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RFC 98 “Marilyn Monroe Shirt” from RFC Archives on Myspace.

logoAbove you see episode 98 of Radio Free Charleston. This means we’re just two episodes away from our big 100th show, with Jeff Ellis, The Nanker Phelge, The Hellblinki Sextet, Eva Elution and David Synn.

This edition, “Marilyn Monroe Shirt,” features music by The Diablo Blues Band, David Synn and Captain Crash and The Beauty Queen.

98 rudWe also have animation by Frank Panucci, and a look at the new GI Joe Adventure Team.

Host segments were shot late Friday evening on the grounds of The State Capitol, which didn’t seem nearly so dark while we were there.

gijoeWe kick off the show with a new commercial for the GI Joe Adventure Team, which is being done for the first time in the 3 3/4″ size. This short takes it’s audio from a vintage 1970s Adventure Team commercial.

This spot was put together by The Official GI Joe Collector’s Club, who coincidentally will be staging the big Hasbro International GI Joe Collector’s Convention in Providence, Rhode Island starting April 29. Wish I could be there.

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Our first musical guest is The Diablo Blues Band. You’ve seen a lot of Johnny Hurricane Compton, John Chic, Kevin Kidd, Keef Mack and Tommy Fontaine lately. We’ve had them on episode 89 (backing up RFC Big Shot Melanie Larch) and on episode 92.  They’re back again, this time with their theme song, “Diablo Blues,” recorded at The Blue Parrot.

You can see The Diablo Blues Band in May, when they do a two-night stand at Tomahawks on the 13th and 14th. Check ’em out live and see why they’re one of the most-popular bands we’ve had on the show.

98 aniOur animation this time is by Frank Panucci, and shockingly enough, it depicts an Energy Dome frolicking about. It’s name is Dennis, “Dennis Hopper.”

Frank’s work also turns up in the music video from our next act. David Synn was the mastermind behind the acclaimed SynnthetX project, and he’s recently started playing out at area open mics.

It’s wild seeing David bring his bank of keyboards and show off his prog-rock and classical influences, and still manage to capture the enthusiasm of the bar-goers. You can hear them going nuts at the end of this performance of “Skinny Man.”

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I incorporated a short film by Frank into the video mix for this tune–the live performance was recorded at The Empty Glass. Frank’s experimental film, “Night Drive On Acid” fit the music perfectly, so I faded it in and out of David’s performance. “Night Drive” was filmed in South Hills, then tinkered with mercilessly. Look for more music from David Synn in epsidoe 100 of Radio Free Charleston, and in our next “Show without words.”  He’ll also be hitting some open mic nights at The Empty Glass and The Blue Parrot in the coming weeks.

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Captain Crash and The Beauty Queen have been regular guests on RFC for nearly three years now. They’ll be performing every Wednesday in April and every Monday and Wednesday in May at The Fifth Quarter. This is the first time The Fifth Quarter has had live music since the 1980s. It’s a fun way to grab dinner and hear some great music.

Jonathan and Laura treat us to their original song, “Some Say,” recorded just last week at The Fifth Quarter, as we roll our end credits.

That’s about it for this episode of Radio Free Charleston. We’d like to welcome our new viewers who found their way here after reading Sandy Well’s “Innerview” with Rudy in The Gazette. Check back in a couple of weeks for our next show, which should feature Highway Jones and OVADA. In May, gird your loins for our big 100th episode.