Who are we and why are we here?
| MAD MAN
MOON (The Band) |
At the
tail end of 2009, a magical thing happened in On or about the same time, Tom & Jim were in the process of recording and compiling their annual set of backing tracks covering a plethora of genres from their home studio including Early Rock, (Jackie Brenston/Bill Haley), Instrumental (Ventures/Shadows), Surf (Dick Dale), R&B/Blues (Drifters), 60’s (Humble Pie/Zeppelin), Hard Rock (Hendrix/Golden Earing/Doors), Southern Rock, Metal (AC/DC), Contemporary (MB20/REM), Punk (Social D/Ramones) even a little Country Rock (Grahm Parsons/Byrds) with Acoustic American Ballads (Dylan/Johnny Cash/ Marty Robbins). Just about anything! Jim's friend mentioned in passing, “Hey Jim, if you ever need a keyboard player to
fill in on some songs give my brother Louie a call.
The next thing you know Joe & Lou were laying vocals and
finishing touches on “Redemption Song”, “Lights Out” by UFO & “Long Road
to Ruin” by Foo Fighters in the hood studio. The following week we all
met each other and the nucleus of band comprising of 4 members all
living within a 1 mile radius of each other was created. Soon
thereafter, the search for a Bassist continued and Rob “Bob” Van Pelt
(Bassist Extraordinaire) was found thru another one of Jim’s contacts
and the Mad Man Moon musical journey began for motley rock swagger….… Carving our way through lists of the best rock out
there, we have found a groove covering the Rock & Roll “Classics” that
we all grew up on. One thing we try to do in all venues is pay homage to
the original artists by doing our best to capture that feeling… that
sound…. We play the types of songs you’d hear when you tune in to a
“Classic Rock Station”, songs that are timeless, memorable and played at
a volume that may rattle your fillings, swivel your hips, cause you to
shake your booty and sing. |
| JOE HAND Vocals, Drums, Percussion |
Joe has wanted to be in a band all his life. He
finally found a bunch of other guys that would have him. In his real
life, he plays with computers and software and sells that kind of stuff
to companies that need it. He has been a Jersey boy his whole life,
splitting half close to the shore and the other half in North Jersey,
mainly Hoboken. His musical influences are Genesis (the early stuff… not
the crap they are served up in the late 90’s…), Pink Floyd, Steely Dan,
and a whole bunch of other Classic Rock artists. In the band, he sings
lead on most of the material, plays drums on a few tunes, and attempts
to remember to shake the damn tambourine while singing. |
| LOU PILLARI Piano, Keyboards, Vocals |
At the age of 11 Lou expressed to his mother that he wanted to learn to
play the piano. So his parents found a great deal on a very old upright
honky tonk piano for $75.00 that couldn’t keep in tune. After taking
piano lessons on and off for 3 or 4 years and getting bored with the
usual and mundane lessons and songs, he lost interest. Until High School
where Lou found some good friends that played classic rock & roll from
the 70’s and that was what re-ignited Lou’s interest. So, it was lessons
again for a short time and music theory classes in college. After graduating from NJIT, Lou played with a local rock band that started to play local bars at the Jersey Shore, but his first real job out of college were long days and weekend work and unfortunately Lou made the decision to quit playing in the band and focus on his career. He found that was a mistake, because everyone needs a little “Balance” in life. Some 25 years later he has been very fortunate to find some great guys with the same dream - Mad Man Moon. |
| TOM PATRICK Guitars, Vocals |
Tom began his musical journey in Clark, New Jersey as a lead vocalist
for the rock band The Vulcans at age 14. For the next few years Tom
continued on this path with other bands including Virgin Flesh and Soul
Tunnel. It as during a Cream concert at Union Catholic High School that
Tom had a life changing revelation…he was a guitarist! Tom became a
human sponge soaking up the sounds of musical masters including Jimi
Hendrix, Muddy Waters and Miles Davis. At age 17 Tom pushed his
discipline and followed his passion leaving vocals behind as he became
the lead guitarist in a revamped Soul Tunnel and radically changing the
bands R&B format to the increasing popular psychedelic rock. During the
next few years Tom shifted between college, day jobs and club
performances in the metropolitan area as a member of various bands such
as Product of Ambition, The Other Side, Magnum, 20th Century Roxx and
Sling. It wasn’t long before music engulfed Tom completely and he became a full time rock and roll gypsy performing throughout New Jersey with the cover band Iron Mule. Flash ahead to the late 80’s where a new band called Lhegacy brought Tom back into the spotlight. Lhegacy was a diverse and original group of musicians who collaborated on the well received independent EP release Mind Over Matter generating frequent airplay on WDHA and WSOU radio stations. Throughout the 90’s Tom continued to work on independent projects releasing a studio LP, Extremities of the Soul, with Lhegacy vocalist Christine Wakefield. The new century brought backyard and basement studio adventures with fellow journeyman Jim Wagner. Today Tom looks forward the next leg of his musical journey…. Mad Man Moon. |
