DECEMBER 1, 2013
The official release date for Dreaming for Hours is January 10! However, if you contributed to the Indiegogo campaign, you won’t have to wait that long to hear it! In the next week or so, you will be receiving an email with a code to download the album. Those of you who pre-ordered the actual CD (including those who opted for other perks) will still get those packages later, of course, but the digital download is my way of saying thanks (in advance) for your patience!
——————————————————————————————-
NOVEMBER 21, 2013
Please join us January 10th (or 11th in the event of a snowstorm) in the beautiful, historic Shea Theatre to celebrate the release of your 2 new favorite albums: “Dreaming For Hours” by Mystics Anonymous and “Contrariwise” by Daniel hales, and the frost heaves.
To make sure you’re dreaming for hours afterwards… feeling like you just walked out of Wonderland and/or the Looking-Glass World, lights, video projections, and inter-dimensional portals will be utilized throughout the show. In addition, the New Renaissance Players will reprise scenes from their awesome production of “Alice In Wonderland” (directed by Jillian Morgan) during the Frost Heaves set. Did you need one more incentive to come? Lefty’s will be brewing up a special batch of “Jabberwocky Double Bock” and selling it at the show.
Both bands used Indiegogo to fund their albums, and as a big thank you to all of you who supported our pre-sales, everyone who contributed $20 or more (to *either* band’s campaign) can get into the the show for FREE. Otherwise, tickets are:
Children 12 and under: $5 Adults: $10 in advance; $15 the day of the show
You can purchase advance tickets now through Brown Paper Tickets:
Albums will be available at the show for a one-time price of $6 each or $10 for both.
——————————————————————————————-
NOVEMBER 10, 2013
We have now entered the mastering stage of the album, with Mark Alan Miller mastering at Sonelab. Meanwhile, Herta is finalizing the artwork for the album. After the master and artwork are finalized and approved, I will be sending both off to the factory for replication. In other news, two album-related things are happening: (1) Jason Mazotta has agreed to create a music video for the track, “Looks Like Jennifer,” which I am very excited about; and (2) we have begun planning an album release show for January. More information to follow as we work on these things! In the meantime, remember that you can listen to the rough mixes of a handful of songs on the Mystics Anonymous Soundcloud page here:
——————————————————————————————-
OCTOBER 30, 2013
Mark Alan Miller and I spent two days at Sonelab preparing the final mixes, and they sound great. Now comes all the test listening, including listens in cars, computers, home stereos, etc. to make sure everything is “just so.” There will be a week or so of “tweaks” and then we will proceed on to mastering.
——————————————————————————————-
OCTOBER 26, 2013
I wrapped up recording for the new album, Dreaming for Hours, today. Next, I head in to Sonelab with Mark Alan Miller to prepare the final mixes. Stay tuned, we’re getting near the end. If you’re an Indiegogo contributor, there will be another email update soon.
——————————————————————————————-
OCTOBER 3, 2013
You can see a clip of Mystics Anonymous performing as “Brian Eno” during last weekend’s Arts Eclective festival in Greenfield, MA. GCTV (Greenfield Community Television) did a nice little spot on the festival, complete with clips of the bands, readers, and actors that performed… The “Brian Eno” set was part of the evening’s Velvet Goldmine After-Party, which paid tribute to the great glam bands of the ’70s. Brian Eno is a primary influence for Jeff, so it felt only right for Mystics Anonymous to take on the role.
——————————————————————————————-
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
Mystics Anonymous gets a mention in this week’s Tuned In column in Hampshire Life, reminding people to check out the solo set on Wednesday 9/25 at Forbes Library in Northampton, MA!
——————————————————————————————-
SEPTEMBER 6, 2013
A few shows coming up this month, first a solo show (just Jeff singing and playing guitar) at Forbes Library in Northampton, MA on 9/20. Then a full-band set as Mystics Anonymous transforms into Brian Eno for this year’s Arts Eclective Festival–it’s a Velvet Goldmine Glam Rock Tribute! More info here:
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 27, 2013
A few more lovely articles about this year’s Transperformance. I will be playing as part of Lord Russ & Friends, wherein we “transperform” as The Cure. The MassLive article specifically talks about how memorable Lord Russ’s performances are! If you’re in the area, you should not miss this performance! Today, starting at 4:00 PM and ending around 9:30 PM. Lord Russ & Friends are slated to perform at 7:45 PM! Yes, I like exclamation marks!
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 25, 2013
The Valley Advocate has published a lovely article about this year’s Transperformance. I will be playing as part of Lord Russ & Friends, wherein we “transperform” as The Cure. There was some shopping involved. If you’re in the area, you should not miss this performance!
