Welcome!
This is the web site for Mitchell&Melhuish who also record as UnderTow, a folk-rock-fusion-insert-category-here-duo originally from Essex, UK but now one of us is in Leicestershire and one in Lincolnshire. We have been in existence since 2006 and have, in that time, written in excess of 200 songs, released three albums and a variety of songs on a bewildering number of platforms.
They are Alan Mitchell and Keith Melhuish; Alan writes the majority of the lyrics whilst Keith creates the soundscape from which the words often arise. Both are retired and enjoy all sorts of other creative pursuits. For Keith it is wood carving, painting, rebuilding and re-fashioning musical instruments and other renaissance type pastimes. For Alan it is writing fiction and poetry and taking lots (and lots) of photographs.
Their music is eclectic, acoustic-centred but with a nod to the progressive era of old. Likened to very early Genesis or Pink Floyd, they don't style themselves on any one group or genre. For example there's something about Simon & Garfunkel (apart from success) about them too. They write songs that try to connect with the daily life of humanity, with all its pleasures and pain, love and loss.
Both are inspired by each others' ideas and collectively they produce something that each alone might not be capable of. Keith has been in a variety of musical pursuits in the past, including bands called 'Junkbox' and 'The Highwaymen' which allowed his musical spirit to take flight whilst making music with the others in the group.
Although UnderTow have played live a couple of times (in the dim and distant past) they are mainly studio based. Creating and crafting music and lyrics with a studied air. That's not to say that there isn't whimsy or humour in their output - there is. But the process of writing a song and then crafting it, shaping it like clay on a potters wheel, is something which stimulates them and provides a lot of fun and satisfaction.
Keith is, however, working on Alan and trying to coax him into perhaps singing a song or two at an open mic night sometime in the future (and when the medication takes hold).
In recent years, especially when they started to create their Prog double-CD (coming in 2023 but started in 2019/20) they realised that their music fell into at least two different genres and thus perhaps two different musical presences were in order. Plus, there are quite a few 'UnderTow' bands in the world but we realised that there is - and can only ever be - one 'Mitchell&Melhuish' and so some of our more folk-ey music will be released under that name whilst the current Prog CD ('discoveryONE') will be released under the standard 'UnderTow' name.
So, if you're up to listen to new music, new processes and new viewpoints, why not take the plunge and go to the You want to hear some music page...
Enjoy!
They are Alan Mitchell and Keith Melhuish; Alan writes the majority of the lyrics whilst Keith creates the soundscape from which the words often arise. Both are retired and enjoy all sorts of other creative pursuits. For Keith it is wood carving, painting, rebuilding and re-fashioning musical instruments and other renaissance type pastimes. For Alan it is writing fiction and poetry and taking lots (and lots) of photographs.
Their music is eclectic, acoustic-centred but with a nod to the progressive era of old. Likened to very early Genesis or Pink Floyd, they don't style themselves on any one group or genre. For example there's something about Simon & Garfunkel (apart from success) about them too. They write songs that try to connect with the daily life of humanity, with all its pleasures and pain, love and loss.
Both are inspired by each others' ideas and collectively they produce something that each alone might not be capable of. Keith has been in a variety of musical pursuits in the past, including bands called 'Junkbox' and 'The Highwaymen' which allowed his musical spirit to take flight whilst making music with the others in the group.
Although UnderTow have played live a couple of times (in the dim and distant past) they are mainly studio based. Creating and crafting music and lyrics with a studied air. That's not to say that there isn't whimsy or humour in their output - there is. But the process of writing a song and then crafting it, shaping it like clay on a potters wheel, is something which stimulates them and provides a lot of fun and satisfaction.
Keith is, however, working on Alan and trying to coax him into perhaps singing a song or two at an open mic night sometime in the future (and when the medication takes hold).
In recent years, especially when they started to create their Prog double-CD (coming in 2023 but started in 2019/20) they realised that their music fell into at least two different genres and thus perhaps two different musical presences were in order. Plus, there are quite a few 'UnderTow' bands in the world but we realised that there is - and can only ever be - one 'Mitchell&Melhuish' and so some of our more folk-ey music will be released under that name whilst the current Prog CD ('discoveryONE') will be released under the standard 'UnderTow' name.
So, if you're up to listen to new music, new processes and new viewpoints, why not take the plunge and go to the You want to hear some music page...
Enjoy!