In celebration of the launch of their highly-anticipated and brilliant EP On E Street Remix, we caught up with lifelong musician Robert Allen, front-man of the mighty rock and roll act DownTown Mystic, to find out more about this unique and beautifully nostalgic collaboration.
We talk about Robert’s first connection with the musicians of the E Street Band, back in the day, as well as the inspiration behind the reworking of these songs, his journey as a performing musician, the song choices, the process, and plenty more. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Hi Robert – always great to catch up and my sincere congratulations for the brilliant new EP. How long was this project in the making?
Thanks Rebecca. Coming from you is always high praise indeed. The project has been something like 42 years in the making, give or take. LOL
There were the original sessions in the 80s and then I created what would become DownTown Mystic in 2000. When I decided to use the tracks with Max & Garry, I re-recorded my guitar and vocal parts to bring the tracks up to date.
How did you come to connect with Springsteen’s former E Street Band members, how did you approach them for this project, and what was that experience like when compared to your solo work?
This was the start of my solo work. I had been in a band called The Tupelos and we decided to record and put out a single (vinyl 45). New Wave had just hit so rock’n’roll was back and we cut a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little 16”. We were playing this club JP’s on the upper East Side of Manhattan NYC, which was a big music biz hangout.
I thought it would be a good idea to put our single on all the tables just in case some VIP might see it. It turned out to be a great idea because at the end of the night, the waitress came over and asked me if she could have a single for her boyfriend. I went to give her the single and asked who her boyfriend was, and she said Garry Tallent. I did a double take and asked “the bass player in The E Street Band”? She nodded and said YES! What a moment!! This was a few months after the No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden, which was a huge deal.
Next time we played JP’s, she came over and said Garry loved the single and wanted to meet. The meeting took place at a small club in NJ where Garry and Max were backing jazz guitarist Tal Farlow as a trio, with Garry on standup bass. He told me he’d like to meet the band and would come to our next show at JP’s. He then mentioned that Bruce would be showing up that night at a club we had played in Asbury Park if I was interested. I went and saw Springsteen up close for the first time.
When we played JP’s, Garry was there and I told him we were going to fire the bass player. He came up to me later and said “good move”. The next week he came over to my house and jammed with the band. We got a production deal from playing JP’s and got Garry to play bass on the sessions as well as a live show in Asbury Park. We worked with him for about 8 months before he left for The River World Tour.
The next time I saw Garry was almost 3 years later. I had quit The Tupelos and started a solo career. I contacted Garry, who was now the co-owner of Shorefire Studios in W. Long Branch, NJ. We got together and he agreed to work with me on my solo project. I played him a cassette of new songs and he picked “Hard Enough” to record. I picked “Sometimes Wrong”. Garry called Max to play drums on the session. I went to the same high school as Max. He graduated the year before me. I would see him walking the halls of the school with a pair of drumsticks in his hand. lol
What was it about the Born in the USA era of music that brought out such passion in you and remains a key pillar of music history?
It was 1983 when we did my session. At the same time, Garry & Max were still recording what would become the “Born In The USA” album! That’s the main reason for the historic weight that reviewers have pointed to on my On E Street Remix EP. I’m recording with the rhythm section of The E Street Band at the same time they’re working on what will become the biggest record of their careers.
Bruce and the band are still 20 years from the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame! Everything will change for all of them the following year when the record is released. The following year in 1984 we went back to Shorefire to record “Way To Know” and “And You Know Why”, which I just wrote. This was around the time that Max’s book “The Big Beat” came out. Because of the book, Max decided he was possibly overplaying, so he was not going to be “Mighty Max” on my 2nd session. I was not thrilled to hear that! lol
A week before “Born In The USA” was released, Garry sat me down with headphones to listen to it, which was very cool. The album was amazing. It’s still my fave Springsteen album, although I listen more to “Lucky Town” now. The reason Garry had me listen to the album became clear when we got to the studio. Set up in the control room with a bunch of synths was a guy named Joe Norosavage. Garry wanted me to hear the synths on “Born In The USA”, knowing that would be something needed on my tracks, because that would become the industry standard after that album was released. LOL
So Joe Norosavage, (quite a name, right?) proceeded to put synths on the new tracks. In 1985 I did a solo project with Joe and then called Garry to help on one of the songs. This would lead to going back to Shorefire and having Joe record synths on “Hard Enough” and “Sometimes Wrong”. Garry got an engineer from The Record Plant in NYC to come down to Shorefire and mix them. It’s this mix of “Sometimes Wrong” that I had Leon Zervos remaster for the EP.
One of the main reasons for going back to remix these tracks was to show my appreciation to Garry and Max. The listener is hearing their original parts that were recorded in 1983 & 1984. You hear them at a prime moment in their careers playing outside of the Springsteen orbit and at the same time they’re recording with Bruce. I didn’t think of it in those terms until reviewers started to highlight it. When you think of it that way, it’s really impressive! lol
Everyone knows what happens when that record is released in 1984. It was massive. Rock’n’roll was back in the air after Disco. The biggest sea change was MTV and artists like Springsteen, Petty, Mellencamp, Prince, Hall & Oates, Bryan Adams, Dire Straits, etc. were all happening and then the hair bands hit and changed everything.
