R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter: 'That's a band that made people happy'
by Mary Lucia and Luke Taylor
October 17, 2019
Mitch Easter's name might not be immediately recognizable, but the projects he has worked on are indelible within the firmament of modern rock.
Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., Mitch Easter was the frontman of the 1980s alternative-rock band Let's Active, but he's probably best known for his work as a music producer — in particular, his production work with R.E.M., on their debut EP Chronic Town and on their first two full-length albums, Murmur and Reckoning.
"The first rock show I saw was the Monkees, and they played in Winston-Salem," Easter tells Mary Lucia. "That was fantastic. I saw them when I was 11 or 12, the perfect time to see my first rock show."
It started a lifelong love of music that eventually led to Easter playing in Let's Active and ultimately working with R.E.M. "The sound that they had was exactly the right sound," Easter says of R.E.M. "I'm proud to have been associated with that, but I'm not going to take the credit for it too much. I just kind of helped.
"They're a band that made people happy, and still do," Easter continues. "The R.E.M. story was kind of the perfect rock story, and it's cool I got to witness it."
On Thursday, Oct. 17, Easter — along with the late blues and folk guitarist Elizabeth Cotton, hip-hop artist 9th Wonder, late bluegrass guitarist Merle Watson, and hip-hop recording artist Big Daddy Kane — will be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Use the audio player above to listen to Mary Lucia's conversation with Mitch Easter.
External Links
Fidelitorium Recordings - Mitch Easter's studio, Kernersville, N.C.
R.E.M. - official site
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame - Kannapolis, N.C.
