Mitch Laddie

Mitch was born in the North East of England on 24th September 1990. He was drawn to music from a early age after listening to Country artists with his late maternal Grandfather such as; Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, George Jones, Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks to name but a few. By the age of 3 he had begun building a collection of his own. Mitch, now 19 has many diverse musical tastes and influences.

Mitch began playing guitar seriously at the age of 13 after suffering an injury whilst playing Rugby at school which led to several months in hospital reduced to traction. He began learning Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler and Chuck Berry ditties and after leaving hospital whilst recovering at home; he continued to progress focusing on those famous Hendrix and Gilmour licks. However it wasn’t until he heard the great Stevie Ray Vaughan that he jumped into the waters of the blues. Next came the 3 Kings: B.B, Freddie and Albert, along with the Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Jeff Healey, Walter Trout, Gary Moore, Paul Kossoff, early Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Gales and many more.

Having developed and refined his own chops, the time for a band had arrived. Mitch started putting a band together with enthusiastic friends and shortly after “Vanilla Moon” was born. The band played together for around 2 and a half years, gaining quite a fan base playing motorcycle rallies, festivals and pubs around the North East area. Their set list included S.R.V and Free covers along with their own material which by now they had started writing.

During these early days, Mitch was introduced to one of his guitar heroes, the great blues legend – Walter Trout. Walter invited Mitch to jam with him and the band at the Colne Municple Hall in October 2006. Walter was so impressed Mitch was invited to jam at various other venues around the country, as well as the Paradiso in Amsterdam, which Mitch is truly grateful. It was around this time that Walter introduced Mitch to Provogue Records, to which he is now signed.

In early 2008, Vanilla Moon re-emerged as the “Mitch Laddie Trio.” Their sound has now evolved into a blend of Blues Rock, Funk, Prog, Jazz and Fusion, drawing influence from bands and artists such as: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, S.R.V and Double Trouble, John Mayer Trio, Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Police, Parliament – Funkadelic, Prince, Tower of Power, The Meters, James Brown, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Buckley, Eric Johnson, Guthrie Govan, Richie Kotzen, Shawn Lane, Greg Howe, Allan Holdsworth, Robben Ford, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa, Wishbone Ash, Free, Primus, The Roots, Martin Sexton, Toots And The Maytals, Bob Marley and anything that has the funk. Much of the last year was spent on rehearsing and writing new material. After performing their new material at several gigs including the Colne Great British R&B Festival, the trio received rave reviews from various media sources.

Now in 2010 with their first album for Provogue Records now released, the band are still adding to their catalogue and gearing up for upcoming tours during what appears to be an exciting year.