THE CRITICS RAVE!
"Roots Supergroup"
THE BOSTON PHEONIX
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"Boston's best
roots players get into the spotlight" THE BOSTON HERALD
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"I didn't understand
what 'Americana' meant until I heard The Mystix" DAVE PALMATER, WUMB 91.9, BOSTON
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"Mystix reach deep
for groove, grace of electric roots" THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
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"Excellent tunes
with dynamic performances" VINTAGE GUITAR
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REVIEWS
This is bluesy soul at its finest and least pretentious.
—Hal Horowitz of All Music Guide on The Mystix
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THE MYSTIX
Down to the Shore
(Mystix Eyes Records)
—Don Wilcock - Blues Revue
"...The band calls its sound "music of rural America," an inadequate title for a mix that blends genres into a sound this tasty. Boston has always had a knack for creating bands that blend old and new, folk and rock, blues and funk. Put The Mystix at the top of that list."
Some of the best musicians in rock 'n' roll never see the light of day.
They toil away in obscurity as studio session players or as underappreciated touring sidemen. But the time has come for a few of Boston’s best roots players to get out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
Meet the Mystix, who get Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s weeklong Joe's Jazz & Blues Fest rolling Saturday with a free show at Powderhouse Park.
The quintet, founded by singer Jo Lily, wants to be known as a real band, not just a group of hired guns. While Lily handpicked his favorite sidemen and session players, all five members have a say in the direction of the sound.
— Rob Johnson - Hittin' the Note
"This record is a truly timeless collection of music, a rootsy odyssey that sounds ancient and brand new at the same time. Everything from Alan Lomax field recordings to The Mystix' own original songs are combined into a whole item that is utterly unclassifiable, other than to say it is just good music. One of the best compliments you can give a band is to say they don't sound like anybody else, and The Mystix' Down to the Shore has a unique vibe."
"...Surrounded by these fantastic musicians, Jo Lily delivers one beautiful song after another. Great songs full of nostalgia but at the same time very modern. This all makes The Mystix the mirror of a new brand of Americana-roots in the 21st Century."
BELGIAN VERSION READ MORE IN ENGLISH
"...The Mystix are back again with a no strings attached groovy, crude and blunt music. We do not question the two evident passions of this "Regional Sensation" Super Group made of well ironed session musicians as they've been defined in the Boston media. Their two obvious passions are a massive dose of electric Chicago blues and a romantic swing directly inspired from the Southern tradition."
"...The Mystix are scoring points thanks to their devotion and their irreproachable taste. Their music is true and real and overflows with rhythm."
ITALIAN VERSION READ MORE IN ENGLISH
Mystix reach deep for groove, grace of electric roots
—Rick Massimo - The Providence Journal (March 27, 2009)
American roots outfit The Mystix play Chan's in Woonsocket Saturday night.
The Mystix have been together for three years, but the members have been getting around for the past few decades at least...
...And they do it with the relaxed, no-nonsense groove and grace of seasoned pros who know their way around the music; you can hear it in the authoritative swamp-pop groove of "Good Deal Lucille," the sweet slide guitar on the original "Roll of the Dice," the minor-key foreboding of "Gamblin' Man" and more.
High praise for the June Tupelo Show
Tupelo Music Hall—Scott Hayward - Owner, Tupelo Music Hall
"What an AMAZING show we had last week with The Mystix on Saturday. This band is loaded with some of the best musicians on the circuit. Their sound is influenced by blues, R&B, rock, swing, jazz, and about every other genre you can imagine. When we have these guys return, you have got to check them out!"
The Mystix just had a great article written about them!
The "X" Factor
The roots pedigree of Boston's Mystix
—Ted Drozdowski - The Boston Phoenix
The Mystix want you to know they're not fortune tellers. If you Googled their band a year ago, that wasn't so obvious. "You'd have to wade through 15 pages of Nostradamus before you got to us," says singer Jo Lily.
Boston Herald Review
Boston Herald (Dec 21, 2007)
Boston has a great new roots band. On its new CD, "Blue Morning," the Mystix - singer/guitarist Jo Lily, guitarist Bobby Keyes, bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Marty Richards - sounds like the greatest swamp-rock band you never heard.
A great Review for The Mystix' BLUE MORNING
—Vintage Guitar Magazine
As you'd expect from a batch of journeyman musicians from jazz hotspots like Boston and New York, this set of excellent tunes with dynamic performances rarely misses the mark.
