DownTown Mystic is back with possibly his biggest record yet. The “DownTown Mystic On E Street Deluxe” album, released worldwide on January 22, features the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame rhythm section from Bruce Springsteen’s legendary E Street Band; drummer “Mighty” Max Weinberg & bassist Garry Tallent. Regular readers of The Static Dive know DownTown Mystic (a/k/a Robert Allen) well. His various projects have appeared on these pages numerous times over the past couple of years. He’s no stranger to working with rock legends, but few in business can compare to the star power of Weinberg and Tallent.
They say all politics are local. This project is proof that the same can be said of Rock & Roll. The collaboration came together through a simple series of hometown connections. Allen is a New Jersey resident and native, just like Bruce and his band. The story of his meet-up with Rock royalty sounds like the formation of any local music jam session.
I was working with Garry, who brought in Max, who went to the same high school as me. We knew a bunch of the same people, including the girl who was an inspiration for “Hard Enough,” which oddly enough we were recording.
Robert Allen (Downtown Mystic)
“Hard Enough” is the rocking lead single from “DownTown Mystic On E Street Deluxe.” The track is an upbeat, straight ahead barn burner. As he sings the praises of an impossible girl, Robert Allen rips through multiple guitar tracks with high octane roots rock energy and pentatonic riffing that would make Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore proud. He also lays down some rollicking honky tonk piano. Meanwhile, his Hall of Fame friends Tallent and Weinberg drop their unmistakable, rock solid one-two punch. It is a great groove and an infectiously catchy tune.
Check out the lyric video for “Hard Enough,” below. You can also hear the song on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Follow the links below the video to connect with DownTown Mystic and dig into his rich world of Rock & Roll from the past, present and future.
Connect:
Downtown Mystic on the Deep Indie Dive playlist
