The PopCulteer
February 12, 2010

Vinyl Solutions For Manna Meal

St. John’s Episcopal Church was the scene for the All Vinyl Dance Party and Art Auction held to benefit Manna Meal last Saturday evening.  Despite being delayed for a week due to the snow, the fundraiser was a huge success.

DeeJays Mark Davis and John Nelson spun the tunes, and it was great seeing tons of friends from the Charleston art and music scene. Manna Meal is, of course, a great cause, feeding people in need. If you’d like to get involved, contact them at 304-345-7121.

After the jump you’ll see a few more shots of the dancing, along with a sampling of the art on display.

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At the head of this post you should see the latest episode of Radio Free Charleston, “Tofujitsu Shirt.” If it’s not there, check this link. This week’s show features a vintage video of Strawfyssh, from 1991, a music video for The Scrap Iron Pickers set to 95-year-old animation by pioneering cartoonist, Winsor McCay, and a moody video of Melanie Larch singing an acapella version of the classic tune, “Summertime.”

You’ll also believe that a pig can cuss, and you’ll get to see an animated re-telling of Andy Dick’s recent misadventures in Huntington.

A special guest voice performer provides the voice of Andy Dick in this photo-realistic dramatic recreation. Read on to find out who it is.

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Our self-indulgent piece of self-expression to kick off this week is “Summers Street Sentinel,” a digitally-assaulted photograph of one of the loverly lampposts lining what used to be Charleston’s favorite thoroughfare of ill-repute. It’s my typical dime-store surrealism. Click it to see it bigger.

Two RFC faves are playing at The Empty Glass this coming Friday. Mother Nang headlines, with The Concept providing ample support and ground cover. This is a killer double bill, and it kicks off around 10 PM, with the usual Empty Glass”five dollars, give or take a few” cover charge.  Above you see episode nine of Radio Free Charleston, which features vintage footage of Mother Nang from a concert at The Levee in 1992. After the jump you’ll find three more classic episodes of the show, which include the Nang performing last year at LiveMix Studio, and two classic installments of RFC starring my adopted nephews, The Concept. Watch these, then get all hyper and happy to see the bands on Friday.

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The PopCulteer
February 5, 2010

If The Play Fits, You Must Acquit

The Kanawha Players stage adaptation of Reginald Rose’s 1954 teleplay, “12 Angry Men,” is a brisk, robust retelling that shows off an impressive cast of some of Charleston’s top actors. This evergreen courtroom drama provides a look into the deliberative process as a jury in 1954 struggles to come to a verdict in a murder trial.

12 Jurors, locked in a hot room on a summer’s day, must decide whether a young man is guilty of murder. The first vote finds eleven of them think he’s guilty, but one juror thinks he might not be. We witness the deliberative process, as more of the jurors find their belief in a guilty verdict shaken.

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We’re kicking off February with an alternate version of a Monday Morning Art piece I ran almost two years ago. “Things Flying Over Other Things” is the rather descriptive title. I’ve since played with the depth of shadow, changed the hue and saturation and altered the color balance. Click it to see a bigger version, not that it will make it look better or anything.

We always try to do something special for our Halloween shows on Radio Free Charleston. In 2008 I decided to pay homage to the cheesy horror movies hosts of my youth, and came up with “Radio Free Charleston Horror Theater,” hosted by me, as “Count Rudoph.” We shot the host segments at LiveMix Studio, and I assembled a cast of terrific performers–Liz McCormick,Melanie Larch, Brian Young, and as “Celeste the Zombie Supermodel,” Chelsea Cook. While I wrote a script, the five of us basically improvised the show.  You see the first part at the top of this post. The other two installments are on the other side of the “read more” link.

We had so much fun that the following spring we decided to do it again, only this time for our April Fool’s episode. Chelsea wasn’t available for this shoot, but we added Alan Young and Mark and Stephen Beckner.  Again, it was a ton of fun. Stick around for the post-end-credit gag.

The music on these shows is top-notch, too. You’ll hear Doctor Senator, The Hellblinki Sextet, Under The Radar, Go Van Gogh, Whistlepunk and Hitchcock Circus. You’ll also get to see animation by Wladislaw Starewicz and Frank Panucci, and short films by Rich Allen and Spike Nesmith. You will also bear witness to the truth about Jack The Ripper. That’s all in addition to the zombie hijinks.

You can read the productions notes for part one and part two, and the fake and real notes for the third installment. There’s nothing like a little Halloween magic to warm up a snowed-over day.

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Are you ready for more Radio Free Charleston goodies to help you get through this weekend’s snow-induced home confinement? At the top of this post you’ll find episode 49 of our humble little show. After the jump you can treat yourself to episodes 51, 52 and 53.  Click the numbers for the original production notes.  We posted our big fiftieth episode last week.

In this batch of shows you’ll find music by The ButtonFlies, The Hellblinki Sextet, Under The Radar, Brain Trauma, The Underdog Blues Revue, Jonathan Glen Wood, Civil State, Ten Carp Lie, Corporate Orange and more. You’ll also be treated to Kitty Killton, Fingerman, two trailers for “Jack The Ripper,” the Charleston Speed Run and animation from Frank Panucci.

If all goes well, we will have one more collectikon of classic episodes of our show later today. Check back–it’s not like you have anything else to do in this abysmal weather.

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Yay!We have another batch of primo episodes of Radio Free Charleston, from late Summer 2008 to warm you up in this big nasty snow-covered weekend.

Above you see episode 46, and after the jump you can watch RFC 47, and 48 . Click the episode numbers for the original production notes.  Among the musical gems you’ll find in these installments of the show are songs from Dog Soldier, Casi Null, The Diablo Blues Band, Mark Bates and The Vacancies, Quick and Dirty, The ButtonFlies, The Hellblinki Sextet and Under The Radar.  There’s also plenty of animation by Frank Panucci and Wladislaw Wtarewicz, and a 120 second Art Show.

We’ll continue posting newly-archived episodes of RFC for your viewing pleasure all weekend.

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We’ve got two more installments of Radio Free Charleston for you while you’re snowed in. Above, you see episode 44. On the other side of the jump, you’ll find episode 45.  Click the episode numbers for the original production notes. These may be the last shows posted tonight.  It seems MySpace has an upload limit.

In this batch of shows you’ll get to hear music from Lady D, Quick and Dirty, Doctor Senator, T.J. King, Comparsa and the electronica duo of Melanie Larch and Rudy Panucci. You’ll also see a movie trailer, animation from Frank, an animated apology to West Virginia from then-Vice President , the disgraced Dick Cheney, and extended looks at FestivAll and The Pandora’s Toy Box art exhibit. Read the rest of this entry »