The band is Jo Lily (vocals and guitar), Bobby Keyes (guitar), Marty Ballou (bass) and Marty Richards (drums). While the rhythm section holds things down, Lily and Keyes are the focus. Lily's vocals sound uncannily like latter-day Bob Dylan and the guitars drive most of the music.
SPIN CONTROL
BLUES-ROCK
The Mystics, "Satisfy You" (Mystic Eyes) ***
--Jeff Johnson - Chicago Sun-Times (Jul 30, 2006)
Summer wouldn't be complete without a steaming musical gumbo of funky New Orleans-style R&B. But Dr. John, the gris-gris man with the swamped-out voice and roiling rhythms, is working as a "Mercernary" this year -- actually doing quite interesting renditions of Johnny Mercer classics. And various other Crescent City projects were either delayed by Katrina or accelerated to strike while our collective attention was focused there. Where's a music fan to turn?
The Mystix' latest CD, BLUE MORNING, just got a fantastic review in the latest issue of BLUES REVUE magazine that will be on newsstands (like Barnes & Noble and Borders) March 11th.
THE MYSTIX
Blue Morning
(Mystix Eyes Records)
—Bill Wasserzieher - Blues Revue
The Mystix, at least name wise, sound like a band in one of Lenny Kayes' NUGGETS collections, more akin to The Standells' of "Dirty Water" fame than to Muddy Waters. But the players in The Mystix are veteran hardcore New England bluesmen, with Jo Lily, of Duke and the Drivers, on vocals, the two Martys-- both Ballou and Richards from all those Duke Robillard albums-- handling the rhythm section, Bobby Keyes (not the Stones sideman) on guitar, and Tom West and guest Kenny White on keyboards.
The Mystics
Blue Morning (Mystix Eyes)
—Kevin R. Convey - Boston Herald (Oct 12, 2007)
Boston-based Mystix makes lunch-bucket roots rock with a working-class ethos - lots of heavy lifting but no wasted motion. Fronted by Jo Lily (aka Sam Deluxe of Duke and the Drivers), the band of guitarist Bobby Keyes, drummer Marty Richards, bassist Marty Ballou and keyboardist Tom West is a collection of erstwhile hired guns who have backed local luminaries such as Peter Wolf, Susan Tedeschi, Duke Robillard and Barrence Whitfield. While Lily's apocalyptic croak is so Dylanesque as to inspire confusion, there's nothing confusing about the passion, commitment and economy the Mystix brings to its mix of blues, r & b and country.
Future looks bright for Mystix
—Jay N. Miller - The Patriot Ledger
The Mystix - who were known as The Mystics before they discovered how many soothsayers that would conjure up on the Internet - have been together less than three years, but they have plenty of experience.
Frontman Jo Lilly was better known as Sam DeLuxe when he was fronting legendary Boston rockers Duke and the Drivers. Guitarist Bobby Keyes has worked with a long list of bands, often behind the scenes, but his most visible gig was probably with New Kids on the Block, although he's also worked with rock 'n' roll legend Darlene Love, soul man Ben E. King and Jerry Lee Lewis.
The Mystics
Satisfy You
Mystic Eyes Records | Critic: A-
—Daniel Gewertz - Boston Herald
Roots music made by adults. These local Mystics not only know their music history, but also the pain and happiness of their personal histories. The gravel voice of singer-songwriter Jo Lily (Sam Deluxe of Duke & the Drivers) recalls Dr. John, Tom Waits and late-period Bob Dylan. Melding blues, rock and country, there is a touching, vulnerable gentleness amid the grit. Download: "On My Way."¯
From the April 2008 NOISE magazine
THE MYSTIX
Mystix Eyes Records
Blue Morning
10-song CD
—Mike Loce - The Noise
As the Mystix intrudes upon my morning awakening, I really can't grab the words at first. This band, as early morning, go-to-the-job background, well, it really leaves a space between the mind and brain. For those who work the early, or "normal" shift of slavery to acquire the monies to pay thy rent and booze, I heartily recommend this. Okay, enough weird talk, this album GROOVES in the CCR way, funky low down blues-grooves with slide guitar-really great songs that could serve as an ass-kickin' smooth drivin' soundtrack for some new classic American film. Real pro musician quality (whatever that may be; make your own decision) permeates every song, and I love that twangy surf guitar. These guys know how to play, and they know how to play together. It's refreshing to hear a veteran band like this in the midst of the Boston scene. Some bands got it, and the Mystix has it and uses it.
