How DownTown Mystic Accidentally Made the Ultimate Road Trip Soundtrack
Punk Head: Road trips became the concept because reviewers kept describing Mystic Highway that way. Was there a moment when you thought, "They're hearing something in these songs that I hadn't noticed myself?"
DownTown Mystic: The reviewers kept pointing out that Mystic Highway was perfect music for a road trip, and many said it made them feel like getting in their cars and driving fast. LOL That kind of took me by surprise but I get it. The songs are up-tempo, and I know when I’m listening to them in the car, I start to drive a little faster myself. That’s what good rock’n’roll will do. It gets into your body and makes you move or want to move. I wasn’t thinking about a road trip when I created the release, but it makes sense given the cover art. It was there on a subconscious level, and the reviewers got it right away, which is very cool to me.
Punk Head: You've described these songs as carrying hope during turbulent times. What makes a hopeful rock song believable rather than sentimental?
DownTown Mystic: The song has to sound authentic to be believed. If, as a writer, you’re speaking from the heart then the listener picks up on that immediately. You don’t need to fake the truth to sound hip. I think the difference is something sounds sentimental because it’s trying to sell the listener on a feeling, rather than being real, and making the listener feel the sentiment. On Road Trip, the song Losing My Mind is about being fed up with the BS we see on a daily basis and saying “ENOUGH”! The song depends on the listener identifying with that sentiment and feeling it in themselves and seeing that someone feels like they do. The music carries the emotion to be felt.
Punk Head: You've worked with musicians whose résumés stretch across decades of rock history. What do they bring into the studio that can't be taught?
DownTown Mystic: The musicians I work with are all very talented to begin with. That’s a given. What they bring that can’t be taught is their experience. They’ve lived and played all kinds of music that they have in their back pockets, so to speak. I come in and present them with something that will evoke some kind of reaction. I might hear the music a certain way, but they might hear it and remember something they’ve played before and think it might be suitable for my song. It might take my song in another direction that’s worth checking out. That’s something you can’t plan but need to be open to because that’s why you’re working with these guys in the first place. They want to make your track as good as it can be and you need to trust them. Otherwise, put a chart in front of them and tell them to play it. They can do that too, but I want to spark their creativity and get the most from them because it’s also more fun that way.
Punk Head: The On E Street Remix EP looked back, while this release looks forward. Did making peace with your past recordings free you creatively?
DownTown Mystic: The On E Street Remix EP brought things full circle for me. It was the starting point of my solo career and I felt like I needed to do it the justice it deserved. I’m much more accomplished now as a producer and I knew I could make those tracks the best they could be with the HoF Rhythm section that played them. Max & Garry deserved the best I could give them and knowing I accomplished that was very freeing to me creatively. I wanted to move forward with new music and now I could. My past has been updated to the present sound and it feels right.
Punk Head: If someone hit play on this EP just as they crossed a state line, which song would you want to soundtrack that moment?
DownTown Mystic: The opening song Superstar is perfect for that moment. One listen and I think you’ll agree. The guitars hit but it’s the drums that are the lead instrument and they just suck you in. How can you not want to pound on the dashboard? LOL
Punk Head: What still surprises you about making rock records after all these years?
DownTown Mystic: The songs dictate the style and sound of the records. As a producer, I’m trying to find something in the track that reminds me of an influence I have that I can bring into the song. Reviewers point to my songs being “cinematic” and I have to agree with them. My productions are big and “cinematic” in scope. I think that’s what still surprises me. Even when I think I’m going to do something small, it eventually becomes something on a larger scale. LOL
