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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 the latest shows:
Show #49:
Sunday, October 28, 2007, Desert Foothills Park: The P-Mooj was
asked to do a show for the Fitch Group's Concerts in the Park Series. I
have been to many P-Mooj shows and this one will rank among the best.
There were more than 1,200 people in attendance and the crowd loved
seeing "a real rock concert" (as one person
described it). This event was promoted very
well (posters, press releases, etc.) and it proved to be a momentous
occasion. The P-Mooj performed two long sets with a short
intermission in between. The first half featured the
more popular short rockers from the first and second albums. The
second half was a journey into uncharted psychedelic territory. "We figured if
we did our 'heavier' stuff in the beginning we might scare people away. If they stayed for
the second half we figured they liked us so we'd give them a
little extra," said one prominent member of the P-Mooj. A
"treat" ? Heck, I'd say it was more like a mind blowing
festival of psychedelic bewilderment!
(Click to Download Free Poster)
Show #50: Monday,
November 5, 2007, Alice Cooper's Town: For the second year in a row
the P-Mooj was selected to play in the second round of the Christmas
Pudding battle of the bands. (The first round I guess is someone
just listens to CDs and demos and chooses who gets to play in the second
round.) The winner of this contest was asked to play the
following week in a semi-final. The winner of that gala played
with Alice
Cooper in his annual Christmas Pudding Show. The P-Mooj wrote and
performed Lead Free Christmas especially for this night. The
judges liked it but obviously not enough to vote them into the next round.
Show
#51: Wednesday, November 7, 2007, Hollywood
Alley:
Rather than tell you about this show why don't you just download it and
hear for yourself how great it was. It has been said
by many wiser than Dr. Raj that The P-Mooj must really be seen live to be
appreciated. Bill told me that this was one of the best shows they've done and he was happy it was recorded for posterity. He also said: "When I hear Steal
My Heart and I Know I'm losing You from this show I can totally
feel how
'in the zone' we were that night. We get like that every once in a while and on
this night we were totally there." He also added: "And Dr. Raj, you too
were in the zone. I never saw anyone dance like that. It was like Chuck
Norris meets Saturday Night Fever."
Show #52: Friday,
November 30, 2007, The Dirty
Devil: The P-Mooj opened for local
favorite The Iifs. This was a fun crowd and the P-Mooj enjoyed
rocking the house for about 45 minutes. They started out doing basic stuff and
then slowly migrated into the depths
of psychedelic insanity. "We can always sense when the crowd can
handle The Full-Tilt-Mooj-Boogie Treatment," said Dave afterwards.
"So we made sure to give it to them." As for me I have to
agree. This show really gave the crowd something to think about. In
fact, my head was still pulsating when I walked home
and I wound up getting lost for three days.
Show #53: Saturday,
December 8, 2007, Chryo Arts Venue: The P-Mooj had so much fun
playing with the Iifs the week before that they joined them again for this all ages
show at Scottsdale's elite Chryo Arts Venue. This was a cozy setting
(couches and easy chairs) so Dr. Raj lounged in style while my head was
filled with good vibes. I enjoyed this show very
much. The boys did mainly blues and kept the psychedelic stuff to a
minimum. Or maybe it was the other way around. Dr. Raj doesn't
recall much from that night. All I remember is being told the place was
closing so I would have to wake up and go home.
(Click to Download Free Poster)
Show #54: Friday,
January 4, 2008, Chasers: The P-Mooj was asked to do a show with YF,
Fred Green, and Fat
Rhabit. All four bands totally
blew me away. It
was nice to see The P-Mooj play to a full house. Many in the crowd had
never seen the P-Mooj before and are now devoted fans. Likewise, many of
the ladies in attendance had never met Dr. Raj before and were likewise swooned.
If I took your phone number and still haven't called you,
don't worry. I'm working my way down the list. This show was recorded and can be
downloaded
from The Official P-Mooj Site.
The gang deviated from the play list and added Mondo Mooj (a song they rarely
play live anymore). Richard told me: "I'm glad this show was recorded,
as we certainly went outside the box on this one." See if you
agree. I do.
(Click to Download Free Poster)
Show #55: Sunday,
January 13, 2008, P.F. Chang's Rock-n-Roll Marathon: For the second
year in a row The P-Mooj was stationed at Mile 25 to encourage runners legging out
the last mile of the race. Everyone agreed that they sure had some great music to listen to as they
neared the finish line. Believe it or not The P-Mooj shared the stage
with Charlie Franks, the most famous Elvis impersonator in the west. I
knew the real Elvis and I must admit Charlie was about as good as they
get. The P-Mooj spent over 4 hours on stage and gave us everything they
had. They told me it felt like they ran in the marathon too. About one hour
of this show was recorded and will be available for download very soon.
Some of the show was also videoed and some of that might show up on
Youtube. I know some of you are wondering if Dr. Raj ran this year. I
had planned to but couldn't for medical reasons. (Well, that's probably
a stretch of the truth. I guess it was more hang-over related than
medical.)
Remember, you can always email Dr. Raj
at:
moojhead@gmail.com
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What's
The Buzz?
Here's The Latest Band News:
Set List: Material for the live
shows has been pretty consistent through the fall and winter (Who's
Gonna Love Ya; I Know; 1974; Lead Free Christmas; Nothing Can be
Found; Steal My Heart; Dream within a Dream; Sterling Sea of Roses
and Knockin' on Your Door are the most played songs). Beginning this month the set list will
change and new material will be included. The
Band tells me that quite a few new songs have been written and they
will be introduced one-by-one into the live shows over the next few months.
As mentioned above many of these songs were performed during the PF
Chang's Rock N' Roll Marathon. It is planned that the band return to the studio in early May.
P-Mooj Song on PF
Chang's Official Marathon CD! If you were one of the 32,000
runners participating in this year's event you were given a
complementary CD. On that CD is the P-Mooj's Dream within a Dream!
I tried to get my hands on one of these but had no luck. I'll have
to see if they are commercially available.
New Gear: Bill
has added a Fulltone OCD and Fulltone Deja-Vibe to his arsenal. Richard also just added a Fulltone
Octafuzz. If you suspect that Bill and Richard are huge Fulltone
fans then you would be correct.
LIVE RECORDINGS! The
P-Mooj invested in a Microtrack II and will now record every show,
either through the board (high quality) or ambiently (lower
quality). All shows will soon be available for download from the
official P-Mooj Site. Start your collection now!
Buddy Blue Tribute
Album: Keep your eyes and ears open for The Buddy Blue Tribute
album. Dr. Raj hears that it is almost ready. The P-Mooj contributed
their version of Lonesome Hound for this tribute to Buddy.
Another Marquee
Theater Show! If you love seeing the P-Mooj play the famed
Marquee then you are in luck! The boys will once again open for The
Atomic Punks on March 22, 2008. IF YOU NEED
TICKETS get them from the band. If you buy the tickets
from The P-Mooj Fan Club moojhead@gmail.com
you will save $2 off the face value. (Basically the club will pay
that $2 for you). WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU SEE THE BAND AT THE
MARQUEE!!!!!!
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Another Dr. Raj
Interview
I have many duties as president of
The Psychedelic Mooj Fan Club, including this one (i.e.,
interviewing members of the band). This month I sat down to have a
talk with Richard:
Raj: Greetings, Richard. It
is an honor to finally be talking with you. I was just going to
make up an interview but decided to actually do one. My first
question is how are the free downloads for Spirit of 1974
doing? And how does interest in the album compare to the first
one?
Richard: The downloads are great! Bill's idea to give the
music away proved to be a great one. We've had more than 5x the
amount downloads in the past three months than the CD's we sold on
the first record (in a year's time). Some would say that we're
crazy to give the music away, but the crowds at our shows keep
getting bigger and bigger. The music industry is changing and
people don't want to pay for recorded music. It seems that they
are willing to pay to see you live, which is awesome! Nothing's
better than the real thing:)
Raj: Over the last few years your tone has completely
matured. What changes have you made in your gear and style from
the early days of the P-Mooj?
Richard: Probably the biggest change in gear has been my
switch to vintage style pedals. I use a Fulltone OCD and Octafuzz.
