Alternative Champs

Rock band from Charlotte, NC. The band was started by singer songwriters Mike "Bless His Heart" Mitschele and Rick "Soft Nips" Randall while cooking up popcorn shrimp at Arthur Treahers in the late summer of 1991. Randall told Mitschele of his dreams to start a band and do a never ending tour of the city of Charlotte, NC. Mitschele was immediately convinced this made sense and stepped up to help him reach that goal. They both realized that it would be hard to get many gigs with just 2 guitar players so they put an ad in the Creative Loafing in search of a drummer and bass player. Coming off the split-up of the rock band "Fingerplay" bassist Steve "No Fuss" Pusser and drummer David Vincent Massi saw the ad and came on board (and just a little on the carpet). They all met up one night at Lupie's, a local meat and three favorite in Charlotte, and began the process of naming the new project. After several long sweaty hours they passed on the names "Hot Goat" and "The Sausagey Guys" and decided on "The Alternative Champs". Now that they had a real band Mitschele told Randall, Massi and Pusser that it would be easier for them to relocate from Boone to Charlotte than it would be for him to move up there, they all agreed. He gave them 2 days to say their goodbyes and pack their belongings. "Soft Nips" Randall took the initiative to approach his childhood friend Brent "Whoopsie Doops" Dunn to come and tryout on a 4 string bass. After a few auditions and countless moronic mistakes, he was able to make it through a couple songs and the rest of the band decided to let him in the group. The Champs found their place in the exceedingly vibrant music scene of Charlotte and gained popularity during the mid-90s with a series of well received performances. The band's first cassette "Love Mouth" (recorded at Doral Studios in Charlotte and Wood Circle House in Boone, NC sold more than 57 copies across Mecklenburg County. This cassette was perhaps best known for the power ballad "Oi Noye" and the fan favorites "Dirty Spoons", "Hey!" and "Keep the Cahnge Bitch". "Dirty Spoons" peaked at No. 5 in June, 1994 on a jukebox at the Pizza Hut on Albemarle Road.