You asked me what brought out the passion in me during that era. Believe it or not, I almost quit music altogether. I was starting to feel burnt out after being in a band for like 10 years. I felt like I was writing the same old thing and was seriously thinking about throwing in the towel. I just couldn’t sit and write something familiar again. If I did it was over. It was at this moment that I sat down with my guitar and came up with the chords for “And You Know Why”. Something about those chord changes were so different to me. I HAD to write that song! When I did, everything changed for me. I think “Way To Know” was next. I hit a vein of songs for the next few years that gave me my mojo back. I went into a studio to demo “And You Know Why” and “Way To Know”. I played them for Garry and he called up Max and we went back into Shorefire to record them. Recording these songs with The E Streeters was a big deal. “Way To Know” was much different on my demo. It was more mellow. They “Bruceified” it. LOL
Why these six songs for the EP, and how did you configure the order and style?
It’s these songs because we only recorded 4 songs in total and only 3 of them could be remixed. I added 2 instrumental mixes because of my Sync-Licensing success.
“If you’re familiar with my career, then you know that my biggest success is having over 250 sync placements in TV & Movies. For an Artist, let alone an Indie Artist, that’s impressive!”
The “Way To Know” instrumental was the 1st track that got me a sync and on “The Voice”, no less! The “And You Know Why” instrumental is the 1st ever for that song.
Which of the songs on the EP is your favourite to listen back to, and why?
I think it’s “And You Know Why” because of what it means to me. If I hadn’t come up with those chords, I might have given it all up. I was particularly happy with the remix. I added a 12-string Rickenbacker part to finally make the recording I’ve always wanted and when I heard the final mix it sounded like a hit record to me.
Which song was the most challenging to recreate or complete, and why?
The 1st song I remixed was “Hard Enough” and that one was always a bit problematic for me. There’s a lot going on instrument wise and finding the right balance is tough. There’s also a guitar part on the chorus that mixes in with the vocals. I could never get the right sound for the guitar. I finally nailed it on the remix. That was very satisfying.
You’re racking up some huge numbers for the video and streaming EP alike. How much do these statistics matter to you as an organic musician, and is there a particular goal or ambition you have in mind that will make this feel completed or the process satisfied?
It matters to me that it’s the new industry standard. If you’re not doing these kinds of numbers, you’re not taken seriously. If you tell somebody you’re on Spotify, the first thing they do is look at your stats and decide whether to listen. Like it or not, it’s the new paradigm. If you’re an indie artist, you’ve got to promote and market your music to compete in the marketplace. That’s showbiz! LOL
As far as me personally, the only thing that matters is the music I want to make. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers but at the end of the day, it’s all about the music you’re making. If that doesn’t satisfy you then something is wrong. If you don’t stay in touch with your heart, you’ve got a real problem. I’d rather be true to myself than trying to write for an audience that has certain expectations. It’s about authenticity. I think that’s what people like about my music.
Going back to the question you asked before about that era of music that became a key pillar of music history, those artists I named all had their own sound. We still talk about them because they had their own distinction. Look at the music that’s popular today. Who are these people? They’re all interchangeable. There’s a similarity to the music and nothing stands out. Mediocrity rules. It’s no wonder that Rock has lost some of its mojo.
Now that the project is in the hands of its audience, what’s next for you and the band?
I’ve been on a roll with my releases starting with the “AmerKarma” album 3 years ago. I think the “On E Street Remix” EP brings me full circle. I’m ready to move on to something a bit different. I’ll still be retro and apply it to different styles. The next album will be relationship oriented, so the songs coming up will reflect that.
I’ll also be looking at working my publishing catalog more. I have the kind of songs that get radio airplay and syncs. I’ll be looking for artists who could use a great track, since I’m also a producer. That’s where I’d like to focus my attention more. Maybe I can be someone’s secret weapon. lol
What drives you to keep making music and to work on the live quality and release so pristinely, and has that drive altered in recent years with the shift to automated music generation?
The thing that drives me as an artist is to try and create great records. Mediocrity won’t cut it. I hold myself to a high standard and from a professional standpoint, I have to impress myself.
When you’re talking about rock’n’roll there’s a live performance aspect to it. I try to catch the vibe of a great performance in the studio on the track. That’s where the magic happens. You can’t get that from AI. When I’m playing with great players in the studio, you can feel the energy in the room. Everyone is creating their parts and locking into each other. That will come across in the track when you’re listening. AI can’t do that. No matter how good AI can make a track, it can’t duplicate human emotion.
Is there anything else we need to know?
I think we’ve covered everything. LOL
Just a couple of things. I’m planning to release a new single in a few months that I think will surprise people. I’m in the studio now and excited with the results. The only other thing I’ll add is to plug my Holiday Release that I do every year. This year I’ll be releasing the On E Street Remix album, to finish the project. It will include everything on the EP, plus some extras like the original version of “Sometimes Wrong,” along with unreleased mixes that showcase the power of Max & Garry.
As always, thanks Rebecca, it’s been great being interviewed by you again.
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Find DownTown Mystic on Facebook, X & their Website.
