DownTown Mystic Bio

Rock'n'Roll spoken here...

The sound of DownTown Mystic is "vintage yet modern". What began as a solo project, morphed into a group, combining forces with a stellar cast of musicians (including band members of Bruce Springsteen & Paul McCartney) and produced 3 cds...

DownTown Mystic's new cd, "Standing Still" is the 3rd release from the enigmatic artist. Blending story telling songs with vintage guitars and analog recording, into a unique style that owes nods to Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Poco, The Beatles & Stones, DownTown Mystic's music is rooted in all the great traditions of American Rock'n'Roll.

On playing roots/rock'n'roll, Robert says, "there's a good deal of Country in the roots of Rock'n'Roll. Going back to Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Everly Bros. and even the Skiffle craze in Britain that had a big influence on The Beatles, Country was in the 'feel' that was a big part of that music".

And it's a big part of what makes "Standing Still" DownTown Mystic's most fully realized album to date, landing on both the Euro/Americana Top 25 and AMA Chart in the US. It's the record that Robert has wanted to make for years, completing a cycle that started with DownTown Mystic's previous cds, "Rock'n'Roll 4 The Soul" & "Read The Signs".

DownTown Mystic started as the alter ego of Sha-La Music President, Robert Allen. Having finished recording half a dozen tracks, Robert wanted to test out a song to see what the reaction, if any, would be. He found out soon enough in somewhat dramatic fashion.

Veteran tastemaker, Jed The Fish, would play the track "Lost & Found" off of an Industry compilation cd as his "Catch of The Day" on "World Famous" KROQ in LA, one of the most influential modern rock stations. This would lead to some national airplay. When the "Mayor of The Sunset Strip", legendary KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, played another track, "Brian Jones", Robert knew it was time to go back into the studio and finish recording enough tracks for a full-length album.

..."unpretentious spirited music with personality and an endless flow of energy that is simply irresistible"...MuzikReviews.com

..."It's revitalizing to know there is still talent out there that is not afraid to take something a little familiar and mold it into their own creation"...ReviewYou.com

..."DownTown Mystic are able to create an album that will be much more timeless than any of the major label efforts released at the same time"...NeuFutur Magazine