Jazz Folk Rock, with some forays into '70s Space Rock. R.E.M. crossed with the Dave Matthews Band. Literate and jammy.

Details

Contents

#		Title	Length	Sample
1		Solitude	4:30
2		Song Of Friends	3:04
3		The Rain Comes Down	3:28
4		Enlightenment	4:34
5		Lost At Home	6:54
6		Dear Old Mr. Hand	3:32
7		Vivian Line	5:14
8		Independence Day	3:42
9		Dance To The Sky	5:50
10		Megan G.	3:04
11		Singular Joy	3:11
12		Dirt & Disease	2:55
13		Lollipop Virgin	5:23
14		Bestiary	3:50

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Description

Mystics Anonymous is the name of award-winning singer/songwriter Jeff Steblea's musical project, best defined as indie college rock with elements of jazz, funk, and folk. "With Mystics," says Steblea, "the whole point was to establish a project where nothing was off-limits. If I write a funk song, great. If I write a jazzy song, great. Straight-ahead rock, great. Anything goes. I do what I want to do, and I make no apologies." Although Mystics has an eclectic nature, Steblea's distinctive voice and songwriting skill are the glue that holds Mystics together and keeps its sound unique.

Jeff Steblea managed, booked, promoted and performed in the alternative jam band Go Figure for four years. The band received many awards and industry accolades, and their debut CD La Luna garnered airplay on college radio nationwide and commercial radio in the Northeast. After the dissolution of Go Figure, Steblea graduated from the University of Connecticut and hit the road, traveling up and down, side to side, and sometimes diagonally across the United States.

During these travels, he began recording the debut Mystics Anonymous CD with friends and fellow musicians lending a hand. Solo artist Bradford Robinson, also of Qami and Those Melvins, appears on the CD, as well as drummer Dave Hamilton (Hypnotic Clambake, Route 66), guitarist Peter Sikoski (Go Figure, Cranick), and horn player Alec Haavik (The Alec Haavik Quartet, Jayuya). Once he found himself jump-starting the car every morning and driving only during the daytime (the headlights stopped working), Steblea decided to leave the road and live in the artistic community of Northampton, Massachusetts.

The eponymous debut CD was released in October of 1998 and focuses on a Jazz Folk Rock hybrid with confessional Emo lyrics. There are enough riffs, jams, and sing-along choruses to go around, and the project soars into '70s Space Rock at the drop of a hat. As many singer/songwriters before him, Steblea surrounds himself with accomplished musicians that complement his original songwriting style. The album is simultaneously catchy and musically interesting, resulting in international radio airplay for songs The Rain Comes Down, Dear Old Mr. Hand, Megan G., Dirt & Disease, and Vivian Line. Critics have compared the music on this album to artists such as Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Phish, and The Police.

"Jeff Steblea compares his musical project to R.E.M. The folky acoustic emphasis of his songs makes the comparison stick somewhat, but Mystics Anonymous possesses a black humor that Michael Stipe lacks altogether. In addition to composing and singing, Steblea plays all the instruments except for the saxophone cameos." -- Listen.com

"Lead singer Jeff also won an individual award for best vocalist, and it is perhaps his mature and surprisingly deep singing voice that sets this band apart from their peers...Jeff's singing creates a distinctive sound for the group. His vocal range is impressive and despite his off-the-wall antics and wacky sense of humor, it is obvious that he is a disciplined performer. His manipulation of both his voice itself and the microphone creates a variety of differences that suit the mood of each particular tune. But it is when he sings in his true voice, unaltered and clear, that he really shines." -- Mixx Magazine