Michael Michael Motorcycle Find Healing on ‘Out to the Mystic’
Michael Michael Motorcycle’s new single “Out To The Mystic” is an emotional journey and the centerpiece of their upcoming EP Holystoning.
The song is inspired by a road trip to the Mystic Saloon in Avery, California, where Michael Pannone brought his partner who was coping with a profound loss. Moving through gentle folk moments, heavier riffs, and some unexpected things, the track eventually settles into a quiet, reflective landing.
Lyrically, it blends poetic imagery with raw emotion, touching on grief, hope, and the struggle of supporting someone through hardship. Pannone describes the song as a confession about navigating his partner’s sudden loss while wrestling with his own urge to escape through music. It shows how music can be both a refuge and a way to confront difficult feelings.
Pannone shares: “This song is about heading out to the Mystic Saloon in Avery Ca. The cathartic potential that the combination of your local dive and the traveling rock n roll band has, should always be considered, especially when you’ve got the blues. I wrote this song about my partner processing grief, an ode to them during a dark summer. Everything will feel better if we can just get on the road and get OUT TO THE MYSTIC. The song creeps under the door and floats into the room like a dream before crescendoing into the passing lane and busting out of sight. The song is a true chiller AND griller, a reminder that it’s important to R.I.P. it not grip it when it comes to saying goodbye, and that we’ll all someday be on our way out to the mystic.”
The track also represents a hands-on, DIY spirit for the band. “I am super proud to have engineered the recording sessions for all Greg, Jono and my vocals on the song, either at my home in my living room or at our rehearsal space. I tracked Jesse’s lead guitars afterhours at the only vintage guitar shop in SF, Real Guitars, where Jesse works. We waited for Jesse’s boss to leave the shop then set his amp up on the showroom floor and recorded into the night. I also engineered the drum recordings out of our rehearsal space in Marin. We then sent all files over to our producer, the incomparable Isaac Civitello, who mixed and mastered all the songs on our upcoming EP out of his Middlebury Ct full service studio, The Barn.”
“Out To The Mystic” sets the tone for Holystoning, an EP that reflects the band’s evolving maturity and close collab.
Headline photo: Christine McCann
Michael Michael Motorcycle Website / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp
