Robert Allen knows his way around a good rock song, and as the creative force behind DownTown Mystic, he’s just making sure it still rolls the way it should. He has also worked with musicians like Max Weinberg and Garry Tallent from the E Street Band. Allen’s got the credentials to back up his old-school approach to Rock N’ Roll.
“You don’t need to reinvent rock ‘n’ roll. You just need to remind people why it mattered in the first place.”
“Hard Enough (Remix)” begins with guitars that have a familiar growl, as most rock songs do. This is a narrative song through and through, and Allen knows how to set a scene. We’ve all met this person, or maybe we’ve been warned about them by a friend. She’s stunning, and she’s absolutely going to wreck you. The track builds the tension through some good ol’ head-banging rock. The verses ideally depict fleeting love, the feeling of being the chosen one, that intoxicating rush of thinking you’ve probably won the lottery, only to end up with a broken heart and a mic in your hand to share the misery with your listeners. If you’re tired of rock that doesn’t bite anymore, give “Hard Enough (Remix)” a listen. It’s also the opening track from his upcoming “On E Street Remix” EP, and if this is the gist of what’s coming, we’re in for something worth hearing.
We also had a chance to do an interview with the artist and here’s how it went-
1. You brought in Max Weinberg and Garry Tallent for this remix. What was it like having two E Street Band legends in the studio, and did their presence change how the song evolved?
A- That’s not exactly correct. Max & Garry played on the tracks and I went into the studio and remixed the songs I had recorded with them. All the songs will be on the On E Street Remix EP in April.
2. The lyrics paint a pretty vivid picture of a heartbreaker. Is this character based on someone real, or a composite of those dangerous relationships we’ve all witnessed?
A- I think Hard Enough was based on a girl that both Max and I went to high school with. It was kind of ironic that the day we were going to record the song, we were talking about her and I didn’t realize that she was probably the girl in the song until after we recorded it.
3. You cite influences like Buffalo Springfield and Rockpile. Which specific songs or albums were you listening to while working on this remix?
A- I’m not sure if I was listening to anything in particular. I work out of Shorefire Studios where these songs happened to be recorded, but not with the current owner/engineer Joe DeMaio. I think the real key to the remixes turning out so well was the fact that Joe could hear the room in the tracks and even said, “that’s my room!”. Lol He knows the sound of that room like the back of his hand, so Joe was able to really get a sound that the original tapes don’t have. Thanks Joe! 😊
4. What did you discover about the original version song by going back to it?
A- For one thing, I recorded these songs with Max & Garry back in 1983. At the same time, they were still recording Born In The USA with Bruce! Think about that! I recut all my vocals and guitar parts against the tracks they recorded in 1983 to bring the sound into the present day. I’ve got Max Weinberg & Garry Tallent of The E Street Band playing on my song. I need to make it sound worthy of their involvement! lol
5. With the full “On E Street Remix EP” coming in April, what should listeners expect? Is this track representative of the whole project’s vibe?
A- I released Hard Enough first because it’s a RnR song and the kind of song you would expect to hear when you say The E Street rhythm section is playing on it. It sets the vibe for the EP release because the 3 other tracks are all killer no filler! LOL
6. If there was one thing in this world that you could change, what would it be?
A-Sorry to get political here, but Donald Trump should be kicked out of office with everyone in his administration. He and the GOP congress have destroyed the USA, which has profound effects on the World Stage. He’s managed to lose all our allies while kissing Putin’s ass. I can’t blame the rest of the world for looking at us like we’re idiots because he was elected by the majority of voters in the USA. He’s not and never has been my president. The GOP could have stopped him in his 1st term but didn’t. Trump and the GOP have blood on their hands and there’s nothing they can do about that. All the lies and misinformation cannot change that fact. You reap what you sow. Hey that would sound good in a song! 😊
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