Fred (F.J.) McMahon was another elusive folk artist out of late 60’s Santa Barbara, Ca. After having played with moderate local success in junior high and high school, he returned from a brief stint in the Air Force to record his only album in 1969. Recorded at PD Sound in Los Angeles and released by Tigereye Music, “Spirit of the Golden Juice” is another (see an earlier post about Cooley-Munson) melancholic illustration of the California coast. Said McMahon in a rare 2002 interview, “The song Spirit is about my experiences in Viet Nam, Thailand and the Pacific Islands. The “Golden Juice” is I.W. Harper bourbon, which was the fuel of the times.”