The Mystic Music Archive 

Has Been Pillaged by PortFire

Sodium Lights

     Riptorn + Tinsel

Thank Rich Martin for another brilliant idea: each band in this year's CDT/Hozomeen Cosmo Single features not only an original composition, but also a cover of one of the classic New London/Mystic bands of the past 30 years. The Day's Rick Koster elucidates:

"Sodium Lights chose to use their cover arrangement - of Paisley Jungle's 'Riptorn' - on the actual compilation release instead of an original piece. Making the final touches on their second album, Sodium Lights thought Martin's idea of working up a cover tune could be a therapeutic break. They reached back to the days when two of the Lights, guitarist Alex Pellish and drummer Rich Freitas, were just starting out in the pop band 17 Relics - "

"At that time," Freitas recalls, "Paisley Jungle was the local band that really blew our minds when we were just beginning to write songs. Their rhythmic intensity and Paul Brockett's rock star front-man persona captured us. Paisley also gave the Relics their first big breaks, having us open shows in the summer of 1986 at Toad's Place and the old Agora Ballroom in Hartford."

After four nights at Silas Deane, Sodium Lights had a finished version of 'Riptorn,' and a crisp, minimal b-side named 'Tinsel.' "We had so much fun listening to Paisley Jungle every night - an inspired idea by Rich Martin." said Freitas.

The full two-disc compilation, entitled The Long Hundred, was released by CDT and can be found here.

Take a Listen

To Sodium Lights Home

Drug

Vices Need Attention

One of the first Hozomeen Press music releases, 1994's Vices Need Attention is a five song cassette by one-off band Drug recorded via soundboard at the El-n-Gee.  When a free slot opened up at the Gee, musicians Brooks Townsend, Rich Martin, Rich Freitas, and Dave Bentley decided to take advantage and quickly assembled a set of jams for the club. 

Thus was born Drug, in a dingy Old Mystic basement practice spot. The idea was simple: one bass tuned low with distortion played by Bentley, a tighter second bass played by Martin, drums by Freitas, and guitar by Townsend, with no vocals.

Over the next week, the four gathered to wring instrumental jams out of the air, and into some kind of recognizable form. Random musicians gathering for noise jams was common at the time, and Martin, Bentley, Townsend, and Freitas honed that esthetic into a fine five-song set. Martin chimes in on track 3, but otherwise this is an instrumental venture. Enjoy the jams!

To Drug Home...

Luke Hunter

Darshana      
Carousel

Luke Hunter returns to the MMA with a delicious new single, full of beautifully bent sounds, subtle rhythms, and expansive ideas.

He continues his rapid songwriting pace, with prior releases here from IPG, NED, as well as his solo album Dizzying Heights.

This continued growth shown by Hunter places him at the forefront of a new group of Mystic musicians, which include James Burke, who's playing guitar with Anderson Family Picnic, Julia Farrar who is singing most of the tracks on the forthcoming Sodium Lights LP, MC Whitewash with Pat and Tyler Crawford in the burgeoning Herff Jones, and the Facelifters/Steve Irwin crew.

In addition to Hunter's recorded material, he plied the drummer trade with Thick Thieves, a local folk-rock combo, for several years, culminating in an IAM Festival appearance in 2008.

Rumour has it, Luke is also involved in some reformation of the IPG. Stay tuned for details, and for now, enjoy the new single!

To Luke Hunter Home...

tarbox23

Drawback's Kiss

After exiting Seratonin (which then became Low-Beam), I retreated for a few years until sometime around 2003, when I began to work on a solo record. I recently went back and dug out 5 songs from that era, including one that I remixed a year ago.  

These songs on Drawback's Kiss schooled me really quick - especially about the ordeals of arranging and the sheer insanity of midi.  I was always wishing at the time that I had someone else to work with, and was very thankful to join Sodium Lights in 2007.

The title of the EP alludes to the early Joy Division song "The Drawback".  The photos are from a series I took of sea smoke on the Thames on a frosty January morning in 2004.

I have recently written a few new solo songs that will be up sometime in spring 2011, so please keep an eye here!

In the meantime, I hope you get a kick out of some of these old tunes - Enjoy!

To Tarbox23 Home...

The FaceLifters

The Beehive

The FaceLifters are our newest addition here at the MMA. Their music is an interesting return to the funky-ska-punk days of Golgo 13 in the mid '90's. The group began in 2006 in Mystic, with members Danny Farrell on bass, Matt Georgetti on guitar and vocals, Dylan Rigolini behind the drums, and Patrick Boyle on lead vocals.  The four joined together under the common goal of bringing a fun environment back to the local scene.

They've been playing every gig they can get the band on, beginning to ply the Corridor between NYC and Boston. They profess a will to play anywhere, anytime, with the Boyle caveat of "... as long as we're all in the same country." The band will get a great chance to capitalize on that theory when they play the 5th annual IAM Festival in New London, CT on Saturday, September 11th.  The FaceLifters will begin the day-long free music event in a Richie Havens style.

This is their third self produced release, following Bodily Functions and last years Freud. They also contributed four tracks on The Lobster Mixtape, an old-school home-made compilation disc of Mystic bands from 2008 that also included MC Whitewash and Steve Irwin & the Stingrays. We present The Beehive in it's entirety, here:  Check it out! 

unearthing

 Highlighter