That Time Red Hot Chili Peppers Frontman Anthony Kiedis Took In A Cody Musician

Adrian Jay Mitchell was cruising around Malibu in a custom seafoam green golf cart tricked out by Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis.

It was 2014 and he was crashing at Kiedis' place, living what seemed like every aspiring musician's fantasy.

"Pure freedom," Mitchell recalled of those sun-soaked rides nine years ago. "The wind in your hair. The beautiful sunlight washing over you. In Malibu, driving down the beach and just having the time of your life.”

Here was Mitchell — now active in the Cody, Wyoming, music scene and then an eager musician from Michigan — literally riding through paradise with an inside connection to rock royalty. 

Mitchell’s relationship with the Chili Peppers legend began years earlier when he first met Kiedis at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. 

"I was just a high school freshman, and I had no idea how much this relationship would eventually shape my future," Mitchell wrote on his Substack blog.

The connection came through his best friend since seventh grade, Jackson Simmons, who happened to be Kiedis' nephew.

Simmons appears in Kiedis' bestselling memoir "Scar Tissue," and the rock star was squarely behind using his connections to help the two young musicians, even introducing them to famed producer Rick Rubin. 

Mitchell watched famous people fall to pieces around Kiedis at restaurants and observed fans screaming his name outside their house. He was inside the bubble, experiencing what he called "an absolute privilege to be along for the ride."

Mitchell and Simmons eventually got their own place, keeping them in the L.A. mix. Everything seemed lined up — Kiedis was ready to set up meetings after returning from a tour.

But the financial demands of city living and the pressure to put out new work started to mount. 

"I was becoming very disenchanted with the pursuit of a life in the entertainment world in Hollywood or in Los Angeles," Mitchell reflected on that period. "Honestly, we kind of, in a sense, bailed on him (Kiedis).

"Not intentionally. Things were just taking so long, and I think my resources were just draining. Financially, just living in Los Angeles was becoming less and less feasible."

Montana-bound

Mitchell traded Los Angeles for "Boze Angeles," the nickname hung on Bozeman by those poking fun at Montana’s glitziest community. 

In Bozeman, Mitchell said he discovered his talent for sales, which he applied at Mattress King. 

It was during a mattress delivery that fate intervened in the form of a 19-year-old Montana State University student named Morgan who'd never been on a date.

"I was showing them to my room, and they start setting it up. And then I had a copy of ‘Scar Tissue’ on my nightstand,” remembered Morgan. 

When Adrian claimed he'd lived with Kiedis, Morgan wasn’t buying it. 

"In my mind I was like, this guy is such a poser. Like, he's delivering mattresses. There's no way he lived with this rock star,” she said.

They went out on a date two days later and were married within the year.

Together, they started attending Bible study in Bozeman and now Morgan points out subtle references to their faith in her husband’s songwriting. 

"He tries to mix modern beats, but with more classical styles, and he tries to write about Christianity, but not in this just like in-your-face way,” Morgan said. "His lyrics are subtle but deep."

Bedroom Studio

In the spare bedroom of their apartment in Cody, Mitchell set up his recording studio and went to work producing songs, including "Lovebird,” which he released this summer. 

"It's stepped up from when we lived in Bozeman," Morgan said of his recording space. "He used to use our walk-in closet, and since we had roommates, he'd put a blanket over his head to muffle the recording noise."

Now Mitchell works in their spare bedroom with a full desk setup, a MIDI controller and studio speakers. 

"He loves to just have like zero lights on," Morgan explained. "He'll just be in there, like kneeling in front of his computer in the dark for hours, like mixing things, listening to the same one line a thousand times over."

The Cody Scene

Local stars like Jillian Nordberg and Kalyn Beasley headline Cody’s local music scene, with, “Better than a half dozen active venues in town that are regularly hosting live music,” said Beasley. 

A respected figure in Wyoming's country music community who's recorded with Nashville pros, Beasley met Adrian Jay — Mitchell’s stage name — through the Wyoming songwriting competition he judges.

"I really enjoyed his tunes," Beasley told Cowboy State Daily while he was en route to band practice in Billings. 

“I think he does a pretty dang good job considering I think he does all his own recording himself. It all sounds really good. It's pretty tightly arranged. And his singing is great,” added Beasley. 

One thing supporting Cody’s music scene, said Beasley, is growth in the number of music festivals — like Red Ants Pants in White Sulphur Springs, Montana — and more music venues open for business, like The Elm, in Bozeman. 

Cody has become what's known as a routing town — acts traveling between larger markets stop for midweek shows. 

"On a given weeknight in Cody, you can see incredible nationally recognized talent," Beasley noted. "Cody is going to be a beneficiary because we're sort of on the way north and south."

As for what Adrian Jay brings to the stage, Beasley said, "In the texture of Cody's music scene, it certainly is a breath of fresh air and a welcome one as well."

"He definitely hopes to grow his overall following," Morgan added. "He really wants to get people to like his music who don't know him." 

Plans include releasing more singles, improving his mixing skills and pursuing a collaboration with another Cody artist.

On Nov. 14, Adrian Jay released his new single on his Substack page, “Nobody Understands Me Like You.” 

Buried in the lyrics is a reference to the Chili Peppers along with a nod to the church Adrian and Morgan attended in Bozeman. It’s called New Beginnings. 

David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.