Mystic WIP Hustler sets sights on N.Y.

The Youngstown-area natives are heading back to the Valley to perform.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

What began as nothing more than after-gig talk over a beer eventually became a reality when two years ago Youngstown act Mystic WIP Hustler left behind Northeast Ohio to give stardom a shot on the East Coast.

“We always used to drink beer after shows and talk about how great it would be to do this somewhere where it mattered,” said singer-guitarist Dave Lynn, a 1999 Boardman High School graduate. “Not to diss on Youngstown, but you can only do so much in Youngstown, and we always wanted something bigger.

“So two years later, we’re going to start what we wanted to do originally, which was be in a giant metropolitan area where there are going to be people who want to listen to you.

Still, the trio’s original move — Lynn and Brad Meehan (drums, vocals) went to New York City, while Charlie Cervone (bass, vocals) moved to Boston — was more like a hiatus than a full-speed-ahead career decision.

The band did a few performances in Beantown and even a Youngstown date last spring, but it was a quite a departure from the group’s Northeast Ohio average during its heyday of seven monthly shows.

“The plan was we’d try to keep things going and see each other every month,” said Lynn, calling from his Brooklyn, N.Y., home. “We talk a lot on the phone, and we were working, but it was more maintenance work. We weren’t having a lot of creative sessions. It’s like more, ‘So let’s play a show.’ It was less organized than what we’re trying to plan now.”

On their agenda

What the threesome is planning now is nothing short of a full assault on the New York Club scene. By the end of the summer, Cervone will be relocating to the Big Apple, with the outfit spending the remainder of the year getting its chops back and hitting the road running.

“Right now we’re not playing in New York, we’re waiting,” Lynn said. “You have take things seriously here and first impression is real important, so we’re still trying to ramp up and get a really good product before we go out here in the New York scene.”

The band, which last released a self-titled effort in 2005, built quite a following in the Mahoning County area with its discriminating jam band motif, which included hints of everything from jazz, bluegrass and pop music to heavy metal and rock. 

Locals looking to relive the Mystic WIP Hustler magic will have a chance when the band members return home to perform at the all-day rock festival Vexfest, which takes place Sunday in downtown Youngstown.

Diehards can expect to hear such popular tunes as the reggae-influenced “Do It Again,” the Marvin Gaye parody “Metropolitan Lady” and the epic “The Nugget Symphony.”

“I’m really excited, it’s the first piece in the puzzle here to get things rolling,” Lynn said. “And it’s nice to go back to Youngstown to do that, because we know it’s home, and I guess it’s a safe place to start. There are a lot of people that appreciate what we do, and we appreciate them. What better place to go than home before you start something new?”