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 Minions how things went. Here is a recap of this winter's most memorable shows:  

Friday, February 23, 2007 - J-Heads, Phoenix, AZ. - There were six other bands performing this night, including one of my favorite local geriatric punk bands called The Relics. The P'Mooj was originally scheduled to start at 11PM but was moved back to the coveted Headliner spot. This gave the gang a whole hour to burn rather than the usual 25-30 minutes allotted the other bands. Right before The Mooj this band called Music for Dead Truckers (or something like that) came on. Holy cow! These guys scared the living neem-masala out of me. I can't even describe what I saw and heard. It was like watching The Night of The living Dead while sipping hallucinogenic herbal tea, while someone was beating on three tom tom drums taped together and shouting monotone screams about killing people. It was too strange for Dr. Raj to absorb. Again, Dr. Raj is a PhD. nuclear physicist not a psychiatrist. Once all the debris from the Dead Truckers was hauled off stage The Mooj kicked off their set with their usual Who's Gonna Love Ya and then rocked the house with mostly uni-vibe laden blues. Halfway through the set a woman climbed on stage and handed Tracy a $5 bill. This woman then found a femur bone (which must have been left behind by the Dead Truckers), held it over her head, and exclaimed: "Hey, look everybody. I got a boner!" I'm not sure why but it added to the show in a strange and iridescent way.    

Friday, March 2, 2007 - ArtStageSound, Phoenix, AZ. - While playing at J-Heads earlier in the week The P' Mooj became acquainted with Dean Clark (bass player for The Relics). Dean owns ArtStageSound and invited the gang to play a First Friday show for his friends and guests. This was a fun night. The Mooj took advantage of the friendly crowd and did mostly new material. This was the first time I heard some of these songs and was quite impressed. I had no idea Dave could yodel, Irish step-dance and play the pan flute like that.   

Saturday, March 17, 2007 - The Brickhouse Theatre, Phoenix, AZ. - The Brickhouse Theatre hosted their first annual St. Patty's Day Punch. The Mooj delivered a blistering set between Rudy's Arcade and the amazing 10-year old guitar ace Jack Ripper. Those of you who know your P'Mooj history might remember that back in the early days The Mooj did a show with Rudy's Arcade at Hollywood Alley. Thus, this was a nostalgic night for many a true Mooj Head. Before I move on I must lay claim to an apology. If you recall Dr. Raj once had some really unkind things to say about The Brickhouse Theater. I take it all back, as the place appears to be under new management and was a great place to see live music. Especially now that it is air-conditioned and patrons can buy green-colored beer. Also, I should probably apologize to the red-headed woman wearing the green tube top, green hot pants, black leather boots and Leprechaun hat. I did not realize that I was in the wrong gender bathroom when I barged into her stall and vomited on her lap. 

Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ. - The Psychedelic Mooj joined Another Day, Rizon and Take it to the Limit opening for The Dave Mathews Tribute Band. This was a great night. The Mooj rocked the crowd as usual and the crowd totally dug them. A bootleg recording of this show was made available to me and I am more than eager to share it with you. You should be warned, however, this file is big (as big as Dr. Raj's bara dil) and will take a while to download. Speaking of downloading, remind me never to eat at [name of restaurant withheld for ethical reasons] again. I ate some hot and extra spicy doro wat there after the show and, well, .... let's just say Dr. Raj needed to make an emergency trip to K-Mart the next morning to buy new kacachaas.

Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Trax, Tempe, AZ - Another great Trax show! Dr. Raj was there along with many regular Mooj Heads. The band used the first set to play all the new songs from the next CD. Because The band played for over three hours many old songs (not heard in a while) were played, like Psychedelic Supper and Monsoon Soul. This show was also taped and may be soon avaialable to loyal fans via a download. This Youtube video was shot during the show.

