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DOWNTOWN MYSTIC "Read The Signs"

A subtle psychedelic cover with a purple hue is what houses this rocking bit of
post-Flamin' Groovies/Byrds style of brash pop, the authenticity missing from 99% of Tom Petty's releases. "Eyes Of The World" and "A Way To Know" contain no-nonsense pop by the quartet which features Robert Allen, Bruce Engler, bassist Paul Page and drummer extraordinaire Steve Holley. Listen to the wild guitar lines on "A Way To Know", the kind of core music that's been missing on the radio waves...Joe Vig Top40 Blog Spot

DownTown Mystic - Read The Signs

What turned out as amusing side project for Sha-La Records president Robert Allen has turned into a serious venture. DownTown Mystic produced a demo that wound up with two different songs getting airplay on KROQ. Ensuing national airplay convinced Allen it was time turn the demo into a full-length album. The result, Rock N Roll 4 The Soul, was a strong debut featuring co-songwriting by Bruce Engler and the rhythm section of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Downtown Mystic returns now with their latest album, Read The Signs. featuring a new rhythm section and some serious songwriting.

Read The Signs opens with 1960's Folk/Rock of I Can't Let Go, a catchy quasi-love song that shows shades of Crosby, Stills & Nash in the harmonies. Go Back features some nice, lively guitar work but runs a bit long at five-and-half-minutes. DownTown Mystic is a decent listen; a bit on the bland side but sonically pretty. From the lyric perspective the song is a bit awkward, a trait that carries over a bit into One Step Closer. This is a song that has potential hit written over the music. The highlight of the album is Read The Signs, which sounds a bit like a Bob Seger tune. Read The Signs has a strong clear hook and is very catchy.

A close second is Think A Little Louder, which features one of those choruses that gets stuck in your head and won't leave of its own volition. DownTown Mystic brings the same feel good, infectious Rock sound to Test Of Time, a jubilant love song about marriage and the power of love. Tomorrow's Clown finds DownTown Mystic entering the California Country territory trod by The Eagles with much success, before breaking into infectious Roots Rock on A Way To Know. The last track on the disc, an untitled song that comes up as "Unknown" if your system displays title information moves back to the Poppy-Classic Rock sound that seems to be the middle ground for DownTown Mystic. It's perhaps the most generic of the tracks on the album; pleasant but not overly impressive.

Read The Signs has its ups and downs, but when they're at their best, DownTown Mystic is an eminently listenable band. This is feel good music for folks who miss 1980's Guitar Rock and Adult Contemporary formats (ala radio's The River). Robert Allen has an exceedingly pleasant voice, and in general the songs are quite strong in the writing department. Take some time to Read The Signs.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5) Wildy's World Blogspot  1/19/2010

 

 

DOWNTOWN MYSTIC

Rocking the Radio

By Christa Fletcher/Hear It Now/ChannelOne.com

Robert Allen, Sha-La Music, Inc. president, knows it's tough to keep a band together. Yet, what better way to keep the creative flow than inspiring musicians to partake in multiple projects? His latest is DownTown Mystic.

For Allen, DownTown Mystic is not about creating something commercial, a product filled with forgettable pop hits or a one-hit wonder. He formed the band in hopes of making music that will mean something to listeners. "It's more than writing a song and recording it. It's what we call making a record. It's a whole lot different," Allen explained. "It's about an energy and a sound that you hope will get a reaction from the listener."

Originally, he wasn't sure if DownTown Mystic should be a solo act or group, but after some recording time in the studio with Bruce Engler, Steve Holley and Paul Page, the band was born. Even though each member of the band has other things on his plate, they make time to record radio fare like "One More Chance."

Allen, who also runs his music publishing and management company, knows the key to radio success lies in getting one DJ to play your song to get the rock-a-rolling. Fortunately for DownTown Mystic, a Florida radio program director played "One More Chance." Later, the song spread to stations across the country including KROQ, a popular Los Angeles rock station. And with any luck, L.A. music execs could be calling to add them to a label.

The cyclical nature of the music business and audience tastes seem to be working in the band's favor. Rock, as a genre has many fans, young and old, so DownTown Mystic reels them all in with their tagline: "Vintage, yet modern."

"The music was modeled on 60's and 70's type music," commented Allen. "So it was really based around the organic sound of that time." Despite this distinction, it always comes down to the music and one man's love for rock - which is neither young, nor old - simply classic.