April 2008 Review of BLUE MORNING
—Warren Allen - PERFORMER Magazine
Boston-based band The Mystix has produced some good Southern fried soul music with the new release BLUE MORNING. Made up of Massachusetts and New York musicians, the group makes roots music with an ecstatic and loving sound. Singer and guitarist Jo Lily's hoarse field calls practically beg to be heard in open air. He growls, purrs and shouts with a sound that isn't quite country, isn't quite New Orleans blues, but draws on both, with a helping of gospel thrown in.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW!
MazzMusikaS Free-zine 84
--Marc Nolis
The Mystix / Blue Morning / Mystix Eyes 323
Second cd from The Mystix, the group with super talents Jo Lily, Bobby Keyes, Marty Ballou, Marty Richards and Dennis McDermott, with help from piano player Kenny White (except for the slow Change In Jane: Steve Burke). The cd is no more or less than the successor to their debut, way full of great old rock and roots songs. Two covers, a joyful version of Jimmy Reeds I'm A Love You and a rootsy cover of the Traveling Wilburys' Rattled, but then northing else than originals from Jo alone or in cooperation with Bobby.
BLUES BITES:
—Tom Hyslop - Blues Revue: The World's Blues Magazine (Oct 1, 2006)
Boston's well-traveled Mystics boast vitae that include stints with Ben E. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Duke Robillard, and just about every recording artist, due to the presence of guest Crispin Cioe, saxophonist for the Uptown Horns. Singer Jo Lily, whose Eddie Hinton-esque vocal quality thrills, has for years fronted Duke & the Drivers as Sam Deluxe. Satisfy You (Mystic Eyes 322) offers a delightful range of styles, from Sam Cooke R&B ("Can't Say Enough"¯) to deep soul ("Some Things About Love"¯) to Spanish Harlem balladry ("A Little Bit of Soap"¯). The title track opens the disc on an eerie, minor-key note. Uptempo numbers are scarce, with the exception of the truck-driving country of "Change My Mind"¯ and the roots-rocker "Ding Dong."¯
CD review by Pat Benny - Southbound Beat Magazine (Oct 17, 2006)
. . . "Satisfy You" is a stunningly moving, brilliantly executed CD by six of the best journeymen musicians in the industry. The original compositions are indescribably powerful, emotionally exhausting and perfectly executed. The cover tunes are reborn with a depth and texture that can only be achieved when artists of this skill and experience collaborate.
This is a recording that transcends all genres, all trends and fashions. This record is hip. Visit www.sonicbids.com/TheMystics and buy this CD at: www.cdbaby.com/cd/mysticsmusic
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW!
--Marc Nolis - MazzMusicas #61 (Jan 15, 2007)
Supergroups, do they still exist? For sure, and this is one that any real roots lover would lick his fingers over. Read and shiver: Jo Lily (vocals and guitars — ex. Sam Deluxe and Duke & the Drivers), Bobby Keyes (guitar — Fame Studio, Ben E. King, Jerry Lee Lewis . . . ), Marty Ballou (bass — John Hammond, Duke Robillard, Roomful of Blues . . . ), Dennis McDermott (drums — Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Shawn Colvin, Graham Parker . . . ), and Crispin Cioe (sax — Uptown Horns, Rolling Stones, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Lou Reed . . . ), assisted by pianist Kenny White (Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, Aaron Neville, Peter Wolf . . . ).
December 2007
The Mystix Blue Morning (self-released)
--Aiding & Abetting
Almost 20 years ago, I took my then-new girlfriend (and now wife) down to a local joint in Columbia, Mo., and saw the Nighthawks tear up the place. The crowd was mostly thirty and forty-something townies. We'd never seen "old" people get so hot and bothered about music. I mean that literally. The folks were sweating so much that dancing became something of a Twister match. I think that was kinda the idea.
The Nighthawks still tear up the joint wherever they play. And The Mystix remind me a lot of that night years ago in Columbia, even if they and (especially) singer Jo Lily remind me a lot more of Bob Dylan's recent output.
The Mystix, Blue Morning, Mystix Eyes Records
—AND MORE AGAIN
This is bluesy soul at its finest and least pretentious.
—Hal Horowitz of All Music Guide on The Mystix
The Mystix frontman Jo Lily is the kind of raspy-voiced vocalist who sounds like he started smoking cigarettes and mainlining bourbon as a toddler. I mean, you wouldn't mistake him for Tom Waits, but he could be Tom's long-lost Boston cousin.
When a group combines rock, R&B, blues, and country, they risk coming off like just another bar band. On their follow-up to Satisfy You, this Beantown quintet succeeds in dodging that particular bullet-not as handily as Waits and crew, but close enough.
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