Mitch Allan Interview, Lead Singer of SR-71

I conducted this interview in Cleveland, Ohio, during the 2004 Gravity Games.

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It must suck to be Mitch Allan. His band, SR-71, is beyond cool. His girlfriend, Kelly Hu from X-Men and X2, is everyman's fantasy—a hot chick with superpowers that can take down Wolverine. He is the hip rocker type with great style that only, well, hip rockers can achieve. He is naturally good looking, with perfectly arched eyebrows and chiseled cheekbones, but still gets his own makeup and hair person. And he plays a hell of a mean riff on the guitar. Best of all, Mitch Allan refuses to let success go to his head. As we sat down together before his show at the Gravity Games, he gave off an affable vibe that can be rare among musicians of his stature. Recently returning from the OLN Kelly Slater surf invitational, Allan is happy to rejoin the action sports crowd. We also talked about SR-71, and an off-spin project he's working on, self-titled Mitch Allan, and about the music scene in general.



SR-71 has its roots in Baltimore. What is the rock scene like there?

The rock scene in Baltimore is thriving. It goes off, with respect to all the local bands, and all the shows that are constantly happening. It's definitely a good place to live in your into rock and the night scene.

How did you guys come together to form SR-71?

We were just a bunch of friends that wanted to get together and create some music that was missing in Baltimore. We combined a pop-song style with some great rock tunes; some shit that was more catchy, yet still had some balls. Having the same interests musically, we kind of came together on our own. We didn't want to play metal, and we didn't we to be "out there," acting like a bunch of weird guys. We're not weird. So we just wrote a whole bunch of songs, got a record deal with RCA, put out a record. Had a big hit. It was fun.

Is there a story about how the band got signed?

We got signed at the South by Southwest music showcase in Austin, Texas. It was pretty cool. We played on a Friday, and were signed by Tuesday.

I take it everyone was pumped on the band, then?

Yeah, totally. We were really lucky—we had a great manager, who got all of our music out before we did the showcase. By the time we played, everybody knew who we were, knew the songs. By the time we were set to play it was a matter of, OK, can they perform these songs live, can they actually play. Everyone loved the material they heard before the show—and then we just played a kick ass show. Then we sat back and waited. We sent out a memo laying out our terms for a deal. We signed the next week.

There have been some changes in the band. Can you tell us what those are?

Actually, I'm the only original member. The band that originally got signed no longer exists. In the middle of our first record we changed drummers. Toward the end of the second record, we changed the bass and guitar players.

So is the new and improved SR-71 keeping busy?

We have been in the studio for the last year, producing a record that's going to come out after the first of the year. It's called "Clawing My Way to the Middle." It's actually not going to come out as SR-71, but it's going to come out as Mitch Allan. It's a little bit different than what SR-71 does. Rather than change everyone's perception of SR-71, we'd rather just do something that is slightly different. Something new. Now it's going to kind of split up into two bands. We can do SR-71 and keep putting out the same great, fun, pop songs. And then we'll be able to put out great singer/song writer stuff under Mitch Allan.

How would you describe the differences? What can we expect to hear when Mitch Allan is released?

I think the lyrics are going to be more heartfelt. A little more about stuff that is very autobiographical to me. A lot of bullshit that I have gone through in my life—more of an outpouring for therapy than it is for just going out, having a good time and getting drunk on Saturday night.

The band's present name, SR-71, isn't that the name of a spy plane?

It is. My father was in the air force, and the SR-71 is the fastest plane ever built. It is a US Military air force spy plane. Actually, they retired the plane back in 1992, but they built in back in 1972, so it had a nice long run. Anyway, my dad was a mechanic on the SR-71. And when you're a kid, you love airplanes. At least I did. I loved fast airplanes. I had pictures of the SR-71 everywhere in my room. I had always thought SR-71 was a badass name, so when it came time to pick a band name, I gave it to my band.

Being here in Cleveland at the Gravity Games, how does the band fit in with this type of crowd?

I have a lot of friends who are big into these sports. Being from Baltimore, everybody used to skate when we were younger. I've watched the sport turn into something so amazing. I mean, the things these guys are doing today. I used to ride BMX, and I didn't come near to what these guys are doing. They are incredible. What they can do on a bicycle blows me away. Same with skateboarding. I went to Fiji not to long ago with Kelly Slater on a surfing trip, and those guys—same thing. What they can do with a surfboard just blows me away. I'm just appreciative of the lifestyle and the sport. I think they are great athletes.