The Mystics came from either Valhalla or White Plains. Members included:

Jimmy Carpenito – vocals and guitar
Charlie Sinerate – guitar
Bob Fresta – organ
Dan Liberati – bass
Mike Mruz – drums

Their first 45 from April, 1966 has two original songs by Jimmy Carpenito on their own Mystic label, the excellent jangling-guitar “Orphan” backed with “Bad to Me”. These were recorded at White Plains Recording Studio. The group played on the Zacherle show at some point.

In 1967 they started recording at Renda-RiVell Studios at 317 Central Ave. A decent cover of the Peppermint Trolley Company’s “Lollipop Train” showed up on the Ren-Vell Battle of the Bands album, but their next single would be a better original song, also recorded at Rend-RiVell.

For their next single in August 1967, they recorded an original called “Ride My Pony (Come)”, featuring calliope organ playing, and written by James Carpenito and Bob Fresta.

The flip is an excellent cover of the P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri song “This Is What I Was Made For”, which had been previously been done by the Grass Roots (on Dunhill records) and Wild Life (on Columbia). All copies of the Mystics’ version have a short audible glitch that comes in about 45 seconds into the song, probably dirt or damage to the master stamper.

Jimmy Carpenito stayed active in music. I’m sorry to hear that Charlie Sinerate passed away in October 2018.

Those interested in the Mystics should find them on Facebook, where there are dozens of photos, clippings and other memorabilia, including shots of them on the Zacherley show.

There’s also a tantalizing photo of a RCA Custom lacquer from 1968 of the Mystics doing a version of the Small Faces “Tell Me, Have You Ever Seen Me”. It was never released, and I’d love to hear it.

Thanks to Ron for the label shots of “Orphan” / “Bad to Me”.

“Mystic” / “Laryngitis” on SD Records

Interestingly in late 2018 I found a 45 I hadn’t known about credited to the Mystics, “Mystic” / “Laryngitis”. Both songs are instrumentals and would seem to be from about 1963 from the sound of them. The B-side, “Laryngitis” is especially good, with a menacing opening riff and good playing throughout.

Louis Viscusi wrote both songs, and arrangements are given to G. Arbach, B. Fresta, F. McConville. Besides the Westchester origin, Bob or Robert Fresta is the only name that connects this to the Mystics who played on their Ren-Vell records.

These were released on SD Records SD-16, which stood for Sön-Deane Records, with an address in a residential neighborhood at 25 Jennifer Lane, Hartsdale, NY. I found a Library of Congress listing for “Laryngitis” credited to Louis Robert Viscusi in February, 1965.

SD Records had a range of releases, including religious, school band and theater productions, and funk, most of these from the 1970s. There is an early single with a different label design by the Galaxies, “Ad Lib” / ” Laurie” on Son-Deane Records, RB-105. Jeffrey Baker wrote these Galaxies songs, copyrighted in January, 1964, and there are two others copyrighted in September, 1964, “Tranquility” and “E to G” but I don’t know if these were recorded or released.

Sön-Deane was listed as an ASCAP publisher in Cash Box in 1967 and ’68, as a mastering and reference cutter in DB Sound Engineering Magazine in 1968.