The Mudd Club

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On Facebook the other day my buddy Bill and partner from Centour sound company that we co-owned in New York city back in the late 70’s early to mid 80’s posted some archival video footage from YouTube when Frank Zappa played the Mudd Club in May of 1980. The quality of this video and sound is really good. John K, Bill and I did the sound production in the Mudd club at that venue and were so excited to be able to work the sound for Frank Zappa on that day, Incredible!!! John K. was the production manager at the club at the time and Bill, and I assisted with the set-up of sound equipment and stage setup. Not too long after that show, Bill and I took over the production management of the Mudd club and we have some fantastic stories from those days at the club! In fact, Bill met his wife there, Nancy – she was one of the bartenders. Bill about a year or so into that gig, went overseas to do some touring work with Motorhead, as I continued working the club and playing in the city and Long Island with my first band the Lampshades.

There has been in the past few years a few videos that have surfaced of that show, but the quality of the video and sound was not too good, and they all are just based off of the Mudd Club song that Frank wrote – nothing of anything else he played that night. If I recall correctly, he played 1 set for about 2 hours. Would love to see some other footage if anyone has that.

I included the video that appeared 5 days ago.

Enjoy the master that is ” FRANK ZAPPA”!

Here is another video that came out around 4 years ago of the same song – as said, the quality isn’t as good – There are a lot of still photo shots of the club – In one you see a rack of Crown amplifiers that we specifically installed in the club. This video is a little longer also.

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I was rummaging through one of my many compartmental spaces in my home and came across some interesting memorabilia from my days managing the production at the Mudd Club. I still must search the web for pictures as I really do not have many from those days, only the few that I have when I played at the Mudd with my band, The Lampshades. (So, forgive me for plagiarizing some photo’s-actually who cares). I vaguely remember the Mudd club deviant cards that was made up and I think it was done in the 4th floor art gallery, and they were laminated too! Surprised that Steve (Dr. Mudd) bought a laminator. I also think it was given out by Keith Haring, but I’m not sure as most of the time after the bands were set up it was hard to distinguish who was who and what the hell, they were doing but it was all fun and debauchery at the end of the night. Here is my deviant Mudd card – Yes, I looked extremely deviant.

I found Keith’s deviant card on the internet. I don’t think he looks that deviant.
Here was the back of the card with Dr. Mudd (Steve) in the Lab.
I don’t think anyone has seen the back of the card.
I also have not seen the back of this card ever posted on the internet.

The next 2 items I came across was a couple of buttons — for the life of me I don’t know how I got these. Altough a good piece of lost memories, and when I say lost, I mean lost, not to be found.

Mudd Video Button
Here is a Captain Kirk in drag makeup Button

As said, I really don’t have any other photo’s of the club except when I played the Mudd – I posted these before by what the hell here they are again. My time at the Mudd Club was only in the early 80’s for about 2 years or so. I was not there when it first opened in 78, I started working there in early 81 until about 82ish. Experienced a lot of good bands and some real shit ones – The DJ’s where Hot, Anita Sarko, David Azarch kept the place moving. I Worked when Frank Zappa played there, mixed Johnny Thunders in his acoustic set (what a trip), set up Question Mark and the Mysterians, Sam and Dave, Reggae, Samba, & Punk bands–You name it I worked it. Usually ending the night at 4am or so in the morning and then out to an afterhours club and when those doors opened the sun was out and my trek back home to Long Island to bed or crashing in the city at a friends place and start all over again later that night back at the Mudd Club!

MUDD Club 1981
Al B.- Bass Guitar – Ken Kern – Guitar – Gary Citro – Keyboards
Jim Tucker – Guitar
Anita Sarko

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What a wild time in my life working and playing at the Mudd Club! My partner Bill and I through our sound system company Centour Sound became the production managers of the club after John Kessler was done doing his stint as the production manager. Just before John left we had the extreme pleasure of John, Bill and I working together to work with Frank Zappa who played the Mudd Club! We brought in extra equipment and a bigger mixing console to accommodate his band. Terry Bozzio was on the drums at that time. That was a thrill to work with a master in such a small venue. There is a sketchy bootleg, sounds to me like someone had a cassette tape recorder and taped it in the midst of the crowd. The recording is on you tube, I included the link – I remember that Frank had his own sound person do a recording right from the board, so that must be available somewhere in some Zappa archive.