The sound I get from them is amazing. They really bring out the
vintage sound in my guitar and amp. I also use a Voodoo Lab
univibe and Dunlop Wah. The univibe is the true constant of my
sound. You can hear it extensively on the Spirit of 1974 album
and at our live shows. The real change in my style has been
influenced by several factors. One, the switch to better gear has
enabled me to polish my sound a lot. Two, studying Robin Trower,
Hendrix and Humble Pie has opened whole new world of sound. The
sound of Robin's strat with the notes he plays is simply amazing.
Listening to his music is what inspired me to write Spirit of
1974. Simple chords with a huge wall of sound! Three,
developing a true understanding of the blues. I've always liked
blues and have had an appreciation for it, but when you start
playing it, you really understand its power and foundation of some
many other forms of music. It enables me to do so much with so
little. Lastly, but certainly not least, playing with Psychedelic
Mooj. Playing music, whether it's in the studio, practice or on
stage is always an mesmerizing experience. The power of our
chemistry is so strong you can feel it. It produces that
"sound of thick air" that the Grateful Dead was looking
for when they re corded American Beauty.
Raj: What are your five favorite albums of all time (and
why)? And who would you say is your biggest guitar influence?
Richard: Well that's a tough question. My answer would have
been pretty straightforward a few years ago, but with the rebirth
of music in my life, so much has changed. So I'll take a shot at
it:
1. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of
the Moon. This has always been a favorite of mine. I saw
Pink Floyd on the Dark Side of the Moon tour in 1974. I was only
four years old. My dad couldn't get a babysitter so he took me
with him. I remember it well and will always cherish the memory.
2. Humble Pie: Anthology. I know that anthologies
are a cop-out, but this one is incredible. I can listen to it for
days on end and never get tired of it. I wish I would have
discovered them years ago.
3. Jimi Hendrix and His Band of Gypsies: Live at the
Fillmore East. The raw, rockin' sound of this show is
fabulous. Their chemistry is amazing, even with horrible vocals by
Jimi. His univibe and octafuzz sound is killer. What an innovative
sound for the time.
4. Derek and the Dominos. The soulfulness of Eric on
this one is killer. The songs are beautiful. I saw Eric Clapton on
his latest tour. He played this album almost in its entirety. I
was expecting a lot of Cream hits and his poppy stuff from the
nineties, but to my surprise and my wife's disappointment, he
stuck to his roots. You could tell that he was really excited to
be on-stage playing the music he loves and you could feel it.
Great stuff!
5. Dixie Dregs: Bring 'Em Back Alive. It's Steve Morse
at his finest. Need I say more...just kidding. Really, the sound
of the entire band is super tight. I can put this album on repeat
and leave it for hours. By the way, did you know that Psychedelic
Mooj was scheduled to open for the Dixie Dregs last year?
Unfortunately, the show was canceled at the last minute. Steve and
co.; we'll catch you next time.
Others that are great albums but
didn't crack the top five:
Seal: 1991. A great album
with excellent studio work. Always reminds me of the time I lived
in Europe. Fond memories.
Sting: Soul Cages: Not one of his best sellers, but a great
return to really good songwriting with minimal arrangements. The
guitar work by Dominic Miller is great.
Live: Throwing Copper. This album was a huge hit in the
nineties. The songs are really well written. I really enjoy
writing music and I can appreciate the construction of the songs.
Catchy, simply and powerful.
Soundgarden: Superunknown. After recording Spirit of 1974 I
gained a whole new appreciation of records like this. There's a
ton of layers in the sound. Sometimes you can hear over 5
different guitar tracks layered on top of each other. Very well
planned and articulated.
Black Crowes: anything they did and will do. What can I say, I
love the Crowes. Their music inspires me, drives me and enlightens
me. It's one of those things when the music takes over your body.
Uncontrollable and unimaginable! ... The biggest guitar influence?
Look at this list; need I say more:)
Raj: Well, I see that the hour is late and it is time for me
to conclude this thing. Can you by any chance help me jump-start
my car? Or, better yet, give me a ride out to East Mesa?
Richard: Sure. I guess.
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