Lunch-bucket roots rock with a working-class ethos

Kevin R. Convey —Boston Herald

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.