
Total Rock - Malcolm Dome interviews Prash Trivedi
- June
2004


Tell me a little bit about BeOmega, how it started, how you got
together?
It started in New York. Cheruki and I did a tv show out there. We had
one day to prepare three songs. That's where it began, early 2001. After
that, we moved to the UK in 2002, and wrote most of the stuff in Wales.
Most people out there are probably thinking, well you're in New York,
the hot bed of rock n' roll, and then you move to Wales..mmm...?
I always think Britain is the thriving centre of rock and roll ... The
Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin! Even bands like Jimi Hendrix Experience
recorded in England ...
How did you end up in New York in the first place?
I was on my way to revisit the Hopi Native American people. Cheruki was
doing a solo thing out there. We met up and had a jam ...
Is it fair to say your music is inspired to some extent by psychedelia?
Yeah, we are just trying to go by what happened in 1967...
Is that as far as you're concerned, the pivotal year in music?
Yeah, it's where all the great albums, alot of experimentation, real
experimentation in music took place...rather than just playing along with
gizmos, like toys. They really experimented with music back then, rather
then just experimenting with technology.
What are the albums you'd say which have inspired the sound of BeOmega?
"Are You Experienced", "The Byrd's" album ...but it wasn't as good as
"Are You Experienced"...
They're very different...
Yeah, they're different...but they're just not the same calibre of
musicians as Hendrix.
Let's be honest, how many people are the same calibre as Hendrix?
That's what we have to recapture again. Tt's about trying to get good
music going. If you get used to mediocrity, it starts going from medium,
to bad, to worse, and then you end up saying the really mediocre stuff is
good.
Do you think we have gotten used to mediocrity?
Yeah, we have. Everyone has to put on some kind of front or pretension
when it comes to the west as a whole. Anything can happen now. People get
away with so much these days, which they wouldn't have gotten away with
30/40 years ago.
I think things were very different, the whole rock and roll scene was
young then...
The thing is, people had spent more time with their instruments. They
had gone through the whole learning process much more, they were much more
thorough with it. Nowadays, if someone buys a guitar, within 3 to 6
months, they want to take a record out. They do gigs when they know 3
chords. It's a fast food sort of thing. It's the speed which is killing
the music.
What actually got you into 1967, what got you into these albums and
bands?
It's just the sound. So much effort was put into the sound, the aural
dynamics of it. The drumming rhythm patterns were changing from a normal
4/4. Every song had a different rhythm pattern and drummers were much more
free at that time. Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon... no one is drumming like
that right now.
I agree with you. Great drummers belong to that era.
It's the drums which make music. If you stick to the 4/4 format all the
time, you're only going to come out with a certain kind of music. You're
restricted quite a bit.
There's a strong Doors influence in our thing because we use the Vox
organ for some songs. The Doors are an intellectual band. They're about the
lyrics having meaning, morelike poetry put to music. It's about the intellectual side
getting into music. Dylan did it a bit in the 60's but Morrison brings the
occult side into music as well and that's where it lies for us.
We want to bring both things - the intellectual and the occult back
into music, fuse it together in a way.
Well it's a challenge and a challenge you seem to rising to quite well
at the moment!
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 by Mark, Losing Today Magazine
BeOmega
‘Nothing left to show’ - Now this kids is going to take your breath away,
forget all those bands peddling second rate 60’s melodies, this my friends
is the real deal. With a band name that’s so silver age marvel comics
superhero like, the trio: Prash Trivedi, Cheruki and Taina (that’s one
bloke and two sisters in case you were wondering) have been billed by many
as the hottest band in London which to others is
gonna serve as a red rag to a bull, but then they may just have a point.
BeOmega dig deep to deliver an authentic glimpse of the London / San
Francisco scenes in 1967 as though if by magic they’ve just fallen through
some kind of time vortex, their psychedelic folk rock jam is captivating
and so intoxicating that you can smell the potent aroma of sweat, incense,
promiscuity and carefree wild abandon eking through the hanging choked
lines of marijuana of a happening scene.
Currently with one release under their belts this sizzling set is a
mind melting fusion of acid drenched fuzz laden tapestries and blessed out
loved up voyages into the minds eye that recall the bluesy work outs of
Hendrix tripping out with the organ bled cerebral landscapes of the Doors
while taking to their bosom the freeform improvisational dynamic of the
Grateful Dead especially on the arse shaking smoking gun groove of the
softly spaced out sensualism of ‘Time has come’.
Throughout this quartet of cuts the powerful
vocals acting as a guiding light through the thick stoned fog created by
Prash Trivedi especially on the maddening chimes of the grooving
transcendental rocker ‘Nothing left to show’ where their brand of hocus
pocus hippie idealisms do battle with the more liberated rockers from the
current garage scene such as the Dirtbombs and the Bell Rays while on the
crushing ‘She rides a lion’ the trio tune carefully into the intense swamp
like storm inducing territories of the Space Team Electra’s darkened
spiritualist voids of lead vocalist Myshel Prasad’s mind.
All in all amid an era of fast living and selfishness BeOmega return to
the old ideals could just prove to be rock’s saving grace, whatever
happens a mind-blowing ride awaits, dare you jump on? Joint single of the
Missive.
by George Zahora, Splendid Magazine
BeOmega aspire, more earnestly than any other act I've heard, to
recapture the deep, heavily insulated groove of serious sixties
psychedelia -- not the happy-go-lucky Elephant 6 stuff, but the creepy,
trance-inducing, patchouli-reeking stuff favored by Jim Morrison,
Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix and (occasionally) Cream.
by ND, Half A Cow Records, Australia
Occasionally, when I've run out of things to daydream about, I'll ponder this
thought: there hasn't been many female rhythm-section psychedelic acid-rock bands. In fact, I can't think of any.
