Matt Mitchell Music Co. and the Holy Broke, Panida Little Theater, May 2

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

When it comes to storytelling in the form of song, there are few folk singers in the region who do as good a job as Matt Mitchell and Kent Ueland. 

Playing under the moniker Matt Mitchell Music Co. and The Holy Broke, respectively, Mitchell and Euland are teaming up for a special dual live performance at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2 at the Panida Little Theater (300 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint).

Matt Mitchell, left and Kent Ueland, right. Courtesy photo

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Mitchell writes with a nod to the old-soul, observational storytelling that comes from living full-time in an imported Japanese bus. He brings his tunes to life either as a solo performer, or by playing along with the many band configurations he’s joined over the years.

Mitchell’s songs are clever, witty, heartbreakingly confessional and represent the rare missives that are equally enjoyed in quiet concert halls and rowdy dive bars. As stated on his website, “If The Band took a road trip to Laurel Canyon and pulled their tour bus over to pick up John Prine hitching his way down the Pacific coastline, their rolling jam session might sound a little like Matt Mitchell Music Co.” 

Joining Mitchell will be Ueland, or The Holy Broke, as he’s taken for his stage name. Ueland’s songs can only be described as “powerfully honest” and are filled with descriptions that leave listeners wanting to plumb a little deeper into his creative well for more.

Ueland sings like a young Tom Waits, with songs that ache with emotion. Some might recognize his work from the disbanded Spokane-based Terrible Buttons, a spooky folk band that covered musical ground from bayou blues to psychedelic folk rock. 

Both Mitchell and Ueland are dedicated to their craft, which is evident the moment they strum their first chord and reverberate long after they move onto the next gig.