Read the article here:
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 17, 2013
I am pleased to announce that this year, I will be playing as part of “Lord Russ and Friends” at Transperformance XXIII. For those of you unfamiliar with Transperformance, each summer the Northampton Arts Council and the PTOs of Northampton’s public schools join forces in August to raise funds for arts enrichment in the schools and the ArtsEZ spring grant program. The festival always features a great lineup of local artists who “transperform” into other artists right before your eyes; for example, Lord Russ and friends will be “transperforming” as The Cure this year. So show up and watch us lay down a blistering set of favorite Cure tunes. I will be channeling my inner Simon Gallup! You can purchase tickets and read more about it here:
And the Facebook event is here:
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 8, 2013
Last night, fellow Mystic Brian Marchese spent some time in the studio recording backing vocals and shaking some tambourine. Brian, in addition to his own projects and , is an accomplished musician who has played in too many bands to mention, but among whom are , , , , and
If you haven’t already, please consider pre-ordering and receiving any number of awesome perks for contributing to the campaign, which will help me fund the album, and tell your friends! I am making a beautiful package–great artwork, great booklet, and gearing up for a great mixing and mastering session at with maestro Mark Alan Miller. Only $800 more to go, and the project will be fully funded! The campaign page is here:
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 6, 2013
Last night, Brandee Simone of came to the Gondwanaland studio and recorded vocals on three songs. We had a great time, and now there are some very beautiful male/female vocal harmonies on the album!
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 4, 2013
Listen to a rough mix of the track Looks Like Jennifer, from the forthcoming album Dreaming for Hours:
——————————————————————————————-
AUGUST 1, 2013
Recording continues! Last night, Ken Maiuri came to the Gondwanaland studio and put down bass guitar and keyboards on a handful of tracks. In addition to his own projects–, , The Super 8 Players, The TV Show–Ken has played in too many projects to mention, but among them are , , , , , King Radio, , and , and I am grateful he made the time to be a part of Mystics. If you haven’t already, please consider pre-ordering and receiving any number of awesome perks for contributing to the campaign, which will help me fund the album, and tell your friends! I am making a beautiful package–great artwork, great booklet, and gearing up for a great mixing and mastering session at with maestro Mark Alan Miller. The campaign page is here:
——————————————————————————————-
JULY 30, 2013
Recording on the new album, Dreaming for Hours, continues at a good clip! Last week, came to the Gondwanaland studio and put down electric guitar on three tracks. And last night, came by and recorded keyboards on three tracks. Meanwhile, between these guest sessions, I continue to record and edit furiously, hoping to finish all recording in August before advancing to the mixing stage in September. Also, the Indiegogo campaign has been a pretty good success so far. 15 days into the 60-day campaign, and we are 51% of the way to our goal, having raised $1,030 of our needed $2,000. If you haven’t already, please consider pre-ordering and receiving any number of awesome perks for contributing to the campaign, and tell your friends! The campaign page is here:
——————————————————————————————-
JULY 15, 2013
It is official! I have started an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to help me finish the Mystics Anonymous album! Please check it out, participate if you can, and tell your friends, family, and anyone else who may be interested! Lots of perks, beginning with just a $10 pre-order!
——————————————————————————————-
JUNE 29, 2013
Check out the new video announcing the 2013 release of the next Mystics Anonymous album, Dreaming for Hours:
——————————————————————————————-
JUNE 12, 2013
Jeff contributed backing vocals in the studio to the next album, . The album consists of musical adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s poems in Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass. Look for a November release!
——————————————————————————————-
JUNE 4, 2013
came by the studio and recorded sitar and electric sitar for a few songs on the album. Mark it on your calendar, the new album Dreaming for Hours is coming along. It looks like (cross your fingers) all recording should be done by the end of August, and then it’s off to mixing, mastering, production & maybe a November release date? We’ll see….
——————————————————————————————-
JUNE 1, 2013
More recording with guests! This time, Andy Goulet of and stopped by to play some pedal steel and some bass guitar on the album. It just keeps getting better and better over here…
——————————————————————————————-
MAY 31, 2013
A special treat: new track Turn Signal in the Trees, cut live in the studio. This will be used for basic tracks on the forthcoming album, Dreaming for Hours. For now, enjoy this live version featuring Jeff on lead vocals and electric guitar; Matt Silberstein on electric guitar; Andy Goulet on bass guitar; and Brian Marchese on drums. This was recorded live at Sonelab with Mark Alan Miller in April.
——————————————————————————————-
MAY 27, 2013
More recording, this time with Steve Koziol of and , among other fine bands and projects, coming by the studio to lay down some guitar and some cool bells…
——————————————————————————————-
MAY 10, 2013
Recording the new album, Dreaming for Hours, continues! And the pace only gets faster and faster. Last night, Ray Keane of dropped by the studio and laid down some tasty guitar tracks for the album!