We worked with a lot of different bands & artists from Samba to Punk, experimental to down right BAD–fashion shows and you name it everything in between. DJ’s Anita Sarko (who has passed away in 2015) and DJ David Azarch made the club hum, jump and jive into the wee hours of the morning. In which we usually ended up going to an after hours club and came out squinting as the sun was fully out and blaring while we were going home and watching the rest of the world just going to work.  I will add more Mudd Club memories in my blog as time goes by – Keith Herring, Johnny Thunders, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Sam and Dave, John Belushi, wow and so many – so stay tuned in! –

 

 

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My partner (Bill Veldran) and I worked with many bands over the years when we owned and ran Centour Sound. One year we produced over 350 shows by either having systems out, in which we had 3 complete PA systems or was managing a club or on tour with a band. That year Bill was touring Europe with Motorhead, I was doing weekends producing the shows and bands at the Mudd Club and all 3 PA systems where out with bands like Jelly, Insex, Tom Robinson among others that I can’t even or don’t want to remember. All of that in between playing with the Lampshades band – Talk about living, breathing and eating Rock N Roll, WE DID IT.

Literally it went something like this – getting up at 12 or 1 pm – working on the equipment, repairs etc. – on the phone booking systems with bands – loading up the vans with equipment –  leaving by 6 or 7 pm – setting up and doing a sound check –  eating a quick slice of pizza – mixing the bands to 2 or 3 am – breaking down the equipment – loading the vans – driving home and unloading the vans as the sun rises – catching  a few hours sleep and starting all over again.

Our crew, that we sent out daily and especially on the weekends on shows were Chris Connolly, Gerry Palumbo and whom ever else we could grab to set up and mix a band. A complete PA system consisted of a full 3 way speaker system (Bass, Mid and High end), monitors, an amplifier stack with crossovers, microphones mainly the work horses of Mic’s SM57’s and 58’s, a mic snake, mixing console, mic stands and cable’s, a Roland space echo and EQ’s and a lot of humping of equipment around all over the dam place. We particular got into a genre of reggae bands from Brooklyn that we were getting a lot of work from–one band that stands out was Burning Spear among other local reggae bands in the area. This part of the business was so interesting as we did do some many different types of bands and  music. In future blogs I will break down some of the shows Centour sound produced in detail – some fun facts and great stories.

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What a wild time in my life working and playing at the Mudd Club! My partner Bill and I through our sound system company Centour Sound became the production managers of the club after John Kessler was done doing his stint as the production manager. Just before John left we had the extreme pleasure of John, Bill and I working together to work with Frank Zappa who played the Mudd Club! We brought in extra equipment and a bigger mixing console to accommodate his band. Terry Bozzio was on the drums at that time. That was a thrill to work with a master in such a small venue. There is a sketchy bootleg, sounds to me like someone had a cassette tape recorder and taped it in the midst of the crowd. The recording is on you tube, I included the link – I remember that Frank had his own sound person do a recording right from the board, so that must be available somewhere in some Zappa archive.

We worked with a lot of different bands & artists from Samba to Punk, experimental to down right BAD–fashion shows and you name it everything in between. DJ’s Anita Sarko (who has passed away in 2015) and DJ David Azarch made the club hum, jump and jive into the wee hours of the morning. In which we usually ended up going to an after hours club and came out squinting as the sun was fully out and blaring while we were going home and watching the rest of the world just going to work.  I will add more Mudd Club memories in my blog as time goes by – Keith Herring, Johnny Thunders, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Sam and Dave, John Belushi, wow and so many – so stay tuned in! –