While Messer Chups' mostly instrumental sound is hard to neatly categorize, it's safe to say that it would be embraced by fans of rockabilly, horror punk, vintage surf records, Italian slasher films, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pulp Fiction, lounge music, the theremin, The Cramps, and the theme song from The Munsters. Their catchy music combines surf, vintage Russian melodies, rare film samples from the 50s and 60s, scratchy historical recordings, and lounge loops. Live, they explode with garage-punk intensity, all played against a video-collage backdrop of mid-century trashy cult and horror movie clips featuring Russ Meyer and Ed Wood, and superstars like Vampira and Bela Lugosi in a zombie mash-up.
Sgt. Splendor ft. Kate Vargas & Eric McFadden
Before joining forces, the duo behind Sgt. Splendor were already formidable solo artists, Kate Vargas chalking up acclaim at outlets like NPR, HuffPost and Vice (including praise from the “Dean of American Rock Critics” Robert Christgau); and Eric McFadden amassing an impressive resume including stints on guitar with George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, Anders Osbourne, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, and Eric Burdon & The Animals, plus a slew of solo albums, and session work with everyone from Jackson Browne to The Clash’s Joe Strummer.
Sgt Splendor’s 2nd release, “Death of the Hoochie Koo”dropped May 19th and is now available on Buena Vista West Records.
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