——————————————————————————————-
MAY 1, 2013
REMINDER! Jeff will be singing a song at the upcoming tribute to Levon, Richard and Rick of The Band on May 2 at the Iron Horse! There will be several great local artists performing many of the great songs The Band gave us. Join in the fun! For more information, head over to the page. Or go right to the source for an advance ticket to the event:
——————————————————————————————-
APRIL 18, 2013
will be releasing their album on Friday April 19 The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. You can purchase an advance ticket to the event here:
——————————————————————————————-
APRIL 15, 2013
Jeff went into the studio this weekend with Brian Marchese (, , and many others), Matt Silberstein (, ), and Andy Goulet (The Salvation Alley String Band, ). With Mark Alan Miller at the helm of , the band recorded basic live tracks for three songs and had a blast. Look for some of this material to surface on the forthcoming Mystics Anonymous album, Dreaming for Hours.
——————————————————————————————-
MARCH 28, 2013
Jeff will be singing a song at the upcoming tribute to Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko of The Band at The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA on Thursday May 2nd. For more information, head over to the page. Or go right to the source for an advance ticket to the event:
——————————————————————————————-
MARCH 9, 2013
After a break of a few months, recording has resumed on the forthcoming Mystics Anonymous album. Gondwanaland, my studio, is back up and running and yesterday I celebrated by (re-)recording some vocals for the album. There are a few tracks that I’m having trouble deciding how to approach vocally, so yesterday I put down several takes for each of four tracks, and I hope that somewhere in there is the answer. Also, I have booked time to record at Sonelab with Mark Alan Miller in April. I’ll be going in with Brian Marchese, Matt Silberstein, and Andy Goulet to try and capture the magic that happens when the four of us play together in a room. Specifically, we’ll be tackling the song Turn Signal in the Trees, a favorite among the four of us. So cross your fingers, but I’m hoping for a 2013 release of this album.
——————————————————————————————-
FEBRUARY 15, 2013
Mystics Anonymous (really just me and a guitar this time around) will be playing this Robyn Hitchcock tribute show at The Parlor Room in Northampton, MA. You can get tickets through the link below.
——————————————————————————————-
DECEMBER 28, 2012
Another nice article about the upcoming Mike Nesmith tribute, to take place at in Northampton, MA on Sunday December 30, starting at 7 pm. Jeff will be performing The Crippled Lion with an all-star cast of local musicians. Read about it here:
——————————————————————————————-
DECEMBER 27, 2012
Jeff is mentioned in this great article about the upcoming Mike Nesmith tribute, to take place at in Northampton, MA on Sunday December 30, starting at 7 pm. Read it here:
——————————————————————————————-
DECEMBER 26, 2012
Mystics Anonymous has been asked to perform at a multi-artist tribute to the great Mike Nesmith. This will take place at in Northampton, MA on Sunday December 30, starting at 7 pm. The night includes performances by several very talented people, including Philip Price from and , and the whole thing is curated by , drummer extraordinaire and Nesmith aficionado. Details available here:
If you’re interested in what we’ll be playing, and who will comprise Mystics Anonymous on this evening, read along here:
Hope to see you there!
——————————————————————————————-
DECEMBER 7, 2012
Mystics Anonymous is featured in this week’s edition of Tuned In, Ken Maiuri’s wonderful column in Hampshire Life Magazine. You can read the article online here:
Consider this your final reminder that tonight we play The Basement in Northampton, MA. Showtime is 8:00, FREE, age 21+.
——————————————————————————————-
DECEMBER 2, 2012
We have a show coming up this coming Friday December 7, 2012 at in Northampton. And now we know who we’ll be playing with–the wonderful folks of ! Come see a double-dose of indie pop rock for FREE, starting at 8:00 PM.
On this night, Mystics Anonymous will be comprised of Jeff Steblea (lead vocal, guitar), Matt Silberstein (guitar, vocals), Andy Goulet (bass guitar), and Brian Marchese (drums, vocals). These fine people, in case you don’t know, play in a number of great projects, including , , and , among others.
——————————————————————————————-
OCTOBER 20, 2012
We had so much fun playing together in September, we’re going to do it again! This time, we’ll be at The Basement in Northampton on Friday December 7, 2012 at 8:00 PM. No cover. Not sure yet who else will be on the bill, but we’ll be playing 7 or 8 songs that will make your life better if you hear them. Be there, or be… somewhere else less cool.
Mystics Anonymous will be comprised of Jeff Steblea (lead vocal, guitar), Matt Silberstein (guitar, vocals), Andy Goulet (bass guitar), and Brian Marchese (drums, vocals). These fine people, in case you don’t know, play in a number of great projects, including Sitting Next to Brian, The Salvation Alley String Band, and School for the Dead, among others.