
The Mistics Interview
Q: The music on your EP Songs to the World felt uplifting and motivational. Do you agree and how does that play into the current political tension in the world?
A: First off, thank you for that compliment. Some songs are motivational and about hope. We flirt with spiritual themes because most of the world seems to be narcissistic today, and we wanted to present the possibility that there is a higher purpose. We try to steer away from being overtly political, but it does come up occasionally. In general, our political goals are to drop the dividing walls and try to find common ground. We are all on one Earth.
Q: What are some of the themes on Songs to the World?
A: There is no shortage of themes on our EP. It would take all day to go through everything but we do have some of our favorites. “Outside My Window” deals with the loss of a loved one. We touch on grief, sadness, hope and reunion. “Broken City Lights” is an opus for the addict. Loneliness, despair and a sense of family are all important to understand the track. “Sing to the World” is a song about hope; a sense of direction to choose the right path in life, but to understand that our choices leave an indelible mark on the world after were gone.
Q: The band has been together for around six or seven years with a few lineup changes. How has the band’s sound evolved over those years?
A: Angelo and Caleb have been playing together for a bit longer than that. 2009 was around the first jam session. That created a sort of musical language between the two which aided the development, even during shakeups in the players. The major contributing factor to our developed sound is our musical taste. We like almost every genre that is out there. We strive to stay as diverse as possible. We allow vastly different genres to exist in one song: blues, jazz, indie rock, classic rock, britpop, stadium rock, shoegaze, punk, even metal of a sort has popped up in our music.
Q: You guys have a very full sound especially for a three-piece band. Can you talk about how you achieved that?
A: When we write songs, we will start with the basic sections: verses, choruses, etc. Once that is down, when most bands would be happy, we feel about halfway there. For us, the song isn't written until every detail of guitar sound, drum patterns and other layers are planned. Since we are limited on personnel, we hire out to very talented session players for some of the more uncommon instruments we've used. We usually have a very solid idea for that player, and sometimes something good comes out of improvisation as well. Our philosophy is usually to develop as dense a wall of sound as we can. We love Brian Wilson.
Q: The track that really stuck out to me was “”Help Me (The World). Now that the EP is done how do you reflect upon the songs?
A: Thanks, our drummer Caleb loves “Help Me!” We are immensely proud of these tracks. The record came from a place of pure honesty; the songwriting is our emotions stripped down. It also functions as a reflection of a universal experience - everyone can relate to it, at least that is our hope.
Q: What else do people need to know about the Mistics?
A: As a band, we appreciate all facets of art, not just music. Painting, sculpture, film, and writing all play a part in inspiring our creations and writing heartfelt music. It would be fair to say that the number one word we would like to be used to describe our music is "beautiful."
Q: The music on your EP Songs to the World felt uplifting and motivational. Do you agree and how does that play into the current political tension in the world?
A: First off, thank you for that compliment. Some songs are motivational and about hope. We flirt with spiritual themes because most of the world seems to be narcissistic today, and we wanted to present the possibility that there is a higher purpose. We try to steer away from being overtly political, but it does come up occasionally. In general, our political goals are to drop the dividing walls and try to find common ground. We are all on one Earth.
Q: What are some of the themes on Songs to the World?
A: There is no shortage of themes on our EP. It would take all day to go through everything but we do have some of our favorites. “Outside My Window” deals with the loss of a loved one. We touch on grief, sadness, hope and reunion. “Broken City Lights” is an opus for the addict. Loneliness, despair and a sense of family are all important to understand the track. “Sing to the World” is a song about hope; a sense of direction to choose the right path in life, but to understand that our choices leave an indelible mark on the world after were gone.
Q: The band has been together for around six or seven years with a few lineup changes. How has the band’s sound evolved over those years?
A: Angelo and Caleb have been playing together for a bit longer than that. 2009 was around the first jam session. That created a sort of musical language between the two which aided the development, even during shakeups in the players. The major contributing factor to our developed sound is our musical taste. We like almost every genre that is out there. We strive to stay as diverse as possible. We allow vastly different genres to exist in one song: blues, jazz, indie rock, classic rock, britpop, stadium rock, shoegaze, punk, even metal of a sort has popped up in our music.
Q: You guys have a very full sound especially for a three-piece band. Can you talk about how you achieved that?
A: When we write songs, we will start with the basic sections: verses, choruses, etc. Once that is down, when most bands would be happy, we feel about halfway there. For us, the song isn't written until every detail of guitar sound, drum patterns and other layers are planned. Since we are limited on personnel, we hire out to very talented session players for some of the more uncommon instruments we've used. We usually have a very solid idea for that player, and sometimes something good comes out of improvisation as well. Our philosophy is usually to develop as dense a wall of sound as we can. We love Brian Wilson.
Q: The track that really stuck out to me was “”Help Me (The World). Now that the EP is done how do you reflect upon the songs?
A: Thanks, our drummer Caleb loves “Help Me!” We are immensely proud of these tracks. The record came from a place of pure honesty; the songwriting is our emotions stripped down. It also functions as a reflection of a universal experience - everyone can relate to it, at least that is our hope.
Q: What else do people need to know about the Mistics?
A: As a band, we appreciate all facets of art, not just music. Painting, sculpture, film, and writing all play a part in inspiring our creations and writing heartfelt music. It would be fair to say that the number one word we would like to be used to describe our music is "beautiful."