IT'S SHOW TIME!

A Review of Latest P'Mooj Shows by Dr. Raj K. Chawla, the Most Loyal Mooj Head There Ever Was!

One on my jobs as President of The P'Mooj Fan Club is to attend all P'Mooj shows and report back to my fellow Mooj Heads. Here is a recap of this spring and summer's most memorable shows:  

Shows #40, #41 & #42: April 27, April 28 and May 26, Pat Murphy's, Phoenix, AZ: The P-Mooj joined the Rhythm Dragons for a series of early summer shows at the world famous Pat Murphy's. These were great shows and I'll sum them all together because I can't remember too much about each show in particular. Since Pat Murphy's is a blues bar the band played mainly blues. They easily won the crowd over and made many new fans. Just being associated with the band got Dr. Raj lucky! Since this is a family-oriented newsletter I will only hint that these lucky episodes may have involved sex. Well, not so much sex as getting a few phone numbers. Well, actually not so much getting a few phone numbers as not having women throw drinks in my face. 

Show #43: Friday, June 1, Arties, Florence, AZ: This was Tracy's last show with the band. Her bags were packed, her car was loaded and the next day (or maybe it was the day after the next day) she and her family drove east to Texas. Artie allowed Tracy and the boys to use his bar for the night to throw a going away party. Artie even sat in for a few songs. This was a special night for everyone. Many of Tracy's co-workers and friends were there.  I enjoyed the night because there was free pizza, free beer and lots of groovy vibes. Those are three of the five pillars of Dr. Rajism! To be honest this show was a walk down memory for me. The gang played almost every one of their songs, including a few rarities that hadn't been played in a long time (like Wondering, Road Trip and Monsoon Soul). Richard even did acoustic versions of some old favorites, like P-supper and Shadow Chaser. When it was all over the first era of The Psychedelic Mooj had come to an end. Had I been sober enough to stand up I would have joined in the group hug.

Show #44: Saturday, July 21, Goat Head Saloon: This was the first P-Mooj show of the summer and showcased their new line-up. Fans of The Psychedelic Mooj are calling this the Mach II version. The Mooj decided to try something different this night. Their new drummer, a chap named Glen, played a Zendrum instead of an acoustic drum set. I know nothing about drums so it looked like Glen was just holding a big yellow stick and dancing around. I was blown away by the intensity of The Mach II Mooj and so were all the other patrons. The band was in rare form and basically improvised most of their show. If you follow the Psychedelic Mooj as much as I do, you know when the band is in 'the zone' and tonight they were in the zone. It was certainly a night to remember. I wish I could.   

Photos from 2nd to Last P-Mooj Original Line-Up Show at Pat Murphy's (Click to enlarge)

Photos by Geo Binkley

Here's The Latest Band News:

As mentioned above The Psychedelic Mooj has completed recording their second album! The sessions began on May 12 and were finally completed on July 18. The final mix is being done as we speak.  The album is scheduled for release in September. I simply cannot wait!!!!!

I have been told by reliable sources that this new album with be totally guitar dominated, just like in the old days. In fact, the album is tentatively entitled Spirit of 1974. The band tells me that listening to this album will be like stepping into a Time Machine and being brought back to the year 1974. Why 1974? I have no idea. Dr. Raj is a nuclear scientist not a historian. 

As mentioned earlier I was allowed to hear some of  the unmixed tracks and was very impressed. I asked the band to describe in a nutshell how this album will compare to the first one. Here is what they said:

1) The first album was recorded in a very short amount of time. This new album took twice as much time (and money). The guitar and vocal tracks were also done individually for the most part (i.e., the rest of the band was not present). This gave Richard and Bill some room to experiment.  

2) Most of the 'key' material on the first album was written in a short amount of time, literally weeks before entering the studio; almost all of the new album's material was written six to twelve months before--and every song was performed live multiple times. This helped to really shape and develop the songs.

3) This new album was recorded with guitar tone in mind. Richard and Bill are extremely proud of how great their guitars sound. On the first album there wasn't time to really experiment with different guitars and effects. This time they painstakingly made sure they got what they wanted.  

4) Vocally, the first album presented a challenge to the band. They had just lost their lead vocalist and did the singing themselves. Since then Bill has been singing live for more than a year and has developed confidence as a vocalist. He claims that he actually sounds like he knows what he's doing now. Dr. Raj certainly thinks so!

5) Richard's song writing has totally matured! Bill tells me that most of the material on the new album was written by Richard and that it will totally blow your mind.  

6) Bill claims this time he really sat and thought about the lyrics. They were refined over many months. Although reluctant to admit this, Bill says most of his lyrics on the first album were 'just made up on the spot.'  

7) The bottom line: The first album, though regarded highly by the band, lacked a certain 'something.' This album has it. This 'something' is what the band claims is a better representation of their core sound. This was achieved by taking their time and playing their hearts out. If you liked the first album you WILL LOVE this one!!!!