Until now.
Step through the velvet curtains BeOmega
and dance feverishly around the Magic Lake draped in your finest Celestial Manoeuvres! Not sure where
BeOmega are from -there's three of them on the demo sleeve
and 12 songs on the demo, each averaging in length around the 5-6 minute mark with the last song 'All
Sold Out' clocking in at 12 minutes. But sold out BeOmega ain't done. And probably shouldn't as that would
kill their voodoo they got fryin'. All songs seem to have a free-form, jam-out feel to them with swirling,
majestic keyboards and late-60s guitar but as each listen proves there are great and melodic songs here sung
strong and confidently by The Mysterious Rainy Violet (that's what we call her as there's no info). And the
explosive drums round out what is an original, rockin' beast of a band.
There are no highlights, as it's ALL HIGH but special mention to the incredible Eastern wailings on
'Magic Lake' and there's a male vocal for a bit of spoken-word on 'Rainy Violet'.
Listening to these songs as a whole, you sort of get the feeling that you have accidentally wandered
into a private performance by the band, playing their set for themselves, lost in an electric trance.
As these are demos, the recording quality may put some ears off, but that didn't bother me, and one can
only imagine how great BeOmega would sound given a few weeks in a classic analogue studio. -ND
by Dale Oliver, Matchbox Recordings
BeOmega are an out of this world band who license the wonderful
epic 60's soundscape " The What Song". They are not your average 3
piece modern Indie rock band but more of a concept in itself in the true
style of 60's escapist pioneers like The Doors, Hendrix, Joplin etc.
This great song starts off simple and acoustic with very melodic
protest song vocals. The guitars are jangly and are complimented by the
very distinctive and thoughtful vocals that question society and morality.
" What the hell is going on here, empty faces filled with fear".
This is the 4 Non Blondes jamming with The Doors while on a trip with
the Grateful Dead. Just as you think it's going to stay acoustic the whole
band blasts in and gets you swingin. The bass meanders, the drums crash,
the guitars riff, the organ chimes and we all dance along while waving our
hands in the air. This is great and a breath of fresh air in a world of
boring pop.
The band spent 3 years on the New York scene playing at venues like
CBGB's before deciding to bring their very cool sound to swingin London.
In their own words they "Follow in the footsteps of the 60's
musico-political-cultural revolution, BeOmega are a concept band dedicated
to " Music with a Message". Well we got the message and it's as cool as
hell. Make sure you watch them live soon.
Organ Magazine
Some kind of tasty acid drenched psychedelic rock band who sound like
they should have been playing San Francisco in 1967 with The Jefferson
Airplane and The Eight Legged Pineapple. They do their thing rather well, it’s cool, we like
The Doors and the Woodstock soundtrack is still very fine and you’re not
telling me you never wanted a time machine just to try 1967 California
just once - and this is excellent actually…. Yes indeed, organs and blues
and acid and kaftans and totally utter spot on feed yuor head white rabbit
chasing break on though tothe other side retro psychedelia…
by Natalie Patrick, Glasswerks Magazine
Australian born musical sisters Cheruki and Taina, collaborate with
guitarist and songwriter; Prash Trivedi to form this exclusive out of this
world trio ‘BeOmega’. With reminiscent sound of film music, tracks like
‘She rides a lion’ explore an Indie Pop, yet underground type of sound.
Knowing no fear is the message in the song and being spontaneous with the
originality of the song is the concept. It carries an easy danceable beat
that everyone could catch, and it certainly encapsulates a rocky, diverse
and cutting edge style to the rhythm.
A classic heavy metal type
of up-tempo beat is evident in hard-hitting tracks like ‘Nothing left to
show’. BeOmega convey a repetitive lyric loop in this particular song of
simply ‘not being able to understand’. Along with this message, the
extreme sounds intertwine to bump the speakers.
Rock meets
acoustic and soulful sounds in songs like ‘Time has come’. An overload of
drums versus electric guitars is combined with unexpected changes within
the bridge of this track. BeOmega represent the fact of important message
through music and exaggerate meaning through a shuffling of voice pitch -
Very original. This track has definite mass appeal and successfully
bridges the gulf between indie and mainstream.
A challenging use
of melodic, sophisticated rifts and a voice to set the mood is
unmistakable in songs like ‘First Rays’. It immediately reflects
intriguing characteristics to songs by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, if you
like them, you’ll love this.
If you are looking for something more
creative and distinctive, an album like this will literally blow you away
with its unyielding, unpredictable beats. It’s definitely sound over
lyrics! This band is where its at folks. This is music which can save
today's music scene from the staleness of the strokes et al.
Logo Magazine
The first time you hear BeOmega you could be forgiven for thinking you
had been catapulted straight into Woodstock of the 60’s; lyrically,
BeOmega offer something much more meaningful, politically and culturally
than most bands of today. BeOmega spent three years on the New York gig
circuit, and it is easy to see why. The beautifully strong vocals and
simple yet compelling bass-lines would, in intimate surroundings, be truly
inspiring; however, they would also not be out of place at any festival.
‘Time Has Come’ is outstanding, capturing the enchanting, transcendental
appeal of the band. It would be too obvious to draw comparisons with the
revolutionary artists of the 60’s, but BeOmega offer us a unique take on a
diminishing genre.
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