting, Paul Simon, Phish, the squirrel outside his window, the smell of wild fennel, whatever. The net result - Mitch Tobias.

Mitch's diet has also included music written by his family. His grandfather Van Alexander has always been an influence. An arranger and composer, Van wrote 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket' with Ella Fitzgerald. Having worked in film and television, Mitch still goes to his Gramps for advice. On the other side of the family are his grandfather's brothers - Harry, Henry & Charlie Tobias. They wrote standards such as 'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree', 'Sweet and Lovely', and 'It's a Lonesome Old Town'. The latter was most recently covered by Sting on the 'Leaving Las Vegas' soundtrack.

read more about the family

hear RealAudio clips of Ella's 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket' and Sting's 'It's a Lonesome Old Town.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Mitch studied music with Ted Greene (author of 'Chord Chemistry') and attended the Dick Grove School of Music. He also graduated from Art Center College Design as a photography major.