DownTown Mystic
DownTown Mystic returns with Mystic Highway Road Trip, a feel-good collection of uplifting rock songs inspired by open roads, classic sounds, and cinematic storytelling. In this interview, Robert Allen reflects on the EP’s origins, collaborations, and creative vision.
1. The idea for Mystic Highway Road Trip was inspired by reviewers who described Mystic Highway as the perfect road-trip soundtrack. What was your reaction to those comments, and how did they shape the concept behind this new EP?
It made sense when I read the reviews because of the cover art for the EP. It was always there but I didn’t think of the music being a soundtrack for a road trip. The reviewers made it work, which was very cool. I was coming off the On E Street Remix project and didn’t have a summer release in mind. I had new music planned for the Fall, but then I thought about the Mystic Highway reviews, and the idea of doing a summer road trip began to take shape. I already had the cover and I could brand Mystic Highway by adding Road Trip to the cover. Plus, this group of songs worked really well together.
2. The songs on Mystic Highway Road Trip are filled with positive energy and messages of hope. In a time when many people are facing uncertainty, how important is it for you to create music that uplifts and inspires listeners?
I’ve made it my mission to release positive vibes out to the universe and what better way to send the right frequency than through music? Rock’n’roll has always been uplifting to the human spirit and I want to follow that tradition. Music can do wonders and I think it’s an important time to release music that helps to give people a lift.
3. This EP features an impressive lineup of musicians, including Steve Holley, Paul Page, Lance Doss, Jerry Fierro, and Jeff Levine. What did each of these collaborators bring to the project, and how did their contributions enhance the final sound?
They all brought their A-Games, which is all I can ask. Everyone is a great musician on their instrument, and with the experience they all bring to the table, it’s as good as it gets musically. To have that to work with as a producer is incredible. I have the best job I could ever want. Take a song on Road Trip like “Live”. I have Jerry Fierro playing a killer harp part that will highlight the track but I’m going to start the song with only bass & drums. I need a bass player who knows what the track is about and will play the perfect part you need to hear. Then I have to highlight the bass up front so the listener can hear it the way it should be heard, like a lead guitar, up against a cool drum part. The two will set the vibe for the track instantly, and we’re only about 10 seconds into the start of the song. Paul Page is the perfect bass player for the part and Steve Holley’s drums always set the right groove. That’s what these guys bring to the project on every song.
4. The collection includes the previously unreleased “Somebody’s Always Doin’ Something 2 Somebody (Uncut Mix).” What made this the right moment to finally share the full version, and what do you think listeners will discover in it that wasn’t present in the original release?
It’s the right moment because the Somebody’s Single was the last track on Mystic Highway, and now the full uncut version is the last track on the Road Trip EP, connecting the two releases. The Uncut mix is the original track before edits were made for the Radio Single. The single is the only version of the song that people have heard. Now they can hear the full track as it was recorded, which has a few parts not heard before. The main one is at the end where there’s a jam with Jeff Levine on the B-3 organ that’s very cool.
5. Following the success of the On E Street Remix EP, which connected your music to an important chapter of rock history, how do you balance honoring classic rock traditions while continuing to create music that feels fresh and relevant today?
In a way I don’t think that balance really exists. I think it’s already woven into the fabric of what I do. It’s not something I have to think about because it all comes out sounding the way it’s supposed to. I write and play a certain way and the musicians I play with play a certain way. It’s all very natural to the people making the music and we’re all classically trained in playing rock’n’roll. The tradition is baked in and the freshness of the songs will be the deciding factor if they’re relevant.
6. DownTown Mystic’s music has appeared in more than 250 TV shows and films, demonstrating a strong connection between your songs and visual storytelling. When writing and producing new material, do you consciously think about cinematic possibilities, or does that quality emerge naturally from the music itself?
I have to say that I never considered what I was doing to be cinematic. The reviewers would keep pointing it out and I realized that they were right. I noticed that all my songs are very big in sound and intricate in a way that could be described as cinematic. Even when I think I’m going to do something that will be simple and straight forward, it ends up as this other thing that’s much larger in scope than where I started it. I’m not so much an all-around guitar player anymore. I consider myself to be a “Part Player”. I think about what kind of parts I can come up with for the song I’m working on. I think it’s the number of parts that contribute to making the track feel cinematic. As a producer, I’m layering all the parts together and presenting them in a certain way with soundscapes that evoke emotions that are part of the song. It’s one of the reasons I like listening to the TV mixes without the vocals. I can hear how the track is put together and how the different layers are put together. Sometimes it sounds like a soundtrack to a movie, which is really cool.