| JIM WAGNER Drums, Guitars, Vocals |
Jim was introduced to his first musical instrument on his 9th birthday when his Father bought him a four piece Slingerland drum set and said “stay out of trouble and if you stick with it we’ll go get you some cymbals and another tom-tom”. He soon found other musicians, albeit much older and in their 20’s, expanded his drum set, and began actively pursuing and fulfilling the role of a lead drummer for a rock band playing in local dance halls. By age 16, he studied music, was nominated student vice president of the regional school orchestra, performed countless percussion and rhythmic timpani solos and held the position of 1st chair trombonist. Jim was most fond of his musical career when he became actively involved in forming a 5 piece Dixieland/Jazz band, playing in at places that included amusement parks, art festivals, town squares, college parties, and speak-easys (although never making enough money to quit his day job). But, over the past 20 years while residing in Tinton Falls, came Jim’s greatest success where he faced his delusions of grandeur of being a rock star. While driving his wife and family mad, he wanted to be world renown, so he slowly built up an arsenal and purchased state-of-the-art, powerful amplified sound equipment and microphones and played guitar, trumpets, drums and congas outdoors with close friends to the early mornings of the night, where until in almost every event a disgruntled neighbor or the local authority would have to shut him down and deliver him a dose of reality. His early drum influences are Tony Meehan from the Shadows and Hans Bathelt a German musician, who played for a progressive rock band, Triumvirat, both of which still today, heavily contributes and continues to be his unique drumming style to rock and roll. He is one of the two anchors of the band and his aggressive rudimentary style can sometimes be witnessed during performances in the form of flying cymbals stands and chunks of broken sticks and other gear sailing thru the air. |
|
ROB "BOB" VAN PELT Bass Guitar, Vocals |
Bob Van Pelt is a Navy brat who bounced back and forth between east and west coast until he was 14. When his dad stationed in San Diego for shore duty his family remained there. On Bob's 17th birthday he received a set of headphones and an eight track of Abbey Road and the White Album. After that his musical education began with classical piano lessons, studying Scot Joplin Rags, listening to blues albums, and trying to play any instrument that came across his path. Realizing that guitar player were plentiful he began his study of the bass. He has played in different Rock bands throughout the years, most recently Hot Rod Deluxe, Heartley Stevens Blues Band and The Riff Rats. And now he is the sturdy foundation that keeps Mad Man Moon on track and solid. |
| WARREN "DOC" CHURGIN Saxophones, Percussion, Vocals |
Perched upon my grandfather's knee in front of the baby grand, I tinkled as he tinkered. Note by note he challenged my little baby brain to hear the strange sounds that came forth. While in between the new math and the Duck N' Cover drills under my school desk, my ultimate decision came in third grade where I would have to decide which instrument to play for my southern Long Island elementary school. Well, my brother played clarinet, so I should play sax, and so it began. I played in all the school bands. My brother, being 4 years older,kept me fed on a diet of exotic tastes, like the new Band album, Thelonius Monk, Coltrane, Janis, Jimi. When college came, I found myself, now in NJ, playing in a band based on Long Beach Island in the mid seventies trying to sound like Clarence on all the Bruce albums, soaking up the sun on the NJ Shore. Later I would find myself drifting aimlessly through large fields of Agave cactus in the town of Tequila listening to Spanish guitar, and top 40 radio coming across the border from the Texas radio stations that lined the border. Returning to the states, I embarked on academic careers but never had music far off on my horizon. In my adult years, I dedicated myself to mastering the instrument that I had really on dabbled with in my youth. I was lucky enough to study with a young man from Copenhagen who forced me to learn things I had never wanted to know at I time that I never wanted to know them, but like in my youth when I would fidget on my grandfather's lap I absorbed the lessons and so knew I had to go forth and seek out others, like minded, people versed in classic rock, people with wrinkles and graying hair that would welcome me in, and so I found Mad Man Moon. Our shovels are deep and we will till the damaged soil unearthing Classic rock hits. Rock till we Drop. |
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