Mistress - Mistress

Mistress was an all American three-piece melodic rock band from Champaign, Illinois, formed in 1987 by brothers Keith (guitar/vocals) and Ron (drums/vocals) Phelps.  

With a strong musical heritage, Keith and Ron and lifelong friend, Jim Kates (bassist), put together what would be the core incarnation of Mistress. 

It was 1987, and with a handful of songs written and perfected, the guys recorded an all original 5-song cassette demo tape and the ball was rolling!!!  In June of ’87, Mistress played their first gig at the home of Kay Vermillion, who early on, was a big supporter and financier.  

 The band quickly cultivated a strong local following in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois. They played as often as possible, sometimes as many as seven nights a week.  

In 1989 bassist, Jim Kates moved to Los Angeles to pursue other musical endeavors and auditions were held to replace him. Todd Briscoe, answering a local musicians’ want ad, was hired on the spot as the new Mistress bass player. 

 After enlisting Briscoe, the Phelps brothers focused on creating an all-original, independent release album. In early Summer 1990, Mistress recorded a self-titled, 9-song debut album at Pogo Studios, Champaign, Illinois.  Upon release, "Mystery Girl" and "Matter of Time" received local radio airplay on WLRW. The album release propelled the band into a national market resulting in the need for management and representation.  

 In 1991, Mistress signed with the Mark Alan Agency, a national talent agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Mistress would last another decade playing three to five nights a week.   

Fifteen years as a band was a great accomplishment, but things rarely stay the same and everyone moved on. 

FnA Records is proud to re-release the 9 track 1990 album with a bonus track entitled “Circles”.  The self-titled album has been remastered and the artwork has been expanded upon to a great degree.