 

 

DOWNTOWN MYSTIC - Live Review

Opening Act Duo DownTown Mystic Also Gives An Inspired Performance 
www.localsource.com
By Jessica Marlowe

Patrons of the Hillside Café have come to know that, at this intimate little-known coffee house, they will be provided with some of the finest musical entertainment offered in Essex county.  The venue proudly features an eclectic mix of original live acoustic guitar music the third Saturday of every month.  This past Saturday, June 21, Hillside hosted New York musician, singer-songwriter Ann Klein along with opening act, DownTown Mystic.

DownTown Mystic is a 2005 project conceived by musician Robert Allen, an executive at Sha-La Music who is joined by another singer-songwriter, Bruce Engler.  The pair has recently released their second collection of songs, “Read the Signs”.

Allen had an idea for a studio work that would be an integration of a sound reminiscent of the music from the late 60s and early 70s with an edge that is very contemporary.  Music that is, in his words, “Vintage, yet modern.”

Years earlier, the two had co-written the song, “One More Chance” and, each recorded an
original version of it independent of the other.  Then, in 2005, they put their heads together for a re-make of the tune for their first album, “Rock ’n’ Roll 4 the Soul”

The song captured the interest of Florida radio station program director, G. Michael Keating who added it immediately to the station’s playlist, thus, giving the duo coveted commercial triple A station airplay.

In December 2006, Allen and Engler decided to return to the studio together.  This time for something a little different.  “For this recording”, explained Engler, “we ‘raised the bar’ in
terms of the song-writing quality.  This new album is a little more organic, more acoustic, and in
order to strip-down the production the songs needed to be strong.”

The songs are strong and, sadly, as an opening act, their set consisted of only six of them.

 

 

DownTown Mystic   

 ALBUM: Rock'n'Roll 4 The Soul    SONG: "One More Chance"

MEMBERS: Robert Allen (Vocals, Guitars); Bruce Engler (Lead Vocal, Lead Guitar); P.J. Farley (Bass); Tom Mastro (Drums)       

 PRODUCED BY: Robert Allen                          LABEL: Sha-La

"Believe me when I say (as a 33-year vet of rock radio and a frustrated musician), One More Chance  is a hit!  They don't make 'em like this anymore...and they should, all day. It has all the ingredients: lyrics, arrangement, structure, guitar, vocal, length...and not necessarily in that order!   It is a wonderful hit track that feels like a refreshing "throw back" to the day when bands and producers recorded songs for longevity. This is Doobie Brothers, or take your pick solid 70s-styled quality adult rock. It is unlike anything out there now, for a long while"...G.Michael Keating PD/WBCG

 

 

ALBUM: Rock'n'Roll 4 The Soul

LABEL: Sha-La

ARTIST: D.M. & Jessie Thomas (Vocals, Guitar), Steve Brown, Ozzie Caccavelli &Max & Garry's Day Jobs.jpg (56506 bytes) Bruce Engler (Guitar)P.J. Farley & Eric Hoagland (Bass), Tom Mastro (Drums, Percussion)

GUEST ARTISTS: Garry Tallent (Bass), Max Weinberg (Drums)

PRODUCED BY: DownTown Mystic & Ben Elliott

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: DownTown Mystic’s music is inspired by ‘60s pop icons, ‘70s rockers, yet it’s planted firmly in the here and now. With vocal harmonies reminiscent of Poco and early Eagles, it’s hard not to sing along with DownTown Mystic’s music. Like albums from the past, DownTown Mystic is split into three segments that cover all of life’s basics: doubt, faith and rock’n’roll karma. Their track "Brian Jones" was released last year to honor the death of the man who actually started The Rolling Stones, and guesting as the rhythm section are none other than Springsteen’s E-Street cronies Mighty Max Weinberg on drums and Garry W. Tallent on bass...   Jim Nelson/A Taste of TripleA       

 

 

THE DISCONTENT w/DownTown Mystic 

  SONG:  “Dying Breath”

FROM THE RELEASE: The Discontent Destination EP

LABEL: Sha-La

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Producers Robert Allen and Ben Elliott have brought together two of their most successful Sha-La artists, who have teamed up on the Alternative single “Dying Breath. You can find it on The Discontent Destination EP, as well as the new VA cd.

  ...VirtuallyAlternative  

 

 

                                                                                                   

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