MysteryPop - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Formed in the waning days of the 20th Century, MysteryPop began life as Spanish Kitchen. The L.A. foursome was founded by singer Simon Glickman and guitarist Willie Aron, who met through an ad in the Recycler paper. Willie was a founding member of cult faves The Balancing Act, and had toured and recorded with Victoria Williams, Michael Penn, Syd Straw and many other singer-songwriters. Simon had a Ph.D in English and spent years of toiling in bands you've never heard of.
Bassist Miles Lally answered another ad, and-after the band auditioned what seemed like hundreds of drummers-eventually brought in old pal Perry Ostrin. Jamming ensued. The band described its sound as "mystery pop," which captured their love of melody and their signature sense of smoky atmosphere.
Spanish Kitchen played countless gigs around L.A., gradually falling in with the then-burgeoning "power-pop" scene. They opened for longtime heroes like X and Jonathan Richman. They pressed a 7" single (now a collector's item), which got exactly one spin on local public-radio station KCRW. They rented a rehearsal space. They appeared on compilation discs. They got $40 from club owners after playing at midnight on a Tuesday.This is what it means to be a Los Angeles band.

Spanish Kitchen caught the attention of The Knack's Doug Fieger, who, along with Richard Bosworth, produced their album-mostly at the glorious House of Blues Studios.
Just as the project was being completed, Spanish Kitchen--tired of telling people they weren't a salsa band--became MysteryPop.
Though the band members have since moved on to other projects, Willie and Simon periodically reunite to perform their songs. In the meantime, the album remains as an artifact of a furiously creative period in L.A. music.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/9/2004
Band Website: cdbaby.com/cd/mysterypop
Band Members:
Willie Aron: guitar, keyboards, bvox

Simon Glickman: vocals

Miles Lally: bass, bvox

Perry Ostrin: drums, percussion
Influences: the Beatles, Elvis Costello, the Beach Boys, Motown, Zombies, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, X, Van Morrison, Roxy Music, Big Star, Radiohead, Moby Grape, The Move, Jellyfish, Blondie, Captain Beefheart, Zappa, Sun Ra, DJ Shadow, Gil Scott-Heron, Johnny Cash, Gnarls Barkley, Zombies, Gang of Four, Magazine, the Buzzcocks, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Carole King, R.E.M., Talking Heads, the Police, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Blondie, ABBA, The Band, Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Tim Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann, Todd Rundgren, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Yes, AC/DC, Black Sabbath

Sounds Like:

Some Nice Things People Have Said

"Stunning production and sizzling performances highlight one of the best album debuts I've ever heard ... I highly recommend this album if you're a fan of classic rock sounds, multi-layered harmonies and outstanding pop production. The lyrics are pretty interesting, too, sort of late period Lennon-McCartney in style ... 'Bludgeon My Heart' [is] power pop at its best ... 'Denied' [is] catchy-as-hell and gorgeous ... 'Triflin'' sounds like a great lost outtake from Led Zeppelin IV." — Don Krider, epinions.com

"Power pop pulses with Zep-like deliciousness ... astute lyrics, handsome harmonies, sturdy back beat and downright durable bass, too — all making for a well-balanced musical mea l... A delightful dinner of true passion one can get lost in" — Flipside

"Back in the mid-'90s there was a great, inconoclastic band called Spanish Kitchen (featuring Willie Aron, who co-founded The Balancing Act), which blended many cool and unusually styled influences. The band never released a CD, sadly, but ... has resurfaced with a name change and a more streamlined and classically styled pop sound ... big, yummy and chompy guitar hooks inside a wide palette of invention and billowy rhythms. Two massive Thumbs Up!" — Not Lame !

"Yes, I will confess: I just went and bought this band's album on iTunes after listening to their most awesome 4 sample songs on MySpace ... that is the first time I've done that, and much to my own surprise even, I've become walking proof that PopCurrent lets great media bubble up (and helps artists make money)." — markj, popcurrent.com

album price ..
MYSTERYPOP: Mystery Pop $10.00
Choose how many, and click
Orders sent by CD Baby - the fastest, safest, and easiest place to buy CDs online. You can also call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD to order by phone.

A shameless bid for more attention: http://www.myspacebandreviews.blogspot.com

Record Label: Spanish Kitchen Music
Type of Label: None

My Blog

If you stop by to leave a comment ...

Please don't leave a freakin' flyer about how you've got a new song up or you're playing a gig at the Fudgetunnel in South Orange. It's disrespectful. Leave a comment about our band or our page or som...
Posted by MysteryPop on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 07:30:00 PST

iTunes link

You can snap up tasty MysteryPop tunes for your iPod here. And if you post a nice review about us, we'll reciprocate somehow. Enjoy!...
Posted by MysteryPop on Fri, 12 May 2006 05:09:00 PST

MysteryPop CD will soon be available via BestBuy.com

Thanks, CD Baby! Visit BestBuy.com soon and check it out.
Posted by MysteryPop on Wed, 09 Nov 2005 12:47:00 PST

CD Proceeds to Red Cross

Hi Kids -- just a reminder that you can pick up MysteryPop's lovely CD at CD Baby, and all the dough goes to Red Cross relief efforts. Thank you very much. ...
Posted by MysteryPop on Tue, 06 Sep 2005 02:05:00 PST

The Sky Is A Time Machine/free CD

Who says you can't provide MySpacers with more than 4 songs? http://mysterypop.com/sounds/Mystery%20Pop%20-%20Sky%20Is%20 A%20Time%20Machine.mp3 Guess the identity of the "mystery" guest at the e...
Posted by MysteryPop on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

Telling Thoughts to Go Away

Get it while it's hot... If every insect has a song Why cant I? If every mountain has a view Why dont you? I hated myself, hated everything Id ever done I doubted myself and all I thought...
Posted by MysteryPop on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

Dolour

If you like the ultra-sunny power pop, this is the band to beat. Fresh from Seattle--check it: http://www.myspace.com/dolour They'll be at Spaceland in L.A. on the 20th.
Posted by MysteryPop on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

P.S. now available for streaming/download

It's a ballad. Enjoy.
Posted by MysteryPop on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

MysteryPop slide show

http://mysterypop.com/mystery_slideshow.swf
Posted by MysteryPop on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

MysteryPop screensaver

http://mysterypop.com/mp_media.html roll over the door of the MysteryPop machine and click on "download a screensaver."
Posted by MysteryPop on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST