Messer Chups
Aug 11, 2016
Branch Street Deli
Arroyo Grande, CA

Neumann KM-140s (ORTF On Stage) >Canare Star Quads >Lunatec V2 (30db Gain) + Mackie 808S Powered Mixer [Vocals Only] >Mackie 402VLZ4 >XLR >Tascam DR-100mkII (24bit/48khz)

WAV >Soundforge PRO 11.0 >Audacity (Amplify, Track Splits, Minor Edits, Down Sample / Dither to 16 bit / 44.1khz) >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

Recorded, Transferred, & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr
Soundforge PRO 11.0 Post Production By Dennis Orr
Concert Photos By John Koontz, Used With Permission

1. Intro
2. Dick Tracy
3. Ghost Party
4. Lipstick Twang
5. Jokermobile
6. Rockin’ Zombie
7. Stampede >
8. Tomb Sweet Tomb
9. Theme From The Munsters
10. Insomnia Of The Mummies
11. Ghost Hop
12. War Party
13. Big Noise From The Jungle
14. Call Me Zombie
15. Popcorno
16. Unknown
17. Peter Gunn Theme
18. Twin Peaks Theme

Oleg Gitaracula – Guitar, vocal sound effects
Svetlana “Zombierella” Nagaeva – Bass, vocals
Dr Boris – Drums, vocal sound effects

OldNeumanntapr Notes-
Being that this band is from St. Petersburg, Russia, I seriously never expected that I’d get to see and record them. The Messer Chups is Russia’s only horror surf band. Fortunately, while on their 1st-ever US Tour, they made a stop on the CA Central Coast in Arroyo Grande, just up the road from me. They played at the Branch Street Deli’s covered patio. Unfortunately, an Arroyo Grande City Council meeting was taking place directly next door and the band was forced to take a 20 minute break after playing only the first two songs. Then, to add insult to injury, Oleg’s guitar was deemed too loud and he was forced to turn down his amp more and more as the show went on. (Two bicycle cops came by to inquire about the noise as well.) It was clear that he was frustrated because of the noise restrictions. I did have to wonder if the promoter realized that they were hosting a loud power trio surf band, and if so then why did they book them to play an outdoor venue in the middle of old town? I would have thought that Mongo’s Saloon in Grover Beach would have been a better choice. (It’s closer to the beach, too.) When my friend Tim in Moscow, Russia, alerted me a few months ago that the band would be playing California and I noticed that the August 11 date was billed as ‘Central CA, TBA’, I reached out to Todd Newman, one of the former owners of SLO Brew in San Luis Obispo. Todd informed me that he was booked for that night with other artists and I hoped for the best.

I arrived about an hour early and had no problem securing permission to set up onstage for a matrix recording. The band was very friendly and allowed me to have total control of the recording process. I would have really liked to have seen/recorded them in a better environment that wasn’t subjected to noise complaints because they really are a great band,…that likes to play loud! I gave Oleg $10 before the show as I was setting up and thanked him for allowing me to record. This particular night was a free show with only a tip jar at the Merch table for the band. I also bought a poster that the band signed for me.

They were originally going to play about an hour and fifteen minutes but stopped playing after only 53 minutes because of the noise complaints. I hope other tapers take the opportunity to record Messer Chups because they are a great band with a really interesting sound. Thanks to Messer Chups, and also thanks to the staff at the Branch Street Deli. Thanks as well to John Koontz for sending me some of his photos. It’s impossible for me to shoot photos and record at the same time, especially for a matrix with a separate mixer. I hope they choose to play the central coast again, because they seemed like they were upset after being asked to turn down their volume so many times.

Do NOT Convert To MP3.
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