Here's The Latest Band News:

As mentioned above The Psychedelic Mooj is preparing to return to Eastside Mansion in May and record their second album. They recorded their first album there in January 2006 and loved the job Will Ferraro did engineering and mixing. The band has about a dozen 'new' songs and can't wait to share them with their fans, especially the ones who have $10 and love to buy CDs. If possible the band would like to add one or two live cuts on the record; however, with the limited time available to complete the project this may not be possible. As an alternative Richard thinks the band might record their April 14th Trax show and allow CD purchasers to download this show for free.    

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 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? You'll just have to hear the album to find out.

As mentioned above Tracy will be departing very soon. Several big shows are scheduled between then and now and the band hopes to send her off in style (see official Website for details). I advise anyone who hasn't seen The P'Mooj perform to see these April and May shows, as it may be quite a while until the original lineup is together again on stage. Texas isn't that far away from Arizona so the gang is looking forward to a reunion show now and again. Dr. Raj will be there! 

Surreal Be-muzment: Imagine Dave Hull's delight when he was driving along the northern delights of Arizona last month and heard "Knocking on Your Door" on KUYI-88.1 FM (Hopi Nation Radio)! KUYI has added many songs off the first P-Mooj album to their drive-time play list. 

Dr. Raj: Greetings, How sad that this interview comes at a time when we must say goodbye. What are your immediate plans once you get to Texas?
Tracy: Well, after my family and I locate a new home, and get unpacked, then my first priority will be to get my drums set up in my new music jam room in our new home. Then, of course, our next priority will be to get our son's name legally changed to "Bubba" 
Dr. Raj: The P'Mooj formed in early 2005 and has been a very strong contender in the local music scene for almost the entire time you've played together. What do you think was the secret to your success? 
Tracy: Our amazing musical chemistry, mutual love of the blues, and our no-fear improvisational spirit. 
Dr. Raj: How best would you describe the music of The Psychedelic Mooj? 
Tracy: Adventurous psychedelic-blues-reggae-surf-funk rock
Dr. Raj: Of all the shows you've played with the P'Mooj, which was your favorite and why? 
Tracy: Opening for Robin Trower in September 2006! This was a dream come true for all of us, getting to meet and open up for one of our greatest inspirations and influences. What a rush! 
Dr. Raj: What is your favorite P'Mooj song and why? 
Tracy: This changes for me every time we play. It is the song (or multiple songs) on any given night, where we "click" and go into this amazing improvisational "zone" and we groove effortlessly. It's hypnotic, addictive, and energizing all at once.
And then I always have a spot in my heart for "Monsoon Soul" because of its classic P'Mooj moment of creation - the sudden downpour outside, Bill & Richard coming up with that funky riff, Dave and I rushing out in the rain to the truck to find something to scribble down the outpouring of lyrics that came to us in a rush..... 'Mooj magic at its best!
Dr. Raj: Is it true that before you joined the P'Mooj you were in a Country Western band? How would you compare that experience with playing live with The Mooj? 
Tracy: No comparison. Controlling, rigid, structure and conformity vs. total cooperative creativity. But that band did give me a solid foundation and chops to launch my career with the P'Mooj, and made me a better drummer for the experience.
Dr. Raj: I heard that the second P'Mooj album is going to 1000 times better than the first one. Since the first one was so great I can't wait to hear the second. How would you describe the difference between these two albums? 
Tracy: It will be the P'Mooj Manifesto! It will rank up there with the greatest of the blues rock guitar albums of the masters...... in my humble opinion...... 
Dr. Raj: Well, as you can see I have large tears accumulating in my eyes as we say goodbye. Dr. Raj usually doesn't cry unless pepper spray or mace is involved. Your fans will miss you dearly. Can I have a hug before you go? 
Tracy: Uh, yeah, ummm, Dr. Raj - did you get that mysterious rash cleared up? You know, the one you got from the crazed bag lady that you hooked up with at the last P'Mooj gig?
Dr. Raj: No. So I guess we'll just shake hands.